OCDinPDX
Paint Ph.D
I'm writing this for those thinking about taking off 3M/Ventureshield paint protection film either on their own car or a client vehicle.
My dad's 2007 Acura RL is black and has had the 3M paint protection film on it since the odometer read 75 miles. Last year it got pretty beat up, mostly due to some baked on water spots from a rogue sprinkler. Before he left for France last Thursday, we discussed having the film replaced and I agreed to remove it for him when I detailed the car.
Well I got started today and that stuff is really sticky. By the time I got done my arms were cramped to no end. I'm almost certain that the difficulty was caused by not letting the car sit in the sun long enough to loosen the adhesive. Getting all the sticky off the hood took a good hour and a half and the adhesive remover dried my skin out. I only did the hood today and I'm going to hold off on pulling the rest of it off the fenders and front bumper until Friday when it's supposed to hit 70º. :yay I have to say, though...the car looks much better without the film but the protection it provides is definitely worth the trade-off.
I highly recommend letting the car sit in the sun for 30 to 45 minutes to let the surface heat up and allow the adhesive to loosen and become more malleable. The darker the car, the quicker the surface will heat up. You can use a heat gun if necessary but I'd try the au natural method first...you'll get more even heating that way. Pick off an edge and work at angle but don't try to pull it straight up; that's about like trying to force a cow down stairs. Try to keep it moving at all times because if you stop, it will leave little residue lines that will need to be removed and those are a good 5-minute job each. A friend to help keep the momentum up is invaluable for this job.
My dad's 2007 Acura RL is black and has had the 3M paint protection film on it since the odometer read 75 miles. Last year it got pretty beat up, mostly due to some baked on water spots from a rogue sprinkler. Before he left for France last Thursday, we discussed having the film replaced and I agreed to remove it for him when I detailed the car.
Well I got started today and that stuff is really sticky. By the time I got done my arms were cramped to no end. I'm almost certain that the difficulty was caused by not letting the car sit in the sun long enough to loosen the adhesive. Getting all the sticky off the hood took a good hour and a half and the adhesive remover dried my skin out. I only did the hood today and I'm going to hold off on pulling the rest of it off the fenders and front bumper until Friday when it's supposed to hit 70º. :yay I have to say, though...the car looks much better without the film but the protection it provides is definitely worth the trade-off.
I highly recommend letting the car sit in the sun for 30 to 45 minutes to let the surface heat up and allow the adhesive to loosen and become more malleable. The darker the car, the quicker the surface will heat up. You can use a heat gun if necessary but I'd try the au natural method first...you'll get more even heating that way. Pick off an edge and work at angle but don't try to pull it straight up; that's about like trying to force a cow down stairs. Try to keep it moving at all times because if you stop, it will leave little residue lines that will need to be removed and those are a good 5-minute job each. A friend to help keep the momentum up is invaluable for this job.