Cleaning adhesive from car paint

[tomtheelder2020]

I know this isn't the best forum for this question but, paraphrasing Don Rumsfeld, you go to work with the forum you have.

My 2002 Camry, inherited from in-laws, has what was once a clear film over both outside mirrors. I presume this was intended to be removed when the car was new but it is still there. Using a heat gun I can soften the adhesive enough to scrape the film off with a fingernail but the film is so degraded that it won't pull off in strips - only where my fingernail scrapes. That is a slow process but doable. My real problem is at the edge of the film where the adhesive seems to have hardened into an impenetrable substance. Considerable rubbing with goo-gone soaked paper towel took off some of it but only after considerable effort. I thought about attacking it with acetone but the paint is likely to have a clearcoat that wouldn't last long. Anyone have another approach to cleaning this off?

 

[bud16415]

Nice thing about this forum is people that do the things we do also do other similar things.

You might want to try one of these. There are all kinds of similar wheels sold here is one on Amazon that has a video.

https://www.amazon.com/Remover-Stickers-Minutes-Wheel-toolkit/dp/B00VFACQRE?th=1

 

[Fritz Fuhrmann]

I had to deal with a similar film on my old sedan’s mirrors. I used a heat gun on low and a plastic razor blade to gently scrape it off, then followed up with 3M adhesive remover to get the residue. It took patience—don’t rush it. I’d skip the acetone; it’s too harsh for the clearcoat. Just keep it warm and work slowly. Good luck!

 

[Krich]

I think I'd just throw a couple of new mirrors on and call it a day.

Sure you might be able to get the gunk off, but considering the time and aggravation involved, it'd be worth it to me to just buy some new mirrors

 

[PJB12]

Be Really Careful with the acetone and scraping Tom! The outside mirrors on my 2000 Sierra and my 2006 HHR are plastic. My '88 VW and my '84 Buick were also plastic. My 1992 Lumina were glass.

I'd imagine that the acetone may melt the plastic enough to cause a cloudy look and the scraping (in my hands anyway) would gouge them.

Maybe This...
WD-40 loosens adhesive residue really well & won't hurt plastic. It takes a while, but gets under and lifts. It washes off with dish soap or car wash soap.

Baby oil's no slouch when it comes to loosening adhesive, either. But it's harder to wash off than WD-40.