Removing Pinstripe

Hello!

 

I am purchasing a Regal Blue 2005 LGT with 72k miles from a dealer. The car has RED pinstriping, I repeat RED. I asked them to remove the pinstriping during the detailing process and they came back with,

"detail advised against taking it off because the paint will be rasied under the pinstripe because of the age of it"

 

Is this true? Can I just remove it myself without the paint looking out of whack?

 

Appreciate your help!

You will have to buff it, but I think you could make it blend in. And if you cant just get it pinstriped a color of your choosing.

I'll have to find a detailer that can do this for me since the dealer won't do it. And good contingency plan, black might work

It depends on how it was applied. If it was painted on then there could be an issue. If it is just a vinyl stripe then no problemo. Just heat it up and remove it. Could there be "damage" from removing it in the form of a discolored line or raised paint? Probably. Can it be fixed? Probably. Raised paint is easy. A detailer (not a car washer, but someone who actually knows what they are doing) would wetsand the paint till it is level and then polish it all out. The discoloration is a bigger problem since faded paint is faded forever. Simple oxidation can be polished off, but there is a strong chance that there will be a slightly darker line left behind.

 

The best solution to avoid all damage would be to have the pinstripe removed and then reapply a black one in its place if there is irreparable damage left behind. Leave that out there as an option and you should be fine. Or you will have to live with the red pinstriping. I hate pinstriping. I've passed on purchasing cars I've searched high and low for because they had pinstripes on them. They are a pain in the ass to remove and they almost always leave their mark if you don't get them off in the first couple years. 8 years later is definitely asking for damage left behind.

Thanks OCDetails! Would you happen to know what this stuff would cost? Removal of pinstripe, addition of another (just in case)? I have yet to take a car to a professional detailer.

 

Also this is the only stock 5MT car I could find within 200 miles and I don't think it will get any easier to find another as the days go on.

Come to think of it, even a darker line will be better than a red pinstripe.

I'd charge someone probably a couple hundred bucks to remove a pinstripe and reapply a new one. It just depends on what kind of process was used to apply it. If it is painted on then I probably wouldn't even touch it. I'd just get a new black one and apply it over the top. You are looking at about $.10 cents worth of vinyl if you go that way and then whatever someone charges you to cut it and apply it.

 

Maybe go for something different. Find a sign shop or vehicle wrap company that deals in automotive decals and get some pricing. Maybe a half inch wide pinstripe in carbon fiber would look good. They might even be able to give you some ideas on how to integrate the existing red color into something new. Take a decent picture of the car with the pinstripe so it stands out and I'll bet someone could photoshop some ideas for you.

may have missed it but is it painted on? Might sound crazy but I used Easy-Off oven cleaner to remove the painted on pinstripes on my once upon a time Nissan Maxima. Worked like a charm, no kiddin!