Windshield Tape Removal (documented w/ pix)
 

Hi folks,

The subject of "windshield tape" has come up in various threads, and I promised to document my effort to remove mine from my new '02 blue. Here it is, in detail. I wanna thank the others who have done this before and raised the subject in the first place. I would not have known anything about this without you guys having posted about it. Thanks.

Before I show you the pix, I will state that I think Honda has two reasons for applying the tape. First, I believe they feel it's aesthetically correct (as I recall, the NSX has a blacked-out windshield frame too). The black tape looks nice with the black vinyl top, no question. Second, they are apparently covering problem areas on a minority of the cars from the factory (as you will see some in my pix). If you choose to remove this tape, be forewarned that I ran into this, as have other owners, as documented in different threads. There may be spots under the tape that were sanded down (reason unknown).

The other thing to keep in mind is that if you have a car that's a more than a few weeks old, the tape adhesive will be much more troublesome than it was for me. A friend of mine with an early '01 started this procedure and gave up because of the adhesive. On that subject, I used Johnson's baby oil to help remove some (very few) pieces of black residue -- that worked like a charm. The oil was useless though on a few clear spots where just the glue was stuck on. For these, just some fingernail scraping and rubbing got it off.

OK, here we go. First, the tape on my car was in three sections; two side strips and one top strip. The way my tape was overlapped, I had to remove these in two sections. I do not know if Honda does it the same way on every car, but, hey, this is Honda... probably! Anyway, I started by opening the passenger door and finding the bottom of the tape. Using my nail to pry up one corner, I started peeling up. The first picture shows the starting point at the base of the frame on the passenger door side. The following two pix show the first peels. I will continue the documentation afterwards.

Starting time, at the passenger door...
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.s2k...0ad8e97b2e.jpg

first peel...
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.s2k...b2d1534b51.jpg

peeling, cont...
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.s2k...54173cce2d.jpg
The technique is pretty intuitive; you pull from the sides, at about 90 degrees straight out from the body, or even a little sharper. If you keep your fingers on the sides, you won't leave any bits of the tape under the mouldings. Clearly the mouldings are glued on after the tape is applied, so there are a few spots where you wanna push up the molding a bit and jiggle the tape so it doesn't tear. After you remove the tape, just press the moulding back down as it belongs. I had no problems with this. Don't confuse the sticky moulding glue with the tape -- the glue stays :)

Anyway, at this point I encountered the two scuffed-paint sections on my windshield frame. The first one isn't that visible in the picture, but the second one is pretty clear. I think you'll see what I mean...

passenger side paint scuff (from factory!)
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.s2k...8e85a0393c.jpg

top passenger corner scuff...
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.s2k...588823ec9a.jpg

This last photo shows you the bad spot, and also shows you the tape seam where the passenger side tape ends.

Next, I used my thumbnail to pry up the top tape seam and just continue along. because the top tape is tucked under the top of the driver side tape, this was just one long pull (a little at a time, that is). Here are the final pix.

top peel...
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.s2k...e257a68653.jpg

final peel, driver's side
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.s2k...bf99bbc04a.jpg

Thanks for detailing that Chazmo.

I still can't decide whether they look better with or without that tape, and since it sound like it can be a PITA from what others have said, I guess I will leave it on .....

Absolutely, James. Personally, I think MC blue is so awesomely shweet that I would want to fully expose it myself.

... did I say fully expose myself?? ... (sorry, I better get back to the Corner fast) :) :)

I took my tape off and it was a PITA. But the paint was perfect underneath and I really prefer the way it looks without the tape.

Excellent, s2kbug. I know most owners have perfect paint beneath the tape. Could be now in later model years that they're getting sloppy?? Honestly I don't know.

I forgot to mention in the original post that I asked my dealer about the tape and he really didn't know. Today AHM called me and after rating the buying experience with them (5's, yeah!), I asked them about this "product" issue. I'll post here if I get an answer back. The lady I spoke to said she would ask... We'll see.

Great Post Charlie! I might consider it but.... Hmmmm... my car is a year old. Don't need the experience to go south on my since the car has had a year of sun on it. Could make this go bad, oh very bad.

Looks good though.

I did my car after a year, wasn't a problem.

Was a real bitch of a job until I decided to use bug and tar remover to get the glue off. Just put it on, let it sit for 10 mins and it peels off pretty easily.

I did have a couple of light scratch marks under the tape, but I was able to buff it out. Overall I'm happy that I did it. I have a hardtop and it blends in much better now.

My car was more than 2 years old when I did it. If you do it on a hot day it comes off pretty easy. It's the clean up that takes most of the time.

John,

I think it's a question of patience with the cars that have already seen some sun. As Dogman and s2kbug said, it can be done. The bug and tar remover sounds like a good idea to me, if you're willing to give it a shot. Unfortunately, you can't go back! (although a body shop could re-apply tape, I suppose, if you didn't like the results).

Dogman,

Did you get your hardtop aftermarket, or from the dealer at purchase time? The reason I ask is that there was a theory floating around that Honda intended the tape to be removed when hardtops were used. I'm curious if maybe your dealer had any instructions along those lines.

Just trying to piece together the mystery. Probably a futile endeavor.

what is PITA

[QUOTE]Originally posted by speedlife
[B]

what is

The easiest way that I have found to remove glue left behind after removing tape or a label is to use the tape or label and push it down on the glue and pull it off. You might also want to get a fresh piece of tape (duct tape?) to remove the old glue. It works very well and will remove ALL of the glue with NO residue. All it takes is patience and time. Actually it's MUCH faster than using a solvent to remove the goo (glue) and you don't have a mess to deal with.

Try it, you will like it,
Bob

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Chazmo
[B]Dogman,

Did you get your hardtop aftermarket, or from the dealer at purchase time?

Great post.

Can anyone post pictures of a 02 sylverstone without the tape? Thanks


Ramon :cool:

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Chazmo
[B]
Anyway, at this point I encountered the two scuffed-paint sections on my windshield frame.

i took the tape off of my spa yellow after i got the hardtop. i found some of the same scuffing underneath, however mine rubbed out as well.

if you've got a hardtop, you really want to remove the tape. https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.s2k...33bff8c3d4.jpg

why did honda even put the tape on???

Well, I just spent 2 1/2 hours removing my windshield tape. It wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it might be. I also had two areas that had been sanded, just like Chazmo's. It finally dawned on me the reason for these areas: to remove dust specks in the paint. If these "high spots" aren't leveled before the tape is installed, there will be a bump in the tape. Any time a car is painted, you will wind up with minor dust specks in the paint and that's why we have sanded areas on some cars.

My 3M Swirl Mark Remover and some elbow grease took care of the minor problems in no time.

I spent most of my time removing the glue residue from the tape. This tape is unlike any other that I have encountered. I was unable to remove the glue with any type of tape (see above quote). I did use some waterless hand cleaner and again some elbow grease to remove the glue. I used Goo Gone VERY sparingly afterwards for final cleanup. I hate to use this stuff on paint. I also tried bug and tar remover and the hand cleaner worked the best for me. The way that I used the hand cleaner was by applying it to the glue entirely and then starting at one end and "rolling" it up with my fingers. Once it's treated, it just rolls up. It sticks to your hands, but it leaves no sticky residue behind.

HOT TIP: you can avoid this problem by doing this on a hot day (you could also use a hair dryer) AND by removing the tape very slowly. I thought by removing the tape fast I was saving time because the edges of it were coming off cleanly. Before when I was taking it off slowly the edges wanted to stick occasionally to the rubber molding/glue and it would tear off small pieces of the tape. Let it, it's much easier to remove the small pieces of tape than to remove the glue.

HOT TIP #2: Start at one side and work completely across the windshield frame. This will avoid having to peel the tape off at the bottom of the frame, on the other side, since the joint is overlapped at the top corner and both pieces just came off together as one.

Once the glue residue was removed, then it was time to remove the sanding marks, polish and wax the new paint. The 2 1/2 hours was from start to finish, including clean up. I didn't think that was too bad, considering that I had two spots that needed to be rubbed out.

Having said all of that, it looks great with the top down and different with it up. My car is red, a MY2001 that is a year old, in case you were wondering. Since I wanted to improve the looks of the car with the top down, I love it. My top stays down most of the time anyway.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by rortiz
[B]Great post.

Guys,

Great to hear from all of you on your status. And, thanks for adding excellent info to the thread. It should be a good reference to folks considering this exercise. Actually, if it hadn't been for this board, I never would have known about the tape in the first place. Thank you fellow s2ki posters!

Bob, if you're right about your theory -- they sand these spots to smooth the surface (before taping) -- then that would speak directly against my guess that they put the tape on to hide blemishes that are already there. In a sense, I hope you're right; I don't think the guys in Tochigi would try to take the cheap way out.

Best wishes, guys. Glad to be of service, and I hope everyone who takes off the tape enjoys the look. By the way, jss, your Spa looks fabulous with the hardtop and solid yellow. Really slick!

Are you Sure??? I have Silverstone Grey YM2002... and it never had tape...

Hi Metula. Bob was posting about the US. Unfortunately, Honda sees fit to severely limit the color options exported stateside. Wicked bummer for those of us who love Silverstone, and Monte Carlo Blue...

(please, don't make us jealous :) )

I have a feeling the taped windsheild feature may be limited to the US too.. I know a fair number of S2K owners here in the UK and none of them had tape...

Oops. My mistake. You are right boiler. I meant 01 Sylverstone. :cool:

Metula,

That's a very interesting theory. The mouldings are clearly applied with the tape already on, which I think implies that the tape must be applied at the factory. So, if you're right, that would mean the factory applies tape to only US-bound cars. Weird.

I don't know. I think I'm done guessing about the motive behind the tape. If I ever make it out to Tochigi, I'll have to ask 'em.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Chazmo
[B]Metula,

That's a very interesting theory.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by rortiz
[B]Great post.

Thanks Bob.

Don't worry about it. The sylverstone really looks good without the tape. I'm going to think about it.....okay. I taking the tape off. :D

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Chazmo
[B]... the tape on my car was in three sections; two side strips and one top strip.

You have a top on your car, Destiny???? Oh, that's what that button is for!!! :) :) :D

Just to add to this thread, check out this thread under photo gallery:

https://www.s2ki.com/forums/showthread.php?...&threadid=74213

According to the guy that posted, the tape was standard on JDM cars in '00 and '01 and only removed in the '02 models.

As in life, there are few real answers, only more refined questions ;)

Conjecture on the motivation behind the application of windshield tape (and possibly control of production by, say, AHM) is truly inconclusive.

My only real gripe here is that Honda didn't see fit to tell owners about the tape. Why should we have to learn about this outside the car's documentation?

I'm also troubled a little bit by Bob's earlier theory that the sanded areas could be intended to smooth the taping surface. Given the choice, of course, I wouldn't have wanted them to do this. :banghead:

The mysteries never cease... -- Chazmo

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Chazmo
[B]Conjecture on the motivation behind the application of windshield tape (and possibly control of production by, say, AHM) is truly inconclusive.

I'm also troubled a little bit by Bob's earlier theory that the sanded areas could be intended to smooth the taping surface.

Finally, I did it. Got the tape out. Here are some pictures. Enjoy:)

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.s2k...a5d9fe36b8.jpg

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.s2k...a1e3c0dd5b.jpg

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.s2k...37ea63cb04.jpg

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.s2k...c4d663467f.jpg

I took the pictures right after removing the tape and glue. Removing the tape was easy thanks to the hot Texas heat. For my surprise the paint was perfect, no marks, no nothing.

Sorry the last picture is not clear enough. I will take another one later.

Ramon

Looks fabulous, Ramon (blurry pic notwithstanding). :thumbup:
Glad you had no scratches beneath the tape!

As my '01 Berlina didn't come with the tape (nor does any Black S), I have to assume that Honda did it because of asthetic design with regard to the top.

Yeah, Hiro, that is the most reasonable theory. And it jives with Bob's comments.

I'm not 100% sure, but I don't think this is an AHM-only stipulation though, guys. Bob suggested that possibility, but I believe I've seen some euro-spec cars in different mags and s2ki posts with tape. I'm also certain that at least some of the Canada models get tape. gfunks provided a link earlier which might confirm that even JDM cars get tape -- at least up to MY '02 (thanks, gfuncs).

Best wishes, folks :hello:. What would life be like if there were no mysteries? ;)

So what is the best way to get rid of those marks.... I have those exact marks and more on mine window...... do I bring the car to a shop to get it buffed out etc?

Thanks
Steve

Hi,

I removed my tape about a week after getting the car and had no problem at all. Only two little tiny pieces of the adhesive remained and they came off with a little fingernail work. I also remove the H badges on the back and front and these came off without leaving any adhesive at all. I would guess that the newer the car is the easier it will be to remove the sticky things. I wan't to replace the side S2000 with Rick's script honda badges. That glue looks a little more stubborn. Has anyone replaced the S2000 yet, and do they have pictures?

J

Steve, I'm guessing that those marks that you are talking about are the places that have been sanded. I used 3M Swirl Mark Remover to polish mine out and it worked just fine. It only takes a minute or two and looks perfect. The Swirl Mark Remover is a very mild abrasive compound and it would be very difficult to make a mistake with this compound. I would NOT recommend rubbing compound unless you are VERY familiar with it. Rubbing compound is more abrasive and it is easier to make a mistake with it.

Get some 3M and have at it, or take it to a body shop. It will be fixed in no time.

How bad are the scratches. Would it really take an abrasive, or could they be Zaino'd out (filled rather than cut down)?

The other day somebody posted a link to the Honda site in Japan where you could download .PDF files of paper S2000's to cut and fold. See Paper S2000 anyone? One interesting thing to note is that the windshield frame on each sheet matches the body color. This implies that somebody in Japan thinks that the cars should not have the windshield tape.

The scratches are from a fine grade sandpaper and that is what they look like....sanding marks. Very noticeable and Zaino isn't going to remove them. The 3M Swirl Mark Remover is quite safe and it easily removed mine with just a few minutes of work. NO BIG DEAL. Absoultely not a reason to stop anyone from removing the tape from their car.

Bob

Great thread, Chazmo. :thumbup:

Thanks, purp. :)

after reading this thread, i just removed my windsheild tape off MY01 NFR. the tape came off pretty easy, and it defintly looks good w/ the top down or with my hardtop Onn, but i think with the softtop up, it lookd better with the tape. anyways i like it w/ the tape off, because either i have my top down or hardtop onn :D

Good job, blue... If you have before / after pix, that'd be cool if you'd post 'em. In any case, enjoy!

:thumbup: Blue
I removed mine yesterday MY04 Silverstone, had some issues with residue removal, I used ecotech cleaner/degreaser, (label says safe for all rubber and plastic) it softened the residue up enough that it balled up easily with a fingernail.
I had 2 small (quarter sized) sanded spots that buffed out easily with Pinnacle 'Paintwork cleansing lotion' (not even a polish technically), Honda used a VERY fine grit paper.
I could see where there had been a small paint bump or bubble under each scuff mark.
Not at all visible after buffing and waxing..

I think it looks great with the top down, maybe slightly funky with the top up, but I only put it up when it rains. (and then not always ;))

Another great free mod, courtesy of S2KI.. goes well with "Top up/down while rolling" and "MY04-05 Clutch slave cylinder delay removal" as my favorite freebies.
Something fun to do while I wait for my ARC and OPAK titanium engine bay parts to show up :D

Pulled the tape off today. Used a Heat Gun to soften the tape, in doing so I guess I heated the rubber seal too much and now it kinda sticks up a little......Hopefully I can set it in the sun and it will return to its usual form......if not about a 400.00 f*ck up on my part.

Moral of the story, don't use a heat gun.












But I think it does look 10x better top up or down.

NV, from what I've seen, that moulding (rubber seal) tends to buckle up on just about everyone over time. You might've caused it to happen with the heat guy, but I'll lay odds it would've happened anyway.

I'd ignore it. Maybe your dealer will fix it as good will.

Glad you like it without the tape! :)

i like it without the tape as well.

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.s2k...9bd069dfcb.jpg https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.s2k...5d5d217843.jpg

I may do this on my rio yellow car. Also, I've found over the years wd40 to do an exc. job of removing adhesive.

would that not hurt the paint?

I've never had a problem with using wd40 on paint. I spray it on a soft cloth (I use surgical lap sponges which are extremely soft after being washed a couple times, it's kind of like cheesecloth material) and I don't leave it on there for a long period of time, it's no more caustic than the bug and tar removers. Thoroughly clean the area after and wax it as normally.

Hey I was searching and found this topic of windshield tape and thought that it would be nice to remove it on my 03 NFR. I am at work but headed out to the parking lot to look at the S and to see for myself how to do this mod. I kinda picket at the tape and then before I knew it - like 10 minutes tops - I had all of the tape removed. I encountered 1 spot, roughly the size of a dime, where I had to remove the glue residue which I was able to do with my finger nail. It looks really nice and the paint is perfect. Just needs to be polished and then waxed!!! A really easy mod and one that IMO looks really nice.

Can owners post some pictures of their S with the tape removed?

We have Spa Yellow and Silverstone. How about other colors? They look really good.

awesome post. but on GPW, it looks better with the tape on.

Thanks, guys. Did I ever post a picture of my car without the tape? I think Suzuka/Nurburgring blue looks great that way. This is from winter a couple of years ago:

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.s2k...1bd993846f.png

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.s2k...c68a1089d0.jpg
my contribution

that looks awesome with the black wheels and hood!

What is the oldest car any one has ever tried doing this to? I wanna try this on my 6yr old. :)

Yours would be the oldest. ;) That tape's been on there a long time.

Use a hair drier to warm up the area first. That should help.

thanks guys for the pic. They look really nice. :thumbup: :thumbup:

I just got my new Rio Yellow 2 weeks ago. I think I will stick with the tape for a while. It is good to know, there is an option.

I too have a MY00......just do it on a hot day....around here we are losing them fast.

but a hair dryer would help too. (NO HEAT GUN, see my previous posts.)


BTW: I had 2 rough places in the paint. side by side. Almost perfectly in the middle of the windshield. One was roughly the size of a quarter and the other the size of a dime. some buffing compound, then glaze, then wax fixed it in about 5 min.


And thanks for the compliment BlackieZ :hello:

I like the way my car looks with the tape on, but I'm just curious. Do black cars have the tape as well? It doesn't seem to make sense that they would because . . . there's just black paint underneath.

I have a red one and would appreciate if someone removed theirs on a red S2k ...... convertible not hard top. please include pics

https://www.s2ki.com/forums/index.ph...mg=235297&md=1
https://www.s2ki.com/forums/index.ph...mg=163493&md=1

A quick glance at the NFR Gallery and I found these 2 pics

Here's a european model that came without the tape:

http://www.hondauk-media.co.uk/protected/p..._2005/index.htm

I just removed mine from my '03 Spa yellow. The whole thing took me about 45 minutes. I did NOT use heat because the heat seemed to make the adhesive gooey and more likely to stick to the paint than the tape. I peeled very slowly, and stopped whenever I saw the adhesive sticking to the car. At that point I would use my finger nail to peel the adhesive back to where the tape was, and then starting slowly again would keep the adhesive sticking to the tape. I did have two small places where adhesive stuck to the car, and I applied some Bug & Tar remover and let it sit for 5 minutes, at which point the adhesive came off easily with a rag.

I got lucky and didn't have to polish out any rough spots in the paint.

I had trouble finding some good pics before removing my tape (expecially w/ the top up), so I made sure to take some before, during, and after pics. Just for the record... I have an '02 so the tape was nicely baked on by that Florida sun. It took about 30 minutes for me to get the tape off. I spent another hour trying to get the remaining glue off and still have a good bit left to do. It's definately worth taking it slow on the tape removal to make sure you get most of the glue. The paint underneath was flawless, guess I got lucky :D I definately like it better without the tape. Enjoy the pics.

http://student.fgcu.edu/sdpoinde/closeblack.jpg
http://student.fgcu.edu/sdpoinde/closehalf.jpg
http://student.fgcu.edu/sdpoinde/closeyellow.jpg

Sweet!!!! :thumbup: I think spa looks better top up or down without the tape. (but I'm biased anyway :) )

I just found this thread for the first time after searching. What is weird is I never noticed it untill I was playing GT4 yesterday and noticed my 01 GPW had a white windshield frame.

Desperately looks for pics of tape-less GPW AP1!

https://www.s2ki.com/forums/index.ph...age&img=190473
https://www.s2ki.com/forums/index.ph...age&img=190471
https://www.s2ki.com/forums/index.ph...age&img=173878
https://www.s2ki.com/forums/index.ph...age&img=171747

Used the Gallery Button- GPW Section.

^ Thanks.