Goof Off Will ruin your paint

AntC

AntC

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Hey Geekers,

I recently decided to remove the factory pinstripe on my truck, I researched and found the eraser wheel but noticed a lot of people saying that they had trouble because of their drill not having the power to turn the wheel, so I looked for a different option as all I have is a cordless drill.

I came across a forum string that said that Goof Off

could be used to remove pinstripe and since I had a bottle I decided to give it a try, BIG MISTAKE !!! it left etch marks in my clear coat all across my truck!!

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I checked with the manufacturer and various websites and the all said the it was safe on vehicle clear coats, luckily I only did one side of the vehicle at a time and only etched the drivers side, but I still had to repair it.
I couldn't feel the etching so I was pretty sure it wasn't that deep so I decided to try and wet sand it

this was after a few passes with 2000 grit and a pad
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I followed that up with the 3000 grit finishing pad on the DA to get a nice uniform level

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once I had it done as far as I felt comfortable taking it, I started compounding with 105

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I then followed that with Wolfgang total swirl remover

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I followed that with some 845 for now to protect it until I have time to check the rest of the vehicle for swirls and correct those.
I don't have those pics of the 845 because my camera died and it was getting late, but as you can see from the second step I was able to remove most if not all the etching , I got lucky this time , but I definitely learned my lesson,

DO NOT USE GOOF OFF ON YOUR paint !!
 
I've used it on paint multiple times and have never had a problem.
 
wow, I used the goof off in a can to remove adhesive from my truck and had zero issues, bummer you ahd this experience though.
 
Ya same been using for years and never a problem not sure what happen. One question why didn't you just use a heat gun and how much Goof did you use? Looks like you sprayed the hole panel with it. If it was just a pin stripe you should've sprayed some on a MF towel and not on the car.
 
Pureshine said:
Ya same been using for years and never a problem not sure what happen. One question why didn't you just use a heat gun and how much Goof did you use? Looks like you sprayed the hole panel with it. If it was just a pin stripe you should've sprayed some on a MF towel and not on the car.
Click to expand...


I tried that at first and dabbed across the pinstripe, it didnt budge.
 
How long did the product sit on the paint?

It looks like the runs of product dried on the paint surface. Possibly you worked too large of an area at one time?
 
Save as much clear coat as possible and move up in grit...way up...as in start with the least aggressive. A simple test spot will prove if a higher grit will do what is needed.

I'm glad you were able to get that off.

Don't be afraid to use it again if indeed the label says it's safe to use.

It looks like it dried on the surface. Keep a bucket of soap handy. After spraying a small area with the Goof Off, and before it dries wash the area, and rinse. That should prevent any of the issues you had.
 
I can vouch for the damage Goof Off has the potential to do to clear coat/paint. The stock Brembo Pads on the CTS-V, while being really high performance, produce an amount of brake dust on par with a full race pad. So I tried to use one of those wheel coating products that claim to let you just rinse brake dust off with water. Well, it didn't actually work, and didn't dry clear, it had white streaks all throughout it. I then made the decision to Plasti-Dip the wheels, and wanted to take that wheel coating off first. Nothing was having success removing it, so I finally tried using Goof Off. It seemed to actually be removing it slowly, so I coated the wheels with Goof Off and let it work for a couple minutes. When I went to wipe it off, not only did the wheel coating come off, but so did the clear coat and silver paint underneath. It flaked off all the way down to the bare metal. Luckily it is all covered by the Plasti-Dip, but I would caution anyone from using it on paint. If you do, DO NOT let it sit, wipe it off right away, and rinse the area to make sure there is none left on there. :cool:

Dustin
 
It looks like you ended up with a very nicely leveled and corrected finish. I've detailed that exact color on GM 1500 trucks a number of times, and it is absolutely gorgeous. So, well done there...

Not at all to pile on, but I have to think you used way too much (of the wrong product, but that's another story), and left it on the finish to generate the damage....and then went quite a few steps overboard in correction. Sorry to be so blunt about it...again, no intentions of being mean, just trying to reinforce the 'least aggressive first' mantra.
 
Be careful with the "heavy duty" stuff as shown in the picture provided. I have left regular goof off sit on my car for about 15 minutes at a time... twice. And i did not have any adverse side effects.

Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using Tapatalk 2
 
Good save! Although I'd have used the 'wheel'. My cordless drills are 14.4v and I think 18v, none of the newest bad boy voltages. Both turn the wheel just fine. The key is NOT to hammer it into the surface, just skim over the pinstripe at about a 45° angle to the stripe and let it do it's work. Also you don't have to go for the really expensive $35.00 3M wheel. NAPA has one for less than ten bucks that is just like it and works just fine.
 
This may be a dumb question but here goes.
Did you peel the pin stripe first? I would assume that you have to peel the vinyl off as much as you can first then use the goof off for the adhesive that is left. NO?
 
Caminoracer said:
I can vouch for the damage Goof Off has the potential to do to clear coat/paint. The stock Brembo Pads on the CTS-V, while being really high performance, produce an amount of brake dust on par with a full race pad. So I tried to use one of those wheel coating products that claim to let you just rinse brake dust off with water. Well, it didn't actually work, and didn't dry clear, it had white streaks all throughout it. I then made the decision to Plasti-Dip the wheels, and wanted to take that wheel coating off first. Nothing was having success removing it, so I finally tried using Goof Off. It seemed to actually be removing it slowly, so I coated the wheels with Goof Off and let it work for a couple minutes. When I went to wipe it off, not only did the wheel coating come off, but so did the clear coat and silver paint underneath. It flaked off all the way down to the bare metal. Luckily it is all covered by the Plasti-Dip, but I would caution anyone from using it on paint. If you do, DO NOT let it sit, wipe it off right away, and rinse the area to make sure there is none left on there. :cool:

Dustin
Click to expand...

I had the same issue with the wheel coating but it was the 2nd one I used, can't remember if it was Meg's or Armor All ( I just wanted to try it )

Sent from my SPH-M930 using AG Online
 
As has been mentioned, the rubber Pinstripe Wheels are definitely the way to go for safe, and fast removal.

I removed my 2001 Kia Spectra's Pinstripe about 2 months ago, with a Norton Wheel. First time I ever used such a tool in my life. I used it on my Mikita Cordless Drill, and it worked effectively.

I had the options of the 3M wheel at two locations here, one asked $26, the other $36, and the Norton Wheel was $13. I naturally opted for the Norton Wheel, and it worked great.

Was worth the money spent, as I would've been there for literal weeks picking at, and trying lesser methods, such as blow dryer, etc, and no doubt would've damaged the paint finish with those amateurish makeshift methods.

Got it at my local auto paint supply, and his advice was not to have the wheel chatter, or skip while using. Again, like previously mentioned, holding the Stripe Wheel at a 45 degree angle worked the best,

As you go, you simply wisk the stripe, and go back if needed to remove any slight remnants. I then did a wipe down with a paint prep solution, and while there was no scratching, I was left with some light surface marring.

One can find a couple of youtube vids on these types of striping wheels being used.

A follow up with either M205, or WG Total Swirl Remover with my baby Griot's 3" DA, and an Orange 3" Griots Pad did the trick.

I did note a slight ridge in the paint finish, and a slight difference in paint hue, due to the fact the Pinstripe had been on the paint for 12 full years, 8 of them being subjected to a harsh desert sun in NM, so I did replace the Pinstripe with a 3m brand of 1/4" Gold Metallic right over the top of where the old Pinstripe was. Mark
 
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