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12-30-2008, 08:15 AM | #1 |
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Vinyl stickers???
What are the long term effects of a vinyl sticker on your car? How long should you leave it on? Can it be left on forever or at least till it gets destroyed?
I have a vinyl sticker on the side skirts; have had it there for about 3 months now. Just don't want it to ruin the paint or cause premature rust somehow.
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12-30-2008, 08:45 AM | #2 |
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First off, the side skirts aren't metal so you don't have to worry about rust. They will eventually leave marks from the letters if it's left on for a long time as the paint will be protected under the lettering and unprotected otherwise. Also, I would assume that the skirts would take more of a beating from road debris than other panels, exacerbating the difference.
You should be able to alleviate this by using a quality polish though.
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12-30-2008, 08:57 AM | #3 |
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Thanks, I did polish and wax the side skirts before applying the sticker. I also wax them on a regular basis to help protect the sides of the car as like you said they take more of a beating.
I may have to take them off for the winter and reapply new ones for the summer.
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12-30-2008, 08:59 AM | #4 |
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BlackjackMulligan is 100% correct, and I'll add that the useful life of the vinyl is usually 2-3 years, before it starts to show age, or can dogear.
As you've seen at autocross (where that pic was taken, it seems :smile: ), I have those black tii stripes on my AW car. I'm also in a dilemma to keep 'em or remove 'em, because I do not want solar discoloration of the rest of the car, and not where those stripes are. Right now I'm banking on BMW's paint to have a bit more intestinal fortitude than the discoloring in 4 months that I've had them on for. :wink: One thing that I've been told is that if I do want to remove them, do NOT remove them in the cold, where I would risk lifting the paint. Only remove the vinyl with a warm surface, and with a heat gun or hair dryer softening up the vinyl a bit. |
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12-30-2008, 09:14 AM | #5 |
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Thanks Larry for the heating tip.
Yea the pic is from the autocross at Devon’s. I more concerned being on the side skirts that the road grim during the winter will etch the paint around the sticker leaving the look of letters there when I take them off.
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