Did removing stickers damage your paintwork?
Poll: Did removing stickers damage your paintwork?
Total Members Polled: 78
Discussion
Quality stickers from the likes of Hollographics should come off easily enough when heated with a hairdryer and carefully removed. Not had any damage to my paintwork from removing my own but a friend of mine took a load of laquer off his 911 after last years LM. But his paint was in bad shape to begin with.
Removing the '08 stickers from the doors of the Rolling Blue Sofa did do a little perminent damage but this just showed me how cheap the last re-spray job the car had was and could probably have been avoided if I'd used a heat gun/waited for a sunnier day (which is what I did with the stripes...which is why they are still on the car...)
If your car's a shed that's had a £500 respray to make it look good, then you may want to think twice.
If it's had a decent respray/wearing factory paint I doubt very much you will have the same issue (didn't have any issues removing my '07 stickers from my Spitfire).
If your car's a shed that's had a £500 respray to make it look good, then you may want to think twice.
If it's had a decent respray/wearing factory paint I doubt very much you will have the same issue (didn't have any issues removing my '07 stickers from my Spitfire).
My lacquer came off because the car had had a dodgy respray... different car this year with original non-metallic paint so going to try again... my mate's Focus RS with original paint also lost a bit of lacquer, not too bad though - but both of us were using extreme caution and lots of hot water trying to take them off...
The key here is to put them on properly in the first place. You must use water and a small amount of washing-up liquid - I find Fairy Liquid is good, and kind to my hands too - This helps when putting them on and prevents them becoming too "sticky". Last year, I bought large 2 and 4 stickers (24)from Holographics and applied them to a magnetic sheet, cut them to the numbers shape then put them on the bonnet of my Z3. At high speed all the way to Le Sarthe, they didnt once shift and I can use them again and again, putting them whereever I want. Magnetic sheet from eBay at £24. Done.
Be VERY careful with the magnetic stuff. We've stopped selling it now as we had so many problems where customers weren't following the strict cleaning routine. One guy left his on the car for two weeks without cleaning them at all only to find that when he did eventually try to take them off they had welded themselves to the bodywork.
We had the material tested for faults but it was perfect. Please be careful, especially with magnetic sheet from ebay as you have no idea what the quality is like....
Regarding normal stickers, providing your paintwork is in sound condition and you follow the application/removal instructions supplied with any reputable sticker (
) you should be fine
Dan
We had the material tested for faults but it was perfect. Please be careful, especially with magnetic sheet from ebay as you have no idea what the quality is like....
Regarding normal stickers, providing your paintwork is in sound condition and you follow the application/removal instructions supplied with any reputable sticker (
) you should be fineDan
Removing stickers last year removed a large area of paint from one door and smaller areas from the rear of the car. It will need those 'panels' resprayed to fix.
HOWEVER, having had it examined by an expert or two - the paint in those areas was already weak. Certainly the door area had been touched up before and as such allowed a big section to just 'come free'.
I did use good quality stickers. And it did look FANTASTIC! 
HOWEVER, having had it examined by an expert or two - the paint in those areas was already weak. Certainly the door area had been touched up before and as such allowed a big section to just 'come free'.
I did use good quality stickers
. And it did look FANTASTIC! Have used stickers on our convoy for the last four years. No problem until 2006, some paint removed from a Seat Leon. Same story as on other posts, the car had, had some spray work which lifted, almost certainly not properly keyed. However, it looked fine beforehand and probably would have never been discovered had the stickers not been applied. Ultimately we had to fork out £300 for a bonnet respray.
Last year we all had problems getting the glue off, despite having used a hairdryer the glue stayed on the car when the stickers came off. Boiling water, wax, t-cut, alcohol all failed to remove the glue, resorted to petrol in the end, it worked but it's not a nice thing to use on paintwork as it'll remove the laquer if you use too much or rub too hard.
Shan't be stickerinig up in 09, IMHO it's just not worth the risk. If your car has had spray work that's not 100% then the paint is likly to lift. Even if it's fine there's a chance you'll damage it trying to get the glue/stickers off (currently about 10% according to this pole).
Last year we all had problems getting the glue off, despite having used a hairdryer the glue stayed on the car when the stickers came off. Boiling water, wax, t-cut, alcohol all failed to remove the glue, resorted to petrol in the end, it worked but it's not a nice thing to use on paintwork as it'll remove the laquer if you use too much or rub too hard.
Shan't be stickerinig up in 09, IMHO it's just not worth the risk. If your car has had spray work that's not 100% then the paint is likly to lift. Even if it's fine there's a chance you'll damage it trying to get the glue/stickers off (currently about 10% according to this pole).
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