I was so excited to take delivery on my 2018 in December that I did not even notice the dealership decal on the tailgate. Once the weather warms up a bit, I plan to remove it. What is the best solvent or method to make the decal go away?

 

Same here.

Also removing the license plate frame.

Use a hair dryer, the heat will loosen the adhesive. Worked good for me with my previous Expedition.

Dennis

 

Thanks, I will try a heat gun on the low setting this weekend.

 

and WD40 or Goof Off will remove the residual adhesive. Then clean with Windex.

 

WD40 and Goof Off are petroleum distillates with oil in them (and orange flavor in the case of goof off), so you could use mineral spirits, lighter fluid, or some other low-strength solvent for any residual adhesive. Lighter fluid (naphtha) is particularly gentle on lacquer and other paints. Watch the heat gun so as not to burn off paint.

 

I have used Kent Automotive brand Acrysol to remove glue, tar, and tree sap from my vehicles. It works good and doesn't damage the paint. It's commonly used on body shops.

 

Easy Off oven cleaner. Spray it on, let it sit for about 10 minutes and wipe it off. I used it to remove lettering on the side of my van from when I bought it, does not damage the paint.

 

Yikes....the way that stuff cuts through grease, it will definitely pull wax off your car paint and may even pull some of the plasticizers out of the clear coat. It is caustic as hell and I've heard of shops using it to remove painted pinstripes and painted logos from cars. It WILL etch the clear coat.

I would use a product designed for automotive paint. Many of the suggestions above are fine--tar and grease removers designed for auto paint are not gonna hurt the finish.

 

No it doesn't. Like I said, I've used it so I know for a fact it does not hurt the paint.

 

Good for you. I would use a product designed for the purpose on a BRAND NEW TRUCK.

Easy Off is massively caustic and current water-borne paints are fragile. If you used it on an old second hand van that you bought cheap, that is not the same as using it on a brand new truck made of aluminum and using modern paint.

All you know is that it did not appear to visibly damage *your* paint on *your* old truck. But etching clear coat may take years to show damage.

 

Just be careful using a heat gun. Those get way hotter than a blow dryer and it doesn't take much to soften the adhesive, particularly on a newly applied sticker.

 

I removed my dealers decals yesterday using a hair dryer, with just a light application of heat, they practically fell off leaving no residue. But I finished up with Windex anyway.

Dennis

 

If I can add one thing to everyone's ideas above.....PATIENCE!


I did mine with a heat gun on low....little bit at a time...followed by WD-40, then windex. Worked fine.

 

Just tell the dealer to take off their advertising.

When I order a new vehicle, I tell them not to put their dealer info on the vehicle when it comes in.

When I buy one off the lot, I tell them to take their dealer info off of the vehicle.

I tell them to do this before I sign any paperwork.

They have no problem taking it off for me.

Why go through all the above hassle??? It doesn't make sense.

 

I had one I had to remove but for the most part a lot of dealers at leat in my areas have gone to license plate frames which are much easier to remove. With mine I did a sharp new razor blade and removed very carefully.