Sticky situation... my thumbs hurt...

[Sunny]

Trying to get the mini0806 and Lukas mounts from the Camry's windshield before putting it for sale is a pain.
Hair dryer on top of already hot summer day still couldn't peel the sticky pad off easily, even with aid of tooth floss and plastic knife.
After over 1/2 hour, both are off but still needs to clean some gooey residue.
We need to come up with a different technology.

 

[abarth]

WD40 works well to remove the left over sticky residue. of course you'll have to follow that up with a thorough cleaning with 3M foaming glass cleaner.

 

[roadbug]

I would have started with WD40, letting some soak into the sticky pad to make things go a little easier.

 

[FourEyes]

Mineral spirit works too; also called white spirit here. Not sure about the exact name in the U.S.

 

[Module 79L]

Hair dryer on top of already hot summer day (...)

Is it summer already over there? Man, you are way ahead of the rest of the world!

 

[map]

I'm a fan of eucalyptus oil or wd40 for adhesive removal, followed by Wurth Glass Cleaner.

 

[dash riposki]

WD 40, and if you have some cloth like an old towel, that has some texture to it, it's a bit easier.
I'll even soak a section of the towel with WD40, and just rub away at the spot. The gluey crap should start balling up and come off. (Don't let your wife catch you using a good towel)

 

[Dashmellow]

Trying to get the mini0806 and Lukas mounts from the Camry's windshield before putting it for sale is a pain.
Hair dryer on top of already hot summer day still couldn't peel the sticky pad off easily, even with aid of tooth floss and plastic knife.
After over 1/2 hour, both are off but still needs to clean some gooey residue.
We need to come up with a different technology.

From my experience, partly from living in the cooler climate of northern New England I find that heating up 3M VHB tape only increases the stuff's adhesion and makes it very gooey and harder to remove. Parking a vehicle in the shade or otherwise working with a cooler windshield facilitates peeling the tape off in one piece. Any remaining adhesive is best removed with a good specialized solvent. I especially like Mötsenböcker’s LIFT OFF Tape Remover. GOOF OFF Pro works well too. I follow up with Invisible Glass, which is the best window cleaner I've ever used.

 

[SawMaster]

Don't forget to lay a towel or something on the dash in case of solvent drips falling. A little more active than mineral spirits (paint thinner in the US) is naptha aka cigarette lighter fluid. I'd hesitate to try anything stronger since many things including "Goof Off" in any variety can stain or melt many plastics permanently and instantly.

Patience and the weakest solvent that will work is the best approach to minimize the chance of doing harm.
Phil

 

[Dashmellow]

Don't forget to lay a towel or something on the dash in case of solvent drips falling. A little more active than mineral spirits (paint thinner in the US) is naptha aka cigarette lighter fluid. I'd hesitate to try anything stronger since many things including "Goof Off" in any variety can stain or melt many plastics permanently and instantly.

Patience and the weakest solvent that will work is the best approach to minimize the chance of doing harm.
Phil

I wouldn't disagree with this common sense advice but from my experience, having done this quite a number of times with camera mounts, removing adhesive residue from the windshield shouldn't really require soaking a rag with so much solvent that it drips while using it.

So along with the advice to use a towel on the dashboard is the advice to use as little solvent as possible.

 

[Error7]

I find the humble glass scraper removes 95% of the adhesive, the remainder comes off easily with a damp cloth and a bit of washing up liquid.

 

[Dashmellow]

I find the humble glass scraper removes 95% of the adhesive, the remainder comes off easily with a damp cloth and a bit of washing up liquid.

3M VHB adhesive is not water soluble. A damp cloth and "washing up liquid" would never be able to fully remove any tape residue even if you can't see it anymore. That scraper should work very well however.

 

[Deleted member 46308]

From my experience, partly from living in the cooler climate of northern New England I find that heating up 3M VHB tape only increases the stuff's adhesion and makes it very gooey and harder to remove. Parking a vehicle in the shade or otherwise working with a cooler windshield facilitates peeling the tape off in one piece. Any remaining adhesive is best removed with a good specialized solvent. I especially like Mötsenböcker’s LIFT OFF Tape Remover. GOOF OFF Pro works well too. I follow up with Invisible Glass, which is the best window cleaner I've ever used.

I use Surf City Garage Road Trip grime remover on any remaining adhesive, and it easily removes it from glass, paint etc. In the US it can be purchased at most Wal-Mart stores and PepBoys auto parts stores. Also can be purchased online from Surf City Garage. Invisible glass is excellent for final cleaning.

 

[Dashmellow]

Trying to get the mini0806 and Lukas mounts from the Camry's windshield before putting it for sale is a pain.
Hair dryer on top of already hot summer day still couldn't peel the sticky pad off easily, even with aid of tooth floss and plastic knife.
After over 1/2 hour, both are off but still needs to clean some gooey residue.
We need to come up with a different technology.

BTW, regarding my previous comment that, "working with a cooler windshield facilitates peeling the tape off in one piece", Here is what the 3M Corporation has to say about the effect of temperature on applying the tape. "At room temperature, approximately 50% of the ultimate strength will be achieved after 20 minutes, 90% after 24 hours and 100% after 72 hours. Bond strength can be increased and ultimate bond strength can be achieved more quickly by exposure of the bond to elevated temperatures".

 

[Sunny]

Thanks for comments.

Well Ethyl Acetate (Nail Polish Remover) worked great on removing the residue pieces.

Others like WD40, Isopropyl Alcohol etc... may have worked and I have both but no need to experiment if one works.

I just dipped a rag on Ethyl Acetate with thumb and rubbed it on the residue... few times and it was all clean.

Still a big PITA to take the sticky mount out.

Next time, I'll use ethyl acetate on the whole mount and soak it for few minutes instead of only the residue.

Also, noticed the rear channel sticky mount came off almost in one piece leaving almost no residue while the front broke into many gooey pieces.

 

[Dashmellow]

Ethyl acetate is less aggressive than "real" nail polish remover which is acetone. Best to avoid acetone here, so that's good. Either way, don't "use ethyl acetate on the whole mount and soak it for few minutes". You'll just turn the whole thing into a gooey mess just like you did with the hair dryer. Use a single edged razor blade or scraper under the tape to pry/peel it off and then remove the remaining residue with a small amount of solvent applied to a rag.