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Soapy Water Hack

Old Aug 10, 2023 | 02:10 PM
  #1  
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I just posted a reply regarding the vinyl hood decal and it has reminded me of a tip that I have been meaning to pass on here regarding removing plastic parts. I have completely removed both front and rear bumpers and not broken one plastic clip. The trick is to spray soapy water into the joint before attempting to pry off the part.
Unlike the three drops of soap used for vinyl you need to make the mixture good and slimey. I used Dawn dish soap and gave it a good rinse when the project was completed. Hope this helps.
Of course now that I have bragged about this Karma says that I will break the next clip that I encounter.

 
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Old Aug 10, 2023 | 03:40 PM
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Thank you for the tip, it's certainly worth a try, with nothing to lose.
You can also spray everything with WD-40 or similar although this costs more and makes a bit of a mess.
Although WD-40 does make the plastic parts look nice, for a while anyway
 
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Old Aug 10, 2023 | 04:17 PM
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Originally Posted by CEHansen
I just posted a reply regarding the vinyl hood decal and it has reminded me of a tip that I have been meaning to pass on here regarding removing plastic parts. I have completely removed both front and rear bumpers and not broken one plastic clip. The trick is to spray soapy water into the joint before attempting to pry off the part.
Unlike the three drops of soap used for vinyl you need to make the mixture good and slimey. I used Dawn dish soap and gave it a good rinse when the project was completed. Hope this helps.
Of course now that I have bragged about this Karma says that I will break the next clip that I encounter.
I actually heard of this before, I have been wanting to add the reverse lights, but I am so scared of pulling off the plastic and breaking it or clips. What was the mix ratio you would say that you used? how much soap vs water?
 
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Old Aug 10, 2023 | 04:31 PM
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I honestly didn’t pay attention to the volume of soap I used. It was a pretty good squirt though and my wedding rings were sliding off my finger. I don’t think there can be too much as long as you give it a good rinse when you’re done.
 
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Old Aug 11, 2023 | 10:37 AM
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Send this tip to #PowerfulUK ! They always talk about broken and hard to remove clips :-)
 
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Old Aug 11, 2023 | 04:31 PM
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I can confirm this is hands down the bomb for removing things. Dish soap + water mix.

JLR certified body shop manager gave me this tip earlier in the year when I was destroying everything removing my headlamp surrounds and front bumper.
 
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Old Aug 12, 2023 | 10:37 AM
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Originally Posted by nashvegas
I can confirm this is hands down the bomb for removing things. Dish soap + water mix.

JLR certified body shop manager gave me this tip earlier in the year when I was destroying everything removing my headlamp surrounds and front bumper.
what’s the ratio? soap/water
 
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Old Aug 12, 2023 | 01:17 PM
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IDK, I did maybe 25% soap 75% water perhaps? Or 40/60? But the more soap ... the slippier, the better
 
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Old Aug 13, 2023 | 07:36 PM
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Thx a lot! I’m slowly building up courage to order the reverse lights from Powerful UK & give it a shot! Lol
 
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Old Aug 14, 2023 | 07:13 AM
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Originally Posted by dshark1
Thx a lot! I’m slowly building up courage to order the reverse lights from Powerful UK & give it a shot! Lol
I've been holding off on the same project. Part if it is worrying I'll break something and need the Defender to take me somewhere, and the other part is August weather in Northern Virginia - too hot for me to want to work on it.
 
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