Removing OLD clearbra!

P

PoisonTheWell

Member
I'm contemplating removing my old clearbra because it's hammered. I've tried polishing it with GYEON PPF Renew, still looks like trash. It's definitely thicker than the newer PPF products, almost like a laminate. I also don't know how long it's been on the car, but I've owned it for the past five years. I figured it could be a good weekend project for me. The car was warm the other day, so I did a little test spot on the side mirror and it seems like it'll come up no problem, that it's just going to be heavy manual labor.

Do you have any tried and true methods? Steamer, boiling water, heat gun, 3M pinstripe remover wheel and adhesive remover and a lot of time and patience? I'm hoping to get this thing off without lifting any paint, as that'll not only be a costly repair, but probably ding the value of the car itself (360 Spider). Thanks for any feedback and input, it's been stressing me out for a few years now and I'm thinking it could be a weekend project.
 
I really think you need to contact Rasky1, a now non-contributing member, but he has his own detailing business now and deals with PPF instillation, which , I assume, also deals with PPF removal from vehicles.
I cannot link his website for his business due to forum rules, but Google Raskys Auto Detailing in the Minneapolis/St.Paul MN area.
 
I'll look him up, thank you! There are some local PPF places (Northern NJ) that deal with some high-end cars, that could probably handle it. Part of me wants to go the DIY route and learn, part of me doesn't want to mess around.
 
Oh, you are here in NJ. I wish with this new software that member info still appeared without you having to hover over the avatar.

I presume one of the local places is Detailer's Domain.

I did find a thread that quoted something from Xpel about 170 F being the ideal temperature for removing film, using a hair dryer or steamer, and pulling back against the film (back over itself) to maximize removal of the adhesive with the film (rather than the adhesive staying on the paint) and minimize the chance of pulling any paint with it.
 
Larry K. (AMMO NYC Youtube Channel) has two very recent videos on PPF removal with hot water. One demo is on a Porsche 918, the other is a Ferarri 360.
 
Setec, yeah even with my Cricut and cutting and applying vinyl, they always recommend peeling back instead of just lifting.

Tom, I watched the 360 one which got the gears turning in my head. It's definitely an older type of PPF, not so much of a "film". Maybe a few MM thick with a very visible edge. Could be on the car from the original owner (2004), not sure what PPF tech was like back then and I'm the third or fourth owner, so maybe the others were also afraid to mess with it.
 
I have removed many using my heat gun... You have to be very careful and not get everything too hot.... On older clear bra's the glue wants to stay on the vehicle, and it in itself, is a lot of work to remove, but it will all come off... And yes, the clear bra installation people have removed a lot of them too...

Always hold the heat gun far enough away enough from the area and - Keep it Moving_ across the area you are working on, until you get it hot enough to start peeling off... Please be careful....
For removing the adhesive from the clearbra off the paint, I have used I believe it was 3M adhesive remover, and it worked great... I recommend you test the adhesive remover with say, a Q-tip on a spot somewhere and make sure your paint is ok with it....
Good luck with this...
Stokdgs
 
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