Removing painted pinstripes from 2011 Prius

My new 2011 Prius came with some rather tacky-looking PAINTED pinstripes that were apparently put on before it got to the dealer. The dealer has promised (in writing) to have them removed, but the bodyshop was closed when we bought the car (it was Sunday). So we are taking it in for that on Friday.

But I'm worried that removing the painted pinstripes could damage the paint. They say they've done it before, but really, is this safe? Does anyone know how they would remove that, or have any experience with something like this?

The pinstripes are just 1/8 inch wide or so. The pinstripe paint seems rather fragile. You can pick it off with your fingernail. In fact, they originally thought it was a stick-on and tried to remove it, so an inch at one end is kind of half removed. So it seems to come off... but still...

If there's any chance that removing the pinstripes would mess up the real paint, I think I would rather just live with the ugly pinstripes.

Any thoughts?

Thanks a lot!

 

@tumbleweed, Yeah I don't know what moron thought that this would make the car look better. It is very cheap and dated looking.

@Gary Otto, I wish they were adhesive, they would come right off. Unfortunately they are painted on.

 

Well they said it would take 60-90 mins, so that can't possibly involve any repainting, right???

 

It's definitely not vinyl. I wish it was. They originally thought it was vinyl and they were going to pull it off before the sale. The tried to do so, and discovered it's painted on, over the top of the clear coat.

From what I have read online, there are various methods for removing it. Like for instance, a felt polishing wheel, followed by waxing. But I don't know... I would hate for them to damage the paint underneath.

Can I trust a dealership body shop to do it right, I wonder?

 

Thanks very much for your input, everyone.

Here is a photo of the front of the offending pinstripe. You can see the part that they flaked off already. I think they did it with a plastic razor. And the little nick behind that, I did with my fingernail.

So yeah, I am hoping it will come off pretty easy.

Sure, the dealership would be liable if they mess it up, in theory. But really, would I have any realistic recourse (especially since I live about 2.5 hours away...)

Anyway, I'll see how it goes on Friday and hope for the best. I will let y'all know how it turns out.

Thanks.

 

Every single Prius on the lot had the silly pinstripes. Otherwise I would have been near tempted to upgrade to a III or something to avoid them!

Poor cars...

 

@mgb4tim, sorry, no offense intended. I realize it's a matter of taste, and of course tastes will vary! I am just irritated because I didn't have any other option. I mean, it would be easier to put them on than take them off.

@bedrock8x, at least I didn't pay for them. The only add-on I couldn't escape was tinted windows. But in Arizona, that is well worth having. We used truecar and got a great deal, I would highly recommend it (but I would suggest getting *detailed* information on the phone before you drive 2.5 hours to make a deal!)