I just bought a 2010 Kia Soul ! from Carmax last week. I LOVE this car. One thing that I could live without is the dragon decal on the hatchback door. It's cool but it's just not for me. Is there a way I could take that off myself? I've googled this topic and can't find exact instructions to remove this specific decal. People have said to use a hair dryer and peel it off slowly to remove regular decals. Is this a good procedure? I appreciate any suggestions. This forum is awesome! So much cool information.
(Side note: my Exclaim is all black but under certain lights (not daylight) the back doors, the front bumper and the hood all have this weird glittery sheen in the paint job. it almost looks like a dark purple. was this an option on the 2010 models? i didn't even notice this until the day after i bought it. it's not a deal-breaker but it's strange that it's just on part of the car and not all of it.)
You are going to have to use or have someone use a heat gun which is lot hotter than a hair dryer. Heated up enough it will peel right off. You may need to buff out the paint if it has fadrd any. FWIW
It's dimly possible you can get it off with lighter fluid.
First, soak a q-tip with lighter fluid, then vigorously rub the q-tip on some well-hidden and thoroughly cleaned part of the body. If the q-tip picks up paint, then STOP! The body's paint is soluble in lighter fluid.
If your test doesn't lift paint, then soak another q-tip (you'll need a big box of q-tips for this process) in lighter fluid. Start at the top margin of the decal. The object of the game is to work up the edge of the decal, then gradually push more lighter fluid under the decal to dissolve the adhesive. Keep working: it's a tedious process. Sometimes, use of a hair dryer will help the lighter fluid dissolve the adhesive.
Sometimes, lighter fluid won't work, but Goof Off will. Use the same procedure but use Goof Off on the q-tip. Be sure to test in an inconspicuous part first.
Finally, let dry preferably in a garage out of the elements for a day or so, then wax the whole car.
Good luck! I've used this method to remove bumper stickers, even the all-plastic kind from bodywork.
Retiredoldsoul took his dragon decals off with a hair dryer and then cleaned the paint with a gum remover....pm him for advice.
The speckles in the paint are a standard feature in the black cherry colour and it came from the factory like that. I am a little bit worried when you say that the the car dosent have the speckles on parts of it as it suggests a none kia part respray.
Turns out the dragon decal just peeled right off. No hair dryer or lighter fluid needed for removal. It did however leave some gunk behind on the outline of the decal. I just used some lighter fluid and a microfiber rag and it buffed out nicely. After a wash and wax there is no trace. I'm very pleased by how easy that was.
As far as the paint goes, it is strange that it's only on parts of the car. Carmax ensured me that the car's record was clean. No new parts or paint. They did notice that the car I traded in had a repainted fender, so I would assume they would supply the same information on the Soul.
So, how do I remove the "soul" emblem in the back? One of the programmers at work is designing a "Hamster" one instead that will be done on a CMM for me. How cool is that?
I used a heat gun actually but a hair dryer works as well. Use either one to remove the "soul" emblem, just heat and carefully lift off. It uses 3M adhesive.