Just my two pennies re removing the 3M pads (or anything similar, i.e glass mirror mounting pads):
– Use thin Fishing Wire to 'saw' through the mounting pad. Wrapping the ends around your two forefingers (possibly wearing thin gloves if more comfortable), cut through the pad using a back and forth sawing motion. Ideally, try to make the 'cut' in the pad depth as close to the windscreen as possible to reduce the amount of left material/residue, but this may be dependent on your working angle. The great
benefit of removing the mount in this way is it totally avoids putting any stress or force on the windscreen when otherwise trying to 'pull' off the 3m pad and camera mount...It's also just easy and pretty quick.
– Any 3M material or residue of reasonable size, pick off by hand, rolling thumb, etc...Doesn't have to be perfect, just the larger or easy to remove areas...
– Use a Citrus based 'sticky/glue/gunk' remover. Spray or dab on with cloth, as wet as you can get it whilst removing any excess before it runs down the windscreen/glass. LEAVE for at least 5-10mins. Repeat. Once the remaining residue has had a good time to soak, attempt to start picking or scraping away. I often use my finger nails, but sometimes will use a very fine plastic scraper (ideally with a bit of flex, soft edge) and
sometimes carefully with a scalpel blade, really depends on the situation, working room etc. This is the laborious phase and may need to be repeated numerous times before most if not all the remaining residue material is removed. Just have to go steady – and not get impatient, rush and potentially cause any damage – I know, we've all done it!
As I say, most Citrus based removers will work with this residue removal. I've had decent success with this De-Solv-it brand here in Australia across a number of related uses –
Mineral Turpentine
can work OK as well, as it will break down the oil in the adhesive. Big downside to Turps though is the smell – using in a car, it's going to smell like a paint store for the next month!
I would advise
NOT using anything 'stronger' or chemical based – typically Acetone – especially if any plastic surfaces are concerned/nearby, which can be potentially tarnished or worse. For that matter, keep away from any important paint surfaces too! Ask me how I know – years back I once found the paint coming off on my cloth as I was removing some sticky residue on the inside of my car door whilst installing some wiring for a upgraded audio system 😬 Fortunately, by the luck of the gods, the removed trim panels covered the damaged area. Lesson learnt!
This was the stuff – to be fair, like most products, it
did say test on an inconspicuous area before using..!😳
– Once all the remaining foam residue has been removed, even if looking reasonably clear visually, I would wipe over the whole area with some IsoPropyl. Spray on and wipe off with a paper towel and after a repeat with a clean microfibre cloth. This should remove any traces of final residue, as well as prep the area clean for any future re-mounting.
Can also use pre-soaked wipes – I often use these for a variety of similar purposes. Great for removing fingerprints from your glass also!😉
(Zeiss also do another version intended for electronic/smart devices – not much difference, though I notice the solution evaporates much quicker)
