Any tricks to removing the Sun Visor sticker?

ound::wave::sorry:

This question has been asked so many times since they started putting them on all cars sold in the U.S. on any automotive forum.
The answer is still no, but you can cover them or replace the sun visor. Oh and I think you can buy other stickers to put over them.


Enjoy as Always!

 

Funny because I'm going to be attempting to remove those stickers this weekend.

I've done it on my car (Subaru Legacy) the following way:

Note: Take your time through all of this!

1) Use an Xacto knife to carefully start lifting a corner of the sticker from the visor. You just need enough of a corner for grip so you can start peeling it back later. You need to be really careful not to dig into the actual visor with the knife. You want to get between the visor and sticker with the knife.

2) Take a damp cloth and place over an iron (I keep the iron around the medium setting). Carefully move the iron over the visor.

3) Start peeling back the sticker from the corner you previously lifted. Reapply the iron periodically to keep the adhesive warm (makes it easier to peel back).


I have no idea if this is going to work on the Prius or not but I'm going to try it.

 

ssekien,

I for one am hoping this works... :cheer2:

But, I am quite reluctant to be a beta tester if it doesn't turn out as
envisioned.

Please post on your results, pix would be nice too. :rockon:

 

Would a hair dryer be hot enough. Might make the process safer and easier.

 

GEEEEZ! Just leave it there!!

 

I've done the rag and iron method on my '06 Mustang. It was slow going, but it worked out very well. After the sticker is completely removed, there will be a tiny film of adhesive left over. A little bit of fabric grade "goo gone" and a toothbrush take it right off. Took me about two hours to do both visors.

 

What I want is a nice way to put my insurance/registration up there. My Subaru had a slot build in, and I thought it was a California requirement or something.

Makes for a much nicer encounter if you're pulled over by a police officer, since you don't have to reach into glove compartments or the deep (and not visible to them) armrest storage area.

 

The easiest thing to do is probably take the car to an upholstery shop and have them cover the visors and build in a nice pocket on each side for that kind of stuff. I like the idea of keeping the reg. and ins. info handy w/o ever having to open any compartments which then can permit the cops to search your car if they think they see something illegal like a roach or pipe or whatever type of paraphernalia people have these days. I don't support people keeping illegal things in their cars but I am an even bigger supporter of never giving the police the free pass to search your car. And I like the police-but believe the 4th Amendment is the law.

 

1. The registration pocket - I know they sell items as that in major auto parts stores. It may be better however to keep the pocket on the inside of the visor, and you'd flip the visor down to get the papers. I keep mine in the glovebox inside a vinyl holder for that purpose. If stopped, I would politely ask the Officer if I may locate the papers inside my glovebox; and ensure it be done in a non-threatening manner. Benefit - he/she sees that you are cooperative and aware of their safety. Just may get one out of a ticket...can't hurt.

2. I removed both stickers on a Lexus RX years ago, and they peeled off relatively easy. However they were a thicker material. The ones on the Prius seems to be very thin plasticized film. Not sure if I would even attempt, but good luck.

3. Mine will stay on - as a deterrent to passengers to file lawsuit against me in case of injury during an accident....

A bit of an irritant to me is the passenger airbag 'On' light - may be a regulation, however could be remedied by a small rectangle of black tape. But...I'd better refer back to my #3. Always sumthin....

 

Sounds like it's similar to removing wall paper. Try finding a steam iron from someone and use it instead! Should be easier and less potentially for causing damage to the sun visor. I've removed lots of wall with a steam iron and have save lots of time! Just a suggestion!

 

I have a similar question for you sticker-haters out there. Many dealers apply a dealer logo on the exterior - usually the back end - of the car. Any good way to get that off without damaging the finish?

 

I had one on my truck from a Toyota dealer that was about 3" in diameter and 1/4" thick. What I was told by the dealer was to placed the side of the truck w/ the sticker facing the sun and scrap it off with a credit card or similar plastic item. I let the truck sit in the sun long enough to get the adhesive warm, and removed it with one of my credit cards! I put pressure w/ the credit card on the upper side until I could feel the adhesive breaking loose, then it was very easy once I got to that point. Key is to warm up the surface to make the adhesive gummy. No damage to the paint! Can't tell where it was located!

 

On my previous car (BMW) I used pure acetone to remove the warning labels. Below are instructions. I haven't tried it on my Prius yet, but assume it will work.

A few tips first.

1) It's best to remove the visors and do the work on a table, since it's much easier than trying to do it overhead in the car, plus you wouldn't want to get the acetone on your steering wheel, dash, etc.

2) It's pretty easy to do--you just need to be patient and not apply too much acetone at a time.

3) When starting the peeling process at the corner of the label with the X-acto knife, use the unsharpened edge of the blade, since the visor fabric is delicate and you don't want to accidentally damage the fabric (ask me how I know... )

Supplies: torx screwdriver, a pencil type X-acto knife with a fine-tip blade, magnifying (reading) glasses, pure acetone, an old toothbrush, and a shot glass.

Remove the visors: unsnap the cover over the pivot arm screw, and use a torx bit to remove the screw. Unsnap the electrical connector, and remove the visor from the car.

Set the visor up on a table, label up, with newspaper underneath in case you spill the acetone. Use surgical latex gloves to protect the skin. Pour a bit of the acetone into a small glass (I used a shot glass).

Put on eye protection. Dip the end of the toothbrush into the acetone, and position the tip of the knife at a corner of the label. Touch the end of the toothbrush to the label corner where the knife is, and gently slide the knife under the label.

The key thing here is patience, and don't use too much acetone. You just need a tiny bit on the toothbrush, and it will soak through the label. Gently slide the knife under the label as it frees up, and continue the process until you have separated a large piece of the label from the visor. Just pull the excess off, and repeat the process at another corner. Eventually, you'll have removed the entire label.

The visor fabric will be puckered a bit because its wet, but it will smooth out when it dries. You'll still see an imprint of where the label was. I took the toothbrush with a little acetone, and GENTLY brushed the edges of the imprint. I repeated this brushing technique to eliminate any remaining traces of the label. Just be patient, don't use too much acetone, or brush too hard, and be careful not to splash any in the eyes. When finished take a folded up paper towel and press the wet area to absorb excess acetone.

 

I quickly washed my car the other day, and noticed that the "carmax" sticker had a lot of air bubbles in it. (it was sitting in the sun) I used my fingernail and easily removed all of it, leaving NO residue behind!

I think it's probably easier to remove on a car that it's just recently been applied to.

 

It's probably attached with double stick foam tape. Use some dental floss to "saw" the foam tape, then use something like Goo Gone to remove any adhesive residue. You can pre-heat the area with a blow dryer, which will make the sawing process easier. Then wash and wax the area.

 

And for those tougher to remove dealer stickers I do think a hair dryer helps there, especially if it's the vinyl type sticker.

 

I just asked my dealer to not install a sticker and they were fine with that and left them off. They did do the license plate holder dealer thing which was allright with me because i can change it anytime to what i want.

 

Yes tell the dealer to pay $500 for advertising or to remove the sticker. The first thing I do when my new vehicle is ready I walk around it and tell them to remove anything that is stuck on. When I get home I remove the advertising plate around the license plate.

 

I did that many years ago when I started working for an ad agency - I suggested they pay me at least a thousand a month - the same as a transit ad would cost. "I am not buying a bus, thank you!" Thanks for reminding me!