Pinstripe Remove - Faint Line Leftover ?

[BLUZ]

I have a black 98 with a tan pinstripe and removed just a small section. It came off real easy with just my fingers and I cleaned it good and polished it several times.

There is still a faint line right on the edge that is not residue or anything like that, no discoloration. It doesnt show up unless the light hits it just right and then it lights up and looks bad in my opinion. What should I do now?

Its almost like the line is part of the paint, no bump or anything, it just reflects differently than the rest.

 

[Alec]

Could it be that the black paint below the stripe has been protected for 5 years from fading and wear?

 

[BLUZ]

Well, as I mentioned above...there is no discoloration (wouldnt that be more of a sign of fade or age?). You cant tell there the difference between the inside and outside of the line....just the line itself. Not quite what I would have expected. The paint is in great shape and the car has been garaged most of its life.

Also, just the line itself reflects/refracts oddly. You can see a discontinuity in refraction at the line.

 

['96explorereddiebauer]

Try a coat of wax. If that doesn't work, than break out the 3M's SMR and polish the area.

 

[etc]

It's not the body line your talking about is it?

 

[RAZOR]

I just removed my graphics on the side of my X. They had been on there for 5 years. After removing with the help of a heat gun, I wiped the area down with mineral spirits (paint thinner). Washed that off with some warm soapy water, dried and waxed the area. You'd never know they were ever there! Hope, this reply helps someone?

 

[BLUZ]

Haha, its not the body line or anything dumb...I already polished it with 3M polisher (I forget which one it is) several times and its still there.

Same for the dealer stickers in the back I took off. Polished it and no discoloration at all, but you can see the line...only in certain light though. In most light you cant tell at all, but if it hits it just right it jumps out at you.

 

[X~FACTOR]

It might be the sticky (glue?) tape. When I took out mine I used Goo Gone and got rid of every bit of glue there. I finished it off by polishing it with Armor-All. But I figured waxing would work better.

 

[BLUZ]

Its definately NOT any residue. It came off clean and I have polished it several times and its slick to run your finger over it. No bumps, no nothing.

 

[Snake2715]

My Guess

OK,

How many coats of wax do you use a year? I am guessing it is an outline of the pin stripe that was on your car? Right?

Ok my "guess" is that it was wax build up that.... built up next to the pinstrip over the last few years. When you waxed the car the built up wax was.... waxed over so to say.

So 4-5 coats later it is perfectly smooth but 4 layers down is that build up.

It probably happened right before you bought it with a buffer and then was slowly covered thats why when you strip off a layer of wax it with cleaning compund it doesnt go away becasue its a few moer layers down.

I wont promise thats it but that seems like the most logical explenation.

 

[BLUZ]

That could be it, maybe wax buildup. Could it also be that there was an additional clear coat put on after the pinstripes and dealer stickers were added?

I went back and gave hit a small test spot about 6 times with 3M rubbing compound and it softened it up about 50% or so, but its definately still there. Im afraid to go any further down.

Im wondering if maybe a polishing attachment with a Dremel would work? Just keept it right on the line.

 

[dan leon]

Be careful with the Dremel. If you can't notice the blemish from about five feet away, I would not worry about it. My 92 ranger had factory stripes that I removed per RAZOR's instructions about a year ago. The paint is red and looks different where the stripe was, but with some time the area matches better.

 

[professorweed]

I own a sign compaany, and we do a lot of vehicle graphics, including vinyl removal. I have to tell you that you probably wont get it to go completely away.
You have some paint ghosting, some vinyl leach-out, and likely a coat of clear coat over the stripes.
All of these combined issues will prevent you from getting perfect results.
It sounds, though, that you did everything right, and I hope that you can live with the results.

 

[plrs x45]

I removed the stripe after 4 years on the truck. The paint was a different color under the stripe. I used meguires polish and it came right out. This oil polish is not a wax but works like armor all for paint. it brings the color back. try this before you buff. good luck!

 

[Snake2715]

I personally would stay away from the hand tools on the paint why not just run a new strip that suites your tastes?