Quarter panel sticker residue

Ive removed the TRD 4x4 Off Road quarter panel stickers on my ORLB without issue using a heat gun.
Per my usual MO I also used some Goo Gone and got rid of the majority of the sticker residue, but some of it seems to have gotten into the clear coat.
I took a visit to my local auto paint and prep specialist shop(small shop w/a lot of knowledgeable guys) and let them hit it with some 3M or other residue remover that really didnt do a thing to it either.I purchased a mild cutting compound from them that will get rid of 1500, 2000 grit scratches, as well as a polish to clean up the swirl marks from the compound.

Im going to try the compound first to see if I can remove it before trying to do any wet sanding with 2000 grit, but does anyone know of any tips or tricks with these factory stickers?
Is the adhesive usually this stout?

TIA

 

This seems related. https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/cant-get-this-sticker-off.258047/

 

lol -

Yeah..........not going in there.

Trolling through that post seemed near to wanting to head back over to the mother-in-laws hoarder house and have look good thorough look through everything.

+ no unicorn so had to vote no on that one being helpful

 

lol.

 

Hey. I use WD40 on glue. Works better than goo gone but test on inside door jamb first. Sticker glue cannot be part of the paint. However, stickers can leave a faint outline on the paint. Try light buff first. If no joy, try 2000 grit wet lightly. Then buff. Unless you are a body/paint guy, don't go below 2000 grit. I use 600 and buff.

 

If it were me, here are the things I’d try:
- use a hairdryer (not a heat gun) to heat up the leftover adhesive and see if you can better remove it that way
- go back over what’s left with goo gone
- use polishing compound for whatever’s left. I would not wet sand. Seems way too aggressive for what you’re trying to do.

I think if you had heated the sticker first you would have had less adhesive remaining. I had to remove mine very slowly but did it with the hairdryer and only had a few tiny spots of adhesive left behind that came off with the goo gone.

 

That is why I like the good ol eraser wheel. I have had pretty good luck with 3M adhesive remover on multiple things such as decals. Goo Gone did not do much for me when it came to adhesives. It seems a bit better for dealing with oily/greasy residue.

 

I used a small amount of acetone on a microfiber cloth for removing the bulk of the remaining adhesive,

then used this:

$11 Meguiar's Ultimate Compound - Pro-Grade Car Scratch Remover, Paint Correction Compound That Removes Defects While Adding Gloss and Shine, Single Stage and Clear Coat Scratch Remove, 15.2 Oz

https://www.amazon.com/Meguiars-G17216-Ultimate-Compound-15-2/dp/B001O7PNNM

 

Yeah I dont normally use WD-40, but the guys at the shop tried it before their magic 3M industrial removing they tried. Neither did a thing to either side. Did my own paint and body work for several years but will be avoiding wet sanding unless I the compound doesnt work.

The cut I have is for removing down to 1200 so it says, but I wont be going below 2k likely. Im hoping I wont have to sand at all, but was wondering what anyone else has experienced taking these factory stickers off.

 

I use acetone to clean all my brushes and you REALLY have to be careful with that stuff!


Ill have to take some shots of the residue, as it really has almost no feel to it, and you can only see it in certain lights. It really looks like its in the clear coat as there is nothing at all sticky left

 

Naw, I just took the dealer badge off and used wd40.

 

When I removed the B pillar black stickers I waited for a hot 100ish day to perform the operation. I parked the truck in the sun. What took the goo off was a microfiber towel with some denatured alcohol. The denatured alcohol seems to work better than goo b gone and the usual rubbing alcohol. I had motorcycles that had crazy well stuck on stickers that were not coming off at all. The trick was to let the vehicle sit out in the hot sun on a really hot day. The motorcycle stickers that had put up a real fight peeled right off. The same hot sun and microfiber cloth with denatured alcohol worked well with the dealer stickers.

 

I will say that acetone does a great job removing rubber or plastic residue on my boat from the hull rubbing against, well, whatever. Maybe I did once use it to remove residue from my truck, but I have a memory of being scared to use it on paint. I’m sure if you worked quickly then cleaned the area it would be ok…

 

As stated above the sticker itself is long gone, no issue getting it off at all. I used my heatgun that I normally use for applying monocoat. It removed the sticker with ease, nearly coming off in a whole piece per side. After that Goo Gone was used to remove all the sticky parts remaining.

There IS no sticky residue left what so ever. This is only a visible issue, as it looks like its residue but again Goo Gone doesnt even remotely touch it.

 

I used the Goo Gone Automotive on mine. It took most of it off with a towel. I then used my fingernail to lightly go over the top of it with the towel too, and it took the rest off.

$13 Goo Gone Automotive - Cleans Auto Interiors/ Bodies and Rims, Removes Bugs & Stickers - 12 Fl. Oz.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MTV7OG6?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

 

I had this residue left when I removed my Pro badge. It wasn't sticky, you could barely feel it, but it was definitely visible.

I used acetone, sparingly, and buffed it off with a microfiber and rinsed with lots of water. Repeated over and over. Took a fair bit of rubbing and buffing to remove it all.

 

Sorry no advice just some experience - on my old truck I took the stickers off pretty much like you did but without a heat gun. I tried a hair dryer instead but found that a humid, sunny day helped more than anything. A touch of Goo Gone also to take off remaining residue and then I washed and waxed the truck.

But now your experience is making me think twice about taking them off my new truck lol

 

This is pretty much my plan, but Im going to start with the easy cut compound first since its a pretty mild cut. If I can move it all all with a bit of elbow grease Ill proceed. Otherwise Ill be falling back to some more aggressive actions.

Sounds like it might be a more aggressive adhesive Toyota uses VS your average sticker

 

I misread what you wrote, sorry.

I might still try to go back and heat up the residue and see if that helps by itself,
or combined with goo gone, alcohol, acetone, or whatever. Much easier to deal with when softened up.

 

Yeah that might be worth a shot too. If the mild compound doesnt touch this stuff, then that may be part of my "more aggressive actions"