DJfromGR

Hey everyone,

I'm new here and new to the Protege. I just purchased a 2002 Protege5 in the Black Mica. I was wondering what the best procedure to remove the pinstripes is. Also, what did you do to properly break the car in? Thanks in advance for any help.

D.Jay

GOBLUES

As far as pinstripes goes... My P5 didn't come with any so I can't give you advice there. For breaking in the car... just be gentle with it for the first 500 miles or so... after that, BREAK 'er in!!

obender66

To properly break your Protege in DO NOT remove pinstripes!
Wait until 10 k miles.
To answer your next possible question-do not switch to synthetic until 20 k miles, cuz it's too slippery for new engine and it will not break in and die at 50k....

If you do search that's the kind of info you gonna get....say thanks for saving some time.

Alex(started autocrossing at 1500 km and put synthetic at 2000 km and has no idea about stripes)

hihoslva

Pinstripes - are they tape, or paint?

If they are tape, you should be able to pull them off - see what you can do with a fingernail to get started, and be careful not to put a scratch in the paint trying to find an edge to pull up. A little heat might help, too - try a hair dryer on one end of the stripe - it'll help to loosen the adhesive.

If they are painted on, you might want to consult a body shop or detail center. They'll have to compounded off and the area bufed out. Not that it's a big deal, but especially since your car is the black mica (which shows every little swirl mark and hairline scratch), you should let a professional take care of it.

As for the "break in" period - GOBLUES has it right - just take it easy for a few hundred miles. They also say it's good to vary your engine speed regularly during this time also - meaning, don't take too many long trips where your RPMs will remain constant for long periods of time.

~HH

Tom Slick

if they are tough to remove, 3M makes a special disc tool to remove them withough harming the paint.

DJfromGR

Thanks for your help everyone. I was originally going to post about just the pinstripes and not the break in so I didn't do a search for that. Sorry about that. Thanks again.

stealthscotty

are easily removed with the tool made by 3M, commonly called an eraser. Check with body shop supplies dealers. It cost between 5 and 15 dollars, deppending on size and looks like a rubber wheel. Chuck it a drill or die grinder and it buffs the vinyl (and some painted, if your careful) off the paint without damage. Don't stay in the same place too long or you could burn your paint, rub through it , etc...

erikd65

If they are tape pintripes, use a heat gun. Just start at the end, get a little heat on it and you should see it start to curl. Get a hold of the end like you are going to pull it off. Apply the heat to the stripe and pull as you go. Make sure the heat gun is not TO hot and keep it a good distance from the car or you will cook the paint. I did that years ago on an Escort and worked like a charm.

Farsyde

since we're on the subject......I removed the LX stickers on the side of my 99 pro and the fairbanks mazda sticker too (if they're not gonna pay me to have it on i'm not advertising for free here) but all three left most of the adhesive behind. I had used a heat gun but I didnt want to bubble the paint (which happened anyway on one of them). Any idea how to get rid of the adhesive. Would mineral spirits or goof off take it away???? I dont want to damage the pain though.

erikd65

I would think maybe mineral spirits but MAKE SURE it will not damage the paint first. Try it on an old car or something to see what it does. You may evben want to google for an answer

Foster42

I think a heat gun is too strong, a hair dryer is much safer, but thats my 02cents