Hey.. I've been looking for a new (pre-owned) vehicle for a few months now, and the F150 has really caught my eye. I've been lurking around these forums for a couple of weeks and figured I'd throw a question out for you experts.

One of the F150's I've been considering is a two-tone red/silver 99 XLT Scab, w/ 5.4L, tow pkg.. the works pretty much. Its really nice, low miles (56k), pretty much exactly what I want, with only one problem. It has those decals on teh side.. the fading stripe thingybopper that goes from the door to the back tail light to the word "sport". This decal is peeling off, leaving nasty looking paint underneath. My question is.. how hard or how much would it cost to have this decal removed and the paint fixed up? Could this just be buffed/polished off, or is the paint ruined where the decal has been and will need repainted (costing me a fortune)?

If it weren't for the stupid decal I'd already have bought the truck, but I don't want a blemished paint job on my beauty!

 

VERY simple to remove! Heat gun or a hair dryer and a bit of patience will solve that in a jiffy...

As far as removing the left over adhesive, moisten a rag with some WD40 and wipe over the area. Immediately following removal of the adhesive, apply your favorite quality wax/etc over the area.

Done.

RP

 

So you don't think the paint in the area underneath that decal which was on the truck when it came off the line in '99 will be noticably different in color/intensity?

Hmm.. if that's the case I may have to reconsider.

 

Just a thought - is this a dealership you are buying from? If so, it never hurts to ask if they will take care of the problem for you. If they think it will make the sale they just might go for it (it's near the end of the month too, so they may be in a pinch to make quota.)

It could be a longshot, but if you play your cards right (let 'em know you're a smart buyer and you'd really like that truck if it weren't for the paint flaw) you may be suprised.

 

naw, its from a private owner.

 

I'd hate to even speculate about if the paint would be slightly faded or not. If it was on *MY* truck, I'd definately be able to tell you that it's perfect but, it's hard to say how much sunlight this has been exposed to and thus, what level of oxidation/fading that it may have experienced.

Hard call man...

I do have a hunch that a good detailer, even if it was slightly faded, could probably make it so that you could see it by polishing off the oxidation to make it more uniform. Again though, it's a very tough call.

RP

 

I admit I'm not sure what the decal you're talking about looks like. Is it a pinstripe, or is it a larger graphic?

I'm wondering if you removed it, had a detailer buff/polish, and it still looked bad, could you get a new decal to put over it?

Just hate to see something like that come between you and a great new truck.

I'm also curious, how bad is the peeling? Are we talking a little spot or two, or the whole thing is shredded? I'd want to know why on a '99 it hasn't held up. Is the problem on both sides or one side?

 

its one of those "splash" pinstripes. That's the best way i know how to describe it. The peeling is pretty bad.. almost everywhere from start to finish its peeling on the drivers side. The passenger side is in much better condition, but you can see its starting to follow suit.

 

How would you go about doing that?

 

The paint around the decal (and rest of the vehicle) would, most likely, have the areas that are oxidized and thus look faded. With the use of some agressive polishes, one could POSSIBLY make it look uniform. Like I said earlier though, it might be a long shot... *shrugs*

RP

 

I agree with Rockpick. The paint is probabyl is very good shape, and if not, some mild polish will even it all out. I had a 99 F-150 and the paint on that thing was excellent, save rock chips. It never sat in a garage, but I detailed it more often than most people. Paint technology is pretty good, and a clearcoat helps a lot.

Something like Meguiars #9, Medallian paint cleaner would work great to brighten it up, if there are differences in appearances.