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Best way to remove stone guard

decgraham

Well-known member
Joined
17 Sep 2008
Messages
1,664
Well the misses parks the car at Aldi :oops: and some SOB catches the LHS rear arch when they either drove into or out of the parking space :x Didn't have the decency to say anything or leave a note etc just hit the car and drove a way :evil: She of course didn't see it but I spotted it as soon as I got out of her car having returned from golf, spoilt my day! The car had a scuff on the rear PU as well as a scuff on the wheel, both of which I was able to polish out, but the arch has a very small ding in it, a flat spot about an inch long. Friends I've shown it to say you cant see it but I know it's there :x

Anyway I've taken it to my body shop and they want to remove the stone guard to do the repair. Unfortunately there are no paintless dent removal companies around, which I'm sure could fix it so I'm going to go the stone guard off route.

I know this has been discussed on here but I can't find the post so if anyone can tell me the best way to remove the stone guard I'd appreciate it. I had both guards replaced in 2010 when I exported the car from Q8 so they haven't been on sine 1995. The guy at OPC Q8 said it took him a whole day to remove them !

Thanks for any input.

ATB :)
 
I have read many times to lightly heat with a hair dryer so that the glue softens.

I've not tried it myself so see what others say.
 
pipingken1 said:
I have read many times to lightly heat with a hair dryer so that the glue softens.

I've not tried it myself so see what others say.

Yes and peel off very slowly. As yours have not been on too long you should be Ok. Removing them when they are old can bring off the paint layers as the glue bonds to the top coat.

I think the last person who did a write up on this was asterixthegaul (Jon) a few years back :dont know:
 
Sorry to hear this. Really annoying when someone is so careless :x

I have never tried it myself (only beacuse I haven't had to) but there are several threads on Rennlist about removal and replacement e.g:

http://forums.rennlist.com/rennforums/993-forum/96831-stone-guard-replacement.html

Sounds like heat and taking your time is the way forward.

Just a thought - would paintless dent repair actually require you to remove the guard or might it be done insitu?[/url]
 
Apothecary said:
Sorry to hear this. Really annoying when someone is so careless :x

I have never tried it myself (only beacuse I haven't had to) but there are several threads on Rennlist about removal and replacement e.g:

http://forums.rennlist.com/rennforums/993-forum/96831-stone-guard-replacement.html

Sounds like heat and taking your time is the way forward.

Just a thought - would paintless dent repair actually require you to remove the guard or might it be done insitu?[/url]

Hi,

Thanks for the link. If I could find a PDR company near to me I would see if they could fix it. The nearest company I found after a web search is down in Malaga 560 Km away.

I also think that there would be no need to remove the stone guard using the PDR method, but as I said, nobody local. In the UK there are so many choices but hear in Spain they still tend to use the old techniques.

Que cera cera

ATB
:)
 
I have done this little job twice so thought I would share what I know, hopefully it may help.

Gently heat the guard with a hairdryer or halogen worklight as you go, take pleny of time peeling the guard off parallel with the bodywork so as not to put too much stress on the paint.
I know of a forum member that ended up removing a significant amount of paint when removing one of their guards. It is not a common issue so if you take your time and don't rush you should not have anything to worry about.

If the guards haven't been replaced before removing the adhesive residue can be very time consuming. The most effective thing that I found to remove the adhesive on mine was WD40 but as yours have only been on the car for a few years there shouldn't be too much drama removing them, most of the adhesive should come off with the guard so some glue and tar remover may be all that is required.

If you are going to fit the new ones yourself then it is very important to make sure that you clean all wax and polish from the panel, a thorough clean with washing up liquid and then isopropyl will ensure that there is a clean base for the new guard.

Re fitting is carried out using a slip solution and squeegee, the slip solution consists of water (I used mineral) and a small amount of baby shampoo mixed in a spray mist bottle.
It helps to refit the guards when it is warm otherwise the guard will not be very pliable, heating the slip solution can also help.
 
That's a nice write up Dom. :thumb:

I may be doing this myself later in the year and will definitely refer back to this. As a slip solution I have read that it would consist of a mixture of washing up liquid and water in a ratio of 1 tsp to 1 pint.
 
Goose said:
That's a nice write up Dom. :thumb:

I may be doing this myself later in the year and will definitely refer back to this. As a slip solution I have read that it would consist of a mixture of washing up liquid and water in a ratio of 1 tsp to 1 pint.

Washing up liquid contains salt and as it is a detergent may potentially damage the adhesive layer on the guard, you are better off using a small amount of baby shampoo and very clean water for the slip solution.
I used 2-3 small drops of baby shampoo to approximately 400ml of mineral water which was preheated in the micrwave.
I used a credit card as the squeegee but smoothed the edges with 1200 grit wet & dry first as the guards can easily be marked.
I did also have a very thin piece of tight knit cotton that I wetted with the solution and put around the squeegee to push out any air bubbles, a lense or spectacle cloth would be ideal.

A couple of tips that may help;
1, You need to have very clean hands as you will be touching the adhesive layer on the guard. Keep them wet, aswell as the guard and the panel, with the slip solution.
2, Place tape on the panel to mark where the final resting place of the guard should be, these can stay in place while you are fitting.
3, If you polish prior to fitting make sure that all wax / polish on the paint is completely removed right up to the quater light.
4, If possible fit the guard in a warm garage with the door shut, depending upon what you buy, the guards are likely to have a thickness of 200 microns so can be quite stiff when cold.
5, Work the bubbles out from the centre of the guard toward the outer edge.
6, Allow plenty of time for the moisture / micro bubbles that are left to evapourate. Mine took about a week to become fully transparent, dark paint will visually exaggerate any visible moisture or air that is still trapped under the guard.

I don't profess to be an expert but when you get around to doing this feel free to drop me a pm if you have any questions that I may be able to help with.
 
yes, getting them off its heat from hot hairdryer and slowly does it, autoglym intensive tar remover gets rid of the glue, again give it a few mins to soak in. tried LOTS of other solvents to little effect. tramps urine not recommended.

good write ups on refitting already, avoid dusty/windy places as tiny bits of grit can blow onto film, an absolute swine to clean off

hi everyone!
 
Need to take my stone guards of as they are horribly yellow (on polar silver).

I'm not too keen on refitting new ones myself, is anyone actually not running with the protection film on their arches?

Ian
 
Croydon said:
Need to take my stone guards of as they are horribly yellow (on polar silver).

I'm not too keen on refitting new ones myself, is anyone actually not running with the protection film on their arches?

Ian

Mine went yellow (they were 5 years old), and I peeled them off on a hot day. It wasn't an issue. Just take your time, use some gentle heat and maybe use some of the Autoglym to remove the residue. It's a lot easier than removing cheap vinyl.

I haven't refitted them as I got the car de-dented and paint corrected for a ceramic coating and side stripes instead. I haven't missed them. For those who worry about stone chips, it's the front bumper and bonnet you need to worry about, in my view. But then I live in a country with a lot of gravel roads.
 
MaxA said:
Croydon said:
Need to take my stone guards of as they are horribly yellow (on polar silver).

I'm not too keen on refitting new ones myself, is anyone actually not running with the protection film on their arches?

Ian

Mine went yellow (they were 5 years old), and I peeled them off on a hot day. It wasn't an issue. Just take your time, use some gentle heat and maybe use some of the Autoglym to remove the residue. It's a lot easier than removing cheap vinyl.

I haven't refitted them as I got the car de-dented and paint corrected for a ceramic coating and side stripes instead. I haven't missed them. For those who worry about stone chips, it's the front bumper and bonnet you need to worry about, in my view. But then I live in a country with a lot of gravel roads.

So you've not got any major stone rash on the rear arches from not having the guards?

Ian
 

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