Help removing decal adhesive

[sayroger]

I worked on a 1999 van toady. It had the decals removed but the adhesive was still on the van. I tried several different products paint thinner, rubbing alcohol, WD40, M105 with orange pad on flex. None worked very well. I ended up using alcohol one a scrub sponge marred up up the finish pretty good looked like i wet sanded it. Luckily i only had to do one side of the van the customer had the other side finished.
Any suggestions for the next would help a lot Thanks

[ismaelflores714]

Goo gone will do the job I used it to remove adhesive from my car

[inDetail]

that looks like cut vinyl graphics. It may not be adhesive your seeing it might be ghosting.
First thing is the edge of the vinyl collects dirt and grime. that is the hard edge outline you are seeing.
This will take some work.
Just around the edges use goo-gone and a rag to rub it off you can also use a plastic razor blade and gently scrape the adhesive off.
Did you heat the vinyl before removing. This would have ensured that the adhesive would release as clean as possible from the paint.
Keep working the goo gone until the adhesive is gone.
Wash the car and clay.
What you should see now is two different shades of gray. The darker gray that was under the vinyl the lighter that was exposed to the sun. This is ghosting
The best you can use a white crayon mark off the edges of the ghosting. As you are working it's real easy to loose track of the ghosting.
Now you need to clean and correct the paint.
Keep in mind that the paint under the vinyl is probably thicker then the paint around it.
I would start with a paintwork cleanser like Poorboy's World Polish 2 since you do have damage that needs to be corrected. It also has chemical cleaners to remove embedded dirt. I would start with a white foam pad and pick a test spot and start on the lighter paint and work over the darker paint and see what you get.
You are not so much correcting as you are blending at tis point. If that does not yield results as in the ghosting is gone in your test area you will have to abrade the paint.
You have to level down the darker paint to the same general thickness and try and darken the light paint by removing dirty clear coat.
I would go straight to a compound. Polishing is not going to give you the drastic change you are seeking. FG400, HD Adapt, Wolfgang Uber and M101 on a MF compounding pad. All of these will finish down with little to no haze and the MF will give you the cut you need. Keep working them until the ghosting is gone. Just work around the ghosting to blend it out then you can work the rest of the paint. Then you can follow up with a polish.
Just remember the number of passes you make to remove the ghosting. I use a crayon and write on the area I was just working on. You want to make sure that you are keep track of the passes.
Once you tackle the ghosting with the compound do the rest of the paint with the compound then follow up with a polish.

[inDetail]

the completed side looks NICE btw

[Grand]

http://www.rapidtac.com/rapid-remover.html

[Garyhw48]

Lighter fluid (naphtha) works perfectly. It won't hurt the paint or any other surface on the car.

I didn't post a reply on the question of shoe polish on carpet but lighter fluid will get that out also.

Find someone with a Zippo and your all set.

[spiralout462]

I have had success with mineral spirits and plastic razor blades. Some glue is harder to remove than others however. One member here actually used a solvent AND a torch to loosen the grip! I think it will require patience and polishing no matter what method you use.

[roswell630]

Goo gone will do the job I used it to remove adhesive from my car

+1

[tuscarora dave]

If you want to be done with it and on to the next job, take some lacquer thinner in a trigger spray bottle, soak a 2 foot section at a time, keep it wet for about 2 minutes or so, then use a plastic razor blade or a grocery store bonus card etc. and squeegee off the resulting snot like adhesive.

Very quick and won't effect fully cured automotive paint. It'll very quickly remove rattle can paint or Dupli-Color like touch up paint. Lacquer thinner can do a number to some plastics though, so if used you'll want to have 100% control over what's happening and what's being wetted with the solvent. I've never had it harm any plastics if immediately wiped off though.

It's not a process for the faint at heart, but rather a very effective process for use by professionals who need to get things done in a timely manner.

[bill buxton]

"Cleans Easy" from Napa Auto Parts is what I use it's Better than most............ kinda pricey........
Like Dave said, spray it on and let it DWELL..........