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      11-30-2006, 01:14 AM   #1
coehorn
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Visor decal removal DIY

I removed my sun visor decals today and would like to share my experience. First, I tested the visor fibers with denatured alcohol to see that it did not affect the fabric. I did not. I have a 2006 330i. Please see attached series of photos.

I soaked a clean cotton rag with the denatured alcohol and pleased it on the ugly decal for about four or five minutes. Then soaked a rag wrapped around my finger and gently rubbed the decal until it come off. After the visor dried there was a very slight outline of the decal profile left but it is not very noticeable.

Hope this will help fellow owners safely remove thier unsightly visor decals. Good luck.
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      11-30-2006, 02:53 AM   #2
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Oh, that's very nice! In the second to last picture, the rectangle where the sticker once was is still visible. Does this disappear when the alcohol dries up?
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      11-30-2006, 08:16 AM   #3
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That stuff wreaks (sp?). Make sure anyone who tries this has lots of ventilation going. I wouldn't reccomend doing this indoors either, the smell will be around for a while...

That being said, looks like that came off pretty easy, I might have to give it a shot. I hate those things. I just don't want to mess things up and end up having to buy new ones..
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      11-30-2006, 09:20 AM   #4
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here's a DIY using Goo-off
http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=4475
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      11-30-2006, 09:48 AM   #5
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If you can use denatured alcohol instead of petroleum distillates based products, I would think this to be better. The alcohol should evaporate completely and leave no residue other than the adhesive goop left over from the decal.
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      11-30-2006, 09:58 AM   #6
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^ yeah, I guess using alcohol is better than solvent, better for the environment too
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      11-30-2006, 10:40 PM   #7
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Denatured alcohol is used as fuel for various dental and jewelry torches.
It is not particularly dangerous. It is sold at hardware stores and paint stores (in California!). I bought mine at Lowe's.

To answer your question, the imprint left by the decal looks worst than it really is. It is hardly noticeable after the alcohol dries. When back in the car, no one would notice it unless you pointed it out to them.

Good Luck.
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      12-01-2006, 04:06 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by canucklion
...from a vinyl visor. I'm not convinced using goof-off on fabric is a great idea. Or I guess you could say i'm not confident in my ability to use goof-off on a fabric visor without wrecking it
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      12-01-2006, 04:44 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tintivilus
...from a vinyl visor. I'm not convinced using goof-off on fabric is a great idea. Or I guess you could say i'm not confident in my ability to use goof-off on a fabric visor without wrecking it
I have Goof off and Goo gone. The Goof off smells like lighter fluid, and it did remove my decal, but left a little "oily" residue on my visor. I then spent a good amount of time trying to remove this residue. Goo gone smells like citrus (better), but once again, the alcohol idea is probably better.
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      04-08-2007, 08:58 PM   #10
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I just removed my decals, and used a "Goof off" type on one, and 90% Isopropyl Alcohol on the other. The generic Goof Off didnt work at all.

The alcohol worked like a charm, and where it was the only solvent I used it left no odor whatsoever. The Goof off side now stinks.

So in case anyone is still thinking about this, I'd recommend using Isopropyl alcohol first.
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      04-08-2007, 09:10 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by antidentite View Post
I just removed my decals, and used a "Goof off" type on one, and 90% Isopropyl Alcohol on the other. The generic Goof Off didnt work at all.

The alcohol worked like a charm, and where it was the only solvent I used it left no odor whatsoever. The Goof off side now stinks.

So in case anyone is still thinking about this, I'd recommend using Isopropyl alcohol first.
Hmmmm....

:wonders into garage, grabbing the isopropyl on the way..
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      05-12-2007, 07:33 PM   #12
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Wow just did the isopropyl worked great, thanks for the tip
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      05-12-2007, 08:25 PM   #13
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Darn, didn't work so well for me and I also followed the procedure of ~ 4-5 min with soaking in Isopropyl. I have the cloth liner, I got my car in November 06.

The problem is around the corners and some edges that has the blank line. The decal didn't come off easily in that area. In retrospect, maybe had I soaked longer, it would have worked better. I continued to work at it, but there are still black lines left that don't seem to come off.

Note, I am not entirely sure that the black adhesive has stained the cloth, although in some spots appears that way, it could also be that the adhesive is very fine particles and simply embedded into the cloth. I tried pushing scotch tape down against it though and couldn't remove anything. I feel like I'm out of options.

Does anyone have any other ideas before I give up?
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      05-12-2007, 11:56 PM   #14
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I did mine with Goo Gone, but the residue stayed... it actually looks pretty bad. How did you guys manage to get that off too?
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      05-13-2007, 09:25 AM   #15
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I did the driver side one in the afternoon while it was hot out and even hotter in the garage. I had a much harder time with the second one in the evening when it was cool. Maybe heating it up with a blow dryer and then trying again might help you to get the black line from the edges off?
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      05-13-2007, 01:22 PM   #16
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I have 3 options:

1) Buy replacements, I recall someone else did this. How much does it cost? Does it come with that damn sticker?

2) Put a CD holder over it? Does anyone know if BMW makes a matching gray holder?

3) Acceptance

I'll probably opt for #3.
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      05-24-2007, 07:21 PM   #17
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Isopropyl Alcohol
Soft terry cloth
Elbow grease
20 minutes (each)
***VOILA***
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      05-25-2007, 11:13 AM   #18
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Luck of the draw. I find that the black residual lines that stained tend to grab my eye and interestingly, I never even noticed the bright yellow sticker before reading the thread. Wish I hadn't read the thread.

I figure that it is ridiculous to buy new ones but I didn't price them and then I would probably get new stickers!

Anyway, it sounds like ~ 1 in 4 people are having trouble doing this, so my advice is to accept the yellow sticker. After this experience, the idea of other DIYs don't look so compelling to me.
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      09-01-2007, 12:52 AM   #19
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I used Goo-Gone with little help. Steaming didn't work for me either. I used Cutex brand NON-acetone nail polish remover my mom had. So I borrowed it and a stack of Q-tips. Soaked the Q-tips in the corner of the sticker and as it peeled off I lifted the corner and dragged a bunch of freshly soaked Q-tips in the nail polish remover across the edge that was still stuck and peeled right off in one piece. Minimal glue residue on the visor and I did NOT remove the visor. You can only barely see the shiny residue in the bright sun. Now I will try the Goof off to wipe it totally clean with less of the smell people have described using that product. Was quite painless and REALLY makes a difference (IMHO).
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      09-04-2007, 09:19 PM   #20
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I pulled mine off with denatured alcohol and I have distinct rectangles remaining in the fabric. Had I known then what I know now (it's less than $200 for a pair of Euro label-less fabric visors) I would have just bought new ones and left mine intact for ebaying to recoup some of the cost.

I was thinking of trying some 303 fabric cleaner to see if I can lessen the rectangles, but I haven't gotten around to it yet. They're still way easier on the eyes than the warning stickers, though, and I'll probably just live with 'em.
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      02-13-2013, 07:02 PM   #21
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I did this recently and made a video.

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      05-11-2014, 06:22 PM   #22
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I just did this works great! 70% Rubbing Alch. Took 10 mins. Just rub away.

Last edited by joeyb649; 05-11-2014 at 08:01 PM..
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