How to Remove an Old Car Decal

Good car decals will last about 5-7 years. But toward the end of its life, you may notice cracking in the vinyl or small pieces missing from the decal. If you have a printed decal on your car, you may notice the image has faded or is fading.

You can leave it, but you’re not stuck with an old tattered decal on the back of your car. Remove it and put a new decal in its place.

Different people have different methods for removing an old decal. Here’s how we like to remove an old car decal from a car.

Tips to Remove an Old Car Decal

1. Clean the decal and the area around it using soapy water and a clean rag.

2. Use a hair dryer to heat up the decal and loosen the adhesive. You may be able to pull up some or most of the decal after applying just the heat. If you have any pieces still stuck on your car, try the next step.

3. Use a glue removal product like Goo Gone or 3M Adhesive Remover to apply to the decal with a clean microfiber cloth. Let the product sit along the edges of the decal, following the directions on the product.

4. Use an old gift card, rewards card or scraper to scrape under the decal at an angle. You can also use the back of a razor blade, a plastic blade or your fingers, depending on how loose the decal is.

5. Using soapy water and another clean rag, wash off any adhesive residue and glue removal product from your car.

Tips

• DO NOT use the sharp side of a razor blade or box cutter on your car’s paint.
• Although you can use a heat gun instead of a hair dryer, we do not recommend it, as you can damage your paint.