How to Safely Remove Car Decals

To remove a car decal, carefully apply heat, pull up the corners with a plastic card or putty knife, and use adhesive remover to clear away any residue.
Written by Holden Easterbrook
Reviewed by Jessica Barrett
The best way to remove a car decal is by gently applying heat, pulling up the corners with a plastic card or putty knife, and using adhesive remover to clear away any leftover residue.
Decals are a great way to personalize your vehicle without having to jeopardize your budget, but removing them incorrectly can cause costly cosmetic damage. Whether you’re tired of an old sticker or want to remove some from a used car you’ve bought, you’ll need the right gear and know-how to do so quickly and safely.
Thankfully, the
car insurance
super app
Jerry
is here to help. Read on to learn about what tools you need for removing decals, the steps for doing so safely, and the differences between removing stickers from windows and car bodies.
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What you’ll need to remove a car decal

Before you start peeling off your unwanted decals, you’ll want to have a few items handy:
  • Soap and warm water
  • Plenty of rags
  • A plastic card or putty knife that’s soft and pliable
  • Be sure you don’t use anything sharp or metallic if the decal is on your car’s body because they can leave ugly scratches on your paint
  • A hair dryer and extension cord
  • Glue or adhesive remover
  • Double-check that the product is safe for car paint
  • Once you have everything together, you can begin peeing off your old decal!

    How to remove car decals

    To avoid scratching or scuffing your car’s paint, be sure to work slowly and steadily.

    Wash your car

    Using warm water and soap, wash the decal you want to remove as well as the surrounding area. If you want, you can also use this as an opportunity to give your whole car a quick once-over.
    The purpose of this is to clean away any grit or other small debris that may slow down the removal process or scratch your paint. Also, it will help to begin loosening the adhesive bond between the surface of your car and the back of the decal.

    Warm the decal

    With the hair dryer set to medium heat, warm the decal. If the sticker has been put on very recently or begun to wear away on its own, you may see the edges begin to curl away from the body of your car—which will save you some work.
    Making sure that the decal has properly warmed is very important. The heat applied to the decal should loosen the adhesive on the back of the sticker and make for a cleaner and quicker removal. You may need to warm the decal as you work on removing it, so be sure to keep your hair dryer handy.
    If you’re removing a particularly large decal, you’ll want to work on heating and removing it in sections. Start on one corner, then work your way across one of the sides before beginning to peel off the decal.
    MORE: How to remove bugs, tar, and sap from car paint

    Carefully remove the decal

    Once the decal has been warmed, use your plastic card or putty knife to carefully pull up one of the corners. Go slowly and don’t apply too much pressure, otherwise, you may damage your car’s paint.
    Starting from one corner, work along an edge of the decal until you have the entire side separated from the vehicle. Once that’s done, continue to peel the sticker off by working from side to side. To make things easier, you can always take a moment to reheat the section of the decal you’re currently working on.
    While it may be tempting to do so, don’t pull the decal off using your hands alone. Removing it too quickly and with too much force could cause serious cosmetic damage to your car.

    Rewash the area and apply adhesive remover

    Once you have the decal off completely, take a moment to congratulate yourself because the majority of the work is over. If there is a fair amount of residue left on your car from the decal, don’t worry—that’s about to come off as well.
    Rewash the area the decal had been to remove any debris that will come off easily. After that, apply the car-safe adhesive remover to the remaining residue. Follow all instructions on the adhesive remover to ensure that the remains of the decal are completely removed and that your car’s paint is not damaged in the process
    When you’ve finished, give the spot a final wash to clean away the leftover adhesive remover and you’re all done!
    Key Takeaway To safely remove a car decal, heat the sticker, carefully work it off with a soft plastic tool, clean away the remaining residue with a car-safe adhesive remover, and finish by washing the area where the decal used to be.
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    How to remove a car decal from glass

    Removing a decal from glass is very similar to the steps above. The only difference is that you can use a clean razor blade to make the process go a little faster. Just be sure to hold the blade at a 30 to 45-degree angle to keep it from scratching your glass.

    How to find affordable car insurance

    Once that unwanted decal is off of your vehicle, keep things rolling by finding a cheaper
    car insurance
    policy with
    Jerry
    . It’s super simple and will take much less time than removing a decal.
    Jerry is a licensed insurance broker and super app that strives to provide drivers with the best insurance quotes on offer from a selection of more than 50 insurance companies. You don’t need a plastic putty knife or adhesive remover, just get the app, answer a few questions about yourself, and then wait for less than two minutes for your quote results.
    On average, drivers who switch insurance providers with Jerry see annual savings of $887. With money like that, you could buy enough decals to cover your car from hood to trunk! Don’t settle for overpriced car insurance—download Jerry and start saving right away.
    “A super easy app for great savings. I gave them my information and got quotes from
    Jerry
    very quickly! Now I’m saving $108/month.” —Kiyoshi A.
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    This app is great, but the customer service is even better! Not to mention convenient! My husband and I got the lowest rate (much lower than the rates I was finding online through my own searches), quickly, and pretty much all through text message! Thank you so much for a hassle free experience👍
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    FAQs

    Yes, pulling a decal off roughly or too quickly can leave your vehicle with serious cosmetic damage and you may not be able to remove the decal completely.
    It’s safe to remove a decal yourself, just so long as you work slowly and carefully. If you don’t feel comfortable removing a decal on your own, you should be able to find a professional locally who can handle the job easily.
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