There is nothing I hate more than dealerships who love putting free advertisement on the back of your new car in the form of a decal or emblem with their business name one it. It looks tacky, clutters the back of the car, and simply takes away from the overall appearance of the vehicle.
If you were lucky enough to only get the decal or the sticker kind, they can usually be removed very easily. Simply take a heat gun (or hair dryer if you don’t have one) and warm up the decal which will soften up the adhesive. Next you want to slowly peel off the decal (this step is definitely easier if you have finger nails). Most of the time you will find that the decals will peel off cleanly, not leaving any glue or adhesive behind. However, if they do happen to leave a little glue behind, simply take some 3M adhesive remover on a clean soft rag and gently wipe the surface until the glue/adhesive dissolves.
Now if you are one of the unfortunate people who got stuck with one of the hard plastic emblems held on with two sided foam tape, you will need a slightly different method and a little more patience. First you will need to take some fishing line or even dental floss and cut through the foam tape by sliding it between the emblem and the paint. Use the fishing line or dental floss in a seesaw type method to cut through the foam. This is a much safer method then just prying the emblem off with your hand, as that can result in the corner of the emblem gouging into the paint. Next you will want to use the 3M adhesive remover to soften the remaining foam tape left behind. The takes a little time and you will want to keep the foam tape wet with the 3M adhesive remover for it to work. Once it has had enough time to dwell it should easily be removed with your finger nail or with the gentle use of a plastic razor blade. Being to aggressive or impatient can result in marring or scratching of the finish…let the adhesive remover do the work.
Note: If the decals or emblems have been on the vehicle for an extended period of time, you may see an outline of where they were prior to removal. This outline will require some measure of polishing to be removed, and in extreme cases even wet sanding. Also note that if you are attempting to remove the make/model emblems from a vehicle that some of them have alignment pins in them, (especially the larger ones) and you will be left with holes in the panel if you remove them. I’d suggest checking with your local dealer before removing these emblems.
If you have any additional comments or questions, please submit your reply in the comment box below.
Excellent advice!
I used the fishing line method for the GM decal on my car. Worked without an issue.
Be sure to tell the dealer not to apply decals, and certainly not to drill a front license plate (unless your state requires it). This is a common request, and any respectable dealership would comply. Don’t sign any papers until they show you the car in the condition you asked for.
Glad to hear it worked well for you Brian!
Thanx Chad,
I have a problem I got a sticker around 4 years old on the paint of my vehicle’s trunk please tell me how can I remove it? with 3M adhesive remover or hair dryer because I cant use dental floss in this case.
Thank you very much.
Hey Dong,
Yes, the use of a heat gun or hair dryer (or leaving it in the hot sun) should be all you need to help peel it off with ease. Most of them will peel off without leaving behind any adhesive, but if it does simply use the 3M adhesive remover. If it’s a really old sticker the material may be brittle (sun baked) and break into pieces as you pull on it…those ones are never fun and require a lot more time/effort to remove.
Hope this helps,
Rasky
There is a Ford dealership in the Colorado Springs area that RIVETS the “free dealership advertsing” onto the vehicles (insert horrified smiley icon here!)
I recently detailed a farily new Nissan Altima for a client and asked her if she wanted me to remove the decal that the dealership applied (crooked, to boot!). She told me that she would have to ask the dealership if it was okay. I told her it is her car, she did not need dealer permission to remove the sticker.
Heat plus patience worked a treat! thank you!!!!
how do you get glue off the roof of a car without stripping the paint
Rodney,
What type of glue are you referring too? This article refers to the removal of emblems, badges, stickers and dealer decals, all of which I’ve never seen on the roof of a car. Some glue’s can be very damaging to automotive paint (Super Glue) and I’d really need to know what I’m dealing with before I can recommend a product/method.
Rasky
Made the error of putting a chrome self-adhesive ‘Sport’ badge, available from Amazon, on my car. Help on how to remove please.