How do I remove dealer plastic?

P

pharmboyrx

New member
My wife and I got a good deal on a 2008 Civic Coupe EX-L with auto tranny. The dealer found a taffeta white on the west coast of Florida and said he would give it to us for $21,900 out the door.



He calls me back a couple hours later and says that he has a 2009, exactly the same, coming in tomorrow and after his manager sees the invoice, he will make me an offer I can't refuse. If I don't like the offer, I get the 2008 at the agreed upon price.



I told him until I decide, I would like him not to do any prep on the 2009. So if I get this car I have a couple of questions.



Is it ok to drive the car home with the plastic still on it?



Any special procedures for removing it? I plan on taking the car home and spending all weekend detailing it before relinquishing the keys to my wife. I'm giddy with excitement at the prospect of getting a car that hasn't been touched by the dealer. The 2008 has undoubtedly been sitting in it's lot for a while and has probably been washed several times.
 
If it's the blue plastic it's ok to drive with it on and then just peel it, if it's being difficult Windex will ease the peeling. But you could have some lines around the edges so it'll be a good idea to just polish and wax the whole car. You'd have to wax anyways since it's freshly exposed so why not polish?
 
If you can get the plastic off without marring the paint, you could just use a paint cleaner (instead of a polish) and not take off any clear.



I *really* like New Car Prep solvent from http://www.autoint.com . It's made specifically for this job, so I guess it's no surprise that works so well.
 
I'm no expert, but what about using a hair dryer to loosen the bond between the plastic and the paint? Wouldn't that make it come off more easily?
 
DownFlyer said:
I'm no expert, but what about using a hair dryer to loosen the bond between the plastic and the paint? Wouldn't that make it come off more easily?
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Perhaps (I've never tried it) but I'm pretty sure you'd still need to use the solvent/etc. anyhow. The transit-wrap has always come off pretty easily for me, just leaves that adhesive residue.
 
I used to work for a Honda Dealership and its always been the White plastic. Raise a corner up and pull it off it is very easy to remove, if there is any residue get you some solvent and remove it. I never had any issues which a large amount of residue to stick, usually something the size of a dime-quarter. After a good wash you can do a polish, which I would recommend and wax it up. Its very straight forward process and not something you need to research to much IMHO. I personally wouldn't waste my money on the "new car prep" solution either.
 
I agree with chrisallen. Transport plastic will peel right off. You will probably have a little bit of adhesive reside around the edges where the plastic was. A very mild solvent will take this stuff off easily. Polishing would be a total waste, and you risk doing more harm than good. Once you get all the plastic off, just wash and get a coat of protection on your new baby, weather it be wax or sealant, just get something on it. The paint may feel smooth and bead water nicely but I can assure you there isnt any real protection on there.
 
pharmboyrx said:
Is it ok to drive the car home with the plastic still on it?
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do most dealers release them with the plastic on them these days without seeing (have you take it off in front of them) if there is any damage to it?
 
Every dealer around my parts require their own staff to remove the plastic. But if you do receive the car with it still on make sure you peel it off in a smooth and steady motion. If you have stops in your peeling motion you could cause more adhesive to be left behind. Also, any stops can cause a break in the plastic which means you could be picking at it making small scratches with your fingernail.



Any paint cleaner should get the adhesive off for you fairly easy.



Enjoy the new car. :woot2:
 
Here's what I'd do:

1*Remove plastic (not hard at all)

2*Wash

3*Carefully inspect (by eye & cellophane baggie) every inch of the paint for contamination. Because the vehicle is white, there's bound to be visible rust deposits throughout entire vehicle. Try claying the worst area and determine if process removes all particles. Check area again with cellophane to make sure 100% smooth. If smooth proceed to step 4. If not, do a decon wash (do search).

4*I think every new car can benefit from at least a fine polish to bring up the gloss of the factory finish. I really like Menzerna 106ff and/or 85rd.

5*Re-wash with soap that contains no glossing agents or protectants

6*Wipe with Alcohol

7*Seal with synthetic Paint Sealant (especially in Florida)



This process will not only make your new car shine better that ever, but will make the LSP last the longest because it's creating a better bond.
 
danEz_yoda said:
What about the clay bar to remove rail dust?
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I would definitely recommend Claying the car once you get it.



I've sold new cars at 2 dealerships (Mitsubishi, then Acura), and in the 3+yrs I've been doing this I haven't once seen a car that didn't have some king of contamination in/on the new paint.
 
Yeah, I do a full decontamination, but claying might suffice.



And dealers *can* release the car in-the-wrapper (BTDT), but unwrapping it at the dealership might be a good idea in case you discover you got a, uhm...story car.



Bill D unwrapped his mother's Benz at the dealership, gave it a proper wash and a wipedown with New Car Prep right in their wash/prep bay.
 
Accumulator said:
Yeah, I do a full decontamination, but claying might suffice.



And dealers *can* release the car in-the-wrapper (BTDT), but unwrapping it at the dealership might be a good idea in case you discover you got a, uhm...story car.



Bill D unwrapped his mother's Benz at the dealership, gave it a proper wash and a wipedown with New Car Prep right in their wash/prep bay.
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+1 for doing it all yourself at the dealer. at least unwrap it yourself and do an inspection yourself. why not? i think it's awesome ur getting this brand new car, and i know if it was me, i'd b super anal. i dont want a dealer taking off the plastic, putting on a license plate holder (or worse the damn dealership stickers onto the paint), washing it, driving it, etc. u have the chance to not only have a nice new car, but to have one in the best possible scenario!



g/l and keep us updated!
 
From what I remember, don't put a coat of wax on the car yet. You are supposed to wait 90 days or something before you put wax on a new coat of paint, or at least thats what I thought.
 
DigitalN. said:
From what I remember, don't put a coat of wax on the car yet. You are supposed to wait 90 days or something before you put wax on a new coat of paint, or at least thats what I thought.
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New cars are always past this period - they either sit around for a while, or are in delivery. I wouldn't worry about that.



Regardless, the amount of correction required would be so minimal and gentle that you should feel completely safe working with your new vehicle's paint. I'd only potentially be worried if I had to perform some more significant correction with a wool pad and heavy compounds.
 
This all became a moot point. I went to the dealer and we settled on a 2008 so it will not be plastic wrapped. I'm going to take it home, clay bar the hell out of it, KAOI/KSG it and have it waiting for my wife when she gets home from work!



On a side note. I've read about the ABC systems for decontamination of iron specks and such to prevent rust blooms on a white car. I've also read that this is a not a job for a novice. Any idea how much it would cost to get it done? Will a thorough clay barring (which I have plenty of experience in) be good enough?
 
pharmboyrx said:
..On a side note. I've read about the ABC systems for decontamination of iron specks and such to prevent rust blooms on a white car. I've also read that this is a not a job for a novice. Any idea how much it would cost to get it done? Will a thorough clay barring (which I have plenty of experience in) be good enough?
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Claying is often sufficient, but it's not really a direct substitute for the ABC.



Don't worry...anybody with a modicum of common sense (and a garage to work in, don't try it outside) can use ABC. Seriously. If anything, I wish it were more potent/risky.



The first time I used ABC it was on my beloved Audi S8. Zero problems. Just don't let the stuff dry, and that's quite easy to handle.
 
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