A few Newbie Questions

S

SRN

New member
Ok, I ran some searches, and I didn't find what I wanted, so here we go:

First of all, I have an '83 VW Rabbit GTI. The body is in great shape, but the paint is a little, well, old. But this is what I would like to know.

I want to remove some pinstripping off the sides and back. What it the best method to do this? I know that there are 'eraser' wheels that you can get, but I would assume that this isn't good for the surrounding paint, so what do you guys recommend?

Next, I want to remove some molding, its just held on with glue, and thats what I'm concerned about, whats the best way to get rid of glue residue?

Also, I have gas stains under the gas cap (It used to over flow when it got to hot). Is that something that you can just buff out, or would it be better to use a special compound?

Finally, like I said, the paint is old and pretty faded. What is recommended to freshen it up. I plan to get the car repainted one day, but that's a little ways off right now so I would just like to get the car looking pretty good for now.



Thanks for all your help in advance.
 
:welcome to Autopia





To remove tape stripes use a heat gun to soften the glue. This might be tricky on your car if the stripes have been on there 20 years. I imagine the tape material is quite brittle but give it a try and see how it works. Maybe try it on an area that is not too visible??



Molding can be removed the same way. Tape remnants can be removed with an adhesive remover from 3M. Again, 20 years of glue might be a challenge to remove so please be aware of that.



Gas stains can usually be polished out by hand using a product like Meguiars Scratch X or one of the many pre wax cleaners on the market.



Impossible to say what will make 20 year old paint look good but the nice thing is that you can use your car as a learning opportunity for various tools and polishes. I don't know your level of experience nor do I know what tools and products you currently have but starting with something like a fine cut cleaner would be a good choice. Meguiars and 3M make excellent polishes that are readily available in stores. You can be as aggressive as you want at this point since most any polishing will likely make a positive difference.



Have fun and post some pics when you're done polishing.
 
Thanks for the help. My experience is basically nill. I do the recomended twice a year polish and wax, thats it. I'll give those things a try once I'm done trearing apart the engine compartment.:up
 
You may find Klasse All-In-One (AIO) a big help on 20 year old paint. It's worth a shot if there's oxidation, but it's a good product on any paint condition.
 
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