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At last! My new Arctic!

3K views 30 replies 17 participants last post by  BSUjam 
#1 ·
So, I just bought my 2012 Arctic that I've been wanting forever. However, a decal was put on the side. Should it stay or should it go?
 

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#3 ·
If it were mine, it would go.
 
#4 ·
It was on there when I bought it. I am leaning towards getting rid of it. Those arctics are tough to find, so I had to buy it!
 
#6 ·
Good call Bandit. I didn't even think of that. Should I take it somewhere to remove everything? Or will the old hairdryer trick work just fine? With all of those tracks it may take a while...
 
#7 ·
I'd probably do it myself. I'm usually just careful with a knife at the corner until I can get enough peeled off to grab and pull. I have soapy water handy to assist and clean off the residue. I'm just careful enough to not scratch the paint with my knife while I'm at it. You may not be comfortable doing that, but my philosophy about jeeps has always been to get a scratch ASAP and then you won't worry so much about the trail scratches that are inevitable. That being said, I don't think I've ever scratched my paint while removing decals...
 
#8 ·
Here is a pic of my jeep. There are the factory "black ops" decals and I've added 3. The join or die snake at the back (you can probably see it in the pic) and black American flags just under the "black ops" decals on either side. Being black on black, they hardly show up. I call them ghost flags... Kinda like the ghost flames you'd see on a street rod, haha.

Land vehicle Vehicle Car Automotive tire Jeep
 
#10 ·
That looks killer, Bandit. I love the flat black rims also. I think this decal is coming off when I get a day off of work!
 
#11 ·
I will join everyone else and say it should go. That said, remove it yourself with the hairdryer. Then use Goof-off, or GooBGone or something similar to remove the residue. Its super easy! Then polish it up with a coat of wax.

Even if it takes a little time, there's no need to pay someone to do that....IMHO.
 
#15 ·
Be careful about removing the vinyl. My Jeep had ghosting in the paint where vinyl was applied. This is where the sun fades the exposed paint, while ghosting the image of the vinyl. It was a steal, but now I know why. I ended up applying a different vinyl graphic to hide the ghosting (it had a logo of a private company). Your paint color may not be bad.

If you look at my reflection in the picture, you can see the ghosting effect...it is much WORSE in person. It had a cheap color graphic covering the text.


This was MUCH cheaper than repainting the entire vehicle. To each their own.

 
#16 ·
Cool colour and nice limited edition.

I would remove the decal immediately, lol. With that colour you should be OK for UV damage.

I would remove it with a heat gun and clean up any residue with solvent. Then inspect for any ghosting etc. You will need to reapply wax after.
 
#17 ·
By UV damage do you mean a change in shades? Like, a difference in color in the area where the decal was?
 
#20 ·
Congrats on arctic edition! Been very happy with mine. Don't be in a rush to remove decal until you have thought about it. My opinion is to definitely remove jeep wording and maybe keep part of the tire tread. If the contrast wasn't so significant, it would be a harder choice.
 
#22 ·
Thanks GM - I love the Black Bear that you have! Any tips, Racedog? Have you done anything to yours that you've loved? I need to get a different radio, and I have to get this squeaky seat fixed, but other than that and the dang decal I love it!
 
#26 ·
Personally, I don't like "any" decals on my vehicles. They tend to fade out over time and if removed at a later date, present a problem with the paint underneath being a darker shade than the rest of the car.

I removed all the decals from my Ford Raptor as well. Just think it's cheesy with them, but after seeing all these cars with stick figures on the windows, to each his own.
 
#28 ·
Friday

Friday the decal is coming off. A local detail shop is doing it. I just don't have time since I work two jobs. The detail shop said that since it is a lighter color the fading will not be nearly as noticeable! I can't wait. I will post pics.

After this, I need the 430N radio, a Terraflex leveling kit, and the Arctic instrument panel. Since it came from Canada, regular gauges were put in, and I want that yeti, dangit!
 
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