The Methods we use work for moldings and Emblems. Decals use only the last two steps. All of the products we use can be found at any automotive supply store.
Here are some additional Ideas on top of what was posted above:

Step #1 - Use a heat gun to soften the Double Sided Tape. the stuff is very sticky and strong. Remember not to heat a certain spot for too long because direct heat will harm the painted/clear-coated surface.

Step #2 - Take a brand new body filler spreader and start from one edge and use it as a knife to cut through the double sided tape.

Step #3 - Once the moldings/Emblems are removed, take a Cordless drill/Die-grinder/Electric drill Whatever you have that makes High RPM and but what is referred to as an Eraser Wheel. It is just what it sounds like. A very soft rubber wheel 4" around and 1" thick, with a 1/4 Shank arbor, that will remove adhesives without harming the clear coated surface below it if it is used properly. Start at one end of the adhesive tape, working with the direction the wheel is spinning, towards the other end of the adhesive tape. Kind of like reading a sentence of a book backwards. Move the tool fast with a low RPM and don't stay in one spot for an extended period of time or you will overheat the clear-coat and damage it.

Step #4 - Use some liquid panel cleaner, or Ammonia Based Glass Cleaner to take any Leftover rubber smudges off the panel. At the shop we use a product made by DuPont called 3812s. It is a Medium Enamel Reducer, meant for thinning enamel based paints. It works great as a panel cleaner and WILL NOT harm clear coated surfaces, Factory or refinished. It also works great as a bug and tar remover, Sticker Adhesive remover.

Hope this helps as well as what was posted above.

 

I used good ol' mineral spirits aka "paint thinner" and it worked for me on the glue and glue residue. i just made sure i washed it off a.s.a.p

 

Thanks for the insight, I've been thinking about removing the trim from my 2006 Silverado but had nowhere to begin. I will post pics after I do it!

 

Hi guys,

New guy here. But there is a really really much easier way of doing this. I've worked at a body shop and this is what we've done. It will take you no more than 10 mins to do this for the entire truck.

Take a good 15lb or higher rated fishing line. You get about 3 feet of it. Put on some gloves. Wrap the fishing line around your palms a few times on each end.

Then take the line and line it up along the body. Then go back and fourth like a saw and basically CUT the emblems/moding off. They will just fall right off.

The remaing glue, you can use a cordless drill and a tool called a "eraser wheel" to get the glue off. The wheel WILL NOT damage your paint. I've tested it and pressed hard as I can and kept it there for a good 2-3 mins.. doesn't burn the paint.

Here is a picture of an example.

Hope this helps.

 

11silverado, how much will this eraser wheel cost me?

 

You can find that on Ebay pretty cheap. I think I got mine shipped for $20.00.

What is really nice about it is it will take the glue off, painted or decal pinstripe. I love it and will have to look for another one. I gave mine away since I think they can do like 40 trucks.. so I passed it on.

 

Thanks

 

Hello...First post.

All the above are very good ways to remove stick-ons but remember that under there the sun has not faded the paint like the rest of your truck unless its pretty new. Even a year old truck that sits outside will have a little fade to it unless you use a UV Blocker type product regularly.

 

Debadged the sierra...Pain in the Ass tho with the glue from the letters ...

 

Wish I had gotten an eraser wheel, think it would have made it a lot easier. The lettering I still think would have been a pain in the butt.

 

I used the body spreader from advance auto (a long, flat plastic dry wall patch tool basically), heat gun and 3 M adhesive remover. did my entire truck in an hour...body moulding, letters, took the back chevy emblem off and blacked it out and reattached it. did it all in under an hour and the good thing about the 3M adhesive remover is, if you spray it in a towel and rub the old area it gets the glue residue off pretty easy. You just have to be careful of the black door handles because it will cause discoloration. But that coupled with the heat gun did the trick, real quick and you will have NO leftover glue or glue residue.

 

Eraser wheel works like a champ! We use it at my detail shop! Sometimes there will be a hard outline after you remove the emblems that won't come off with bug and tar or an eraser wheel! So you get an orbital, some compound and a compound pad and lightly sand it ofF, then polish and wax over here u compounded!

 

+1 worked great for me.

 

I want to do this to my truck, but i am afraid to. I have a white 08 Sierra and i am afraid if i take the molding on the door off that it will be discolored with the rest of the truck. Has anyone had any problems with this or..?

 

The easiest time to remove badging is when the truck is new?

Before the glue has baked onto the painted surface?

 

Only reason I would want to do it while it's new is cause paint fades over time and if you wait years and then do it the spot where the molding was covering up the paint will be a different color than the rest of the truck that's faded.

Glue doesn't really bake into the truck, actually we are using heat to remove it and soften it up

 

I debadged a 2000 Acura TL when I got it in 2010, and the black paint surely had faded. I did it for the look.

The badging on my SLE is not bothering me as much as I thought it would. But I think I'll start with the SLE, and then decide on the Sierra and the GMC.

 

Sperry I debadged mine, but left moldings on. I have a 2010 and I even had the discolored sections on my truck. At the right angle I can still see the "silverado" and the "bow tie" in the main from where it's darker, but the rest of the truck is a bit lighter.

 

Help me out. With all the inconsiderate idiots out there who have no problem opening their car doors into the side of your truck, why would you want to take off the door molding?

 

Help me out. With all the inconsiderate idiots out there who have no problem opening their car doors into the side of your truck, why would you want to take off the door molding?

For the "look". I'm keeping mine, for the others and for me. And it does not bother me.

 

Help me out. With all the inconsiderate idiots out there who have no problem opening their car doors into the side of your truck, why would you want to take off the door molding?

IMO looks tons better. I never park at the front of a parking lot and always find a spot with spaces around it. Walk a few extra feet and get me some exercise. If I do park next to a vehicle I look for ones that are equally as nice and that I assume will be careful around my truck

 

+1 with aksierra11 it looks way better, but I haven't done it because I go to a Community College. If I wasn't in school the molding would have came off the same time my badges and dealer/4x4 stickers did. It gives it a nice clean/smooth look.

 

That's great advice. My moulding is coming off this summer as it is falling off now. Makes it so much easier to wax and looks tons better.

 

I do like the look, but I also do get a lot of door dings. I do my best to park far away from folks, but it happens anyway. Thus, I am keeping my moldings.

 

I understand, thanks. Imo, I'd rather keep the trim cause it serves a purpose but I also like the clean look. In my case, I wanted to protect the doors and it looked to plain to me so I put on some trim. I don't mind the 4X4 emblem but the dealer sticker is definitely coming off.