Umm...isn't that paint remover? I want to remove just the adhesive. Not the paint it's attached to.
Best heavy duty adhesive remover?
- Thread starter atikovi
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I can say from experience that acetone will remove decal adhesive from a WJ Jeep, but it will soften the paint if before you're finished. (I was painting the hood anyway.)
I have tried almost everything listed except for acetone which I know will damage the paint. I have tried... a heat gun (which is what I used to get the film off), Bug & Tar remover, Goo Gone, Goof Off, WD-40, mineral spirits, lacquer thinner, alcohols (including denatured, 99% isopropyl, and everclear), pure d-limonene, and even carburetor cleaner. None of these make it easy to remove this obnoxious adhesive.
I don't think that toluene is available to the general public because it is a substance that is prized by huffers. Lighter fluid appears to contain mostly naphthalene and xylene.
I don't think that toluene is available to the general public because it is a substance that is prized by huffers. Lighter fluid appears to contain mostly naphthalene and xylene.
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Maybe the best thing to do is take it and get a custom wrap applied to the car instead. 
Acetone. It's a little risky but the paint may already be messed up. I used to restore old Jet Skis and those decals would get baked on. I removed them with a heat gun then removed the residue with acetone if goof off/goo gone didnt work. Those PPF are an odd strategy. They may not chip but they yellow and cause uneven fading requiring $$ to fix it which is what it's supposed to avoid.
As mentioned in my other post, I'm removing old paint protection film. Scraping the stuff off is half the battle. The remaining glue reside is a big pain to take off as well. Using a paint prep degreaser that I wipe on to a small section, then scrape off with a plastic blade. Have to do at least 5 cycles on each hand size area to get most of the glue off. Is there something stronger, or are they all the same? I don't want to spend another $35 on something like
if it's no better than the stuff I have now.
PM your address and I’ll send you something you will be very thankful for. It will be in a spray bottle. Mist it on the surface and keep it wet. In 45 mins or less you will be able to use a bondo spreader to shear 90% of the glue from the surface. Mist it again and you will be able to wipe the rest of the glue away. When done you can rinse the surface with water and it will be squeaky clean. We make this stuff and use it to clean our lab glassware. Even the nastiest materials melt away. The toxicity is extremely low. It is a plant based product. It will be your friend for sure.
David
You may have, in that 3M adhesive remover can, the best option to remove baked on clear vinyl paint protector.
The girlfriend's car had it on there for years before I decided to try and take it off because it looked so bad. I tried everything including abrasive wheels and pads, solvents, and heat. The easiest thing to get the adhesive off that I found was the 3M adhesive remover combined with the Permatex blue handled/ orange bladed plastic razor blade scraper.
Went like this:
-Peel off as much of the film as possible. There will probably be many pieces as opposed to one big piece of film . You may find good results with a heat gun at various stages of removal.
-Apply liberal amount of 3M adhesive remover to the remaining film/adhesive
-Let soak to soften for a couple of minutes
-Use the scraper at an angle to get under and remover remaining film pieces. The 3M solvent works better at dissolving the glue than it does the top film. That's why you want to try to get off as much of the film as possible so the 3M to do its job. You will have to vary the angle, pressure and speed of the scraper depending on the brand, age and condition of your film.
-Reapply some more 3M adhesive remover and let soak for a minute or two on the remaining glue residue
-Use the scraper again with the same method to remove more of the top film and glue residue
-Repeat until you can wipe off the remaining glue residue with a microfiber cloth
-Wash the area with car shampoo
-Wax or seal with your favorite product
-Don't ever make the same mistake again!
It'll take some time and pressure, that's right time and pressure.
It was the last thing I tried and and was so much more effective that I stopped looking.
You don't want to leave those things on more than a year or two.
The girlfriend's car had it on there for years before I decided to try and take it off because it looked so bad. I tried everything including abrasive wheels and pads, solvents, and heat. The easiest thing to get the adhesive off that I found was the 3M adhesive remover combined with the Permatex blue handled/ orange bladed plastic razor blade scraper.
Went like this:
-Peel off as much of the film as possible. There will probably be many pieces as opposed to one big piece of film . You may find good results with a heat gun at various stages of removal.
-Apply liberal amount of 3M adhesive remover to the remaining film/adhesive
-Let soak to soften for a couple of minutes
-Use the scraper at an angle to get under and remover remaining film pieces. The 3M solvent works better at dissolving the glue than it does the top film. That's why you want to try to get off as much of the film as possible so the 3M to do its job. You will have to vary the angle, pressure and speed of the scraper depending on the brand, age and condition of your film.
-Reapply some more 3M adhesive remover and let soak for a minute or two on the remaining glue residue
-Use the scraper again with the same method to remove more of the top film and glue residue
-Repeat until you can wipe off the remaining glue residue with a microfiber cloth
-Wash the area with car shampoo
-Wax or seal with your favorite product
-Don't ever make the same mistake again!
It'll take some time and pressure, that's right time and pressure.
It was the last thing I tried and and was so much more effective that I stopped looking.
You don't want to leave those things on more than a year or two.
Citrol seems to work for me
