Yesterday I was ecstatic when I got home and found that my stripes had finally arrived from AC. So today I tried to put them on...and that is where it all went downhill. First it took me about 10 minutes to line up the stripe to where I thought it should go and mark it off with electrical tape...that was fine. Then I started to squeegee the top half of the stripe down. Much to my disgust I wasn't paying attention for 2 seconds and I squeegeed right over the piece of tape. I freaked out and slowly tried to get the piece of tape out from underneath, but to no avail. Eventually I did but it was too late, the vinyl was stretched.

Hoping it wouldn't look that bad when I was done I continued on. I got the stripe on and started pulling off the clear top layer. I noticed while I started doing this that a lot of bubbles were coming up while I was pulling this off. I tried slowing it down and trying it at different angles but none-the-less about twenty or so bubbles were on the stripe by the time it was completely off. I popped as many as I could but it still looked horribly and the stretch stuck out like a sore thumb. So I took some time to cool down and then removed the vinyl. I didn't even bother to put the 2nd one on I was so frustrated.

So with my horror story done, I have some questions.
1. I know that the stretch was my fault but I am unsure what I did wrong to make all of those bubbles when I peeled off the top clear layer. I went fairly slow and tried many different angles and still got a lot of bubbles, so idk what I did wrong. Anyone have a clue what I did wrong?
2. What on earth should I do now? I have 1 stripe still and as a poor college student it isn't a financially good time to spend another $50 to get another pair. Any ideas would be much appreciated.

So the moral of the story is...don't daydream about how cool your stripes will look while you are putting your stripes on

 

you should use the wet application method. thats how i did it. it leaves more room for error. get a spray bottle and add one drop of soap. and spray the stripe down and apply it and use the squeegee. I would also recommend using painters tape so you dont get any residue left behind. also contact the vendor and tell them what happened, im sure they can cut you some slack and sell you one stripe a little cheaper since you bought from them before. good luck on the stripes

 

Did you email Mike or Hannah at Aesthetic Creations and let them know what happened? If not just let them know your situation they'll help you out.

 

One more thing.... anytime you pull a cover like the plastic clear that comes on stripes, always pull 180 degrees from the stripe.

Pulling "up" on the clearcoat cover will help lift the stripe off the car. Pulling backwards on itself will help keep the stripe down.

HTH's,

Mark

 

No, you don't need to do the wet method, that would not have helped at all with your problem.

I ruined one stripe so I know what you did wrong. You did not strip the wax off that area well enough before applying the vinyl. So, it didn't adhere well enough and when you remove the protective coating off it, the vinyl begins to pull up in spots, resulting in the bubbles.

When I got my replacement stripe, I stripped the wax GOOD and had NO issues with installing the stripe. Dry method.

 

i say you still need to go the "wet" route. Anytime i'm dealing with a piece of vinyl larger than about 6" i wet it down like a ... well you get the idea. The "streching" you encountered is just you making a mistake. Take your time and it will turn out great. OR save up some more cash and take it to a sign shop or tint shop and have them do it for you, but you wont have that squishy DIY feeling.

 

If you're confident in your positioning of the stripe before you peel off the backing and begin to apply it, what advantage is there to wet method ?

Messy and you have to wait for it to dry before taking off the protective coating.

Again... advantages ??

 

Well I can see that we are going to go back and forth on Wet vs. Dry.
I prefer the Dry method as it makes it much easier to apply and remove the clear coating.
If you are prone to making mistakes then the Wet method might be better as it will allow you to restart in most cases.
DO NOT use electrical tape, use painters tape or masking tape and remember that it is there only to hold the stripe in place for a moment so don't press it on too hard.
Definitely make sure the surface is as clean as you can get it and preferably indoors to avoid excessive heat and dirt/pollen/bird poop/bugs.
The stripe will stick better to a cool surface than a hot surface.
There may be bubbles no matter how well you put them on, but be patient most bubbles will disappear in a few days.
Don't start popping bubbles right away, give it some time to cure.

And last but not least remember that slow is good, fast is bad.

 

^ All good points.

And when he says slow, he means slowwwwwwwwwwww.

I take the squeegie tool and go down the stripe about 2 mm's at a time, alternating left edge/right edge (the tool is not as wide as the stripes).

Other than the one stripe that I messed up by not having removed the wax well enough first, I've never had a single bubble. And I've installed two sets of boots stripes and one set of bonnet stripes.

 

Do as CR&PW&JB says, he does not speak with forked tongue! Dry is best and slow is your friend.

 

I once tried to speak with a fork in my mouth. Didn't turn out so well. I tried to order Chocolate Mousse, ended up with a chocolate mouse.

 

I personally prefer dry installs. I've also been doing it for 25 years. My suggestion is if you aren't experienced, go wet.

Doing it dry is great if you have a tiny decal. Many times when we're putting on LONG/LARGE stripes, if you're off by an 1/8" in the beginning, by the time you get to the end of the stripe, you'll be off by several inches.

In fact, when I pinstripe cars, I place the end of the stripe and one end of the car and walk the length of the car never allowing the stripe to touch the car until I get to the other end. Then in one fell swoop, I lay the stripe down the length of the car thus allowing it to be straight and not look choppy trying to go panel by panel.


None if you're confident in your positioning but for most people that aren't used to it, they may have to apply, reapply several, several times. There's been many times I've placed a decal/stripe on a panel and decided I wanted it a 1/4" one way or the other. The days I was cocky and did the dry method were the days that I had to be careful removing it. Had I used the wet method, there wouldn't have been any problems.

Messy but wipeable. If you squeegy the water out correctly, you can pull the covering off immediately.


The only advantages are..

a) It allows you to move the stripe as necc. If you place a stripe and realize it's crooked, it's very easy to "slide" it over. Dry stripes are not as forgiving.

b) If you do screw up on the placement, obviously it is much easier to pull the entire stripe up if was wet.


For those that want to do it wet, there are 3 products you can use effectively.... the last one being my favorite.

1) water in a spray bottle with a tiny bit of soap, just enough to give it a slippery feeling.

2) You can actually buy premixed decal installation fluid. ( ) if you're just that lazy.

3) My favorite... foam glass cleaner.

Like CR&PW&JB said, slow is your friend. It takes me less than 10 minutes to put a set of bonnet stripes on a hood but like I said, I've been doing it a long time. You're not in a hurry and this is your baby so take your time and I think whether you do it dry or wet, you'll have no issues. They're not very difficult on the list of mods I'd want to do...

Mark

 

is there any harm in leaving the clear cover until the vinyl settles?

this may be completely different but when i purchased the outmotoring beltline blackout, i didnt even recognize that there was a clear covering until after a few days (the cover started to bubble like chicken pox). it peeled right off once the tape had already stuck itself to the chrome without causing any bubbles in the actual tape...

 

That's funny.... it reminds me of how many times a customer would come in and tell me to look at their stripes. They would have a shrunk up, yellow'd, half on/half off stripe on their car that they installed from Walmart and would want to know what they did wrong.

You should see the look in their face when I'd pull of the clear covering off in front of them.

Anyway, in answer to your question, no, it won't hurt if you accidently left it on for a day or so but I wouldn't.

Mark

 

Yeah, Mark... your whole post centers around getting the stripe properly placed before you start application if you do it the dry method.

How hard is could that be ? In fact, if you ask me, it's easier to position it properly with the backing still on it, tape it down, and then start applying it than it is to try and position it with the backing off and water under it.

Follow ImagoX "how to" thread and you can't go wrong on the dry method. But hey, if people want to spend the extra time and energy doing it wet method just for the their own peace of mind... have at it !

 

Check out this link for some DIY on stripes.

Boot Stripes: DIY Install (with pics).

I thought you might also enjoy my amatuer video on installing boot stripes.

 

Remember, I agree with you in my first line that I personally prefer dry. You're assuming that people will take their time, measure it out and install it right the first time...

Ahhhhh, for someone so knowledgeable, you are so naive.

Seriously, I suggested wet only because I have seen what most of the DIY'ers have done...

It's not difficult at all but if you've seen some of the things we've had to fix because people thought they could do it themselves...

For example... Last week, I had a lady bring in her brand new Range Rover because her husband sprayed some paint and got dots of paint all over her new vehicle.

Okay, simple enough.... She took a scouring pad and SCRUBBED EVERY dot of paint on her brand new Range Rover...

Needless to say, I'd like to thank her for spending 7700 at my shop for new paintwork.

Mark

 

I think I read in a post somewhere that if you clay bar the surface prior to installing the stripes, this helps to reduce miniscule particles of dirt that can cause some bubbling as well.

 

dry install is very unforgiving and for the novices amongst us we should go with wet install. I screwed up my stripes install when i went dry, with the replacements I went wet and it was easier to correct mistakes and it came out perfect. fairly experienced people can dry install all they like with stripes but for the majority of us novices go with wet - the 2nd post covered it just right. Blue masking tape for a guideline.

 

I'm going to install a center stripe on my MCS bonnett but I'm not sure if I should cut around the "MINI" emblem or remove it? If I removed it with dental floss, how should I replace it, any suggestions? TIA

 

I'm not sure I understand what you mean, how should you replace it?

If you take it off, clean off any adhesive and install the new one. I personally would put it right over the stripe if the stripe was one piece underneath it.

My .02 worth....


Mark

 

I see I should get a new emblem which already has an adhesive on it rather than reuse the old one. I wasn't sure, I've never done this before.

 

The stripes are magnetic! I can peel them off clean them and stick them back on! they look great and were cheap!

 

How's your paint under those stripes ? Take a look in direct sunlight and report back, please.

 

It will be completely ruined after time. it will pull your paint up and make it look like your car has cellulite. A friend of mine had magnetic L plates on his car when he was learning to drive and stupidly left them on the entire time he was learning (around 9 months) and it ended up being a PAINT REPAIR job the paint was in that bad condition.