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here's a stupid question about magnets....

Discussion in 'Prime Main Forum (2017-2022)' started by snakeshoes, Dec 26, 2019.

  1. snakeshoes

    snakeshoes Junior Member

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    OK, dumb question time. Every knows those "I love my...." magnets and different color ribbon magnets people put on cars. Well, given that the rear bumper of the Prime is plastic and the hatch is carbon fiber, nothing's magnetic back there. So I'm wondering how to go about putting such things (yes, my wife wants to put on the "I love my pug" magnet a relative gave us for Christmas) on my car without too much risk of damaging the paint. Any thoughts?

    The best I've come up with thus far is that the dealership put one of those annoying stickers on the back proclaiming the name of the dealership that's almost the same size so maybe I can find a decent semi-permanent adhesive to stick it to that - covering the annoying decal with my own but being able to remove it if I wanted without actually pulling at the paint. I just need something that sticks to the decale a little less strongly than the decale is stuck to the paint or to hear if there's already another solution out there.
     
    #1 snakeshoes, Dec 26, 2019
  2. schja01

    schja01 One of very few in Chicagoland

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    What’s that sticky stuff they use to attach credit cards to the mailing letters? Looks like snot but holds well and when you come to your senses you can just roll it off with your fingers.
     
    #2 schja01, Dec 26, 2019
  3. snakeshoes

    snakeshoes Junior Member

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    Yeah, something like that would work. Just need to find out what it is and how to buy it. Or, I could just tell my bank I lost my ATM card 17 or 18 times.... ;)
     
    #3 snakeshoes, Dec 26, 2019
  4. VFerdman

    VFerdman Senior Member

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    Regular old double sided tape will not harm your paint. When you want to remove it, use fishing line to cut through the tape and then goo gone to remove what’s left on the paint. Been there done that.
     
    #4 VFerdman, Dec 26, 2019
    pghyndman and Leadfoot J. McCoalroller like this.
  5. Old Bear

    Old Bear Senior Member

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    That's "rubber cement" which is a paper-to-paper adhesive that has been around for many decades. It's made from latex and, I believe, acetone. You can buy it at craft stores, art supply stores, and office supply stores.

    rubber-cement.jpg
    I've never heard of it being used in an exterior/weather-exposed location, so I'm not sure how it would respond to road salt, car washes, and to summer/winter temperature extremes.

    Do not confuse "rubber cement" this with "contact cement" which is used for permanent bonding of things like laminate counter-tops.

    You might consider using automotive double-sided tape which is used by auto body shops for attaching exterior molding, trim, insignia, etc.:

    automotive-double-sided-tape.jpg
     
    #5 Old Bear, Dec 26, 2019
  6. Leadfoot J. McCoalroller

    Leadfoot J. McCoalroller Senior Member

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    Use some trim glue. It's made to be safe on auto paint and it'll come off with ordinary solvents, heat & monofilament. It doesn't matter that you're using it to attach a magnet. 3M #3601.
     
    #6 Leadfoot J. McCoalroller, Dec 26, 2019
  7. ice9

    ice9 Active Member

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    'Frig magnets on a Prius?! :eek:
     
    #7 ice9, Dec 26, 2019
  8. Rob43

    Rob43 Senior Member

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    #8 Rob43, Dec 26, 2019
  9. snakeshoes

    snakeshoes Junior Member

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    Thanks everyone for the suggestions.

    Definitely! I've worked with contact cement before and definitely wouldn't want to use that for this sort of thing. But, this ^ is an important warning, just like the "always make sure of which color of Loctite is which and which you're using before you use it". Right up there with the measure twice...


    Yeah, I know. But my wife really wants the "I {hear} my pug" on there and a magnet is better than a sticker. Of course, now I've got to turn that magnet into a sticker thanks to the non-magnetic back end of the Prius.


    Yep, I'm familiar with Command Strips. They just seemed a bit too bulky for the use on the exterior of a car where the name of the game is keeping air streams from getting into gaps. Think I'm going to experiment with the double-sided tape options first and rubber cement as a second option.

    Thanks again all.

    Happy Holidays!
     
    #9 snakeshoes, Dec 26, 2019
  10. Gayguy

    Gayguy New Member

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    I had a similar problem, in my case i simply adhered the decal to the small window exterior facing the rear. My logic is anything can be scraped/cleaned off the glass. BTW, when i had the car windows tinted i did not have that one done fearing that sticking things my hurt the tint film. I attached a pic.
     

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    #10 Gayguy, Dec 26, 2019
  11. DavidA

    DavidA Prius owner since July 2009

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    How about placing the message sign inside one of the back windows facing outwards? You wouldn't need to worry about paint, or it falling off while driving.
     
    #11 DavidA, Dec 26, 2019
  12. schja01

    schja01 One of very few in Chicagoland

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    Avoid sticking it over the window defroster tracings.
     
    #12 schja01, Dec 27, 2019
  13. DavidA

    DavidA Prius owner since July 2009

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    Yes, that too, I should have included that above.
     
    #13 DavidA, Dec 27, 2019
  14. snakeshoes

    snakeshoes Junior Member

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    Yeah, definitely don't want to cover one of those. I went the 'double-sided tape over the dealer's logo sticker' route and it seems to be working well. It will also be the only sticker on the exterior of my car.
     
    #14 snakeshoes, Dec 30, 2019
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