Removing stickers

[James Morse]

On my other half's Lexus, but same principles apply for Rangers.
It had a lot of bumper stickers, and decals inside the windows. Razor blade works for decals on glass. For those plastic bumper stickers that seem to grip like death itself, what I did is boil water and using rag, warm up the decal, that softened the adhesive enough to get them off without too much trouble, even if in pieces. Or heat gun could work, but with water I know I wouldn't go too hot.
Then you are left with a residue of adhesive. Often plain rubbing alcohol 90% will get that off, especially on glass. For the really stubborn stuff on the bumpers, I use Saab Bug and Tar Remover (it's about 25 years old). It takes off road tar, and it takes off that residue, and it will not touch the paint or harm plastic. They got the mix of aromatics just right on that stuff, I have a pint but I wouldn't mind having some more if I could get it. I'm sure there are other similar formulations. I tend to stay away from, say, lacquer thinner because it will take off paint. Kerosene might actually work, not sure.
There were several political stickers on it that probably run counter to the general mood here, and she said she thinks she's already getting parking lot hits and I said maybe take off the stickers and that might help because some people might be hitting it on purpose. It could happen.

 

[Roert42]

Razor blade and GooGone. Razor for the solids and GooGone for the sticky stuff.

 

[sgtsandman]

Yeah, for glass or chrome, razor blade.

For paint and plastic, I use a heat gun on low if the sticker doesn’t pull up easily.

Either way, Goo Gone works well for any residue and is paint and plastic safe.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

Yup, glass and chrome, definitely a razor blade. I’ll also use ”soapy water“, a spray bottle with water and a few drops of dish soap. What you use if you don’t buy the special sauce for putting on window tint. Helps lubricate and pick up and carry away dirt and adhesive.

I try to only put on paint what I intend to leave there “forever” which isn’t most stickers since usually eventually they look like trash. Glass makes a great canvas on a vehicle.

 

[sgtsandman]

Yup, glass and chrome, definitely a razor blade. I’ll also use ”soapy water“, a spray bottle with water and a few drops of dish soap. What you use if you don’t buy the special sauce for putting on window tint. Helps lubricate and pick up and carry away dirt and adhesive.

I try to only put on paint what I intend to leave there “forever” which isn’t most stickers since usually eventually they look like trash. Glass makes a great canvas on a vehicle.

I've just plain stopped with the stickers anywhere. Paint, for the reasons you state. Glass, because I've gotten tired of replacing stickers as they get chewed up from scraping frost and ice and just plain deterioration from sun light exposure. Even the Search and Rescue stickers. The TRS stickers are on the paint but there is no plan to remove them and even the colored ones on the 2011 are holding their color very well. So, they stay. Jim did a good job picking who makes them and what they use to make them.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

I've just plain stopped with the stickers anywhere. Paint, for the reasons you state. Glass, because I've gotten tired of replacing stickers as they get chewed up from scraping frost and ice and just plain deterioration from sun light exposure. Even the Search and Rescue stickers. The TRS stickers are on the paint but there is no plan to remove them and even the colored ones on the 2011 are holding their color very well. So, they stay. Jim did a good job picking who makes them and what they use to make them.

I put stickers on the back glass and don’t scrape that at all. My first vehicle was a Ranger with tinted glass and a cap with tinted glass, the rear view mirror in the center was virtually worthless. After I mastered driving a manual on that, I was often stuck in the “extra” dump truck for work. The center rear view mirror, being entirely useless in that particular application, was missing. I could care less if I can’t see out of it, I’m entirely used to that. Driving a brand new Ranger and a dump truck back then I could maintain a very precise 3D mental image of my surroundings. I once tucked my Ranger neatly into a spot roughly 3’ longer than the truck, parallel parking on the left, or “wrong” side and got cheers from an old couple on their front porch that witnessed it executed flawlessly.

It’s a little less refined these days unfortunately, but I’m working on it.

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

I've used a rubber eraser wheel chucked in a drill. Works great.

 

[sgtsandman]

I've used a rubber eraser wheel chucked in a drill. Works great.

I've used those to remove pin striping.