Which Sticky removal company is best or do your prefer?

Quote:
Originally Posted by efg2014 View Post
With all due respect to others, I don't understand people who purchase Ferraris and expect to spend Toyota prices for service and repair. Then again to each their own.

+360.

These types of comments always make my day.
People who are not DIYers but frown on others that do their own work.
I must be a cheap dude then because last weekend I chose to replace the Ferrari's cheap/under engineered plastic gear lever bushing that broke with the engineered one from Hill Engineering. Wow, I must be a bonehead.

 

Don't forget to consider all the answers in last month's similar thread.......

http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/ferrari-discussion-not-model-specific/522589-sticky-rx-vs-stickynomore.html

 

It would greatly aid the business of both/all of these refinishing companies to post DIY removal videos for each affected panel and each model line. There are a few for 360s, but not for all of the components. My 360 is turning into a gooey mess, and I'd like to get this done, but don't really want to pay someone to take my interior apart and put it back together when I'm competent enough to do it myself. ... If I have the proper procedures and can be shown where the hidden screws and clips are. Oh, and as to those clips that can easily break, or screws that can get lost, how about offering them on your site, too, so we don't have to hunt them down?

 

Thank you, Johnny

Hi Michael - much appreciate the support

We do have a few videos on our website and will be posting more. The problem for us is that in WNY there are not many Ferrari's so we don't have access to each model to do this.

As we meet more local owners that have the need, we will add more instructions along the way.

 

I appreciate that, but you might try offering to do one customer's car for free if you could keep it a week or so and video the R&R.

 

My car had some parts refinished at SNM by a previous owner, some years ago. I am just in the middle of stripping them down and refinishing, because the SNM coating hasn't lasted. While it has gone sticky, it is a bugger to get off; I've been through oven cleaner, alcohol, Cillit Bang and acetone, none of which made the job any easier. In the end, I've had to use a razor blade and copious amounts of sandpaper.

I haven't had any parts refinished by Dave (yet) but can vouch for the high quality of his HVAC overlay and the speed and professionalism of his communication with picky buggers like me

 

Well, in theory that sounds great but the amount of work is not short. And, we are so busy we are having a hard time keeping up which is a good problem to have

I posted earlier in the thread that we will be doing a local 575 (GTS Bruce) and creating videos. Truth is, the owner is ready for us right now and we don't have the time to get to him now. Good thing is the weather won't be good again until April

Hi Steve - thank you for your support

 

No doubt, and I'm glad you're busy and doing well! Think of it as a further investment in your business.

 

What kind of warranty do the refinishers provide? Transferable lifetime?

 

We are 100% committed to continuous improvement and the best possible solutions. This endeavor is only 2 years old now with just shy of 1 year with a website, etc.

We are now on our 4th generation coating in a short period as the first 3 were good, but not good enough for our standards.

We are driven to bring the best solutions, tools and accessories to the industry. Lot's of great stuff in development

Note: This is a division of my near 20 year engineering and manufacturing business so we have a lot of technical resources

Hi Jes,

Our warranty is lifetime to the original owner that parts won't get sticky or have coating failure. Just like paint on a car, if it's abused, it's not covered. Check out our coating demo video I posted - that should provide lot's of comfort

 

Pretty darn good! It is one thing to drum up a good story, and produce nice videos Standing behind it with a lifetime warranty is something entirely different - provides confidence in the solution - particular since failures with (the OEM) coating can take years to develop. Would be nice if the warranty is transferable since exotic cars are often owned relatively short periods of time.

 

I have done business with Sticky RX and their competitor. Quality is superior with Stucky RX as is Daves customer service.
There are very few people that I've done business with in my life that have been as much a pleasure to do business with as Dave. For these reasons he will continue to have my business.

I do my own work and restore some pieces myself. If the original part's finish is deteriorating, Denatured alcohol works fine as long as there is not lettering involved.
Bill
FL

 

I currently have 2 patents for tooling in the metal working industry. To patent something, it must be considered novel.

The chemistry used for our coatings is excellent but not likely patentable. I did not design it, our manufacture did based on our desired results.

Ferrari could certainly use a hard touch (instead of soft touch), like other car manufacturers but they are choosing to stay with soft touch. Does not seem they have any plans to change and they are not struggling to sell cars, that is the harsh reality.

 

I used Zeps Industrial Cleaner (purple gallon jug) from Home Depot. That was two years ago. It worked great, no problems and very easy to do. I never understood what the problem is to take care of your own sticky problem, as the hard part (for me) was taking the parts out and putting them back in.

 

I think you are not understanding that removing the sticky coating and exposing bare plastic is not even remotely the same as professionally refinished parts.

Many parts (accross several models) will yield a white button with the coating cleaned off.

That is totally different to a refinished part with proper graphics. I'd encourage you to go to our site and watch some of the videos. That should demonstrate the difference

 

I have seen many cars with sticky issues claimed to be "fixed."

The difference is that normally the do-it-yourself guys end up with a non sticky part - that still looks like **** - because they needed to save the cash.

Sticky removal is part one.

Does it look nice and OEM? is part two.

No offense to the guys on saving cash but don't expect full value come time to sell if it isn't sticky but still looks like ****...

Robb

 

I did my 2004 360 last weekend. I used Flents Wipe n' Clear Lens Wipes, which have an alcohol/detergent/water solution and which don't scratch anything because they're designed to clean eyeglasses. (Costco sells them in boxes of about 100). I dipped them in some rubbing alcohol (70% isopropyl) and rubbed the parts. The sticky coating came right off. It took 2-4 Wipes per switch/knob/handle. After cleaning each part, I then dipped a clean Wipe into a 50/50 mixture of Zep Industrial Purple De-greaser Concentrate and water for a final "rinse" on the part to remove any remaining sticky residue. I then wiped the part off with a damp (water) microfiber cloth.

I did not remove any parts except for the ashtray and the vent mechanisms. As an aside, simply popping off the vent rings to clean them will not work because there's no way to get the vent ring gear teeth correctly re-positioned after cleaning without visually aligning them with teeth on the mechanism. One tooth off will result in the vent door not working. Thus, the mechanism must be removed, but that's easy to do, as they pop right out with a small screwdriver inserted at a few places around the edges (protect the leather with a rag).

I did the ashtray, the mirror switch panel, all of the knobs and dials on the A/C panel, the window switches, the door handles and wells, the passenger grab handle, the vent rings, the driver switch panel, and the steering column cover. I used blue painter's tape to protect the leather. It took about 7 hours.

The results were terrific. The only "casualties" were the small arrows on the vents and the "Lock" label on the passenger door handle, none of which are needed anyway. None of the parts were scratched and look new with a consistent black shine. The only exception is the steering column cover in which the removal of the "sticky" revealed an inconsistent plastic color. But, that will be fixed with some Wolfgang Cockpit Trim.

The total cost was $0.00 since I simply used what I had in the house and garage. While I could easily afford to have had this done, I like working on the car, particularly while watching college football on the garage TV (although the Michigan v. Ohio State game slowed the process a bit!). Also, doing it myself eliminated removing the parts and shipping them off for re-finishing or having my local Ferrari shop do that.

So, if you're thinking about doing this, give it a try. I experimented on the ashtray before doing anything else. That's a good place to start.

 

I've said before and will say again, I have full respect for folks that wish to DIY and save a few bucks - nothing wrong with that

To echo Robb's comments and also educate others that may not know the difference, a cleaned part is NOT a refinished part. And, while refinishing is expensive, the processes done professionaly are much different that what can be done at home.

To WJR - do your parts look like this after completion?

Note: The headlight control and lock / unlock / parking sensor parts if cleaned will be left with a white button
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It is items like this that I am glad I am learning about in advance of purchasing.

Great info in this thread.

 

Here is what they look like...
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For months I agonized over the best solution for the sticky bits on my 355. I considered all the options—from a complete DIY strip and refinish to just handing the car over to the dealer and saying “fix it.” In the end, I chose to send the parts to Dave at StickyRx and I am glad I did. My only regret is that I didn’t do it sooner.
As mentioned by others, Dave is very professional and the quality of his work is superb. From the moment your parts arrive at his shop until they are shipped back to you Dave regularly communicates with you either by phone, text or email. You really get the sense that Dave knows exactly where your parts are at all times. This is reassuring if you’ve ever added up the cost of replacing all the switches, etc.
I still have to do the dash vents; I’ll be getting to these in the next month or so. For sure, they’ll be going to Dave at StickyRx!

 

A bit harsh, but a generally fair statement. DIY de-stickying is just that....it is not a refurbishment of the pieces.
Unless repainted, they may look more dull/flat than OEM, and in some cases, the loss of labels (fortunately only on the door lock button and vent rings on a 360, which are minor). However, the labor is minimal and the cost minuscule.
I just couldn't justify spending 5-10% of the value of my car on refurbished trim that looks 30% better than diy. But I can see the attraction to it for those with discerning tastes or more valuable cars.
I just finished doing my car and I'm satisfied with the results. Most of the people that will ride in my car have never been in a Ferrari and won't know the difference from OEM, refurb, or diy.
Ymmv, viva la difference, etc.