how to remove glue residue from plastic door panel?

[chene]

hi all,

long story short: I got my car tinted a few weeks ago and was told not to roll down the windows for a week. To enforce this point, the tint guy put a large sticker covering the control panel for all windows on the driver's side. Problem is, I could not remove the sticker cleanly and the panel was covered with glue residue.

I tried to remove it with various solutions (nothing too strong). What is a good and safe way to remove glue residue from a plastic panel in a car? The car is brand-new hence I'm rather cautious about it.

Thanks in advance,

[ES_Revenge]

Weird the one I got at Auto-Links barely stuck to my vehicle, nevermind being hard to get off (though I don't know where you went for tint).

Anyway there's a few ways to remove the residue. You can just rub it off with your hand (it should come off eventually as you rub), or you can just use tape. You touch the new tape to the old adhesive and pull up and keep using clean sections of tape until it's all off. It should work pretty well unless the adhesive of the old tape is better than that of the new tape you're using.

If that fails you can use something like Goo Gone which shouldn't harm anything. You could also use peanut butter (I'm serious) though your car may smell like peanut butter for a while thereafter--something you definitely don't want to do if you or someone that goes in your car has an allergy.

As for the car being brand new, I'm always puzzled as to why people mention that :confused: I mean I understand you don't want to damage anything--fair enough. But if your car was a few years old, then it would be okay to damage it??? Brand new or brand old, it shouldn't make a difference.

[chene]

thanks for the tip, I'll give the tape-method a try when I have a chance...

as for your comment below, let me rephase myself:

*MY WIFE'S* car is brand new, and hence I'm rather cautious about this...

:o



As for the car being brand new, I'm always puzzled as to why people mention that :confused: I mean I understand you don't want to damage anything--fair enough. But if your car was a few years old, then it would be okay to damage it??? Brand new or brand old, it shouldn't make a difference.

[jed]

If you know someone who has a Melaleuca membership, use Solu-Mel. Basd on tea tree oil or some such, but it removes this kind of stuff very well.

As with anything you try, use it in an inconspicuous spot on the dash first, just in case it won't react nice.

[3weddings]

You can always use mayonnaise to remove it. Rub it gently on the affected areas and it will come off quickly. Get Mayo not mayo type dressing though.

[hightech]

+1 for Go-Gone. I been using this stuff for years and it is great at removing sticker residue from plastic, metal, etc.

[SpillOnAisle9]

Never heard of the mayo trick....but if you don't have Goo-gone and happen
to have a can of WD-40 handy, it works pretty well for dissolving gunk too.
And doesn't leave a 'mayonaisy' smell :o

[Asmegin]

Slightly related:

How do you remove super glue residue from plastic material on the doors??

And I'm talking LOTS.:cry::cry:

[3weddings]

Never heard of the mayo trick....but if you don't have Goo-gone and happen
to have a can of WD-40 handy, it works pretty well for dissolving gunk too.
And doesn't leave a 'mayonaisy' smell :o

I try not to use chemicals as much as possible, a trick I learned from a Bowring employee to remove price tags from photo frames and vases ;)

[ES_Revenge]

I try not to use chemicals as much as possible, a trick I learned from a Bowring employee to remove price tags from photo frames and vases ;)

LOL Bowring--I always get a chuckle out of the irony of the name of that store :lol:

I think the reason both mayonaise and peanut butter (as well as probably other food products) work to remove sticky residue is because of the oils in them (like how you can clean your hands with motor oil after working on a car, etc.). Goo-gone and other similar products are also just oils (often citrus based) and/or petroleum distillates, etc., so I don't think it's so bad to use them either.

I guess the sense of "hey I can eat this, it has to be safe" comes into play. I mean you can eat blueberries too but you wouldn't want to try to clean anything with them right? :lol: Same for strawberries. Though strawberries are fine to eat, the maltic acid in them is far more dangerous to things than the proper "chemicals" for the job.

[nielboy]

I think you might be pooched on that one. Any chemical strong enough to remove super glue (ie acetone) would damage your plastic trim work in a bad way.

Joe


Slightly related:

How do you remove super glue residue from plastic material on the doors??

And I'm talking LOTS.:cry::cry:

[chene]

WD40 worked wonders. Thanks very much!



Never heard of the mayo trick....but if you don't have Goo-gone and happen
to have a can of WD-40 handy, it works pretty well for dissolving gunk too.
And doesn't leave a 'mayonaisy' smell :o