Ok - here is my problem.

You know when the new cars come into the lot and they have that white tape stuff on it which they pull off. Well for whatever reason I had a lot of sticky residue when I took delivery of my car - alot!(got it in august). I questioned the sales - and he said it will wear off with time and washing. So now we are into November - and most of it is still on - and now it is black. Doesnt look very good on Sterling Mist.

My boyfriend wants to take a crack at it with rubbing Alchol. I am not willing to try that. Also afraid to do it myself because I dont want to risk damaging the paint.

Any suggestions?? (also - car is almost due for the 3K oil change - I was thinking of bring this problem up to the dealership to see if they can take responsibility for it - and get it clean - good or bad idea?????)

Thanks!

 

I'm not exactly sure where the sticky residue is, but you can try a specialized bug/tar remover for automobiles.

I've used it before and it didn't do any damage on my car. All of that RAMMmat got messy sometimes

 

I just picked up my '02 SE and it had a little bit of that stuff left on the quarter panel. I used just a little WD-40 on a rag and it comes right off. (Works great on getting window stickers off too). Then completely wash the area with a good car soap to get rid of the oil in the WD. Used this on the car today and my new motorcycle this past spring and all seems well.

You could also try the orange Goo Gone (not Goof Off) stuff. That works well too.

 

Be very careful no matter what you do. There is now dirt in the sticky residue (you said it was now black). When you put a solvent on the sticky residue to soften it up you will very likely rub that dirt into the paint when wiping off the solvent and sticky residue. This doesn't do you any good now, but you should have cleaned it off when the car was brand new. The best method would be to use some sort of solvent (that is safe for the clearcoat on your car) but do not wipe it off once the sticky is softened. Use a hose or a high pressure washer (not too high of a setting) to rinse the softened residue off rather than grinding in the dirt with a rag.

Stereodude

 

Hmmm.... I wonder what type of tape Nissan uses? I Prep cars for delivery at a GM dealer, and not once has any of the protective plastic left any residue on the paint.

Alcohol, WD-40, even varsol would probably work here. Instead of a rag, use paper towel to remove the stuff though. Slather it with the solvent, let it sit for a minute, then slather it again. Then try to wipe it off with the paper towel. I'd probably wash the car after this to remove anything that was left on the paint.

 

The goo is likely left over adhesive from the plastic protectant that most new cars have applied at the factory (protects against pollution, acid rain, etc)

I don't think Isopropyl will cut the adhesive - use a soft cloth and some kerosene or WD-40 to remove. Bug and tar remover will likely work, too. Don't let any solvent sit too long, as it may begin to soften the clearcoat. When you're finished, wash and wax the affected area.

 

I used Windex window cleaner and it worked great but I cleaned it the day I picked it up.

 

Tar and adhesive remover from 3M. You must remember to follow the instructions carefully and to wash and wax the car right after removing the residue.

 

Hi all,

This is my 1st post--love this forum. Without further ado, here's my issue:

I have a 3rd gen ('92) Maxima SE. She had messed up window regulators on both passenger-side windows. Got a great deal at RockAuto for both of them ($70 together). Replaced both in the last two weekends.

Everything was going great until I decided to take off the gook from all the tape that had been holding the windows up for several years. I'd read somewhere that WD40 works great, so I sprayed it directly onto the windows on both sides (!), then brushed and rubbed with a rag to get it all off.

To make a long story short, ALL of the windows (except for the driver window, miraculously) are now not functioning at all. No engine sound, no click. Nothing. I've tried opening them from the doors themselves, as well as from the driver controls.

I'm thinking the WD-40 probably dripped on some of the inner parts and messed something up severely. Hoping that's not the case.

Anyhow, any advice as to how to fix this annoying problem would be greatly appreciated.

Peace,
Noam

 

yes
1st post in the right forum.
2nd grab a chiltons manual and look up the troubleshoot for windows.
3rd POST IN THE RIGHT FORUM.
4TH check CAR-PART.COM just incase you may need some new regulators.

 

WD-40 FTW. It takes any sticky tape or glue off. It should be fine on paint. Just wash it thoroughly afterwards as you know already.

 

Wow... we would be casterated if we left any of that on the car when we delivered it to a customer... You should call them up bring the car back to them and demand they take it off your car.. The car should have never left the lot with that crap on it.

 

Id make the dealer take it off.

 

Don't use WD-40 or anything harsh until you have tried using either a light polish like Meguiars #9 Swirl Remover or a cleaner wax like Meguiars or Mother's versions. Don't just lightly wipe it on either, you have to use a little effort. Use a microfiber pad and keep your fingers flat across the surface, no fingertips, that will potentially leave marring. Always use the least aggressive method possible first.

Absolutely do not let the dealer do it. The last thing you want is some $7 an hour make-ready guy with a rotary buffer and a wool pad trying to get it off and leaving rotary swirls all over your car. Dealers do one thing well. Sell cars. They suck at detailing and even washing.

I detail cars for a living and places like Moritz BMW get me a lot of business because they suck so bad at buffing cars and I get to clean their mess up.

 

Scottwax is right-on about not taking it to a dealer. The dealer messed up BIGTIME leaving the glop on the car, but now that the goo is black, that means all kinds of particulate matter has attached itself to the goo. It is very important to get this off without having the particulate matter scratch the clearcoat. Any of several methods mentioned here may work, but use NO HEAVY PRESSURE as long as there is dirt in the goo, and clean thoroughly and wax afterwards.

 

a rotary buffer and wool pad?!? what kinda dealerships do you have?!?

It all depends on what kind of dealership you have. Any respectable dealership has an actual detail shop, not the one that the 15 year old lot porters work, but when the car is actually detailed and made to look like a "show room car". If the dealership does not have a detail shop and you dont want to do it your self, go get it detailed, they will remove it.

 

GOO GONE and a "sticker remover" (its plastic) if you dont have access to a high pressure hose. some heat would probably help - do it on a hot day or heat it up with a blowdryer or heatgun.

 

You got to be kidding me! Take that **** back to the dealer and make them remove, clean and detail it and if they buck get Nissan USA involved. Done Deal!

 

Take it to the dealer!

The tape sits on those cars for a long time before someone buys it
I work at a dealership and after the white tape is removed, there is residue left that wipes right off with something called TEC-90.

And if its something that looks like rain streaks that you can't get off, "pink wax" rubs it out quickly with a micro cloth towel. maybe even a slow speed buffer to speed things up. DO not use a high speed buffer though, as it may chip the paint.

Either way, the dealership should fix this without arguing, because its a simple job that they didn't do right (or at all) the first time. That salesman doesn't know **** by the way, that residue does not come off after a couple of washes, unless you're washing your car in acid.