I'm considering trading down to a low mileage 03/04 Z06. All I'm finding is silver or Lemans Blue. I know the stripes are decals and removable. But after 12 years will the paint show differently where the stripes have been? Will the surrounding paint be more faded? Thanks for any advice.

 

It's a crapshoot.

I have seen stripes removed that you can't tell, and seen them removed where you can actually feel where the stripes were. As in the clear around the stripes was ever so slightly "worn down" and the clear under the stripes is fresh and never been waxed or polished - so you can actually feel it. It feels like ridges.

Also, the clear around the stripes will more than likely be faded more than the clear under the stripes so you may actually see nice shiny clear where the stripes were.

Another thing to take into consideration is the stripes may have been cut or trimmed and if they cut into the clear you will see that as well.

As I said, it is a crap shoot. You could pull them off and give it a good power polish and wax and never know the difference, or pull them off and all sorts of other problems arise. Another concern is that if the car has been repainted and you pull the stripes it might take the paint with it depending on how good (or bad) the prep was.

I have removed stripes off poorly prepped/repainted cars and literally pulled the repaint off in sheets.

 

Thanks for the response, that is about what I expected. A fully garaged car might fare better, but I can't take the chance. For sake of the dollar I will keep looking.

 

I have taken the side molding off a couple cars:
1999 suburban, red (real red, not metallic). I took them off about 5 years ago when i bought it (2001). No issues with the color or clear coat. looks great, you'd never know they were there. I believe the truck was mostly garage kept. 105k miles at the time. HOWEVER: i took off the Suburban badge off the rear door -- and the red under that is a little darker. You can definitely see it, but it's not bad enough that i put the emblem back on.

2002 Camaro. Took them off 2 years ago when i bought it. about 80k on the car at the time. I think it was mostly garage kept. again, can't tell the molding was ever on there.

After cleaning off the sticky tape, i just buffed them out with meguiars ultra compound and there isn't a line or color difference anywhere -- except under the suburban rear door badging.


I took a couple fender stripes off a 2009 G8 GT (also real red). no issue there, but, the car was only a few years with 35k on it. i was suprised how well the above 2 fared... but my purchase decision was made on removing them. If it had been terrible, i would have just left them alone. you probably don't have the luxury of a small test section in your scenario...

 

I put CE stripes on my 99 AW FRC several years ago. Factory paint and everything, I live in Michigan so the sun isn't too intense, and I park it in my garage. After 3 or 4 years I got tired of them, and I decided to remove them. I was horrified at what they did to my hood. The roof and trunk were fine, but my hood had yellowish orange CE striped stains that would NOT buff out. I used it as an excuse to buy an MCM hood, which in the end I was way happier with, but I will NEVER put vinyl stripes on and of my cars ever again.

 

Odds are your going to have a problem(s) upon removal to deal ($s) with once you commit to removal. Worst case will be a new paint job ($sss). Can you afford that? If not look for an earlier model... IMHO the only way to go, why pay for problems?

 

Yes, there is a chance that the area under the stripes will be a different color than the surrounding areas - especially if the car has seen a lot of time in the sun.

In the Corvettes for Sale section of the forum there are a number of Z06s for sale that are different colors than what you mention - red and white in particular.