Visor warning labels

[galaxee]

just a couple weeks ago, actually

remove the 2 screws, there is a small wiring connector, real easy.

[oly_57mpg]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Doc Willie @ Aug 21 2007, 09:53 PM) [snapback]500069[/snapback]</div>

Also, removing the visor to do the steam iron thing may not be so simple. When one slides the cover to the vanity mirror open, the vanity light above it comes on, suggesting there is a sensor and some wiring inside the visor. Has anyone actually removed a visor from a Prius?
[/b]

It's a cake walk! Two screws and one plug. Takes about 35 seconds to take the visor off. The passenger visor looks really funny on the drivers side - for those of us that have destroyed our drivers side visors

The visor mirror is a simple switch; it completes the circuit allow the switched light to turn on. The pins in the connector seem to be the same pitch as all of the other wiring harnesses - i.e. you could use them for the EV mod.

So, here are the pictures. Apologies for the low quality - other camera is MIA.

Starting with a removed visor:


After an hour of fussing with the iron and a wet rag and then the steam wand from my Espresso machine:


Don't pull too hard:


Since I've basically destroyed the visor, let's see how it was constructed:
The mirror pops out. The glass cover has to be slid open and then there are two clips on the left of this picture. The mirror and the slide assembly remove as one after it's been removed from the clips and pulled up a bit.



Don't try to take the plastic housing apart. The hinge is pressed in place and removing it requires breaking two plastic clips:

[phumpher]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(oly_57mpg @ Aug 21 2007, 11:58 PM) [snapback]500161[/snapback]</div>

~snip~
After an hour of fussing with the iron and a wet rag and then the steam wand from my Espresso machine
Don't pull too hard
~snip~
[/b]

Wow, sorry for the bad advice.
The process had worked well for me. And the fabric on our Tundra visors seemed similiar to what's on our Prius visors, so I tried it.
Apparently, Fortune shined on me that day.

Did you ever soak the visor fabric?
Or was it just the wet rag and steam?

[oly_57mpg]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(phumpher @ Aug 22 2007, 09:37 AM) [snapback]500231[/snapback]</div>

Wow, sorry for the bad advice.
[/b]

Not your fault! It was a learning experience.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(phumpher @ Aug 22 2007, 09:37 AM) [snapback]500231[/snapback]</div>

The process had worked well for me. And the fabric on our Tundra visors seemed similiar to what's on our Prius visors, so I tried it.[/b]

Rats! I was hoping that the Tundra had a different fabric/material. I guess not. Oh well!

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(phumpher @ Aug 22 2007, 09:37 AM) [snapback]500231[/snapback]</div>

Did you ever soak the visor fabric?
Or was it just the wet rag and steam?
[/b]

No, I did not 'soak' the fabric. I heavily moistened 20mm around the edge of the sticker and on the sticker. I used a wet rag and steam. Then when that didn't work well, I used the steam wand from my espresso machine. The steam wand worked ok, but I think that it was too hot and caused the glue to set in deeper into the fabric.

After taking the visor apart, I understand why the visor needs to be heavily soaked - water needs to be _under_ the sticker. When the iron is heating, the water under the sticker steams the glue from the under side. Since I was unable to do it, doesn't mean that others (with more patients and cooler irons) can't do it!

[Doc Willie]

QUOTE(oly_57mpg @ Aug 21 2007, 11:58 PM)
~snip~
After an hour of fussing with the iron and a wet rag and then the steam wand from my Espresso machine
Don't pull too hard
~snip~

OUCH !! I don't think I want to try this until someone has done it sucessfully. Thanks for taking point on this, and for sharing your experience.

[oly_57mpg]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Doc Willie @ Aug 22 2007, 01:57 PM) [snapback]500437[/snapback]</div>

OUCH !! I don't think I want to try this until someone has done it sucessfully. Thanks for taking point on this, and for sharing your experience.
[/b]

I dunno, phumpher was able to do it. I think that I just didn't start the process properly. I didn't soak the visor with enough water and I had the iron set too hot.
Since I'm already in the hole for $60 - another $60 isn't going to matter much. I'll try again with my remaining visor to see if I can do it better. I'll have higher quality pics next time.

[Doc Willie]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(oly_57mpg @ Aug 22 2007, 03:25 PM) [snapback]500523[/snapback]</div>

I dunno, phumpher was able to do it. I think that I just didn't start the process properly. I didn't soak the visor with enough water and I had the iron set too hot.
Since I'm already in the hole for $60 - another $60 isn't going to matter much. I'll try again with my remaining visor to see if I can do it better. I'll have higher quality pics next time.
[/b]

I will await the resutls of experiment #2.

[oly_57mpg]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Doc Willie @ Aug 22 2007, 06:30 PM) [snapback]500639[/snapback]</div>

I will await the resutls of experiment #2.
[/b]

Well, I can absolutely verify that heat will do nothing to loosen the glue. After some research and two different sets of trial and error, it is my opinion that heat does nothing to remove the label.

I investigated other forums (BMW, Mustand, GTO, etc...) most folks say that heat does nothing and risks warping or melting certain plastics.

What I found is that the labels on the Prius are vinyl. The fabric and plastic are made of something else. Vinyl is dissolvable with Acetone.

I ended up using Acetone to wipe/melt the sticker away. The only other plastic items on the visor that reacted to acetone was the latch clip cylinder.
It's starting to dissolve...

And gone!

With more wipes and some brushing...


Here's the pair together:



I'm sure with time and some more scrubbing, the area with the glue residue will subside.

[NoMoShocks]

The visors are not very usefull to me, so I never see the Warnings, and they don't bug me. I can see how if you are shorter and make use of the visors, they are unsightly.

These warnings are a result of the Per Capata Lawyer Ratio. If you can begin reducing the number of lawyers, you will see the Warning labels fade as the lawyer numbers go down.

Here is one of my favorite Warning Signs.

[attachmentid=10846]

[Doc Willie]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(NoMoShocks @ Aug 23 2007, 02:56 AM) [snapback]500865[/snapback]</div>

The visors are not very usefull to me, so I never see the Warnings, and they don't bug me. I can see how if you are shorter and make use of the visors, they are unsightly.
[/b]

I pretty much ignore these things, as all humans do to anything that is a fixed constant in the environment. Like the startup message on the GPS would be much more effective if it came up every 10 times you started the car. But, as I am always re-learning, logic does not count for much on this planet.

I could ignore them, but the judges at car shows won't. Stuff like this screams STOCK and is the Kiss of Death.

Of course, maybe I am getting carried away by this car show thing.