Removing Old 3M Film From Coach

charming wrote:

RinconVTR wrote:
Remove as much as the film itself as possible using razor straight blades of various sizes of your choosing. If this is on paint, scrap the razor for plastic versions and use a hair dryer or heat gun on low to soften the adhesive.

Then...buy a window tint adhesive remover. THIS IS A MUST. Nothing but purpose built remover will touch the adhesive...besides ammonia. The adhesive used on the 3M protection film is similar (not the same) to window tine.

Goo gone and others will eventually remove it, but not nearly as well IMO. You will be surprised.

Follow the directions of the remover. Take your time. It will come clean.

Do you have a preference? I saw 3 different products on Amazon and all 3 had good reviews, for what it's worth.

Gila is the only non-commercial brand I've used, and it always came from Amazon. So I cant say if one is better than the other.

RinconVTR wrote:
Remove as much as the film itself as possible using razor straight blades of various sizes of your choosing. If this is on paint, scrap the razor for plastic versions and use a hair dryer or heat gun on low to soften the adhesive.

Then...buy a window tint adhesive remover. THIS IS A MUST. Nothing but purpose built remover will touch the adhesive...besides ammonia. The adhesive used on the 3M protection film is similar (not the same) to window tine.

Goo gone and others will eventually remove it, but not nearly as well IMO. You will be surprised.

Follow the directions of the remover. Take your time. It will come clean.

Do you have a preference? I saw 3 different products on Amazon and all 3 had good reviews, for what it's worth.

Remove as much as the film itself as possible using razor straight blades of various sizes of your choosing. If this is on paint, scrap the razor for plastic versions and use a hair dryer or heat gun on low to soften the adhesive.

Then...buy a window tint adhesive remover. THIS IS A MUST. Nothing but purpose built remover will touch the adhesive...besides ammonia. The adhesive used on the 3M protection film is similar (not the same) to window tine.

Goo gone and others will eventually remove it, but not nearly as well IMO. You will be surprised.

Follow the directions of the remover. Take your time. It will come clean.

I'm in the process of removing mine. As others have said, the hardest part is getting the plastic off; the red plastic razor blades plus modest heat worked best for me. Mine is old and has the nasty fungus underneath. It's coming off in pieces, not nice big strips.

The remaining glue is a bit of an issue. One thing I found that worked very well was an item recommended to me by my local hardware...

Paint/graffiti wipes

A couple passes with these wipes and a touch of the plastic razor really cuts through the glue without harming the paint.

Highly recommended (not affiliated in any way, just a happy customer.) Plus they are good for a lot of other uses in the garage.

I had to remove a small section of 3M film around the curb side headlight that had come loose. The film came off relatively easy with heat but the adhesive was a real issue. I tried Goof Off, Goo Gone, carburetor cleaner, alcohol, and naphtha, nothing seems to work removing all of it. I finally ordered some Quick 'N Easy made by Auto Tech with some plastic razor blades and it was amazing how well this product removed the adhesive. Not cheap but believe me it does work. I have no connection to this firm or product.

We paid a guy where we store our RV to remove the film. It was hard tedious work, but he did a great job. I'm not sure if he is still there, he might have moved back north, but we have his contact info. btw - he wasn't charging $1,000 either.

There is no easy way to strip the 3M film from the coach. I have the same problem on my coach and have researched the removal and I have come to the conclusion that if someone else does the job they will charge about a thousand dollars. There is an RV company that will sell you a $400 kit to remove the film yourself and expect to spend a few days and hours of patience. I am considering having a vinyl bra installed on the front for about $400. I then plan to take my time stripping off the 3M film using a hair dryer with a plastic scraper and glue remover like Goo Gone as other RV's also suggested. Good luck!

I mention on here a few years ago about not going with the 3M protection film on front of motorhomes because this is what will happen after some years of age, the damage to remove might be more than if you never installed it plus the extra money you will have in your pocket..

This seems to happen to RVs in the Midwest or South - especially the mold issues. Ours was perfect after 8 years of full-timing but it was driven in the West.

no easy way. It took 2 of us 3 days and we didn't get it all off. We finally paid someone to remove the last 18" and repaint the front of the RV.
We used a heat gun (not on high), plastic scrapers, and Goo Gone. Need a warm sunny day. Heat the coating to soften, gently scrape small area to remove film. Use Goo Gone to remove adhesive. Sore muscles and fingers and we decided it would have been worth it to pay someone to remove it. Never again!!