Removing Pinstriping

Car dealers often put pinstriping on cars because it's an easy way for them to charge the customer an additional $50 for dealer add-ons. Although this is highly subjective, the dealer-added pinstriping that runs along the top edge of the car looks very tacky and ugly. Auto manufacturers never put this kind of pinstriping on at the factory, because they know it doesn't look good. Car dealers don't care about how it looks, they just want as much of your money as they can get.

By removing the pinstriping, you can give your car a cleaner appearance. On most cars, the end result is quite noticeable and an obvious improvement. You can remove the pinstriping yourself rather easily. You will need:

• A warm, sunny day OR a hair dryer OR a heat gun
• Plastic credit card (use an expired one, or one you don't mind screwing up)
• 3M Adhesive Remover or any Lacquer Thinner
• A lot of patience

Instructions

1. Let the car sit outside in the hot sun until the sheetmetal is warm to the touch. When the pinstripe adhesive is warm, it's softer. If you are using a hair dryer or heat gun, use it to heat up the pinstripe until the adhesive softens.
2. Carefully scrape off the pinstripe with the plastic credit card. As long as you're not too rough with it, you won't scratch up the paint. If you're lucky, you can lift off enough of the pinstripe that you can just peel it off.
3. After removing the pinstripe, use 3M Adhesive Remover or lacquer thinner to clean off the remaining adhesive goo. Be sure to check a small hidden spot of paint to make sure these chemicals won't hurt it. An original factory finish will not be harmed, but if the panel has been repainted at some point with cheap paint, the chemicals may dull the paint or even wear down to the primer.
4. If you see any light scratches after you're done, you can use 3M Fill'n'Glaze (pink stuff that looks like Pepto) and hand buff the scratches right out.