stain removal from 3-m film.

[Mrboo]

I have tried every thing I can think of to remove bug stains from 3m film. No success yet. Any sugestions would be welcome. Thanks Rich

[a1elect]

Same boat here. I really do not see why it is used looks worse than bug stains on the paint and i can get it off the paint but not the film???

[slabman]

We're all in the same boat. Any failure to remove those critters will leave permanent etched marks in the film. Time to remove the film. About $600?

[La-Z-Boy]

My paint n body man told me just to have it removed n go with just paint n wax w Rejex.
He said if you stay on top of it, u can keep it looking good n repaint the front cap when needed for the cost of the film
Jeff

[LEROY1942]

In many cases, removal of the 3-M film causes a removal of paint. It's expensive to have the front end-cap repainted. Something to be considered.

[La-Z-Boy]

Originally Posted by La-Z-Boy

My paint n body man told me just to have it removed n go with just paint n wax w Rejex.
He said if you stay on top of it, u can keep it looking good n repaint the front cap when needed for the cost of the film
Jeff

I left out the part where he said he would take a heat gun / hair dryer n remove the old film before he repaired n painted. Would never recommend doing it yourself...

[justaroamer]

I have used buffing compound followed by levels of swirl remover and polish and then rejex, the 3M film was not fazed and the bug stains are still there. I will be removing soon will keep you up-to-date.
There is an active thread on Diamond Shield removal
http://www.irv2.com/forums/f84/diamo...ck-132649.html
might want to check it out, I will be ordering the wheel removers to try.

[4x4crazy]

I use a product made by Hotsy. It's called Breakthrough. I put it on as a foam through a pressure washer. Let it set for a minute or so then brush it and it should be gone. I was impressed with the results. Another suggestion find out what car washs use they put something on that takes the bugs off. Good luck

[dickschaak]

My stains were real bad. I used a buffer at 2500 rpm's with 3 M heavy duty compound on it. I then used 3 M Finessite (sp ?) to remove the marks from the heavy duty compound. It made a huge difference, but you could still see it. I had planned to do it one more time but unfortunately sold the RV.

[slabman]

Hotsy is in the pressure washer business, so I doubt they make it themselves. In my carwash days, I used a tire cleaner/ solvent/degreaser which sounds like it could be the same thing or similar. Was a green/ yellow color....sound familiar, 4x4?
Wish I had saved a bit of it, but plan on taking a container to my friend's wash and get some to try. Will post the results when done.

[4x4crazy]

Slab man.
The Breakthrough product is reddish in color. It is used as a cleaner degreaser. It could be a similar product. Not sure it will take the stains out as is requested. I do know it remove bugs easily.

[powerboatr]

Originally Posted by Mrboo

I have tried every thing I can think of to remove bug stains from 3m film. No success yet. Any sugestions would be welcome. Thanks Rich

i have permanent dead bug guts in my film and swirls from trying to get em out

i have tried acf 50, boe-shield and plain ole mr. clean magic eraser

[slabman]

Yeah, the colors could probably be different, although the product could be similar. But the one we used at the carwash is definitely sold as a cleaner/degreaser. We'd use it on customers' whitewalls ( oops, date stamped?) as well as for cleaning up around the wash and it was also sold as an engine cleaner/degreaser. Many flooring applicators use it for degreasing concrete prior to applying coatings on floors. We'd watch customers use it on painted surfaces as a "super cleaner", but had to warn them it was very strong and would strip the wax off their paintwork.

I Googled "Breakthrough" and see it's made by Island Technology. Amazon sells a gallon of it for $81! Yikes! For that price, it'd BETTER work...and work well!

As for bug removal, we used a white foamy product marketed as a pre-soak. It loosened the bugs as well as that stubborn road film. Worked by breaking down the electrostatic bond holding dirt particles to the painted surface. I doubt it would do much on our plastic shields.

[Dr4Film]

Remove the 3M POS and then spend your hard earn dollars on a tough coating that can be color-coded to your coach or painted in black.

This is what it cost two years ago.

Black - $1495
Painted to match coach - $2495

The attached photo is not my coach but when the time comes my Windsor will have the same as was done to this Windsor just a different color combination. The owner had this done prior to selling his coach.

The company's contact information below if you're interested.

Iron Horse RV
San Antonio, TX
800-974-2572
Iron Horse RV

Daryl is the man to talk to.

Dr4Film ----- Richard