wthalliii

This is the first car I've ever had vinyl stripes on. I'm thinking that after a few years, they will look bad, be hard to remove, and leave un-faded paint where they were. Since I probably couldn't get new stripes exactly the same size, the only solution at that point would be a new paint job. Or am I off base? Those of you who have had cars with vinyl stripes on them for 5 or 10 years, how did they work out?

05 Mustang GT

Ihad my stripes installed earlier this year, the installer stated they should last at least 5 years. I wanted to install the vinyl to ensure I liked the look. I will be getting the vinyl removed in about a year and getting the stripes painted on. Depending on the quality of the vinyl 5-10 years doesn't seem unreasonable.

NachoStang

Can they be removed without damaging the paint?

balli

I wondered the same thing. My buddy has an original 1970 boss 302. From the factory the stripes are vinyl. 37 years later they still look great.
that's good enough for me!!!

banka87

Mine are getting painted after labor day

05SonicBlue

year old stripes, you can definitely remove w/o damaging the paint. i swapped out my 1yr old vinyl stripes for new, widervinyl stripes. no issues whatsoever.

wthalliii

That was on your sonic blue? Could you see a diffeence in the paint color where the stripes had been?

moosestang

I doubt you'll see a difference after 1 year. It's going to depend on the color and how long it stays in the sun.

Orion_240

removing them shouldn't damage your paint at all. The clearcoat that covers the paint is pretty tough. As long as you heat them up with a hair drier they should peel right off, though they might break into pieces as you do that.
Obviously, if you park your Mustang outdoors 24/7 the life of the stripes will be reduced. But if you keep it parked indoors, with a cover, they could last indefinately.

But why worry? Surely the stripes you have will be available in 5, 10, even 20 years from now! Or they'll be able to make exact duplicates. Or you will be able to buy a similar style!

As far as fading, that also depends on how much sun your car will get, much like the stripes. With your color I'd bet after 2 years there might start to be a bit of fading if you're parked in the sun all the time.

blueshawk

I read where someone had a an even older car with the vinyl original stripes that still looked good. Take care of them and they should last.