What's the best way to remove a tape stripe that's been on the car a good while.

Try a hair dryer first, or 3M sells a woodgrain and decal remover that works slick (spray can.) Melts the old decal off won't hurt the paint.

change shorts

I used the 3m spray stuff to remove the decals from car lots

change shorts










I was gonna say, start with butt wipe.
But really there is a decal removing tool and disc/wheel. I have seen just the wheel to mount on a drill. We remove our logo's at work with one and if used correctly they will not harm the paint.

Heat lamp(just to warm up the panel) and hot air dryer may work well and it might peel right off.

Otherwise you may need the 3M stripe eraser wheel if the stripe is real old. It works great but just use very light pressure and go slow. It will take it right off.

I had to use both methods to get the fender stripes off my Duster to replace them.

my bad!..sorry..could not help myself

it poped in my head when I read the title

I have used WD40 on stickers and stuff on paint with good results also

I just did this,,,,it was a bit of a pain in the ....

I took the stripe off the back of the Charger,,,(white),,and changed it to matte black,,,very happy with the results,,,but it was some work getting the old stripe off.

I ended up using a hair dryer,,,and peeling it back/off by hand,,,it came off in small sections,,,at time in small pieces,,,i was fortunate and did not ruin the paint,,,,
I didnt use any solvents to get it off,,,
I was going to use the 3M wheel but didnt want to burn thru,,,and since the stripe was so big,,,i wasnt sure it would work.....
(there are probably easier ways to remove it than how i did it,,,i just took my time and got it off with the hair dryer and manual labor,,lol)

WOW, that came out great and looks better .

If it's quite old, the stripe eraser is probably your best bet. The stripe material get pretty brittle overtime, and once it does, you can forget about peeling it off. A heat gun will soften the adhesive, but the vinyl just won't hold together.

Depending on the color of your car, and the paint quality, don't be surprised to find that the paint under the stripe no longer matches the rest of the car.

The other issue was all the adhesive under the stripe once removed.....
I used "goo-b-gone",,,,got it at autozone,,comes in a little bottle,,1-2 oz size,,,,,
wiped it on and let it sit a few minutes,,,and it removed the underlying adhesive without any issues,,and no damage to the paint...
My prior stripe had been on the car for at least 12 years,,,,the paint underneath looked fine and matched well...but the car doesnt sit in the sun much....
good luck.
you might want to try the stripe remover wheel...if it works it might be quicker,,,,,i was just nervous about burning my paint with such a big stripe....

Gasoline & probably kerosene take the adhesive goo off too after stripe is removed.