The HHR I have is a 2008, and I am guessing they have been on there since it was bought, if not shortly after. And as for warm days, It's in the 30's over night, and low 50's during the day now..

 

When I removed the pinstripe tape from mine, I heated it lightly with the hair dryer, and slowly pull at a right angle (straight out) from the car. It came off mostly in one piece. The glue cleans off easily with goo gone, I used prep sol after and the buffed the area out. You will still see where the stripes were from certain angles as the paint will have sunfaded some.

 

Thanx Mongo. And thank you all.

 

hair dryer..on LOW setting..heat untill you can mark it with your finger nail..should peel up very easily..u can use a plastic scraper(soft)..(wy wifes finger nails worked great)just to lift the edge..watch the heat,,too much will lift the paint with the decals..when u are done a little goo gone..just for the left overs..

 

Thanx pyro panel. :)

 

< Former body and fender man / auto painter, full time for about 12 years.

Switched Trades for about 22 years, but did body and fender and complete paint jobs in my garage as sidejobs. (Usually Show cars and vintage Restoration work. High Dollar jobs)

Now doing some Sign Vinyl, Sandblasting Dimensional Signs, and Painting Signs, etc. work and contemplating buying a building to start a shop.

So with all that said.

There are products made for removing this type of vinyl that are spray misted on and wait a few minutes and start peeling it off.

Take a look here> https://www.earlmichcatalog.com/xcart/home.php?cat=1023

Rapid Remover $4.84 for a Small spray bottle
Lil' Chizlers $0.85
Ghost-Off $7.84 (Only buy Afterwards IF needed)

There are other products listed. Safer for the Novice to use than a Heat Gun.

You can Easily Warp these Thin metal panels or Burn your paint if you are not Careful !

Laquer Thinner? NO!!! Again a Novice using it can do more Harm than good.

IF and I say IF, you HHR has been Repainted, it Will Eat into the paint Quicker than the OEM paint.

When I saw that Your HHR only had the strips on One fender, it makes me wonder, was the other one repainted or not, were any panels, doors fenders hood repainted? A GOOD body shop can do body and fender/paint work so you Can't tell.

A seasoned body man sometimes can't tell until they start grinding and sandiong to fix a panel.

You can try the Hair Dryer on LOW, and keep the nozzle end AWAY at a distance, you only want to Warm the vinyl, NOT blister it or your paint.

IF you are uncomfortable trying Heat, use the Link I posted and call and order up something. You can locate local sign shop suppliers near you as well.

IF you use the hair dryer, find a auto paint supplier near you and buy a small can of Auto wax & grease remover, this Will remove the glue Without any damage to your paint OEM or otherwise.

Depending on how long they have been on you Might see some "Ghosting" you can buff most of it out, Usually.

Sorry for the long post, but I would Hate to see your next post be something like- OPPS I F'ed UP MY PAINT!

 

< Former body and fender man / auto painter, full time for about 12 years.

Switched Trades for about 22 years, but did body and fender and complete paint jobs in my garage as sidejobs. (Usually Show cars and vintage Restoration work. High Dollar jobs)

Now doing some Sign Vinyl, Sandblasting Dimensional Signs, and Painting Signs, etc. work and contemplating buying a building to start a shop.

So with all that said.

There are products made for removing this type of vinyl that are spray misted on and wait a few minutes and start peeling it off.

Take a look here> https://www.earlmichcatalog.com/xcart/home.php?cat=1023

Rapid Remover $4.84 for a Small spray bottle
Lil' Chizlers $0.85
Ghost-Off $7.84 (Only buy Afterwards IF needed)

There are other products listed. Safer for the Novice to use than a Heat Gun.

You can Easily Warp these Thin metal panels or Burn your paint if you are not Careful !

Laquer Thinner? NO!!! Again a Novice using it can do more Harm than good.

IF and I say IF, you HHR has been Repainted, it Will Eat into the paint Quicker than the OEM paint.

When I saw that Your HHR only had the strips on One fender, it makes me wonder, was the other one repainted or not, were any panels, doors fenders hood repainted? A GOOD body shop can do body and fender/paint work so you Can't tell.

A seasoned body man sometimes can't tell until they start grinding and sanding to fix a panel.

You can try the Hair Dryer on LOW, and keep the nozzle end AWAY at a distance, you only want to Warm the vinyl, NOT blister it or your paint.

IF you are uncomfortable trying Heat, use the Link I posted and call and order up something. You can locate local sign shop suppliers near you as well.

IF you use the hair dryer, find a auto paint supplier near you and buy a small can of Auto wax & grease remover, this Will remove the glue Without any damage to your paint OEM or otherwise.

Depending on how long they have been on you Might see some "Ghosting" you can buff most of it out, Usually.

Sorry for the long post, but I would Hate to see your next post be something like- OPPS I F'ed UP MY PAINT!

 

btw.. I went to auto zone, and am trying their "goo gone sticker remover, automotive edition" I have about gotten one sticker off, and will be doing the other soon! Shall I post pics?

 

And then when you are in such a hurry to get this done what will you do about the possibility of paint fade or dis-coloration that lurks below the removed stripes, especially with metallics ? The chances are less if the stripes are newer but if the stripes were applied by the original owner when purchased the fading possibilities are increased .....

Best-O-Luck ,

 

It created a "ghost like" le manns stripe. I wish they would have come off easier, but, none the less, they are off. Now, a buff and wax post winter.