Stripe removal question...
Thread Starter
Pro
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 586
Likes: 32
Stripe removal question...
So I'm looking at some used 2014 C7's and some of the better deals have stripes which I can't stand. I know some of you have pulled the stripes on a new car without issue, but being that these are 3 years old, would it still be as easy to remove the stripes without messing up the paint? Any extra issues to look out for?
Burning Brakes
Joined: May 2015
Posts: 1,024
Likes: 264
From: Port Charlotte FL
You are not gonna mess up the paint. 2 issues I can think of on a 3 year old car ...
1). Vinyl may be brittle or break easy ... new cars the vinyl will come off in one big peice. not sure about 3 years old .. but since most Corvettes are kept in a garage most of time .. should be fine.
2) Paint could have faded slightly on exposed paint and be original color under stripe. But again most Corvettes are usually in the garage so may not be a concern.
I had removed the dual stripes off my 2014 when i bought it .. it had been on lot for 280 days and they peeled right off.
1). Vinyl may be brittle or break easy ... new cars the vinyl will come off in one big peice. not sure about 3 years old .. but since most Corvettes are kept in a garage most of time .. should be fine.
2) Paint could have faded slightly on exposed paint and be original color under stripe. But again most Corvettes are usually in the garage so may not be a concern.
I had removed the dual stripes off my 2014 when i bought it .. it had been on lot for 280 days and they peeled right off.
Last edited by dmhines; Feb 26, 2017 at 07:47 PM.
Team Owner
Joined: Sep 2005
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From: Big Bend Country, TX
St. Jude Donor '06-'07-'08-'09-'10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15- '16-'17-‘18-‘19-'20-'21
NCM Lifetime Member
Well, you don't say where you live as that can affect adhesion. If it were me, I'd take the car to a company that does professional body wraps and pay them to remove the stripes. Less chance of a screwup imho.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 2,299
Likes: 387
From: Fort Worth TX
St. Jude Donor '14-'15
Use a hair dryer on high to warm up the decal/glue; peal slowly while heating the area to be removed next....no big deal, go for it, you'er not going to hurt the paint so long as you don't use any scrapers to get under the decal.
Good Luck
Good Luck
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 5,892
Likes: 1,200
From: Ft. Myers FL
My buddy bought a used white C7 vert with orange strips and he peeled them off. It was a job, but the paint looks fine and the only problem was the rear Corvette label came off. In fact his car looks fantastic now! 
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jul 2015
Posts: 6,223
Likes: 1,700
From: Northern California
St. Jude Donor '15
If it's striped from the factory, you'll have to remove the emblems. It's not a big deal, but you will need some new tape to put them back on. The Corvette emblem in the back will be the trickiest. If you want that one back on, you may need to buy a new one.
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Le Mans Master
Joined: Dec 2014
Posts: 6,140
Likes: 2,745
From: Northeast
So I'm looking at some used 2014 C7's and some of the better deals have stripes which I can't stand. I know some of you have pulled the stripes on a new car without issue, but being that these are 3 years old, would it still be as easy to remove the stripes without messing up the paint? Any extra issues to look out for?
If parked in the sun, or a hair dryer/heat gun (low setting), then you "shouldn't" have any issues. Also, fading "shouldn't" be an issues either, particularly with lighter non-metallic colors. Darker, and metallic, colors would be more noticeable... and red, because of the pigment.
Painted stripes are not an OEM option. If painted, then it was performed post-factory.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jan 2017
Posts: 5,363
Likes: 4,108
From: New England
Check out MacMulkin. They have a 2014 3LT Stingray (manual) that is black with under 5K miles and has silver stripes. I talked with them and they said they could remove the stripes. They want $44,500 or so for the car but it has been that price for a couple months, I bet you could get it for under $43K range easy.