Hello,

I have a 08 G35 sport sedan painted pin stripe that came dealer installed. The stripe is ugly and is nicked and scratched off in a place or two. I want to completely remove it before polishing and sealing. What's a cheap and safe way for me to remove it myself?
I heard of using mineral spirits, easy off oven cleaner. Prefer to hear from people who have actually performed it. Thanks!

 

Well the best thing I have heard of that is safe is using mineral spirits but that can take hours of work and can also lead to all kinds of unnecessary swirls and possibly minor scratches.

What I have done, since I am a detailer, was wet sand and then buffed the stripes off. I have so far done it to an 03 Infiniti G35 coupe, 2010 M35, 2011 M45, 09 Honda Civic, and a few others.

This process is for those who have access to a buffer or a friend who knows how to use one

What you would need

• 2000 or 2500 Grit Wet Sandpaper
• Clean Soapy Water in a bucket
• Buffer that you are comfortable with
• Meguiar's Scratch X or your preferred buffing compound
• Buffing Pads
• Microfiber Towel

Steps

1.) I started by wetting down the area with some of the soapy water just to get the area cleaned up a bit

2.) Then take the 2000 grit wet sandpaper and lightly rubbed it on the surface with about 5lbs of force where the pinstripes are to remove them. (don't push too hard or you will removed the clear coat)

3.) Wipe off the excess that comes off the area with a microfiber towel

4.) Take the buffer and put some of the Meguiar's Scratch X at low speeds until the compound is completely spread thoroughly with a light coat, then proceed to pick up the speed and go back and forth on the affected area about 5-7 times slowly with about 10lbs of pressure.

5.) Wipe off the compound residue and you should have a completely cleaned off surface with no visible scratches whatsoever. If you do not have this clean surface, go back to step 4 but WITHOUT adding more compound to the pad.

I hope this can help you or anyone else looking for an answer to this question, but there is not a lot of "safe" ways to do this unless you have experience with paint.

 

Painted? Its not a stick on stripe like most cars? If its stick on and not clear coated over, use a 3m stripe off wheel.

 

this is all you need,