3M film removal

[f14av8r]

Originally Posted by Rear Vue

3M has a 5 year warranty on THEIR film to the original owner. The procedure is to remove a piece at least 1 inch sq and send it to 3m for analysis. Once they are certain that is is their film they will put you in touch with a local shop for removal & installation.

Correct. And, when the local shop guy shows up he will tell you that removing the film will most likely remove the paint and 3M will not cover the cost of any required repainting. So, now that you pulled off a 1" piece and have the repair guy all lined up, what next?

I demanded that 3M send out a local tech to remove the 1" piece. They did. When he saw the coach he advised me against taking the remove and replace route and suggested polishing instead. I used a good quality plastic polish (Meniguers sp?) with good results.

Unfortunately, some of the films I've seen would not benefit from polishing because they are so badly damaged. In that case, you'll have a difficult choice to make.

[JWoodham]

I was in a paint store and asked about removing decals and they sold me a eraser disk that mounted into any drill. I tried it on a small spot and it seemed to work well. The decal rolled off and the gel coat seemed to not be damaged. I have tried heat gun and chemicals before but nothing worked as well as the eraser. The disk is made by Astro Pneumatic Tool Co and is about 4" in diameted and is the color of an old eraser. I do not know how long it will last but you can find it at

Search Results | National Tool Warehouse

[DutchStar38]

Do a earch on this site for "Diamond Shield" and read what others have done to remove this stuff. I removed my Diamond Shield myself which requires great patience as one ingredient. I did not use any heat. Good Luck and I'll keep my fingers crossed to save your paint.

[Ljgreen]

Try aerospace 303 does wonders

[Wolfpack Fan]

One of my clients I've been working with a lot lately is a high end detail shop. They do a lot of Ferarri's and other high $$ cars. I'll check with the owner and his brother to see how they remove it. I was there yesterday and the owner was showing me the differences between films. He considers 3M of lower quality and never uses on any cars he does. I'll post back with his recommendations.

[Dr4Film]

3M Film is JUNK!

If you want to see what it's going to look like after 11 years, I will post a photo.

Since I have been doing a trip to Alaska every two years to spend the summer with family I am in no hurry to replace it. However when I do, it will be with a product that is color coded to the scheme of the coach but looks similar to Tuff-Cote.

No more film on the front of my coach. And Bra's are even worse if you think that is the answer.

Dr4Film ----- Richard

[topdownman]

Some friends were shopping for a Class A a few weeks back and from a distance I saw a Monaco and the front end didn't look quite right. When I got closer, I realized the front appeared to have been painted with a bedliner type product. The color matched the motorhome even when the stripes, but it literally looked like crap. There was dirt embedded in the "bumps" and of course there was no shine. Sure a boulder will probably bounce off with no damage, but what a price to pay.

I like my "naked" front end, no 3M film. I'm sure in a few years it'll need a respray, but I'll probably trade by then anyway

Originally Posted by Dr4Film

However when I do, it will be with a product that is color coded to the scheme of the coach but looks similar to Tuff-Cote.

[smith45]

Just pull the film off any way you can and don't worry about the paint. When you get it off have the area sprayed with truck bed liner..Looks great, no maintenance, just soap it down and wash it off. Had mine done 7-8 years ago and it still looks like new.

[vraines]

I had good luck removing my Diamond Shield with sunlight, a plastic scraper and the recommend adhesive removal solution. Took a lot of time, but very little paint damaged. I guess my labor was worth about $5/hour, but I am happy with the results. I have seen a number of other successful removals where the owner was very careful. I have seen some done by "professionals" that required complete repainting. If you have the time and patience, then go for it. You will not likely mess it up more than a "professional". Think about it-the professional is charging maybe $1,200 for a job that he must complete in 8 hours in order to make wages and cover costs. It just takes much longer than that to save the paint. If you don't have the time, patience or hand strength to do it yourself, then budget for some paint repair, because it will be needed.

[Dr4Film]

Originally Posted by topdownman

Some friends were shopping for a Class A a few weeks back and from a distance I saw a Monaco and the front end didn't look quite right. When I got closer, I realized the front appeared to have been painted with a bedliner type product. The color matched the motorhome even when the stripes, but it literally looked like crap. There was dirt embedded in the "bumps" and of course there was no shine. Sure a boulder will probably bounce off with no damage, but what a price to pay.

I like my "naked" front end, no 3M film. I'm sure in a few years it'll need a respray, but I'll probably trade by then anyway

Did it look like this one in the attached photos?

A member of the Monacoers Forum had this done to his coach just before he sold it. Iron Horse RV in San Antonio Texas offers this service.

Dr4Film ----- Richard

[Steve Ownby]

Originally Posted by Dr4Film

Did it look like this one in the attached photos?

A member of the Monacoers Forum had this done to his coach just before he sold it. Iron Horse RV in San Antonio Texas offers this service.

Dr4Film ----- Richard

Richard,

I'm with you! I've seen this also and it looks great. I did the deed last year and it took between 40-60 hours of my labor to get that stuff off. The paint is currently bare and only protected by a good coat of wax. It has made a year with no film and no big dings. In a few years, if the dings start to add up I will spring for this coating. The trade name of the one I saw was " Armour Coat".

[Pigman1]

If anyone's interested, I'll let you know how the factory pro's take the stuff off at the Tiffin factory. We ordered a new 2013 Allegro Bus WITHOUT THE DIAMOND SHIELD. Yes, I know Bob Tiffin is absolutely sold on the junk, but I removed it on our 2008 Bus when I couldn't repair the chips under the plastic. A tough, finger cramping job, and we did loose some paint, but it was well worth it. I can fix stone chips, but not under the plastic. Despite Tiffin's recommendation, I wanted it without, and Bob agreed to accept the order that way. Unfortunately, when we took delivery in January there was Diamond Shield on it, so it had to come off. We're at the plant now and it WILL be taken off. I'd be glad to pass along any tips I see when they get to it. By the way, we do use a bra on the front and have had no problems in 5 trips to Alaska and annual trips to the southwest spread over 3 different coaches. You have to keep it clean, but it protects the paint and takes less than 5 minutes toput on and a minute to take off.

[topdownman]

Nope, it was this one here:

Originally Posted by Dr4Film

Did it look like this one in the attached photos?

A member of the Monacoers Forum had this done to his coach just before he sold it. Iron Horse RV in San Antonio Texas offers this service.

Dr4Film ----- Richard

[JWoodham]

Has anyone ever tried to clean up and paint over decals?