Wow, this is a pain in the ...... I'm removing the 3M clear bra film from the hood of my wife's Boxster S. When taking if off a large amount of the glue is is separating from the 3M plastic and staying on the paint. Can anyone recommend a solvent that will remove the glue that won't affect the clear coat? Thanks much.

 

I feel your pain. I used Turtle Wax bug and tar remover to get the leftover adhesive off. It took awhile but, it did get it all off eventually.

 

My guys use some sort of orange based cleaner. I'll have to get the name tomorrow. It does a great job and is very gentle on paint!

While you are peeling, use a little heat to help the adhesive loosen up.

 

I have to remove this from my bumper and side rockers this week, its been on there for about 10 years so I am not looking forward to it and might just leave it in the hands of a body shop

 

I have the clear bra also. Are you removing it due to nicks, scratches and/or discoloration? Am I missing something?

 

My reason is discoloration...I want to paint my CF front lip body color and there is no way the paint is going to match, want to redo the side rockers due to this as well.

 

Pretty sure I've recommended this stuff a few times on this forum for this exact problem.

http://detailersdomain.com/carcarepr...veRemover.html

 

This is the stuff you want...

 

Did you use a steamer? You should get your film real soft with the streamer before removing it. The steamer should also work with the glue; some thin down alcohol should work too (6 parts water with one part alcohol).

 

So here's what I ended up doing. I used a steamer to remove the plastic while spraying a 50/50 mixture of vinegar and water. As I mentioned in my first post, almost all of the glue separated from the plastic staying on the paint. I tried both long and short exposures of the steam but it made no difference, the glue separated from the plastic. I picked up the 3M adhesive remover...no luck at all. Tried a 50/50 diluted mixture of alcohol and water...no luck. Tried the 50/50 diluted mixture of vinegar and water...no luck. Tried full strength mineral spirits, which did take off most of the upper layer of glue but a thin layer remained. This thin layer was very hard...most likely due to UV baking it over the years. Last resort...gasoline. This took the thin layer off with a lot of elbow grease. After working a small area I would wiped it down with water that had baking soda in it. After everything was said and done the clear coat was not effected. The clear film was applied to the Boxster S 4 years ago.

I was not so lucky when I removed the clear film from my turbo, which had been on the car for 5 years. I removed it because it had begun to discolor quite a bit. When I removed it there were several large areas where the glue had penetrated into the clear coat and in some areas into the paint! Now I'm looking at a paint job. This is why I removed it from the Boxster S. I was afraid that we would have the same problem with the glue invading the paint. Fortunately, it had not effected the clear coat on the Boxster S. Another thing that resulted from this film, which effective both cars, was an indented line being left in the clear coat where the edge of the clear film ended. Both cars have this line that goes across the hood. They are faint but you can see them. 3M clear film was used on both cars. Needless to say, I will never use this product again after experiencing what it did to the paint on both cars, which are seal gray in color.

 

Damn! After an experience like that with a clear bra, there doesn't seem to be much of a point of using it in the first place. Either you don't use it and need to respray from rock nicks or have to respray because the clear bra caused damage.

 

I would guess the adhesive went down into the paint due to the use of mineral spirits and gasoline... Otherwise the 3M adhesive is not going to break down the paint and allow that. We have taken vinyl off many old vehicles and never had an issue like that...

Here is what we use (orange peel):

http://www.signwarehouse.com/FL-RE-p-FL-PEEL-1GL.html

 

It took me 2 hours for the hood and front bumper. WHAT A PAIN.

In the end I used 3M glue remover and water/dish soap at the end to get all the "glue *****" that form when rubbing off the glue.

Now thinking about a nice wrap for the car, change colors...

 

this stuff looks good. I dunno if all of the clear bra films are the same as the 3M product. I have the new Avery nano film on my GT2 and it looks great and is said to protect without discoloration...only time will tell. my trunk is done in matte...

I know along with 3M and Avery, another player is VentureSheild which is a popular film used out there....I've heard mixed reviews on it though.

 

I've used GooGone to remove dealer stickers in the past.