THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT 
              Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Tuesday, February 21, 1995             TAG: 9502210309
SECTION: LOCAL                    PAGE: B1   EDITION: FINAL 
SOURCE: BY PATRICIA HUANG, STAFF WRITER 
DATELINE: CHESAPEAKE                         LENGTH: Medium:   53 lines

WHEN IT COMES TO CLEANING, NEW DECALS ARE A WASHOUT

The city's new auto decals, which are imprinted with the make, model and identification number of the vehicle, have cut down on sticker theft and streamlined the distribution process.

Now, if only they could stand up to window washing.

Since the new sticker went on sale in December, some Chesapeake motorists said they discovered an annoying glitch in the new stickers: Ordinary household glass cleaners dissolve them.

A flyer signed by City Treasurer Barbara O. Carraway carries this warning:

``Stop. Windex, 409 and other cleaning solvents may damage your city decal. Please avoid spraying the decal with any type of cleaner, and avoid wiping the decal with a wet rag when you are cleaning your windshield.''

The problem is that the solvents dissolve the ink on the stickers, said Dick Pokorny, a Chesapeake systems analyst who invented the new sticker.

``I think it could be something simple, like we should've coated the back side of it,'' he said.

Some car owners have reported that a little more than the color came off while cleaning their cars.

``One customer said he was wiping it and it just dissolved, just came off in his hands,'' said Tom Pifer, a manager at Knell's Ridge Car Wash on Battlefield Boulevard. The damage occurred, Pifer said, at the center of the sticker, where the identifying information is printed.

``The sticker itself is a great idea,'' said Pifer.

City officials discovered the flaw around mid-January, when a resident returned a damaged sticker to the treasurer's office, Pokorny said.

The stickers, which are made of acetate film, will be given another special coating to prevent ink bleeding and dissolving, said Martin Waranch, a salesman at Standard Register, which makes the decals.

``See, the environmentally friendly ink on the sticker is easily attacked by solvents,'' Waranch said. But the oversight will be corrected with an equally environmentally friendly coating, he said.

In the meantime, car owners are warned against spraying their windshields. ``If there's one that's ruined, we'll replace it free of charge,'' said Pokorny.

The purpose of the new sticker, used for the first time this year, is to cut down on sticker thefts, which are occurring in increasing numbers. The stickers cost about $24 in most cities, but thieves save a lot more than that by not paying personal property tax on their vehicles. ILLUSTRATION: City Sticker

by CNB