SONAX PROFILINE Stain Ex Adhesive Remover Glue Remover 1000ml

Get adhesive, labels and glue residue off without a trace — SONAX PROFILINE Stain Ex

What does SONAX's pro-grade adhesive remover actually do? The solvent-based spray lifts glue residue, labels, stickers, tar, wax and stubborn stains cleanly off paint, glass, metal and plastic surfaces — no scrubbing, no damage to the surface.

In pro detailing and vehicle reconditioning you run into a whole spectrum of stubborn stains and residue that normal cleaners simply will not shift: adhesive left behind by removed vinyl lettering, price tags and type-plate labels, tar picked up from the underbody, wax build-up and stubborn tar spatter thrown up off the road. The SONAX PROFILINE Stain Ex is the universal adhesive remover for all of these jobs: solvent-based, but tuned for paint-safe use, and available in a 1-litre bottle for regular pro work.

• Lifts adhesive, labels and stickers without a trace. Glue residue from removed vinyl, stickers and factory labels is built from plastic polymers, and solvent-based chemistry softens it and breaks its grip on the surface. Stain Ex opens up those polymer chains and makes them wipeable — no abrasion, nothing left on the paint. On cars that have just had vinyl lettering or wrap lettering pulled off, an adhesive remover is what gets you a genuinely clean finish.
• Cuts through tar, wax and stubborn stains. Tar residue off road asphalt and bitumen clings hard to paint and plastics thanks to its thermoplastic behaviour — a normal wash run does nothing to it. Stain Ex dissolves the tar chemically and makes it wipeable, so you are not scratching it off. Wax residue on paint, wax on rubber seals and baked-on dressing leftovers react to the solvent-based formula too.
• Safe on paint, glass, metal and plastic. The formula is built around the surfaces you meet on a car every day: painted, glazed, chromed and thermoplastic. On paint it is safe with a short dwell time and no long contact; on glass and metal it is far more forgiving. That surface tolerance makes Stain Ex a genuinely versatile tool for glue removal, without a separate product for every surface.

Day-to-day from Detailing1: Use Stain Ex sparingly and keep it targeted — spray it onto a clean microfibre or put it straight on the glue spot, let it dwell briefly (30–60 seconds), then wipe. Do not mist it across whole painted panels and do not use it on hot paint — at high temperatures and with a long dwell, solvents can attack the clear coat. On delicate surfaces, always test on a hidden spot first. Once the adhesive is off, go over the area with a mild cleaner or shampoo to pull any solvent residue away. For tar covering a whole panel we would grab the SONAX PROFILINE TeerEntferner instead, as the specialist for large-area tar removal.

Solvent technology: how Stain Ex breaks down adhesive and Stubborn stains

The adhesive remover works on selective solvent chemistry: certain organic solvents dissolve plastic polymers (adhesives), hydrocarbon compounds (tar, bitumen, wax) and other organic matter — the chemical bonds between the polymer chains are weakened, the substance swells, and then it lifts off the surface with almost no effort. That is the ground rule behind every adhesive remover: the right solvent for the right type of glue.

Stain Ex is formulated as a broad-spectrum adhesive remover that tackles a wide range of organic residue — from acrylic adhesives (typical on factory stickers) through solvent adhesives (in lettering vinyl) to bitumen (tar) and candle wax. That versatility comes from a balanced solvent blend that answers different glue types without being too aggressive for car paint. Paint compatibility is good with short dwell times — with long dwell times, or on delicate specialist clear coats (matt paint, very thin clear coat layers, for example), take care.

One thing that matters with solvent adhesive removers is leaving nothing behind: Stain Ex is formulated so that after a wipe and a short flash-off it leaves no visible or feelable residue on the treated area. That is critical before new vinyl or a sealant goes on — solvent residue on the substrate would wreck the adhesion of the new layer. A final pass with a mild cleaner after the glue is off makes sure the panel is genuinely clean.

Temperature is another thing experienced detailers keep in mind with adhesive removers: at low temperatures (under 10 °C) the reaction slows down and you need longer dwell times; at high temperatures (hot paint in the sun, over 40 °C) the solvents flash off too fast and can leave aggressive concentrations sitting on the paint. The sweet spot is paint temperatures between 15 °C and 30 °C — in the garage or in the shade. Solvent selectivity also means the adhesive remover can be used on freshly polished surfaces without wrecking the polishing work — the organic abrasive carriers from the polish get dissolved, which after a machine polish can even work in your favour when you are pulling glue off.

Using Stain Ex properly — targeted and safe glue removal

Using an adhesive remover takes a targeted approach and respect for solvent chemistry. Step 1 — prep: give the car or the panel a rough wash to get loose dirt off, because that dirt will scratch as soon as you wipe with a solvent-soaked cloth. Find the glue spot and pick off whatever comes away mechanically (peelable bits of vinyl, for instance) — only then do you hit the film of glue left on the surface with Stain Ex.

Step 2 — application: put Stain Ex on a clean microfibre or a lint-free cloth — do not spray straight onto paint unless you have exact control over how much lands there. Lay the damp cloth on the glue spot and let it dwell 30–60 seconds — do not rub, just lay it on and wait while the solvent swells the adhesive. Then wipe with light pressure — the softened glue releases and stays on the cloth. Repeat on anything stubborn.

Step 3 — aftercare: rinse the cleaned area with clean water or wipe it with a mild cleaner (car shampoo and water, for instance) to take every trace of solvent off. Then dry the panel and check the glue is fully gone. If the spot is being prepped for new vinyl work or a sealant, follow the glue removal with a panel-wipe step using SONAX PROFILINE Prepare, so the surface goes into the new coating in the best possible shape.

Where Stain Ex earns its keep — typical glue removal jobs

The SONAX PROFILINE Stain Ex covers every typical adhesive-removal scenario in professional vehicle work. Factory stickers and dealer labels on new cars: new vehicles turn up with price stickers, type plates and promo decals that have to come off before handover. The glue left behind once you peel those labels does not wash off — Stain Ex lifts it without a trace.

Vinyl removal after lettering: company cars, vans and lettered vehicles get reconditioned at the end of their working life or their lease. The glue left by lettering vinyl is often spread over a large area and seriously stubborn — Stain Ex lets you work through it efficiently, panel by panel. On really big areas (a whole side panel) soak a bigger cloth and work section by section.

Tar and bitumen residue: road tar thrown up out of warm asphalt as you drive, sticking to sills, lower door edges and wheel arches, is a classic detailing headache. For tar spread over a wide area the specialist choice is the SONAX PROFILINE TeerEntferner — for individual tar spots Stain Ex does the job just as well, with the bonus that it also lifts whatever else has settled around the tar. Wax residue on rubber trim, baked-on polishing oil and bug remains that will not budge without chemistry all react to the adhesive remover too.

Other jobs in professional use: on cars getting PPF (Paint Protection Film), pulling the positioning film off often leaves glue along the cut edges — Stain Ex takes those edge residues off precisely, without attacking the freshly applied film itself, as long as you keep it targeted and control the amount. In interior work it lifts sticker adhesive off plastic trim, glue from removed window tint on the glass, and stubborn resin marks on smooth surfaces. The 1-litre spray bottle format lets you apply directly and under control — onto a cloth, or in justified cases straight onto the glue spot when you can dose it precisely.

Adhesive removers compared — where Stain Ex sits in the range

A professional detailing range holds several specialists for glue and contamination removal. The SONAX PROFILINE Stain Ex sits there as the universal adhesive remover, dealing with a wide range of glue residue — without specialising in one single type of adhesive. Against specific contamination like tar, PROFILINE TeerEntferner is purpose-built and more effective; for mineral contamination (limescale, rust) an acidic cleaner such as the SONAX PROFILINE MultiClean Acid is the better call.

Stain Ex fills the gap between the specialists: as an all-rounder for organic glue and stain removal it is the tool detailers reach for when neither the wheel cleaner, nor the alkaline pre-cleaner, nor the glass cleaner has solved the problem. The „stain and adhesive remover" category is a fixture in every professional detailing kit, because day-to-day a whole range of organic substances end up on car surfaces that standard cleaners simply cannot shift.

Next to household glue removers (petrol- or ethanol-based ones, for instance), Stain Ex as a pro product gives you higher concentration and, at the same time, less risk to the paint at short dwell times. Household products tend to be either too weak (useless on hard adhesive) or too aggressive for delicate car paint. Stain Ex is built as the middle ground: reliable results in professional use with acceptable surface tolerance.

Buying SONAX PROFILINE Stain Ex — pack sizes and what we recommend

The SONAX PROFILINE Stain Ex comes in 1 litre and as a 2x 1 litre set. The 1-litre bottle is aimed at regular pro use in reconditioning businesses: used sparingly and on target, a litre covers a very large number of individual glue-removal jobs — a single glue mark or a small label needs only a few millilitres. The two-pack is ideal for businesses that regularly recondition lettered vehicles or do large-area glue removal.

For reconditioning businesses keeping the product in stock permanently, we would put it in the standard cleaning kit next to TeerEntferner, the wheel cleaner and the alkaline pre-cleaner — together those products cover the whole spectrum of organic and inorganic contamination on a car. The adhesive remover is the answer for everything water and standard cleaners cannot touch.

The economics show up clearly on the job: because you only need very small amounts per application — typically 1–2 ml per glue spot — a litre goes a very long way. Against household alternatives, the pro product pays for itself quickly through higher effectiveness and the smaller amount you need. Detailers working on cars every day especially value the consistency: an adhesive remover that performs the same way every single time saves working hours and cuts the risk of having to go back over glue that did not come off properly.

In short, the SONAX PROFILINE Stain Ex is the essential product for every situation where glue residue, stubborn stains or organic contamination end up on vehicle surfaces. Pro detailers rate it as a dependable tool that burns through less product than you would expect, works, and looks after the surfaces it is used on when you follow the instructions.