Question for detailing guy

[HAULN-SS]

I am thinking about buy a truck that has had stickers of some sort stuck on it for several years. What is the likelihood of getting those off, and is there anything that can be done about the "burn in" appearance that is likely to be left?

[premiershine9]

There are many different types of stickers (different adhesives on back), a can of tarminator or preferably 3M adhesive remover will be your best bet- the 3M adhesive remover is EXCELLENT at just dissolving adhesive. Use a heat gun or hair dryer first to warm up the adhesive slowly behind the sticker.... keeping the dryer or gun at least 6 inches away from the surface. You can use the same process for stickers on trim however i'd advise avoiding tarminator on trim as it has been known to stain some surfaces- stick with the 3M if you can find it... If any scraping is necessary to help aid in removing the adhesive you can use a terry cloth towel or any towel with some thick nap to it- also latex gloves with some picking action will grab the adhesive, use a bondo wedge or credit card as a last resort.
As for the stains or some clear coat fading that might have been caused due to the adhesive just baking into the clear I have seen clay help with this in some situations such as when the owner put the sticker on over a good layer of dirt or when the surface was not clean. A medium polish or any type of compound followed by a polish through hand polishing should remove any "stain"....the only time I could see the adhesive leaving a permanent "burn in" or stained area is from permanent clear coat damage.
3M + heat gun + patience will do the trick of getting the stickers off- if need be you may have to repeat the process of reapplying more remover + more heat to allow adhesive to break down.
If there is a stain and you can find some sort of polish or light compound around in your garage, that should do the trick of removing the "burnt in" or stained look left behind from the sticker- what your going to find is most likely some oxidized paint which can be taken care of with proper polishing and compounding. Some OTC products such as scratchX or a bottle of Megs polish (swirl remover, etc.) you should be able to find.
Hope this helps- sorry for the long read
- Dan

[HAULN-SS]

Thanks for the reply - I got what I need out of it - that it should be doable, and that any staining or burn-in is at least partially treatable, sounds like

[premiershine9]

Thanks for the reply - I got what I need out of it - that it should be doable, and that any staining or burn-in is at least partially treatable, sounds like

Yupp! Let me know if you need any more help!

[HAULN-SS]

Are you in harrisonburg again? Feel like tackling a truck if I get it?

[premiershine9]

Yes I am in Harrisonburg, we can set something up for the near future, weather right now isn't too detail friendly but spring time will come soon enough!