Plastic Coated GEM?

[SanDiegoDann]

Recently acquired a 2005 e2…had been sitting for years. There is a plastic coating on trunk and spat that is cracked and chipping away…looks terrible…any idea how to remove the plastic that is still there?

[Wcolby]

That is the clear coat. Incredibly common issue on GEMs.
If the car was kept outside any place the sun’s UV rays hit, the plastic will lift off.
I usually chip off all the clearcoat & sand down what I can’t chip off & re-Gel coat or repaint the part.

[Reddevil]

There is a thread on this

Clear Coat Removal Advice

I’ve been working on prepping the plastic body panels for paint and have, like may of you, run into the problem of removing the thick top layer of clear that sits on the paint. I’ve tried sanding, chipping and finally heating it, so here’s what I found to be the easiest solution. Someone here has suggested a heat gun and a putty knife. This is the correct and easiest way to remove the paint, however heating and scraping at the same time is not the correct method. The clear needs to be heated t…

[SanDiegoDann]

Thanks!..went to the thread…good read.