Removing "hood protection" film

The dealer put this film on the front of the hood and in my opinion it will do more harm than good in the long run. I'd like to take it off.



I think this is the same kind of stuff that advertising stickers for cars (a.k.a. "car wrap") are made of.

Does anyone have advice for removing it before I end up with a permanent stripe on the front of the hood?

Thanks in advance.

 

On a new 2021 you should be able to park it in the sun for a few minutes and just pull it off in a big sheet. May or may not leave some adhesive behind. 3M adhesive remover and a soft cotton rag are the solution for that.

 

Curious what harm you believe it will cause? If they put it on the hood check your headlights and fog lights too. Also likely on the small painted area under your headlights.

 

That's what they did on mine. I love the fact that they did it on headlights, no oxidation, shitty looking yellow, dull crap, on 9 year old truck.

 

Yeah I am curious too. I had it installed on my old 2017 Accord and my wife's 2017 CRV. Could not be happier. So I had it installed on my new Tundra. Yeah being white you will eventually see the edge, but IMO small price to pay for the protection it provides and ease of cleaning bugs and other debris.

 

If you decide to remove you might want to check with a pro to avoid paint damage. I would think removal would be cheap.

 

Well, for one - to me it already looks like crap when there's the least bit of dust on the hood. As you can see in the photo.

And because they've only covered part of the hood: I expect that the paint will weather differently under it. And all the inevitable minor scratches will be more obvious when they all end on the line where the plastic starts.

On top of that: I know from experience that this sort of sticker doesn't last forever. 5 years will probably be ok, but then it is likely to start peeling and/or cracking. I intend to drive this for 15-20 years

 

If you just took possession, why not ask your dealer to take it off to avoid any future "paint" warranty issues they may blame you for if you go the DIY route?

 

Oh, is that an option? I'll ask.

 

https://youtu.be/PQ0Rg_n7DYc

Go to the 8:00 minute mark of this AmmoNYC video.

 

Thank you very much everyone!

I'll probably do it myself with sun and hot water. I want to avoid strangers touching my car as much as possible

 

The line does suck, but it’s more than made up for by not having rock chips and bug etchings all over the front of the hood. Vehicles without that are beat to hell in that area, and all those rock chips start rusting pretty quick. Our 2012 Sequoia is trashed on the front of the hood, the front bumper, and the spot under the headlights. My 2017 Tundra is getting there also. I don’t think I’d have another vehicle without ppf at least on the front.

Replacing the film down the road is probably a lot cheaper than fixing rock chips and painting the hood.

 

Never a fan of that stuff. Even when installed correctly it starts to look bad or lift after a few years.

 

The wife's MDX had the film on 1/2 the hood, mirrors and leading edges of quarter panels. After 10-12 years mold got in to the adhesive making it unsightly.
It was difficult to remove requiring a delicate touch with a heat gun, Goo B Gone, and a few plastic putty knives. Took quite a while, but as I was removing it I could also see the rock strikes that the film had done a pretty good job of preventing/minimizing paint damage.
Once the film and adhesive were removed a DA polisher got rid of the ghost mark of the line across the hood and you'd be hard pressed to tell it was ever there.
I'd leave it on. Let it protect the paint and deal with it in a decade when it deteriorates.

 

My thoughts exactly....have seen it look pretty bad and, by then, it was a b!tch to remove. Worked on a minivan, which had PPF on the hood for about 8 years. It was moldy and looked like crap. The owner removed it, only to have the paint (two stage) look to be two different colors. I got it the best I could, but in the end, the owner had it repainted.

 

Would one of those hood deflectors do an equally good job? I never had one. Do they come with their own problems too?

 

Id say it would do a better job of protecting it if you don’t mind the look. Wouldn’t protect the grill, bumper, and spots under the headlights though.

 

Got it off.

Started with a kettle in the garage and was going to count how many times I'll have to boil two more liters of water when..

I remembered I have a cheap clothes steamer. It was the perfect tool for the job!

Still took about an hour of work, wiped with alcohol after I was done, and it looks so much better now. I'm glad I did it.