Hi guys, I didn't want to start a new thread but I searched around and couldn't find something which really tackles this issue I have with the Pan 970 stoneguard. I searched YT videos and Pelican Parts DIY's on this. When you read about it or watch it on YT, removing the stoneguard is like a walk in the park. So, enthusiastically and confidently, I purchased an eraser wheel and started working on removing the old stoneguard on my Pan. TI've realized that it's not that easy when your stickers and as well as your car is 10 years old!

Is there any EASIER way to remove the old cracked stoneguard? Oh by the way, I ordered the replacement stoneguard stickers off ebay from a guy in Lithuania. They seem to be better than the original ones. Going back to my issue; do I apply some chemicals first before I work on it with the eraser wheel? Heat gun probably? GooGone? WD40? Im worried that if I use heat gun, it would melt my paint off. Any advise from you guys who have probably done this would be greatly appreciated. I've attached a picture of where I decided to stop doing this PITA job for the moment until I get some suggestions from someone who as actually done this job. TIA!

Im at 10% and decided to stop this PITA endeavour!
done this. TIA!

 

I used a steamer to apply gentle heat when I removed 9 year old guards from my Cayman. It was safer and more even than a heat gun. They were in better condition than yours. I would not apply chemical to the outside of the film. You will end up with a gooey mess. You certainly want to apply gentle heat to remove the guards.

 

Thanks so much for this! Ok I will use a steamer. By the way, will the steamer we use for ironing clothes work? Whe n using the steamer...how long or what are the signs I have to look out for that tells me it's time to peel it off? Did you peel off by hand or still used an eraser wheel after the heating process? Thanks again.

 

I don't think you are going to get enough steam and heat from a clothes steamer. At least the clothes steamer I have wouldn't get the job done. I was using a steamer you would use for household cleaning. Start at one corner and give it 20-30 seconds of steam and then try to lift up the edge with a finger nail. The heat will soften the adhesive and make the film more pliable. You will feel the areas you heat will lift easier. I happen to have a steamer like the link below. You could also use a heat gun if you are careful. I had the steamer and I wanted to be careful. I had never done this before I was afraid of using the heat gun. After you have done this one time you will have a feel for how warm to get the film and you could then use a heat gun with more confidence. I would think a experienced pro would use a heat gun because it would be faster.
The steamer I use:
https://reliablecorporation.com/coll...-steam-cleaner

For reference, I have this clothes steamer as well, which would not get the job done:
https://reliablecorporation.com/coll...products/120gc

 

Thank you for that comprehensive response! Unfortunately... that is exactly what my clothes steamer looks like 😞 I guess I'll try my luck and just be extra careful with my heat gun and just set it to the lowest setting. My stoneguard has a lot cracks as seen in the photo. When you try and peel it off, you get one tiny piece at a time. To make things more challenging... the film really separates from the adhesive! 😓 So I guess this will take many many hours. Will work on it this weekend and will try to post pictures as well. Thanks again!

 

Good luck! I must say I haven't seen a film that has cracked like what is in your photo. That may be a aftermarket PPF. I have never seen a factory stone guard for the 970 like the factory stone guards for the sports cars. Goo Gone may help to get the left over adhesive removed after you remove the file.

 

Thanks! No, they are not aftermarkets. I only have 1900 kilometers on this vehicle. It's probably the extreme weather :-(

So here's an update. I did a 'test run' using the clothes steamer and a plastic pry tool to see if I'll be able to lift the film together with the adhesive. Unfortunately it did not work and I dont think it will work even if I borrow a better steamer :-( The film peeled off one layer at a time; the black rubbery textured layer first then on second scrape the adhesive underneath. What a PITA! Hahaha.



So here's a video I uploaded on YT as well so you know exactly what happened when I used the steamer. My plan is to still continue using the steamer but will use plastic razors and will do it really slowly and take my time one portion at a time.

 

Put that steamer head right up against the surface, cover the edge of the film. You won't damage the paint with the steam. You want to try to get an edge of the film lifted. I don't think you are getting the adhesive under the film warm enough.
Here is a video showing exactly what I did. Granted this video is on a brand new car so it was a super easy removal. I had to apply more steam for longer to remove my 9 year film.
Check out this guy and his series of videos. He is dealing with film perhaps worse than yours:

Digging at the top surface of the film is really the last resort.

 

Thanks @Small_Car_Lover! I ordered a new steamer and would definitely follow your video! Just waiting for my plastic razors so I can start this gooey task! :-) Will update everyone when I get this done. Thanks again!

 

That is an honest-to-got heat gun that guy is using. That will destroy your paint in an instant unless you really know what you are doing. The OP may be best served by having a body shop take care of removing the shield.

 

REMOVAL OF 12 YEAR OLD STONE GUARD and INSTALLATION OF NEW AFTERMARKET STICKERS (NON-RUBBERY TYPE)

1st of all it’s been nearly 2 months ago when I started this thread. Just wanted to tell everyone that I’ve finally finished this project. It’ took some time to finish it because I had to..1) wait for the tools I ordered online, 2) I did the work by piecemeal on this and 3) lastly, because I really took my sweet time. I’ll tell you more why later on.

OK! So I’m gonna share my complete DIY experience on this now. Please remember that some of you might NOT have this kind level of difficulty and problem with the removal of your stoneguard stickers since some of you can just peel it off easily. However, mine are 12 year old hardened stickers due to extreme weather (heat probably) and time. You wont be able to peel off this sticker easily! There are going to be 2 layers to deal with: 1 is the rubbery like layer or the outer film and then you get to the hardened gooey adhesive stuff underneath. They won’t come off together believe me even if you heat this up with a steam gun.

STEP 1 is to prepare your tools. Here are the tools I used… For the removal: Steam gun, Plastic Razor Blades, Hand Drill (preferably the cordless ones), 3M Rubber Eraser Wheel, Turtle Wax Bug & Tar remover spray. For the install: Your new stoneguard stickers (ofcourse), plastic squeegee, flannel cloth, lint free cloth, spray bottle, Johnson’s Baby Shampoo, masking tape. you have to prepare A LOT OF patience for this job otherwise…you’ll scratch your paint.

I divided the work for each sticker/side by 4 parts so that I can go down to the garage and work on them during my break times since I’m working from home. When I get a few hours break from work…I go down to the garage and work on 1 portion at a time without having any target of when I’ll finish them all. In that way, I don’t need to rush the job and inadvertently scratching the paint.


Divide the work by 4 to pace yourself.


Start off with using your steam gun to soften the 12 year old sticker one portion at a time. Concentrate on the edges first then going to the center part of the 1 portion. At this point…remember to take a picture of your old stoneguard’s corners, it’s exact positioning and spacings so that you can use the pictures as reference later on when you install the new stoneguard stickers.


Steam gun.

When it feels soft enough, scrape the outer rubbery part firmly but slowly. DONT attempt to get the gooey part underneath…you will scratch the paint! One layer at a time won’t hurt guys. Patience is the key :-)


1 Layer at a time. Start of with the rubbery layer. Will get to the gooey part later...

STEP 2 After, you have removed that 1st rubbery layer, it’s now time to soften the gooey adhesive by spraying on Turtle Wax’ Bug & tar remover. Spray it on and leave for 15 mins so that the adhesive absorbs it.


You can also use other grime, bug and tar remover like GooGone or even WD40 if you prefer that.

STEP 3 After about 15 mins. It’s now time to use your cordless drill with a 3M eraser wheel attached. Here’s a link on how to use it……


A hand cordless drill is preferred for control and ease of use. Low Drill RPM is also considered!

By using the eraser wheel, the softened adhesive gets effortlessly lifted off the paint without any scratches and you can just peel off the accumulated goo with your hand.


The accumulated goo you get from using the 3M eraser wheel can be rubbed off with your fingers.



One portion at a time or...it really depends on you. As long as you're CAREFUL.


Do Step’s 1-3 per portion according to your free time. Remember that we are doing this slowly and patiently because we don’t want ANY scratches.

After all these…it will look as clean as this and you might even decide not to put on a new stoneguard anymore since it looks pretty anyway :-)


Clean and not scratches! :-)

STEP 5 will be the reinstallation of your new stoneguards. Remember to clean with dishwashing soap and water the whole rear door so that you remove the remaining bug & tar remover residue. I heard that you can also use alcohol isopropyl alcohol BUT I did not do this because again... I fear damaging my paint. So I used dishwashing liquid instead - the one that cuts grease and grime. Rinse and towel dry the door/portion.

STEP 6 Installation of the stoneguard stickers. Put water into your spray bottle and drop around 6-7 J&J Baby Shampoo and shake the spray bottle well. This will be used as anti-stick for your stickers so that you can install and freely move it around into the right position.

Spray some of the anti-stick solution you made on your hands first then peel off the stickers spraying on the the solution on the adhesive side of the sticker while peeling it off from the sticker paper. Spray some of the solution also to your door.


Get ready for sticker install with these...


STEP 7 At this point, you are like applying tint film on your car windows. It’s exactly the same procedure as applying car window tint. Slap the film on your car door and do the necessary alignment based on the photos you took before you uninstalled the original stoneguards.

STEP 8 Finally, use your plastic squeegy wrapped in your flannel cloth so that you don’t scratch the new sticker starting from the center going towards the edges to squeeze the anti-stick solution out. Look for any bubbles you might’ve missed.


Flatten out bubbles if any CAREFULLY. Don't puncture film!


From center part going towards the edges

If you need to re align. take your plastic razor to lift up the film and spray on the anti-stick solution again to move the film around until you get the right alignment / placement you want. Don’t use your nails to avoid crumpling the sticker edges…use the plastic razor blade to lift up the sticker.

Finally, LIGHTLY clean off excess shampoo using your lint free cloth.


Passenger side Finished!


Driver's side finished!


That’s about it guys. The job is simple. It does not need that much intelligence or skill BUT it needs the right tools and most specially a ton of patience! Hope this helps you guys with 12 year old Panameras out there!

 

Hey @fullmetaljacket! Thanks for this DIY! I'm thinking of changing out my clear stone guards. Can you tell me where you ordered them from?
Thanks in advance!

 

Sorry for the delayed response. I was out of town for 2 months. I remember searching and finding them on ebay. Let me tty and look at my historical purchase list and get back to you of there'sa record of the seller on file....

 

It seems that there are a lot of them posted right now on ebay...

Enjoy your DIY project!

 

You have this tuto ->