removing fender strakes
 

Couldnt find any threads on this. I guess im one of the few who isnt too fond of the look. Bought my car with them on but after seeing some without them i prefer that look. How do i go about removing them?

Many people are anti strakes here.

Your going to have remove the vent -- once its out very simple

remove some of the snap fasteners in the wheel well near the strakes, this will give you access to the back of the vent. you'll feel flanges on the top and bottom on both sides, squeeze them and the vent will pop off if the adhesive is loss.

You might need to loosen the double sided tape on the strakes if they have them. You can use goo gone or a length of dental floss.

Fender Strakes
 

I would be happy to purchase them from you if you did not want them after you removed them from your car. :)

Sorry to dig up an old topic, but how did you get on with this? I love the look of the strakes, so much so that I've bought a new OEM set to replace the existing ones on my RX8, as the lacquer is starting to peel in a couple of places.

I haven't tried removing the old ones yet, but I can see that they are pretty well secured by the adhesive. What are the chances of paintwork damage if I just try and peel them straight off after removing the vent?

P.S. Does goo-gone really work that well? I've never seen it on sale here in the UK. I'll try and get some off eBay if it's worth the money, although I'm not sure how well it will be able to get behind the adhesive while the old strakes are still attached?

Thanks!

Matt

^ huh?

Turn the front wheels all the way in one direction to afford access to the fender liner plastic pop screws. Remove same with a phillips head screwdriver. Peel back the liner enough to slip your hand in and depress the vent plastic spring clamps and it will pop out. Detach the strakes, again using a phillips head screwdriver. Pop the vent back in and reattach the fender liner pop screws. Turn the wheels all the way in the other direction and do the other side.

If someone did use some adhesive (???) then Goo-gone or another citrus-based solvent may work.

goo gone will work, as will most over the counter adhesive removers. most strakes come with double sided tape, not everyone uses them. The OEM strakes already have the adhesive attached, so you'll see that stuck to the car almost every time.

If you use any adhesive remover make sure to wash off the area with clean water immediatly after to remove any extra chemicals.

dont rub to hard using any cleaner as well.... it may dull the paint and will need a really good buff after.

ask me how i know, did this on my last car taking the dealer badge off and used go gone and cloth and rubbed away, left the paint in dull finish :(

Thanks chaps, I've taken your advice and ordered some goo-gone off eBay.

It's not the removal of excess adhesive after taking off the strakes that I'm worried about, it's more a case of getting the vent panel to pop out of the fender, as not only will it be attached by clips, but also by the existing adhesive on the strakes themselves!

I'll take it gently and hopefully things will be OK. As I mentioned before, this isn't going to be a permanent thing. I have a brand new set of polished OEM strakes on the way, as I'm a bit of a self-confessed obsessive compulsive, and I'm fed up of looking at an otherwise near perfect RX-8 and noticing how the lacquer on my old strakes is starting to peel in places!:eyetwitch

use dental floss first to cut the adhesive down the middle (basically sawing up and down to cut). that will let you get the vent off and then be able to apply the goo gone just to the adhesive.

Again, thanks guys, I'll let you know how this goes just as soon as the goo gone turns up. I really must get past my habit of spending so much money on treats for my vehicles... just spent nearly £400 on new sparks, coils and HT leads :Eyecrazy:

Mind you, from the service documents and receipts that I have, it doesn't look like the previous owners were fans of parting with their money unless it was absolutely necessary. She's only covered just over 26k miles, and I gather that the spark plugs aren't a service item until 30k, but it seems like it's one of the achilles heels of the '8, and prevention is always better than cure!

This all turned out rather well in the end - can't recommend the dental floss tip enough, it worked a treat!