The other day, our very own Scott Young was needing to remove some fancy factory striping on his 1985 Pontiac Fiero GT. Why? Well, it’s a long and complicated story. Let’s just say that he and I swapped his car from a notch back to a fast back, and we replaced a few lower body panels at the same time. Some panels had stripes, others didn’t, and it looked completely ridiculous. As much as I love stripes, even I knew they had to go. However, I also knew the dangers of removing stripes with heat and a razor blade. I have a nasty scar on my finger to prove it. 11 years later and I still cringe thinking about that hospital trip. LUCKILY! Scott found a much, much better way of handling this task than I did so many years ago.
Normally when you buy some kind of device that is supposed to relieve you of a difficult task, it ends up failing you, and somebody ends up injured. 3M doesn’t play that game. Whenever I buy something that is made by 3M, I remember just how superawesomefantastic they are. (I even save my 3M brand electrical tape for special occasions in the garage, like when I want my wiring harness to look extra nice.) Now Scott, also a 3M fan, purchased the “Stripe Off Wheel” (Part # 07498). He tried it on his car briefly 1 night to prove its worth, and promptly sent me a text message telling me how it worked out in mathematical terms.
“This stripe remover = Soffet Cutters x Vice Grips + Quick Grips to the power of the Plasma Cutter” (All his favorite tools.)
He also said that he was 100% sure that the Stripe Off Wheel was the absolute best tool that he has ever owned. That’s a bold statement considering his passion for Vice Grips. The following weekend he brought the stripe off wheel and the Fiero over to my place so that I too could witness how amazing the tool was first hand. I was impressed to say the least. I even took a video.
Can’t see the video? Here is the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VvlDNUPn-wU
Well, there it is, a totally free endorsement for a superawesomefantastic product that we don’t even sell. It cost Scott something like $28 and it saved him at least 10-15 hours of frustration and a minimum of 1 trip to the hospital. That tool is worth its weight in gold. You win again 3M! … you always do …
Image borrowed from eBay Item # 230591887178
The 3M headlight restoration kit is right up there with ducttape as a modern miracle.
Does it actually keep the headlight clear for longer than a couple weeks? Be honest.
Its been at least a year and my friend’s Mazda Protege headlamps still look good. The true test would be on a late 90s Dodge Caravan, but since those no longer exist outside of a junkyard…
The 3M kit uses the same polishing compound used to remove scratches on a CD for it’s final step.
If you have the right person using it, it can make a hazed(but not fully yellowed through) lens look new.
Remember stripes, body moulding, and bumper stickers do a great job of covering dents!