--Sorry all, I know this goes in Appear./Cosmetic but they are more concerned with what shoes everyone wears, and showing off their cars rather than things like this--

Ok, first post here in appearance/cosmetic but quickly:
Car is 12 years old, Black, previous owner had front end damage (replaced radiator so I'm assuming the fenders were done as well) also rear quarter panel damage (on one side) So... I know the pinstripe was re-done within the last 5 years on one side of the car cause its all crooked, thats kinda why I want it gone.

However, on the other side I'm not sure... Its peeling off in places and just looks crappy IMO but heres the concern:

CONCERN: Once removed, what are the chances that the paint under the pinstripe will be a different color? I want to remove but NOT if the paint on the underside is going to be a diff. color. Has anyone had experience with this happening? If so, was it drastic?

I've read about all the different methods for removing the pinstripe and adhesive so I will try these but I wanted an opinion on how bad the paint/fade will be.

SIDE NOTE: The car is a 93 Prelude with 226,000 miles on it and after people are done picking up their jaw at the amount of miles on it, they usually say "the paint looks really good (considering, I'm sure)"

So what do yall think? should I tackle this annoyance or will it create an even bigger eye-sore for me? Thanks!

 

I know I had stickers on my old 2000 Grand Prix that I went to shows with. I kept that thing religously clean since I got it new. I was shocked to see the difference when I took them off at lease return. I can only imagine it'll be worse under yours. A good polish would probably help but you know that you at least will always see it.

 

given the age of the car and mileage. and i'm assuming the car's life has been in the ohio area (your location) i would say yes, removing the pinstrip will have color difference.

try removing a very small part to see if there is discoloration... if there is.. then you have your answer.. if you think it'll look weird.. remove the same size from the other side so it'll be "the same"...

and removing the pinstrip isn't all that hard. its the first thing we did for my brother's girlfriends car... use your fingers and that's it...

 

Dammit.

Thats not what I wanted to hear!

The only thing I can think that would make it not discolored is that in about '00 or '01 the girl that owned it before me (High school friend) got in a front end collision and I know had to get a new hood, radiator, recharge the A/C so I'm assuming that both front fenders were re-painted and re-striped.

I also know that she stalled in the intersection one time when learning to drive and the driver door and quarter panel were re-done (I know the qp was re-painted, shitty) so I'm assuming those were also re-striped

Now It's almost like I'm removing it from a '00 or an '01... which, given the grand prix story, its probably still faded, dont you guys think?

I was just hoping since it had been re-painted in some areas and re-striped and its a black car, it may not show up too much...

Thanks for the replies!

 

I would say stip it off, remove any left over adhesive with some mineral spirits or alcohol, then use a cleaner wax and rub hard where the stipe was. A buffer would do wonders, but you might get by doing it by hand. If you still see where it used to be, you can always redo the pin stripe yourself, so atleast the **** will be straight and new vinyl.

 

use a razor blade and hair dryer

 

TO 01 LUDEDUDE:
A couple questions. You say use a cleaner wax and rub hard where the stripe was. Are you talking about the wax/polish stuff I already have like turtle wax, some other kind of polish in a bottle, and mothers (turtle wax and mothers being the more solid kind in a can)? Or do you mean something else? (and maybe you could give me a brand name)

Now, I can scrub pretty damn hard and will if i have to but you say a buffer would do wonders... Well, I happen to have a craftsman electric-powered buffer. Its the kind that you apply wax with (if there is 2 kinds, I thought there was a smaller, quicker one). I dont know how good it is in terms of top of the line/bottom of the line (I'm sure its not top) but is this something you are talking about? Sorry, I'm not too knowledgeable on these types of things.

Finally, you say I can re-do the stripe if I feel like it. Do you know anything about this? I must admit, I havnt searched anything on prices, places to buy, or installation procedures (seems like it'd be kinda hard to get straight) but if it can be re-done by me, that would make me wanna remove it even more.

TO H22 CRX:
My pinstripe is pretty much falling off in SOME places. I know there is some adhesive that will stick cause there is a little on there now where a little section of pinstripe has fallen off. but I dont think I'ma take a razor blade to it... I'd prolly F it up... I think I'm gonna try a Hair Dryer and my fingernail then some warm water or Goo Gone to get the adhesive.

Thanks again guys for the help... I hope we can get some info in this thread so it can maybe help others in the same situation.

 

When I said cleaner wax, I just meant something with a bit of amonia and maybe even a super fine grit, like rubbing compound. When I say buffer, I'm refering to an angle grinder (8-10K rpm) and a wool buffing pad, what they use in detail shops.

Applying pin stripe is easy realy. You can buy it at most part stores. I'm to lazy to put it in my own words, so this is cut /paste from some website.

# Attach the first 1" to the front of the car, usually the fender. Then pull off the backing and slightly stretch the tape and extend it to approximately 1/2 the distance on your car. As you slightly tug on the pinstriping, you can make the line perfectly straight. Once you have the position you want, begin to lower the pinstriping to your car body and it will attach itself lightly as you lower it to the car body.
# After completing the first half of the car, repeat this same procedure from the ending point to the rear of the car exactly.
# In all openings such as the hinge and latch side of the door, simply take a straight edge and cut the pinstripe or reflective tape in the middle, then wrap the excess around the door towards the inside of the vehicle.
# After installation, lightly tap your finger all along the pinstriping or reflective tape to insure it is sticking, then you can lightly wipe it down with your finger using a light pressure. After several passes along the entire path with your finger, you can push progressively harder on the pinstriping or reflective tape.

 

Heat gun/hairdryer and it should just peel off. Be careful of the door handles though if you use a heat gun! (oops....)

But yeah, even IF it is the same color under the strips, it will look different because of fading and stuff.

 

I removed the VTEC sticker from the back of my '93 last month. The paint is BARELY darker where the sticker was, and the VTEC sticker has been on the car for almost 13 years.

I think you'll be ok.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 01 LudeDude &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">When I say buffer, I'm refering to an angle grinder (8-10K rpm) and a wool buffing pad, what they use in detail shops. </TD></TR></TABLE>

There are 2 types of buffers used by detailers, orbital and rotary. I'm assuming an angle grinder is a type of rotary. Rotary buffers are not something a newbie should use, it's a difficult tool to master, and if you don't know what you're doing you will just end with burnt paint.

Plus, when you think about it, you got it backwards. You can't just "buff out" paint that's been protected, you'd need to restore the paint around it. While you might be able to "blend it" to look a little better, this is what I suggest:

Either bring it to a professional detailer, tell him what you want done, and he'll know what to do.

or

Get an Orbital buffer (will not burn paint), some cutting pads, good polish (Poorboys SSR2.5 followed by SSR1) and polish the entire car. It should restore the older paint and not only will you not see the paint lines, you'll also make your car sexier

 

Sober John! Exactly what I needed to hear... My only question is what color is your car? I think some colors would fade more than others (like red) whereas black or white may be harder to tell... I dont know.

 

Mine is Azure Blue-Green. Not the darkest color available, but definitely darker than most.

 

I went through the same thing about 6 months ago. My car was going to the body shop to get rid of the infamous sun roof rust spots and I asked them to take off the pinstriping for me. I was afraid of the change in paint color underneath and they said not to worry about it. When I picked up the car You couldn't tell the difference at all except for the obvious lack of pinstripes. If you're really that worried about taking it off yourself, find yourself a body shop and pay them to do it their way. It shouldn't cost more than $30 and the professional quality job is worth the money.