I wanted to see if any of you guys knew the best steps for me to take in readhering my fender flares. The flares seem to have lost their double sided adhesion tape, so they don't stick flush with the paint anymore. I'd like to remove all of the fender flares before winter and reapply something to adhere them to the paint again. I've heard that 3M double sided tape is usually what is used for exterior purposes like this. Is this what I should use? Is there anything else I should look to do when I do this?

 

The flares on my truck in my sig attach to the fender with clips....now with just the clips they acted as your describing, not flush to the paint. I took some black silicone sealent stuff that comes in a squezable tube (Autozone $2.99) and squeezed it around where the flare meets the truck. Then I dipped my finger in some water and smeared it around to make a nice smooth seal. Worked like a charm, dried the next day and has been great since. The flares hold tight to the truck and look great.

 

Thanks magnumpower for the tip. Do any of you suggest a paint-safe solvent I can use to strip the existing tape on my paint? After I removed the fender flares, there was still a lot of tape left over on the paint. I just wasn't sure what I could use that won't damage my paint.

 

The 3M double sided tape works great. Its a little pricey ($30) at the local auto parts, but adheres good.

As for a paint-safe solvent, I'd try to use goo-gone, or some prep-solve (in small amounts). That Dodge factory double sided tape is very tough to remove, especially if its been baking in the sun.

 

Goo gone works well.

Get ALL the old goo off and then wipe the entire surface that you are going to tape (truck and fender flare) with rubbing alcohol and a lint free cloth and let the alcohol evaporate. That should help with the adhesion the 2nd go around.

Oh yeah, it also helps if the metal isn't cold. Wait for a warm, dry day so you aren't battling condensation on the metal. Above 50* and dry. You can try using a hairdryer, space heater or even a climate controlled garage to aide the process as well.

 

Perfect. Last night I took all of the fender flares off. I did like the look without them on, but I can't even try it. The paint where the fender flares used to be is like all satin finished, so the flares defiantly need to go back on. If anybody is open today I'm going to buy all new screws for the flares, and really take my time getting this flares to stick. They've been unflush with the paint since I first bought this truck, can't believe it's taken me so much time to get around to this.

 

Another method to remove the tape is with a Heat Gun. Peel as much off as you can. When your left with the residue, get some acetone on a rag and rub that tape residue right off. Im pretty sure you wouldn't need to wipe it down with alcohol like you would need to with goo gone, but I guess it still wouldn't hurt.

- - - Edit (You squeezed in your post after I already started a response)

On second thought just go the goo gone route if your clear is scratched that bad to make your paint look satin. I've had good results with acetone before on two other vehicles which is why I figured I'd mention it. One had like 1" wide foam strip that had the adhesive on it and was applied to the top of the bed rail's when the cap was put on his truck. He sold the cap, so we heated the foam and got most of it off. Acetone cleaned it up good as new. The other car got vandalized with spray paint in town. Took some acetone to it and it took it right off. The reason for the edit was both times I've used acetone, it was on a clear coat. If your clear is scratched that bad, im not sure what it would do. Stick to goo gone just to be safe.

 

Someone probably sanded the paint to help make the adhesive on the flares stick.

Problem is, you don't need to do that, and by doing so they created paint dust that actually made the adhesive come off. You need to sanding to help paint and primer stick. NO sanding for adhesive.

 

I'm kind of torn here though. The fender flares were on this truck when it had 35" tires. Clearly he bought them so the truck could get inspections because the tires were so wide. Now that I have 285s, the fender flares aren't really needed, and actually make the tires look extra thin because the flares stick out too much. I want to try not having the fender flares on for a few days to see what I think. If it looks good enough, I may consider having my body shop quote me to get the two besides and front side fenders repainted. If they can do it for a good price, I may consider it. It's just too bad he sanded the paint down.