Stain on vinyl decal

[zxpwr]

Hi guys,

A customer dropped off a Mini Cooper for detailing today and it has those vinyl stripes on the hood. Since it`s late, I figured I will work on it a little. So then I finished the engine compartment, when I parked it inside my garage I noticed that the stripes had stains on them which I thought were just dirt early on (see pics). I tried claying, high concentrate of APC.. thinking of using bleach.



I tried searching but could not get an answer, I might not be using the right keywords..



Any of you encountered this kind of stain before? How did you remove them?

http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr214/zxpwr350/2004%20Blue%20Mini%20Cooper/IMG_0223.jpg

http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr214/zxpwr350/2004%20Blue%20Mini%20Cooper/IMG_0221.jpg

http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr214/zxpwr350/2004%20Blue%20Mini%20Cooper/IMG_0219.jpg



Thanks in advance!



-Leo

[GS4_Fiend]

I think that`s material wearing out.

[zxpwr]

I will try bleach and if it doesnt work, i will ask if the customer wants it removed... overall the car is in great shape and this vinyl sticker is making it ugly..

[944obscene]

That`s fugly man. I`m betting the surface of the sticker is done for. Probably needs replacement.

[BobD]

Looks like mildew to me but it`s hard to say. I`d try a chemical polish on it.

[wannafbody]

That`s the kind of staining I got on my vinyl stripes (after 2 years). I tried polishes, cleaners, APC-nothing would remove them. Finally I took the vinyl stripes off.

[salty]

As Danase said, try a chemical cleaner first and then a light polish. It should give you an indication if it is coming off.



Thinking outside the box. Try an equal mix of distilled water, vinegar and 3% Hydrogen Peroxide. Again you should know within seconds if it will work.

[zxpwr]

Thanks for the inputs guys!



Danase, any recomendation on chemical polish?



The stain is actually not just on the surface but kind of dyed the vinyl itself. Anyway, I tried bleach and seems to be working. I tried hydrogen peroxide and also benzoyl peroxide, that`s right, it`s the zit cream. It was actually the only suggestion I got from autopia search results. None of those two worked.



So here`s what I did, soaked paper towel with bleach and layed it on vinyl. Let it sit for an hour.



Right side is the one treated with bleach.

http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr214/zxpwr350/2004%20Blue%20Mini%20Cooper/IMG_0318.jpg

http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr214/zxpwr350/2004%20Blue%20Mini%20Cooper/IMG_0323.jpg



I did the same thing and let sit overnight and it was 10X better this morning, the stain is there but you won`t even see it from 3 feet away.

[BobD]

I can`t recommend anything but there are a few good ones out there.

[salty]

When I recommended the water/vinegar/HP they have to be mixed, they don`t work alone.



Looks like you found a solution, though I don`t know what bleach will do to paint.