Airbag Decal Removal

[jamesdc4]

Procedures for both Leather and Fabric visors.

Fabric:
(Special thanks to chiefwej for the original fix)

OK...it works! I don't remember seeing any actual pix of this being done so here they are...

Packing tape, hairdryer and your wits...


I used two pieces of tape (cause one didn't quite cover it) and heated for about one minute.


As you can see, it removed ALL of the sticker but left a bit of tackiness so after removing, I applied more tape (no heat) to remove any gumminess. VOILA, no more ugly warning sticker.


I was a bit wary about trying this but my driver's side failed and it allowed me to experiment without any concerns. DO IT, you'll be glad you did!

Leather:

I don't know why BMW saw fit to plaster those ugly airbag warnings all over the visors in the Z3, but I saw fit to remove them. This isn't a difficult project, nor it is particularly time consuming. However, I think there is a significant number of people that are interested in ditching those decals, and might be a little apprehensive about taking chemicals to their interior. If you are such a person, read on...

Required tools:

T25 Torx-driver
Goof-off (1 can)
Paper towels (many)
Latex gloves (or the like)
Tooth brush
Leather conditioner

I. Remove the visors
You could probably do all of this with the visors in place in the car, but why risk spilling chemicals on your interior when you can pull the visors out with 2 torx screws?

Each visor is held in by a pair of T25 torx screws. The visors are "spring loaded", so it is slightly easier to remove the visors when they are half-way flipped down.

II. Remove the decal
Crack open your can of Goof-off (~$4 at Wal-Mart) and note that it has some extremely noxious vapors. Do NOT use this stuff in an enclosed space. Use it outdoors and wear your gloves when working with it. When you see what it does to the visors, you'll see why you don't want it on your skin.



Splash a little Goof-off onto a clean paper towel and begin scrubbing the decal. After a couple scrubs, it will begin to disolve and smear. Switch to a clean paper towel every so often when you get too much decal carnage on it.



After a little scrubbing, you're going to notice that the vinyl on the visor is pulling away and wrinkling up. You're probably going to want to start cursing me and wondering why I would suggest you ruin your visors, but relax. The vinyl will get wrinkled and stretched out, but will tighten back up after several hours.



Once you've cleared most of the decal off with paper towels, you'll probably have a bunch of little specks that won't come off. This is where you use your tooth brush. Dunk the brush in the can of Goof-off and scrub those spots off.

At this point, you should have a wrinkled, smelly visor that's missing an ugly decal.

III. Let the visor dry
You can't do any more with the visor until it dries up and the vinyl shrinks, so set it some place that is well-ventilated and check back in on it after 6-8 hours. I did mine at night and they were ready to go by morning.


(This is after around 3 hours of drying. You can see it is tightening back up.)

IV. Condition it
The Goof-off is pretty harsh on the vinyl, so it may look a little dull. To remedy this, take some of your favorite leather conditioner (Leatherique, in my case) and work it into the visor. Since I used Leatherique, I just worked in the Rejuvinating Oil (which soaks in surprisingly well) and then cleaned it off with the Leatherique Pristine Clean. When it's all done, it should look as good or better than new.



V. Reinstall
Bolt the visors back in just like they came out, and take note of how nice it is not to have those gaudy yellow/white decals all over your classy ride.

[fullthrottle540]

I don't know why BMW saw fit to plaster those ugly airbag warnings all over the visors in the Z3, but I saw fit to remove them.

They put them on because they have to... some safety law. All cars with airbags have to have a similar warning.

[Jason B]

Go figure... Today the passenger side airbag sticker fell off the visor. But, this is on a S550 MERCEDES. First of all, I hate these stickers to begin with, but now that it fell off, the area is darker and the glue from it the visor left a perfect square. I guess I have to put this ugly thing back on? I can't believe there isn't a SAFE way to clean the visor fabric so we can just leave it off..