So, I have a nice shiny '05 silver Prius. And on the hatch is a big-nice person dealership sticker - about six inches wide and four tall. Are there any good methods (safe for the paint) to remove that ugly sticker from my car? Or am I basically just resigned to it being there? (I'm sure the dealership _could_ remove it, but it's a half-hour out of the way, nowhere near my normal routes/commute)
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(OwenKealy @ May 24 2007, 02:12 AM) [snapback]448896[/snapback]</div> I had the same problem with a dealer vinyl decal on the back. I went out of my way (about the same distance in my case) to get the dealer's detailing shop to remove it. I didn't want to risk messing-up the finish doing it myself. And it's really not my problem, I didn't ask for it to be put there. They removed it for free, without any argument at all in about 10 minutes. Looked pristine. I think it's worthwhile getting them to do it, even if it's a bit out of your way.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(DaveG @ May 24 2007, 06:30 AM) [snapback]448904[/snapback]</div> The sooner you get it off the better. I agree that a detail shop should do it, you don't want to mess up the finish. This is the one thing people forget to specify when ordering a new car. I always insist that no dealer decal be put on the car. There are some car dealerships that will give you freebies if you do (like free oil changes), but for me it's not worth it. Don't care about the license plate frame, those can be easily removed.
Definitely get it off as soon as you can. That one sounds huge compared to the one I had (1" tall and as wide as the Toyota sign on the back left of hatch). Something that frickin huge should be a paid advertisement
Use the hair dryer to loosen the adhesive, dont get it too hot, then pull it off with your fingernails. You can use rubbing alcohol to remove any left over residue.
Since it is an 05 the dealer name has been on a while so I would go with the hair dryer on low heat take your time, only thing after it is off is paint will not be faded in those spots. but should not look too bad at all. I told the dealer not to install their name unless they wanted to pay advertisement cost 100.00 a month they had it off almost as fast as it went on, I just happened to be standing there when the kid started to put it on and stopped him in his tracks.
It hasn't been on too long, since I got it used (and I'm fairly sure that the sticker wasn't on the vehicle when we test drove it)...so it's only been on since Friday. I'll try the hair-dryer method tonight to see if I have any success, otherwise I'll go to the dealership on Tuesday when I get back from a weekend trip (flying out).
Sweet. It was easy as pie. I didn't even have to use a hair-dryer. Today was warmer in the afternoon, and I was able to pull the sticker off with my fingernails. No more ugly huge sticker, yay!
In my old car, a VW, I have had success using Tar 'n Bug Remover. Those are usually safe on paint. Hopefully you have it removed by now.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(OwenKealy @ May 24 2007, 10:49 PM) [snapback]449633[/snapback]</div> A car that is hot from the sun makes it REALLY nice as the temp is even, and you don't burn your finger tips so much! Glad it worked out. Now get the test of the decals off there, and you're set.