I have absolutely no use for this thing but it seems so cool that I almost clicked to buy it... LOL. Yeah I have a bottle of goo gone in chemical cabinet too. It is great to remove price stickers that design to break apart when you peel them.
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Need Solid Tips on Removing CA HOV Stickers
- Thread starter djlott
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- hov sticker how to remove hov
I have absolutely no use for this thing but it seems so cool that I almost clicked to buy it... LOL. Yeah I have a bottle of goo gone in chemical cabinet too. It is great to remove price stickers that design to break apart when you peel them.
PPF is easily purchased in many sizes and thicknesses from Amazon or ebay.
Curious... how early in December did you apply for the new stickers? I waited until the last week of December in order to ensure that I got the purple 2023 ones and didn't waste a year. I waited for months to apply, so now I'd really like to get them! Sounds like you applied at just the right time. For the record, the situation with the HOV access is three full years plus whatever residual in the year that the stickers are sent. So early in the year is best plan as you get *almost* four years. As you've just proven...
So here's the deal.... Just about any oil will help dissolve stickum. If peanut butter were to work, it would only be because of the oil... the peanut solids just get in the way (and as you've found, make even MORE of a mess). If you want to go the "natural" route, I highly recommend any vegetable oil (and putting it *over* the sticker will do nothing, as they're waterproof in order to protect the sticky part). The sticker needs to first be removed, and THEN the oil is applied to get the rest of the ick off.
And better than vegetable oil is WD-40. And better than that is the goo-gone type of products.
sevenout
Member
Thanks for the data.That means you applied three weeks before I did, and the decals arrived about a week after the check was cashed. My check hasn't been cashed, but my hope now is that they'll be here inside of another month.
Because I applied late at night on a whim... and because I so rarely write checks these days... I've been worried that I forgot to sign the dang thing, or something equally as stupid that will delay my decals another couple of months. Sigh.
I'm with you. First the major irritation that the state in all their wisdom forgot the the incentive was to reduce the pollution and instead now wants to reduce the number of cars in the HOV lanes by expiring the stickers of the first adapters. The the next major irritation is those damn stickers don't come off clean. Used a hair dryer and got the thing started and then the bazzillion VOIDs. I hate using Goofoff gunk remover on my paint but it can't be worse than the BS those stickers left. I might just leave the remaining stickers on the car. MajorlyPissed in Santa Rosa
Better monitor the adhesion of that sticker on the plastic. I did that on my first S back in '13 and it came off while washing the car. Much different than the two big ones I put on the fenders. Now the white ones are no longer valid and just tried to remove one with a hair dryer. It came off but left all the BS void stuff behind.
Thanks for the explanation of the plates. Couldn't figure it out.
Pinot.Noir
Member
I did the same thing. I did peel off the first layer before putting the red sticker on the bottom layer. Can't tell.
@Big Amps Agree with you on the stickers above. So far, I've got 1 of 3 stickers off. If you are VERY patient with the hair dryer, and slow, you can get most of the sticker off without leaving the VOID pattern behind. It's a balance of patience and not burning your hand with the hot air as you go.
I got the first sticker off and there was very little of the VOID pattern left behind. I had three small spots, smaller than a dime after the hair dryer. But, the VOID residue is by far the hardest part to remove with the GooGone. It took me about 45 minutes for 1 sticker, which is why I haven't done the other two yet. Good luck.
I got the first sticker off and there was very little of the VOID pattern left behind. I had three small spots, smaller than a dime after the hair dryer. But, the VOID residue is by far the hardest part to remove with the GooGone. It took me about 45 minutes for 1 sticker, which is why I haven't done the other two yet. Good luck.
I suppose I should update my progress since I started this thread. In the end, a $20 hair dryer, GooGone, some patience and a few beers did the trick. This is truly a painful process and there's no reason (at this point) that anyone putting these dreadful stickers on their car shouldn't hit the One-Click Amazon Purchase on the 25" strip of 3M Clear Paint Protection Film prior to. The $12.00 bucks I spent on this will save me a few hours of time later when I remove my red stickers.
The most important part about removing these stickers is to "BE PATIENT". Heat up the sticker really well and PULL SLOWLY. The hardest part to remove later is the "void pattern" that the stickers leave behind. But if you are patient, and pull slowly while continuing to blow dry the sticker, you will get the majority (99%+) of the sticker off with very little of the VOID pattern left behind. But if you rip the sticker off like a Brazilian Esthetician, you'll have a nasty VOID pattern to deal with. And ultimately, it will take you more time to complete the entire process because removing the VOID pattern plain sucks. I had a few dots and small areas (much smaller than a dime) that remained behind.
Liberal applications of GooGone on a cloth baby diaper did the trick for me. Wash the areas to remove dirt, blow dry, drink beer, peel slowly, drink more beer, and then GooGone the residue away. Wash, rinse repeat on the other 2 (or 3) stickers. Clean the surface and then you're ready to apply the next set of ugly stickers to your car. Enjoy!
The most important part about removing these stickers is to "BE PATIENT". Heat up the sticker really well and PULL SLOWLY. The hardest part to remove later is the "void pattern" that the stickers leave behind. But if you are patient, and pull slowly while continuing to blow dry the sticker, you will get the majority (99%+) of the sticker off with very little of the VOID pattern left behind. But if you rip the sticker off like a Brazilian Esthetician, you'll have a nasty VOID pattern to deal with. And ultimately, it will take you more time to complete the entire process because removing the VOID pattern plain sucks. I had a few dots and small areas (much smaller than a dime) that remained behind.
Liberal applications of GooGone on a cloth baby diaper did the trick for me. Wash the areas to remove dirt, blow dry, drink beer, peel slowly, drink more beer, and then GooGone the residue away. Wash, rinse repeat on the other 2 (or 3) stickers. Clean the surface and then you're ready to apply the next set of ugly stickers to your car. Enjoy!
So...I also did the hair dryer and GooGone route. I agree that using lots of heat and peeling slowly does the trick. But I didn't find it especially bothersome. I think I was done (including cleaning up the greasy GooGone residue) in under an hour.
Actually, I did one thing different from you. I don't drink alcohol, so I skipped the beers. I wonder...
Bruce.
The state wants EVs, sure. But once someone purchased an EV partially because of the incentive, what's the state's motivation to continue a 'used' incentive forever?
Plus, the state has the Feds on their ass. The feds pay huge amounts of money to the state for highways. The feds have minimum speed requirements for HOV lanes which are being impacted by the state's EV sticker incentives.
The expiring stickers is a compromise between the state's desire to get more EVs on the road and their need to retain federal highway funding by not clogging HOV lanes.
SF_EVFAN
Member
I’m joking, but kinda serious. Why in the heck does CA have such a silly law that requires these HOV stickers on EVs? Can the cops not tell that a car is an EV?
This is like putting a sticker on your goat, identifying it as a goat, so it can run around in the dog park.
California DMV isn't a place where you will find the brightest mind at work
TapHabit
Member
There are many things that I do not regret in life. Getting married, having kids, purchasing a multi-coat red Tesla Model S 75D. These are all major milestones in my life that I have no regrets over.
I do however have one colossal regret in my life. I put those hideous white CA HOV stickers directly on the paint of my car.
I need some solid tips on what to do next. I have the newer red stickers and need to get them on the car before Jan 1st. Yes I WILL BE USING a paint protection adhesive like I should have done the first time but first things first. I need to get the old ones removed.
Removing CA HOV stickers can't be a new thing but I'm not going to try and be a hero if the DIY is too hazardous to my paint. Does anyone have any experience or recommendations on where I can go to get these removed in Nor Cal Bay Area? I've called a few detailers and while plenty have put ON the HOV stickers (over adhesives), I can't seem to find any with experience removing them.
NewbyMaybe
Newby1Kenowby
The old white decal on our 2013 Fiat 500e just came off inadvertently from my pressure washer (low). The decal came right off but the adhesive silhouette is still present. I don't really care too much since it's white on white. When we got the purple decals for our Model S, I made sure to put the stickers on 3M clear vinyl wrap to make it an easy removal. Thanks for sharing these tips, I'll get around to removing them off the Fiat one day.
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