e9stibi

I am in the process of replacing the stone guards. With all the good advice from other posts they came of "easily" and the cleaning with 3M Adhesive Remover worked fine.

Here are 3 questions regarding the installation of the new stone guards:

1. I want to clean the surface with rubbing alcohol (Isopropyl 70%). Is this save to the paint?

2. I have read that you should spray a soap/water mix before applying the new guards. What "soap" did you use in which ratio with water?

3. Is there a specific squeeze you can recommend to remove the bubbles? (Where to buy?)

Thanks,
Erik

chris walrod

A window tinting squeegee would work well, or if used carefully, a credit card. Mix rubbing alcohol with water, 50/50 mixture. Or water with a drop of car wash soap mixed in a bottle.

CarmG993

Alcohol will not harm the paint. The alcohol and a drop of soap and water mixture will work well.
A credit card or small hand squeegee will help in displacing any bubbles under the guards.
I replaced mine and it was a learning experience. The next time I do, it should go much smoother.

Dudley

I used a hard squeegee wrapped in a micro fiber towel to avoid scratches.
The alcohol mixture will set the adhesive very quickly and the soap mixture will allow you to move the piece into position easily.
I use the soap to position the piece then I pull it back a corner and spray the alcohol solution to anchor the piece. Then squeegee out the bubbles

e9stibi

The job is done! It was really easy and the look is much improved. This is a highly recommended DYI.

I used OEM clear stone guards and replaced the silver painted guards which looks much better in my point of view. I worked with the water/soap solution as recommended here in the forum and a tint squeegee from walmart (1.98) to push out the bubbles and the water.

Thanks again for your input. Great Forum!

Erik

s2racer

I just finished replacing my original stone guards. i got oem (3m) from suncoast in sarsota fla. old ones came off in pieces with a heat gun and a plastic scraper (lil chizzler - available at graphics supply firms), but left much glue residue behind. i used "rapid remover" (also available from graphics supply businesses) and the scraper. once the old glue was removed, i used "rapid tac" (graphics supply blah blah) to clean area, then resprayed the area well. this allows you to place and remove the guard to properly place it in position (just keep the paint surface wet with fluid). i tried to follow the original location, and got it pretty close, and used a small plastic squeegee (you know where from....) to remove the bubbles. turned out pretty good, but make sure the bubbles all get squeezed out. relatively EZ diy.

marc (not in the graphics supply business)

Robin 993DX

Baby shampoo / distilled water / alcohol mix is what we use to clean vinyl records and would work great for your application.

50% DW 50% alcohol and few drops of baby shampoo

jimbo3

Hey, Robin, you're a vinyl guy, too! Totally OT, but I usually mix my record cleaning solution with about an 80/20 mix of distilled water and alcohol with a couple of drops of shampoo per pint. Too much alcohol can dry out the self-lubricating quality of vinyl. I sometimes spread the solution and then allow the solution to sit on the record for a few minutes to soak in, then fire up the VPI record cleaner and finish the job.

-Jim

Robin 993DX

Yeah, still on them vinyls, they just sound better thatn CD. I think I am on a 90/10 mix solution, I only said 50/50 mix because it is for Erik putting on the stickers... I am still scrubbing them the old fashion way, would love to get a VPI cleaner one day.