Stone Guard Decals

[Zeloy]

When I bought my 944 it had stone guard decals on each side behind the doors and around the wheels ( they are simliar to the ones they sell on this site). Over the years they have become all cracked and ugly, since I didn't put them on, I don't know a lot about them and how I should deal with this. Does anyone have any advice?

[thamlin000]

The stone guards are factory installed. And yes, they rot and crack through the years. The best removal procedure that I've heard of is by using a hair dryer to heat it up and a razor blade or putty knife. It is a long job and you have to be careful you don't scratch or chip the paint. Then you can put the new stone guards on. Excellence Magazine covered this procedure about a year ago.

[86951]

I think that Excellence used a wheel that attaches to a drill and then cleaned up the mess with wood grain and vinyl trim adhesive remover. Look back about three of four months for the article.

Need to do the same to my car.

[p0r2chby]

the excellence article refers to using some sort of rubber disk that grinds off the decal. Sort of like using a giant eraser.

Personally, I have used the heat gun and "plastic" putty knife method with good results. A metal putty knife or razor blade is too risky for me. The entire process takes much more time that you think but it is worth the effort.

[hoff944]

Mine were so far gone, they had to be sanded off during the painting process.

[Scott R]

The "rubber disc" that you are refeering to is called an "Astro Eraser" It's usualy an air tool mounted giant rubber earser, but they also have them for drills. These remove decals and pin stripes and what not. You can get one from just about any auto paint store. It won't hurt the paint at all and will remove the adhesive totally.

[macreel]

Hey Zeloy...for stone guard removal & repair
see April 2001 issue of "Excellence", pg.161.
Seems like a good article, step-by-step &
cautions spelled out. Good luck.

[TheStig]

before i got my car repainted, i used a putty knife and a blow drier and it only took me 30 min.

I did it quickly and there were 0-scratches.

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Heel'n' toe your woes away..

[floridaporsche]

I replaced mine about six months ago. I had a paint shop remove them for about $50. I ordered the complete stone guard kit from Zimms (1-800-356-2964) for $87, the cheapest place by far. Then I paid a mobile detailer to apply them for $20. After watching him I realized that I could have done them, but I picked up some tips. When you apply them, spray the body area lightly with a glass cleaner. This allows you to move the guard into the perfect place without ruining the guard. Then after you smooth it out(like with a credit card) cut any air bubbles with an exacto knife. Cut just small enough to release the air and then smooth it out. Not hard to do at all. Good luck.

[CJFusco]

I have to do this procedure this summer when I get back from Germany... my stone guards are almost brown now, although my car still looks great, I've heard that replacing the guards makes the car look 200 times better. thanks for the tips, guys... now which method would you recommend - the rubber eraser on a drill mount or the blowdrier and putty knife?

[justin]

Rubber eraser.....read the excellence article mentioned above it works good.Follow the step-by-step article and you will get winning results.

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Drive it like you stole it........Justin

[TomH]

Nix the Excellence article, that astro eraser took hours to get the decals and glue off. Use hot air, and save your self some time. Seems you're likely to be more apt to ruin your paint by accidentally over-rubbing it than heating it with a hair dryer.

[CJFusco]

Excellence says to use the eraser (not even a mention of the hot-air method)and Haynes says to use a blowdrier. Ahhh I'm so conflicted.

[1.2gees]

Eraser can be used to take the residue off, after the actual strip is removed (by applying heat, preferably by a heat gun, but a hair dryer will do).
Ahmet

[floridaporsche]

The reason why I took my car to a bodyshop to have the guards removed was because of the major difficulty I had in removing them. I live in northern FL where the heat and humidity are unbareable. I went out to try and remove the guards on a hot day(thinking that it would be easier) and also used a blowdryer. After about two hours I made very little progress. The pieces would come off and tear in tiny bits. Im not sure if this was due to the extreme climate or what. As others have stated, I have also heard that removing them with a blowdryer is a simple task. Good luck. BTW, my guards were completely craked all over. When I replaced them my car looked almost brand new again. What a difference!

[Zeloy]

Hmmm, now I'm not sure which way I'm going to try to do it. But it would help if I had that article in excellence magazine. Does anyone know where I can get back issues of them?