Dealership Decal Residue :(

Thanks everyone for the help! I'll keep you updated. Its a 2023 that I've had for about 6months now so it's still pretty new; just hit 13k and I bought it with 9k miles, so I'm figuring they had it on for a while

 

Acetone

 

Considering that it’s hasn’t been on longer than a bit over a year, I’d guess it should come off. I personally like the idea of using a very fine polishing compound. I’d agree with the other posts that suggest that it’s the rest of the glass that needs to be polished/cleaned to match the glass surface that was protected by the sticker. It doesn’t look like sticker residue. It’s more of a weathering shadow.

Depending on where it was driven and parked, the glass could have been subjected to pollen, tree sap, acidic road grime etc. The worst stuff is water that has filtered through concrete, like you might get in a parking structure. Those are the contaminants that a polishing compound will remove. Go easy with it, do it by hand, don’t do more than you need to.

 

I was going to recommend pressure washing and/or sand blasting. That should do it.

 

WD-40 works pretty well. It is mild enough to not eat up anything else. It's cheap and you can use it for a million other things.

 

WD-40 first, then Goo gone but be careful it can eat paint.

 

This might be worth a shot. I use it for water spots on glass. Works very well.
Amazon. $13

Cleans Stains from Glass. Removes Soap Scum from Shower Doors. Use On Auto Glass for Water Spots. "Sparkle" Cleaner does those glass cleaning jobs too tough for spray-on cleaners. It removes light water spots and stains in glass caused by weather, sea air or pollution; also removes soap scum from shower doors and ceramic tile. Use it on auto glass to remove water spots from automatic windshield washers. Wipe on with a damp cloth or paper towel, rub stained areas, and then wipe off. Contents of Container: 8 fl oz (237 ml) Important Note: Check can label and Material Safety Data Sheet for any additional limitations and warnings.

 

Ive been in this situation, I told the dealership they can pay me $25/day to advertise for them or they can take it off. They took it off. Such BS that they put huge lettering.

 

Id take it to a detail shop, it cant cost that much for them to do it with the right chemicals/polishes. I sure as hell wouldnt do brake cleaner, the risk of other damage is too high.

 

They had added the label when the 4runner was brand new. What you are seeing is the brand new glass behind the label. You would have to buff the entire glass to match where the label was. Do a section to match then do the entire glass. It is no different than a label being on the car, it would be the same process to match. If you don't want to do the work, take it to a professional detailer.

 

As others have mentioned, I would take it back to the dealer and have them remove the residue. I would imagine their "detailing" person could get rid of it. This is why I actually removed my liftgate mounted dealer badging as soon as I got home with mine, before I even went in the house. Good luck with the removal, sucks they did that.

 

Talking it to a dealer will probably somehow end up with them buying a new rear hatch, and color matching respray on the back half of the car. And the
sticker shadow will probably still show, until they accidentally break the glass when somebody drops a tool on it. The new glass will look great though.

 

I have to wonder if this is worth all the pain to remove that is being mentioned?

It doesn't seem noticeable, since OP said that they can only see it in certain conditions?

 

The unfortunate thing is even after you use brake cleaner (or whatever solvent/ solution you like to remove the residue) the tint inside might still be sun-stained and may still be a little visible.

This is one unfortunate thing about stickers on tinted glass. Depending on how long the sticker was there and the sun exposure it went through.

 

I would try the goo gone again with a glass scraper tool with razor blade. That will scrape any possible residue off.

 

Is this true for film tint or factory dipped glass?

 

I have always removed everything from glass with lots of soapy water and a brand new very wet single edge razor blade gently scraping at a 15 degree angle.
If it doesn’t come off with that it’s etched in

 

WD40

 

I think our work here is about done?

 

Film tint.

 

Thanks y'all for the help. I'm going to try to get it off in the spring when it warms back up. I've had no luck with any of the suggested chemicals and I'm too nervous to go too crazy. I think I'll go with a professional and if they still can't get it, idk lol. Thanks for all the assistance! I really appreciate it!

 

Personally I would not wait until spring, I fear the longer it is on the more difficult or unlikely to come off. I would find a quality detailer

 

I agree with Mac, a quality detail shop can inform you about getting it removed.
Maybe one can come to you. Take care of it sooner than later.

 

Start with rubbing compound follow up with polish. Then if you want the window to repel water and make it easy to clean wax your windows. If your not into a little work for best results wd-40.

 

This would likely work, but it'll ruin your clear-coat if you get it on the paint.