We were recently asked to help a good friend of ours who had their promotional vehicle sent to get a new wrap to replace the old design. Unfortunately, due to the state of the old wrap it was sent back from the wrapping company, unable to be worked on.
The wrap had been on there for some time, however either through poor preparation or UV damage, the old wrap had deteriorated to such a point, that it was either so brittle it wasn’t able to be pulled off, or the adhesive residue was left clinging to the paintwork.
As you can see from this picture, the wrap membrane was removed however the gum and residue was still thick on the panel – unable to be removed. Jet washes, soap, white spirits and elbow grease didn’t budge it or just clumped the residue together more.
The first step was to soften the bond between the panel and the adhesive and try to keep the elbow grease in the cupboard. Autoglyms Intensive Tar Remover is one of the only petroleum based tar removers on the market and was the go to product for this job.
A clean microfiber was used to spread the liquid liberally over the panel allowing the liquid to soak into the adhesive, turning it light blue.
The next step was to remove the adhesive from the panel.
The owner wanted to keep the option of not having the boot wrapped so taking off the adhesive safely and leaving the paint without scratches was a priority.
With the adhesive softened we started to remove the gummy substrate by gently using a microfiber. The natural ‘grabbing’ effect of a microfiber was perfect for safely pulling the gum without scratching the panel.
What we also found was the longer the Intensive Tar Remover was left on the adhesive, the easier it was to remove.
As we went along the adhesive residue slowly lifted from the panel, leaving a clean and unmarred panel below ready for a wash and wax protection.
You can see from this picture the difference of the before and after and the ease of which Intensive Tar Remover removed the old gum.
