Decal Removal?

[workamper]

I have a 2004 Adventurer and the decals have been fading and curling away from the body and have done so for some time. I feel the best was to remedy the problem is to remove the decals.
Does anybody have any ideas on how to remove them totally? They are quite tenacious

[mrv8outboard]

3M has what looks like eraser material in the form of a wheel that attaches to a drill. It will not harm the surface. I have used it to take boat boot tape, peal and stick reflector foam tape adhesive and double sided foam tape.

"3M Stripe Off Wheel" Disc Size : 4" x 5/8"
Recommended Tool Speed : 2,000 rpm
Product Application : Removes Vinyl Striping Tapes, Decals & Graphics

NAPA Part Number "MMM 07498"

[smlranger]

A hair dryer or heat gun will also wrinkle the decals and let you peel them off, slowly. 3M also makes some spray that can be used on boats to remove decals and vinyl lettering. Never used it but have heard it works.

When I had my coach painted couple of years ago, the shop doing the work used a heat gun.

[Norm Mac]

Here is how I answered this question a few months back...

I have been in the decal business my whole life (long time). Decal removal is a real pain, even I can't estimate of how many hours it might take.

Every vehicle is different, Here is the order that we follow...

Try this first...
Heat gun LOW setting indoors or shady. warm a large area then really heat up a small area and start peeling. This works best if one person peels and one person uses the heat gun. Every decal has a magic temperature that it will remove reasonably easy and not leave a lot of adhesive behind.

If it doesn't work, try putting the unit in the sun and following the same method. Sometimes the sun helps, sometimes it doesn't.

If it doesn't work
We use a product called VinylOff (indoors or shade only AND PRETEST ON YOUR FINISH)
Wet the decal down with a towel/rag soaked in VinylOff. Let it sit 20 to 30 minutes. Try peeling the decal (it probably won't work). Wet the decal down again and wait again. If it still doesn't work, wet the decal down again and walk away for an hour. Now warm it with the heat gun on LOW and start peeling.
This method ALMOST always works even on really old dried out decals

If the VinylOff doesn't work...
Get some of the decal removal wheels from an Auto Body Supply store.
These will remove the decals and should not damage the factory vehicle surface in normal use.
This is our last resort method because they are incredibly messy, expensive, and time consuming. If you have a small area to remove it will go pretty quickly, but large areas take a long long time.
They call them Stripe removal wheels for a reason (anything larger is a real mess).

Good luck with this project.

[Dogpatch]

Originally Posted by mrv8outboard

3M has what looks like eraser material in the form of a wheel that attaches to a drill. It will not harm the surface. I have used it to take boat boot tape, peal and stick reflector foam tape adhesive and double sided foam tape.

"3M Stripe Off Wheel" Disc Size : 4" x 5/8"
Recommended Tool Speed : 2,000 rpm
Product Application : Removes Vinyl Striping Tapes, Decals & Graphics

NAPA Part Number "MMM 07498"

This is what the pros use! Our fleet decal guy does!

[unca waldo]

I used a hair dryer, set on high and a platic "bondo" spatula. It took a while, but I was able to remove the cracked a peeling graphics without damaging the surface of the coach.

Be forwarned though, the surface under the graphics will be much shinier than the surrounding area, it hasn't been exposed to the elements, so you'll probably notice some "ghosting". Still, it's better than having chaulky, cracked and peeling vinyl tape.

[Ramzfan]

If you're only going to remove the vinyl and replace it with new vinyl, there is a product made by 3M that comes in a spray can that will greatly help in the ease of removal. If you are going to repaint the coach after removal, use the wheels and sand the heck out of it. I've repainted two complete coaches and I find that the spray can remover, then the wheels and finally the sanding with an orbital sander gets a coach ready for paint in the easiest manner.

[snoopydad]

see my post
exceptional service
I have photos and the explanation

[tderonne]

Exceptional Service