I messed up BIG TIME! Damage control

[heinzbush]

Hi All,

I got a 911 993 and as you might know they have these stoneguards (Sticker) on the rear fenders which get brittle after a while...

- I removed the old brittle stoneguard stickers, which was a huge pain to do... however after many many hours they were finally off and all glue residue was removed!
- I ordered new ones, made from 3M tape and installed them around last August... however it seems I messed up the installation a bit... had some blisters, and some not so nice spots...
- I ordered another pair and thought “hey, I will try again as I kinda know now what I’m doing”

So here we go:
in order to install the new guards I started to remove the ones from the first fender this afternoon... I used my heat gun and pulled in a steep angle... few minutes later, the sticker was gone and just some residue left!

i started using WD40 to get rid of the residue when I realized that most of what looked like residue, was actually damaged clear coat!!!!

you can see on the pictures the “lines” this is clear coat damage!
i love my car, I’m super careful and can’t believe this happened!

Now I’m panicking and see these options which all suck!
1) respray needed of probably entire fender area? Paint was original, so this would ruin the authenticity of the car a bit...
2) is it possible to fill / spray in just some clear, on the area where the sticker was?
3) simply use a black fender guard sticker and hide the damage
4) polish hard... but don’t think this will help...


by the way: besides the clear coat damage, I still have most of the residue on! This glue is crazy! It simply doesn’t wanna come off!
Even worse: the guard on the other side is of course still on, and need to remove it as well... after this experience I’m panicking!

 

[Eldorado2k]

Why not just place the new sticker over that “damage”? It’s eventually going to go over 100% of the area anyways right? The other option involves a complete do over including a re spray. I’m not saying it’s the perfect solution, only you know if that’s a viable option based on what it looks like irl but if it was me I’d consider just covering it up with the new sticker.

 

[ClearVue18]

Why not just place the new sticker over that “damage”? It’s eventually going to go over 100% of the area anyways right? The other option involves a complete do over including a re spray. I’m not saying it’s the perfect solution, only you know if that’s a viable option based on what it looks like irl but if it was me I’d consider just covering it up with the new sticker.

Wet sanding?

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[Setec Astronomy]

So you're sure the paint is damaged? And that's not just residue? Do you think you overheated things and that's why this happened? I find it a little odd that the clear pulled off in that pattern, rather than a more complete or a more random way.

 

[sudsmobile]

That doesn't look like clear damage to me. Use something that will cut the adhesive for sure, like 3M Adhesive remover or gas. WD-40 isn't sticker remover. Worst case scenario, wet sand, compound and polish. I don't think that's a repaint.

 

[Rrthomas78]

Definitely not damaged get yourself some citrol

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[LSNAutoDetailingLSNAutoDetailing is verified member.]

Goo gone and let it dwell for 15 minutes (not in sunlight). Then using a plastic razor start working it.

Do not wet sand or do anything beyond your capabilities. I would never advise especially on Porsche. Most Porsche’s are unpredictable and have soft paint.. lastly, paint is thin.

Odds are it’s residue and the wd40 has made it worse looking than it really is. Tarminator will do the same thing. I saw Tarmimator cause adhesive to start bubbling.. I thought for sure the paint was gone. After 15 minute dwell time of goo-be-gone and some plastic razor, it turned out just fine.

Goo gone Dwell time is your friend, it will not hurt your paint.


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[WristyManchego]

So you're sure the paint is damaged? And that's not just residue? Do you think you overheated things and that's why this happened? I find it a little odd that the clear pulled off in that pattern, rather than a more complete or a more random way.

Mr Astronomy is on the money.

The pattern is the giveaway. Try pro strength goof off, best residue remover I’ve used. Just go easy on the paint and wash thoroughly with soapy water after to help neutralise the surface.

Of course, try in a small area first and gently work to determine results. You’ll see pretty quickly if the clear is damaged, your fingernail will find the ridges.

 

[heinzbush]

THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR ANSWERS.

ok, you guys give me some hope, but based on how it looked and felt (with fingernails going over it), I could have SWORN last night there is clear coat damage... also even with quite hard rubbing and scratching with fingernail there was no change to the pattern...

I am at work all day today and ordered some residue removers (I am based in Germany, so most mentioned products dont exist with the same name, but there are plenty which I already ordered).

I will "attack" the area tomorrow once the products arrive and send prayers tonight to the car gods that the paint is fine and I'm just overreacting...

 

[sudsmobile]

You have gas in Germany right? It won't hurt your paint either, otherwise they would let you pump it into your car and have it drip down the side.

 

[WristyManchego]

You have gas in Germany right? It won't hurt your paint either, otherwise they would let you pump it into your car and have it drip down the side.

Gas or, Petrol as it should be known (gas is a phase of matter), will definitely hurt your paint. It is effective for sure but will soften the clear pretty quickly if left on the surface.

Give it a test, if it works, use it gently and swiftly, and wash VERY thoroughly after use with lots of soapy water to remove the petroleum.

 

[Rrthomas78]

Gas or, Petrol as it should be known (gas is a phase of matter), will definitely hurt your paint. It is effective for sure but will soften the clear pretty quickly if left on the surface.

Give it a test, if it works, use it gently and swiftly, and wash VERY thoroughly after use with lots of soapy water to remove the petroleum.

This is good advise ...you and suds are both right if you don't let the gas dwell( which should be common sense right) everything should be fine

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[heinzbush]

Sh&%t!

guys, there was a spark of hope, but I really messed this up by simply removing the sticker...

I used some Sonax glue residue remover and all the gunk came off without any issue... however, the spots I mentioned before are indeed damage to clear... see more pics:

...by the way: no chance this is from using too much heat. It was about 10C/50F degrees outside and I barely used the heat gun as it seemd to go smooth... maybe too little heat...




ok: so where could I go from here:
a) wetsanding, compounding, polishing: I dont see how this could help as this looks quite deep
b) put a black sticker on top... I guess this is the "easiest", but I would have to live with it not being original (stock OEM is transparent sticker)
c) put a transparent sticker on top: it might have the same effect as putting water on top of it... once there is water on top, you can hardly see it
d) respray: least favoured option

...and on top, not sure how to deal with the other side now!

 

[WristyManchego]

Boy, you’ve had a fair go of that sticker.

You’re dead on with the assumption of not using enough heat. The heat is there to soften the glue to allow it to gum up and tack off with the force of the film/vinyl being pulled.

Not enough heat and the force will find the weakest adhesion point, sometimes that’s the clearcoat.

If it is clear coat damage it’s probably a respray job or a potential test of Optimum Clear Coat Restorer if you fancy using it as a test bed. This is a perfect case for it.

Film or vinyl won’t hide the damage like you mentioned, it’s probably far too deep. When that method does work is when the film “fills” the defect to trick the eye. In this case those probably won’t fill in the same way. The water works because it fills and creates a new surface for light to refract off and through.

If you’ve got skills and patience, be bold and try some clear coat restorer. A couple of coats, sand it flat, Polish it to perfect.

Good luck mate.

 

[ClearVue18]

Sh&%t!

guys, there was a spark of hope, but I really messed this up by simply removing the sticker...

I used some Sonax glue residue remover and all the gunk came off without any issue... however, the spots I mentioned before are indeed damage to clear... see more pics:

...by the way: no chance this is from using too much heat. It was about 10C/50F degrees outside and I barely used the heat gun as it seemd to go smooth... maybe too little heat...




ok: so where could I go from here:
a) wetsanding, compounding, polishing: I dont see how this could help as this looks quite deep
b) put a black sticker on top... I guess this is the "easiest", but I would have to live with it not being original (stock OEM is transparent sticker)
c) put a transparent sticker on top: it might have the same effect as putting water on top of it... once there is water on top, you can hardly see it
d) respray: least favoured option

...and on top, not sure how to deal with the other side now!

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[Kaban]

Try the Mastersons Car Care waterless wash. The way Greg talks about it, that stuff can tackle ANY job. Might be worth a try!

 

[heinzbush]

Try the Mastersons Car Care waterless wash. The way Greg talks about it, that stuff can tackle ANY job. Might be worth a try!

Thanks Kaban, but no wash will help... clear coat is damaged / gone...

 

[WristyManchego]

Try the Mastersons Car Care waterless wash. The way Greg talks about it, that stuff can tackle ANY job. Might be worth a try!

Huh? A waterless wash to fix clearcoat or remove glue residue?

 

[ClearVue18]

If you put gas on a microfiber and gently wipe that will remove the glue stains.

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[LSNAutoDetailingLSNAutoDetailing is verified member.]

Please do not use gasoline... do not wet sand.

How long did you let the Sonax Glue Remover dwell for? After applying a liberal amount, did you let it dwell for 15 minutes or more? Did you try plastic razor blades. From what I'm seeing in the pictures, I'm still thinking this can come off... I removed a partial frontal of clear bra off a Mustang and I will tell you, this isn't a 15 minute job. It was like 4 or 5 hours per section just getting all the aged glue residue off.


I used two full bottles of goo-be-gone, plastic razors, some steam, and a lot of patients and rubbing with micro-fiber towels. I knew paint correction was coming after.

If the dwell time and working at it doesn't resolve the issue, take the vehicle to a place that specializes in Clear-Bra installation. They have some heavy-duty glue removers to remove previous installs of PPF and other products. They may be able to help you. Using harsh chemicals such as gasoline, is first unsafe for your health, environment, it's flambe and highly toxic, and not to mention the worst kind of spill you can get on your paint.

If this is beyond your capabilities and you've tried some of the methods suggested (sans gasoline and wet-sanding) you should take the car to a professional PPF installer for more suggestions.

Here is the glue residue from the fender... It doesn't look much different than the photo you posted:

Before

After:

Before:

After: