dvdchance

Looking for some suggestions here. The previous owner for some ungodly reason decided to put some pin striping on the car.

I didn't notice it when I bought the car, but the drivers side it has been completely removed, but the passenger side still has about half the pin striping remaining.

Any suggestions on how to go about removing what's left?

I would contact the previous owner but my only contact address for him was a craigslist email which is now expired.

Thanks for reading.

Kansas

There have been past threads on the techniques people have used to removed vinyl pin stripes - you can find by doing a search. I removed the ones from my 2000 LS400 about 10 years ago by first heating them when a hair dryer to soften then and then using car wax to remove the residue that was left after pealing off the stripes.

I doubt if a previous owner installed the stripes. Pin stripes were a common Lexus dealer installed accessory back in the 1990's and into the 2000's. The Lexus dealer here often put pin stripes on Lexus vehicles before they were put on the lot and in the showroom.

Shmee

iTrader: (3)

Heat gun/1500W hair dryer, your fingernail, some nail polish remover or "goo gone," and a couple hours.

Heat the stripe up and pick it with your nail. If you're lucky and it's not that old, it should come off easily in one piece if you heat and pull as you go. If you're not lucky and it's really old, you you'll be there for hours and it will break up a lot and will generally suck.


The nail polish remover should be applied to a clean soft rag and gently rub off any glue residue once you are done. Wash the car after as not to damage paint with the nail polish remover.

sha4000

iTrader: (1)

Yeah heat gun/hair dryer and some Goo Gone.

timmy0tool

iTrader: (7)

if one side of the car's stripes were removed, there is a chance that side was repainted or repaired. that or that person never finished the job. i hope it's only the latter.

to remove it faster i use a 3M product called a stripe off wheel. it's a rubber wheel that attaches to a drill and erases the stripe from existence. works wonders on removing emblem residue and the like, as pictured!

timmy0tool

iTrader: (7)

for more clarity, here is how the wheel worked out.

top: after stripe off wheel
middle: polish with aggressive foam pad
bottom: replaced gold emblems with chrome!

dvdchance

Thanks for all the great replies.

Timmy that stripe off wheel looks awesome! I think thats the route I'm gonna take. I see on Amazon it's $23, a bit pricey for something I'm probably only going to use for 15 minutes but will be worth it in time saved.

And yea the owner was in the process of removing them himself but like me isn't a big fan of being outside in the cold so never finished.

johnnyg66

Wait for a hot day let it sit and peel. Or oven cleaner works too but wipe as you peel. Don't let it sit too long.