Paint and Body
Decal Removal and Surface Refinishing in Southern California
Typical range
$400 to $3,000
Shop hours
2 to 12
Labor rate
$210/hr
The short answer
Decal removal strips failed graphics, old fleet branding, and prior vinyl wraps, removes the adhesive, then addresses the gloss ghosting and color difference left underneath. Work runs $400 to $3,000, or 2 to 12 hours at $210 per hour plus materials for any refinish required.
01
What this work actually involves
Removing vinyl is the easy half. What is underneath is the job. Anywhere a decal covered the paint, that paint was shielded from UV while the surrounding surface aged, so removal leaves a visible ghost of the old graphic in gloss and color. On a white coach it may polish out. On a red, dark blue, or metallic unit that has spent eight years in Palmdale or Indio, the difference is permanent and the only honest answers are refinishing the panel or living with it. We tell owners this before we start, not after the vinyl is in the trash.
The removal technique determines how much damage you have to fix. Sun-baked vinyl in Southern California becomes brittle and releases in small chips, and pulling hard on it takes clearcoat with it, especially at the edges where the film has fused into a degraded clear. Controlled heat, a low peel angle, and patience keep the clear intact. Adhesive that stays behind comes off with a citrus or solvent remover appropriate to the finish, never a razor and never a machine that generates enough heat to burn the paint.
Fleet decommissioning is a common version of this job. A van leaving a fleet needs the branding gone completely before resale or lease return, including the adhesive ghost and any drilled or riveted mounts. Partial removal that leaves an outline reads worse than the original branding did. On lease returns the standard is generally uniform appearance, so we usually pair removal with a correction pass and, where ghosting is severe, a panel refinish.
Systems and brands we work on: 3M, Rapid Remover, Avery Dennison.
Location: All work is performed at our Yorba Linda facility. We do not offer mobile, roadside, or fleet route service.
02
What the job includes
- Assessment of ghosting risk before removal begins, based on color and exposure history
- Controlled heat removal of decals, lettering, striping, and full graphics schemes
- Prior vinyl wrap removal including failed and brittle film
- Adhesive residue removal with chemistry appropriate to the underlying finish
- Clearcoat condition assessment across the exposed areas
- Machine polish to reduce gloss ghosting where the finish supports it
- Panel refinish where the ghost line cannot be polished out
- Fleet decommissioning and lease return preparation
- Removal of drilled or riveted sign mounts and hole filling
- Ceramic coating or sealant to protect the newly exposed finish
03
When you need this service
- Cracked, faded, or lifting graphics that need to come off before they take clearcoat with them
- Branding on a vehicle leaving a fleet or coming off lease
- A wrap at end of life showing edge lift and color shift
- A previous partial removal that left adhesive or an outline
- A sale or trade where the buyer wants the vehicle plain
- Prior owner lettering on a used van or box truck
04
How we do it, step by step
- 01
Ghosting assessment
We evaluate color, age, and exposure to predict how visible the ghost will be. Dark colors and inland or desert storage produce the most permanent difference.
- 02
Test removal in a low-visibility area
A small section removed first to see how the vinyl releases and what the clear underneath looks like, before committing to the whole vehicle.
- 03
Controlled heat removal
Film heated to a working temperature and peeled at a low angle in strips. Brittle sun-baked vinyl gets more heat and slower work, never more force.
- 04
Adhesive removal
Residue softened with a remover appropriate to the finish and wiped off. No razors, no aggressive machine work, nothing that can burn or score the clear.
- 05
Evaluate what is underneath
The exposed area is washed, decontaminated, and assessed under raking light and in daylight so you can see the actual gloss and color difference.
- 06
Correct or refinish
A polish pass where the difference is gloss only. A panel refinish where the color itself has diverged, since no amount of polishing brings back faded pigment.
- 07
Protect
Newly exposed paint sealed or ceramic coated. Surfaces that spent years under vinyl have no UV protection built up and degrade quickly once uncovered.
05
Pricing and posted rates
| Item | Rate or range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Typical job range | $400 to $3,000 | Varies with extent of damage and parts availability |
| Shop hours | 2 to 12 | Quoted after teardown, not before |
| Body and paint labor | $210 per hour | 2026 posted rate |
| Paint supplies | $55 per paint hour | Calculated automatically on every estimate |
| Body supplies | $5 per body hour | Calculated automatically on every estimate |
| Parts | 100% markup under $100, 35% over | Special order parts require a non refundable deposit at order |
| Deposit | 50% at authorization over $2,000 | Additional 25% when parts arrive on jobs over $10,000 |
| Sales tax | 7.75% on parts and materials | Labor is not taxed |
Insurance billed jobs may be billed at carrier negotiated labor rates that differ from the posted retail rates above. See all posted rates.
07
Vehicles we do this work on
Vehicle
Cargo Vans
Cargo vans on Transit, ProMaster, Express, and Sprinter platforms carry trade tools, parts inventory, and route freight. Rear door
Vehicle
Sprinter Vans
Mercedes Sprinter vans run last-mile routes, trade service, and camper conversions across Southern California. Sliding door tracks
Vehicle
Box Trucks
Box trucks put a separately built cargo body on a cab chassis, and the joint between them is where most failures start. Rear frame
Vehicle
Travel Trailers
A travel trailer tows from a ball hitch behind the tow vehicle rear axle on an A-frame tongue, which makes it the most sway-prone
Vehicle
Class A Gas Motorhomes
A Class A gas motorhome is a flat-front coach built on a Ford F53 or Workhorse front-engine chassis, typically 28 to 38 feet. Rear
Vehicle
High-Cube Vans
High-cube vans trade a tall roof and maximum interior volume for a large flat sail area and a roofline that clears almost nothing.
Vehicle
Electric Delivery Vans
Electric delivery vans including the Rivian EDV used by Amazon Logistics have a floor-mounted battery pack, bonded composite body
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Questions about decal removal and surface refinishing
Frequently asked questions
Will removing my decals leave a ghost outline?
Frequently, yes. The paint under the decal was shielded from UV while everything around it aged, so gloss and often color diverge. On white and light colors it is usually mild and polishes out. On reds, dark blues, and metallics that have sat in inland or desert sun for years, the difference is permanent and only refinishing removes it. We assess and tell you before we start.
How much does decal removal cost?
$400 to $3,000, or 2 to 12 hours at $210 per hour plus materials for any polishing or refinish. Removing lettering from a cargo van sits at the low end. Stripping a full-body scheme or a five-year-old failed wrap from a large coach, including adhesive removal and a correction pass, sits at the high end.
Can you remove decals without damaging the paint?
On sound paint, yes, with controlled heat and a low peel angle. The risk case is paint that is already failing. Where clearcoat has degraded and the vinyl adhesive has fused into it, the film and the clear come off together no matter how carefully it is worked. We test a small low-visibility section first specifically to find out which situation you are in.
I need branding off a van for a lease return. What is involved?
Full removal of vinyl and adhesive, removal of any drilled or riveted sign mounts with the holes filled and refinished, and a correction pass so the appearance is uniform. Partial removal that leaves a visible outline typically reads worse to an inspector than the original branding. Where ghosting is severe, panel refinish is usually cheaper than the wear charge.
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Related services
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Decal and Graphics Replacement
Decal and graphics replacement removes cracked or faded factory artwork, prepares the finish underneath, and installs a new printe
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Vinyl Wrap, Partial and Full
Vinyl wrap applies printed or color-change film to part or all of a van, RV, trailer, or fleet vehicle for branding, color change,
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Paint Correction and Polishing
Paint correction machine polishes oxidation, swirls, water spots, and light scratches out of existing clearcoat or gelcoat to rest
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Paint and Refinish
Full paint and refinish strips, corrects, primes, and resprays the exterior of an RV, van, trailer, or fleet vehicle in single-sta
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Fleet Graphics and Vinyl Wrap
Fleet graphics and wrap covers partial and full vinyl wraps, cut lettering, spot graphics, and removal on commercial vans, trucks,
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More paint and body work
Ready to move on decal removal and surface refinishing? Bring it to Yorba Linda.