I installed a sharkfin on my C yesterday. I'm not going to explain why I don't like it here because this is not a review thread. Plus, I misaligned it and made it looks awful so I decided to remove it. I search around and some website says the double sided foam adhesive can be removed by using WD-40. And I also find the 3M stripe off wheel looks pretty handy. Anyone has experience on removing the adhesive? Would you mind share some tips, dos and don'ts, please? How to avoid damaging the paint? I rubbed off the wax when I put the sharkfin, does it make the paint stripped off easier with WD-40 / stripe off wheel? Thank you very much.
I have been removing the residual glue from the 3M foam double stick tape by flooding the area with Simple Green and then using a soft cloth to rub it off. You must do this in the shade as you want the Simple Green to dissolve the glue, you don't want to rub too hard as that would damage the clear coat.
There's a sharkfin thread here - would you mind adding your comments there? Most people who've installed it seem to like it, so I think it would be useful to get your opinion. I haven't tried it on auto paint, but I've had good results using vegetable oil (Crisco, etc.) to remove pressure-sensitive adhesive from shiny surfaces.
Nearly 35 years, ago, my now ex-wife rented an apartment, while I was out of the country on an extended detail. She stuck mirror tiles onto the painted sheet rock walls with one inch squares of 3M double stick tape. When we were about to move out, the apartment manager told her that it was impossible to remove the tiles without damaging the walls. I went back to the office and scoffed at her. When we moved out, the wall looked exactly the same way that it did, before my now ex-wife stuck the tiles on the wall. I had "sawed" off the tiles with a heavy weight monofilament fish line. It works every time. A piece of line tied to two small dowels did the trick. In your case, I'd first try waxed dental floss. WD40 will allow you to remove the residue left over. Goof-off might damage the finish. Bug-tar remover is better. The "saw off" method works every time.
Hi folks, thank you for your responses. I used WD-40 and it worked great on removing the adhesive. However, if I looked at the roof "very very" careful under certain reflection, it looks like there is a circle around the antenna area which I think the WD-40 somewhat removed a layer of coatings. Actually I quite like the sharkfin antenna, just maybe not the one from VG. Anyway, I took it off 80% because I misaligned it, and I may want to put it back after I touch up some paint and get a better adhesive. I don't want to leave this $78 in my garage for nothing.
