Removing decals, washing....

[Cupped_up]

My 1500 is going to arrive any day now. I got the ORP and am debating on removing the 4x4 sticker off the back. I’ve never owned a new car and have never worried about the paint on previous trucks as they’ve all been hunting rigs that I could care less about the paint...on this one, I want to keep it nice for as long as I can...

if I remove the 4x4 off-road stickers, will that expose the bare paint with no wax and cause any issues?

PT 2.
as stated above, I’ve never cared about the exterior and have always washed my truck with dish soap/scrub brush and throw away towels.
I found the chemical guys 16 piece wash set on Amazon for ~$80 with a foam spray washer, soap, wax, tire stuff and microfiber mit and drying towels with wash buckets and dirt trap. Is this a good wash package or should I look somewhere else? My truck is white so it should hide minor swirls but I don’t want to add unnecessary swirls outside of what it’s going to go through during hunting season...

 

[cdn.tbird]

The stickers are very easy to take off. They would have been applied after your truck was painted/clear coated. If you're nervous about doing it yourself, the dealer could probably have their bodyshop take them off for you.

As for the Amazon kit, personally I think you're paying more for the brand image than the products themselves. Your local auto parts store probably has everything you'd need for less than 1/2 the kit price. I wash my vehicles on my front lawn (kill 2 birds with 1 stone), so I picked up an "eco friendly" soap so as to not kill the grass. A nice wash mitt and a peanut sponge is what I use for washing and an old school suede chamois to dry. A very light wipe with a cloth with brake fluid (old car detailer trick) will make your sidewalls darker than you've ever seen, just don't do it too often.

 

[Royalist_Ram]

There should have been a $0 decal delete option from factory.

 

[Scram1500]

Get a hair dryer to warm the sticker and it will peel right off, specially since the sticker is still new and pliable

 

[Ramjack]

Is it actually a sticker or a plastic badge? If a sticker, see hints above. If a badge, Google "car badge removal" or similar. Seems the best approach starts with monofilament fishing line.

I get all my car wash products from Walmart. Occasionally will buy polish or wax from elsewhere if Wally's doesn't have what I want.

 

[mikeru82]

Is it actually a sticker or a plastic badge? If a sticker, see hints above. If a badge, Google "car badge removal" or similar. Seems the best approach starts with monofilament fishing line.

The 4x4 "sticker" on the rear sides of the bed that come with the ORG are actually decals, not badges. Very easy to remove, as already mentioned above.

 

[Aseras]

Warm it a bit, peel the edge and use some fishing line to pull/cut it off. Having someone to help either pull gently or saw with the fishing line makes it way easier. Using some rubbing alcohol to get rid of any residue.

 

[brian42]

Warm it a bit, peel the edge and use some fishing line to pull/cut it off. Having someone to help either pull gently or saw with the fishing line makes it way easier. Using some rubbing alcohol to get rid of any residue.

Use that technique for any badges you want to remove ('RAM' on the doors or the 'BIGHORN' or '4x4' on the tailgate).

As mentioned, for the decal it should be pretty easy to peel off since it's new. You can heat it up a little with a hair dryer if you want to help loosen the adhesive. You can also park the truck in the sun for a bit to heat everything up (decal, adhesive, bed panel) to make it easier also. Then some Goo Gone or rubbing alcohol to get the last of the adhesive off.

 

[Mountain Whiskey]

Heck, pull badges and stickers when you first get the truck. Let it sit in the sun an hour and you won't need fishing line, heat guns or anything. A rag and plastic pry tool will help.

 

[Ramjack]

Heck, pull badges and stickers when you first get the truck. Let it sit in the sun an hour and you won't need fishing line, heat guns or anything. A rag and plastic pry tool will help.

I've been debating pulling the Big Horn emblem off my tailgate. Sounds like you would vote yes.

 

[brian42]

I did...along with the 4x4 badge and the two RAM badges on the doors.

I left the ORG (4x4 Off-Road) decals. It looks more balanced that way to me with the hood badges up front and the off-road decals in back. YMMV

 

[Mountain Whiskey]

I've been debating pulling the Big Horn emblem off my tailgate. Sounds like you would vote yes.

Yep. Pulled mine off the other day and put an American Flag plaque on in its place.

The Bighorn in the center of the tailgate has clips (that don't do much since there is adhesive) so there are holes in the metal that you should cover. The badges on the sides of the hood just clip in, pry out from the bottom and they pop out. The RAM letters in the grill clip in place too.

These are the only badges that have holes behind them. You need something to go back if you replace them. I used black badges and the flag plaque from ebay. The rest of the badges and decals are just stick ons.

 

[mikeru82]

I'd probably shave the badges if they were chrome. But part of the appeal of the Night Edition was the black badges. I like how they contrast with the white. If I didn't have the door badges on the sides it would just be too much white LOL.

 

[brian42]

If I didn't have 4x4 decals I would have either left the RAM badges on the doors or gotten some American flag decals for the bed.

I'm all for clean lines but if there wasn't anything on the side (I don't have side mouldings or RAM boxes) then it would have been too plain.

 

[Ramjack]

Yep. Pulled mine off the other day and put an American Flag plaque on in its place.

The Bighorn in the center of the tailgate has clips (that don't do much since there is adhesive) so there are holes in the metal that you should cover. The badges on the sides of the hood just clip in, pry out from the bottom and they pop out. The RAM letters in the grill clip in place too.

These are the only badges that have holes behind them. You need something to go back if you replace them. I used black badges and the flag plaque from ebay. The rest of the badges and decals are just stick ons.

Mine has a "Big Horn" badge on the lower left side of the tailgate. Are there holes behind this one?

 

[Mountain Whiskey]

Mine has a "Big Horn" badge on the lower left side of the tailgate. Are there holes behind this one?

Nope. Mine is a 2021 Bighorn also. Only the hood, center tailgate and grill.