Protective film removal?

[al.330imola]

Hey,

So, the front end has the protective film applied. Not sure how long ago it was put on the car but the condition is poor, it has done its job i guess...


http://i1278.photobucket.com/albums/y506/al0124/22_zps8d25b1a9.jpg

it's starting to crack and peel, also not a big fan of the now noticeable line.

Has anyone removed this sort of film before? seems to be a lot of work and mess.

May look even worse after removal?..should i just leave it as is....

[danewilson77]

M0nk3y (Kyle) will know. Shoot him a PM with a link to this thread.

Samsung Galaxy S5...

[brettbimmer]

M0nk3y (Kyle) will know. Shoot him a PM with a link to this thread.

Samsung Galaxy S5...

+2. Exactly my thought.

[KevinC]

I have 7-year-old film on the nose of my Z4M, installed just after I bought the car new. I recently went back to the installer, intending to have it removed, and the car detailed at the same time. He told me the film is in decent condition at this point (amazing here in the desert after that long) and doesn't need to come off.

Another shop who is the main guys doing film in Phoenix had previously quoted me $100 minimum for removal, and up from there depending on how many hours involved to remove. Apparently if it's pretty fargone, it can be a brutal, time-consuming job to get it all off.

[mbeckel]

Hey,

So, the front end has the protective film applied. Not sure how long ago it was put on the car but the condition is poor, it has done its job i guess...


http://i1278.photobucket.com/albums/y506/al0124/22_zps8d25b1a9.jpg

it's starting to crack and peel, also not a big fan of the now noticeable line.

Has anyone removed this sort of film before? seems to be a lot of work and mess.

May look even worse after removal?..should i just leave it as is....

PM sent

Sent from in the bushes

[mbeckel]

I have 7-year-old film on the nose of my Z4M, installed just after I bought the car new. I recently went back to the installer, intending to have it removed, and the car detailed at the same time. He told me the film is in decent condition at this point (amazing here in the desert after that long) and doesn't need to come off.

Another shop who is the main guys doing film in Phoenix had previously quoted me $100 minimum for removal, and up from there depending on how many hours involved to remove. Apparently if it's pretty fargone, it can be a brutal, time-consuming job to get it all off.

Heat gun and plastic razor blade is all you really need. Apply heat very lightly, basically enough to loosen the adhesive.

Sent from in the bushes

[E_Rak]

Heat gun and plastic razor blade is all you really need. Apply heat very lightly, basically enough to loosen the adhesive.

Sent from in the bushes


Exactly. Take your time, don't dig in to the paint, take many breaks so you don't get frustrated. I've heard the film on BMWs is reasonably high quality and comes off rather easily.

[M0nk3y]

You shouldn't need a plastic blade at all.

Allow the car to sit in the sun all day. It will heat the paint and allow an pretty easy removal.

Use a heat gun (hair dryer works surprisingly well too) and heat the film up a bit where you want to start removal. Slowly pull the film and keep on heating the upcoming space where you want to remove the film. If the film starts to overstretch and it is not pulling off easy because of the stretching...back off on the heat.

You'll most likely encounter glue built up on the very edges of the film. It is pretty hard to have the glue lift with the film here, so you'll probably have to remove that manually later. However, as you're pulling the film and you start encountering glue in the middle of the film, STOP. The film probably isn't hot enough, you're pulling too fast....etc. Slow the process down and take your time. If you remove it correctly, you should have no glue left over besides the edges of the film.

With the glue on the edges, removal can be done with clay bar...or something similar. We've used foam glass cleaner and it removes it fairly well. If you encounter issues here, we've used little acetone and it pulls the glue right off very easy. We used that as a last resort though.

[illirep]

My words of caution are that is easiest to remove in larger pieces. Going to fast causes it to tear and can be a pain. Take your time and pull gently I'm large areas.

[ryankokesh]

Is there any fear of the paint becoming unpainted?

[danewilson77]

Is there any fear of the paint becoming unpainted?

Ryan, please explain how paint becomes unpainted. Does it just disappear into thin air?

Samsung Galaxy S5...

[ryankokesh]

Ryan, please explain how paint becomes unpainted. Does it just disappear into thin air?

Samsung Galaxy S5...

Well it's sorta like painting, but just the opposite!

Fine fine... 'peel off' would probably have been a better choice of words...

[danewilson77]

Lol. Just miss messing with you.

Samsung Galaxy S5...

[ryankokesh]

Lol. Just miss messing with you.

Samsung Galaxy S5...

:wub

[al.330imola]

Thanks for all the input fellas.


You shouldn't need a plastic blade at all.

Allow the car to sit in the sun all day. It will heat the paint and allow an pretty easy removal.

Use a heat gun (hair dryer works surprisingly well too) and heat the film up a bit where you want to start removal. Slowly pull the film and keep on heating the upcoming space where you want to remove the film. If the film starts to overstretch and it is not pulling off easy because of the stretching...back off on the heat.

You'll most likely encounter glue built up on the very edges of the film. It is pretty hard to have the glue lift with the film here, so you'll probably have to remove that manually later. However, as you're pulling the film and you start encountering glue in the middle of the film, STOP. The film probably isn't hot enough, you're pulling too fast....etc. Slow the process down and take your time. If you remove it correctly, you should have no glue left over besides the edges of the film.

With the glue on the edges, removal can be done with clay bar...or something similar. We've used foam glass cleaner and it removes it fairly well. If you encounter issues here, we've used little acetone and it pulls the glue right off very easy. We used that as a last resort though.

Thank you for the very detailed process.


ryankokesh
Is there any fear of the paint becoming unpainted?


This is one of the concerns, that it will look worse after removal, residue, damaged/faded paint...

[E_Rak]

I think you'll find that the paint underneath the film will be more vibrant than the rest of the car actually!

Sent from my oversized iPhone | HTC One

[al.330imola]

I think you'll find that the paint underneath the film will be more vibrant than the rest of the car actually!

Sent from my oversized iPhone | HTC One

In theory it should, as it was "protected". If that adhesive comes off smoothly with no residue layer...

[E_Rak]

Remove the residue with a paint safe adhesive remover, clay bat, quick polish. It will be just fine, I've done it before.

Sent from my oversized iPhone | HTC One

[mbeckel]

Remove the residue with a paint safe adhesive remover, clay bat, quick polish. It will be just fine, I've done it before.

Sent from my oversized iPhone | HTC One

WD-40 also works and is harmless to paint. Only use it if the adhesive is thick, follow up with soap and water

Sent from in the bushes

[cakM3]

WD-40 also works and is harmless to paint.

I heard of this as well....

[mbeckel]

I heard of this as well....

Learned that when working in a body shop for a little while in the earlier years of my life

Sent from in the bushes

[M0nk3y]

Well it's sorta like painting, but just the opposite!

Fine fine... 'peel off' would probably have been a better choice of words...

Typically with repainted surfaces it is actually not uncommon to have the clear coat peel off upon removal

Sent from my XT907 using Tapatalk

[ELCID86]

Remove the residue with a paint safe adhesive remover, clay bat, quick polish. It will be just fine, I've done it before.



Try the clay bat! :rofl

[al.330imola]

So, it was a sunny weekend, i let the car sit in the sun all day.


http://i1278.photobucket.com/albums/y506/al0124/121_zps63fb0275.jpg

The sides as you can see, peeled off surprisingly easily and in one piece. Took about 5 minutes for the sides, the hood however was a hassle. I had to heat and peel it off in a million pieces and it took about 2 hours. In the end it all peeled off and cleaned up pretty nicely, looks much cleaner.

Thanks for all the advice.

[M0nk3y]

Good hear the time consuming, but promising results.