Stickers on Race Cars: Expert Tips for Application and Removal

by GCOin DIY, Exterioron Posted on

I love stickers on race cars. But just adding stickers doesn’t make a car a race car. So do you add stickers or not? If headed to the track: absolutely. Stickers make you faster and can be used to hide all kinds of blemishes. But for your collector car? There’s always the risk that leaving them on leads to differential fading if you later remove them. But the process of removing them can damage the paint. So here are my thoughts on both applying and removing stickers.

  1. Know your paint before you apply. You want the surface clean, preferably polished and coated (not waxed), and you need to make sure your clear coat is strong enough so eventual removal doesn’t take the clear with it.
  2. Know how to apply. Most vinyl stickers can be applied wet. Use a mild soap mix and squeegee away air bubbles. Be patient and work form the center outwards.
  3. Have spares. Get more stickers than you need so you can just chuck it if you botch the install instead of trying to work out the problem. Torn, warped, mis-aligned, bubbled — it isn’t going to work itself out over time and will always look bad.
  4. Know what’s on the other side of the panel. If you put stickers on the hood of a car without any insulation on the engine side, there’s a good chance your sticker will petrify and/or become one with your paint.
  5. Get level or get it really angled. Just off axis just looks bad. Sometimes it is easier to tilt 45 degrees than try to get something centered.
  6. Be careful with the buffer. if you hit most color transfer vinyl stickers with a DA over time, you will start to work through the color. It is a good idea to use coatings over the stickers, just be aware of how long your stickers are in place. The longer they are on your paint, the higher the chances you’ll develop an edge that stays when the sticker is removed.
  7. Clean the car thoroughly before trying to remove old stickers. You’ll have a higher chance of seeing any damage to the clear coat before you begin the removal process.
  8. Heat is your friend. Apply gentle heat with a hair dryer or a heat gun on low setting to activate the adhesive before you start to remove the sticker. This is another reason you want a clean surface to begin with.
  9. Use save tools like plastic razor blades to try to remove an edge, and pull back horizontally, wrapping the sticker back on itself rather than pull towards you. This will minimize the sheer force on the clear coat.
  10. Be patient and try to pull off the sticker in one piece. Older, more brittle stickers will shred.
  11. Use gentle adhesive removers like Goo-gone, if there is residual adhesive or the sticker has shredded.
  12. Only as a last result use a rubber removal wheel. Be prepared to damage the clear coat.
  13. Once removed, clean again, polish, and apply a coating.