Pin stripe removal

808_detail_nut

808_detail_nut

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Got a car coming up and the owner wanted to know if I could remove old pinstripes. Thinking of steaming it off. Anyone else do that or have another idea?

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If they are the cheap vinyl variety applied by many dealerships you might not even need to use steam.

My Mazda was delivered with pinstripes a few years ago. I simply parked the car in direct sun and let them get hot and soften up. From there I was able to use my finger nail to get the end started and the stripes peeled off the car. Keeping them warm and soft was the trick.
 
New stripes you heat them up (hot hair drier or heat gun) and slowly remove them. Old stripes (brittled stripes) you need to heat them up, use a plastic razor blade OR an eraser wheel.

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If they are painted on, use Easy Off Oven Cleaner. However, there may be some ghosting in the areas where the pinstripes were.
 
If it is painted on, you need to make sure the paint was cleared BEFORE the pinstripe was applied. If the pinstripe was painted on before being cleared, you will end up with a big mess on your hand!
 
nice tips. I know a heat gun would work but I dont have one at the moment. I used steam to remove my tints before and figured it would work. I wish I took a picture of it but its on a 04 honda pilot. The owner really wanted just a wash and wax so I dont want to be doing any polishing after. Its cracking and some parts are off already so I figure a hit with steam would work. Thanks for the painted on pinstripe tip. Thats a good one to know!
 
808_detail_nut said:
nice tips. I know a heat gun would work but I dont have one at the moment. I used steam to remove my tints before and figured it would work. I wish I took a picture of it but its on a 04 honda pilot. The owner really wanted just a wash and wax so I dont want to be doing any polishing after. Its cracking and some parts are off already so I figure a hit with steam would work. Thanks for the painted on pinstripe tip. Thats a good one to know!
Click to expand...

A hair dryer would also work.
 
These pictures are of my 2009 Yukon with vinyl pinstripes

I removed them with a Mytee Firebird Steamer & Plastic Razor Blades

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The residue was removed with an old 3" DAMF pad and D300. I found this to be much quicker than solvent and a MF towel. Toss the DAMF pad afterwards.

On older vehicles you may find interesting things underneath pinstripes

On my truck, I found the opposite of what you might expect. The paint under the pinstripe was actually recessed compared to the adjacent paint. It is tough to see in photographs. The car has been compounded twice and OP removed with CarPro Denim. I would have thought that the paint under the stripes would be thicker/higher.

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Not sure what caused this. Any ideas

It's not a problem bc I will be putting the pinstripes back on this weekend


These cut marks are pretty irritating. 3M indicates that the film only needs to be scored and not cut completely thru

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I once peeled them off by hand. Paid a kid from the neighborhood 5 bucks to help me out. Used goo gone to take residue off, polished afterwards. GL


17" BBS | Firestone Champion HR 235/45/17 Front | Falken Ziex 912 255/40/17 Rear | Ultra Racing strut bar | Red & Black Carbon Fiber Badges | Mtech Pedals | Mtech Door lock pins | Black Euro Grille | Euro Headlights
 
Thanks for the input guys. Used my steamer and it worked like a charm. It was old and brittle so I had to be real gentle and let the steam do the work. Any left behind glue was easily wiped off with mineral spirits.

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I normally try 3M Adhesive remover or Stoners Tarminator and a plastic razor blade. I've removed pin striping, police decals, and numerous others with no problems.
 
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