A PO put what looks to be some sort of police sticker on the passenger side of my XR7’s dash. The sticker is completely gone except for the gum residue which is apparently nasty stuff. I have managed to remove a bit of it using WD40 and some other common cleaners, but the majority of it won’t come off. If anyone has a method to clean it without damaging the “wood grain” I’d love to hear it. I’m thinking acetone may work but I don’t have an extra piece to test and see if it damages the decal. I hate to replace a part for something so trivial, but my nature doesn’t allow me to leave it as is.
Two words: Goo gone.
I would also try lighter fluid, the kind you fill cigar/cigarette lighters with. That stuff has worked wonders for me over the years.
x2 on the Goo Gone, except for not knowing what it might do to the finish. I’ve got a couple XR7 woodgrain pieces I could test on if you’d like.
Try 3Ms adheisive remover.
Ronson’s lighter fliud. It says right on the can that it can be used for this and I have used it for ever. It started as a trick my old carpet insatllation boss taught me to remove seam glue from carpet knapp.
WORKS GREAT. The remaining fliud evaporates almost before you can wipe it off. I have NEVER seen it damage the material it was used on including paper!
Last time I used it was to remove a dealer decal off the bed of my new truck.
Bundy, GooGone works miracles and it’s never destroyed anything that I’ve used it on yet. SalD
some dyslexia in here… hmmm…
Thanks for the responses. Peg picked up some Goo Gone for me today, so I’m going to try that first. Hopefully that will be the end of this topic.
I’m sorry to report that the Goo Gone has been unsuccessful. Next up, lighter fluid. Then acetone and lastly MEK. If none of those work I guess I’m replacing it.
Are you rubbing it properly, Al? 
I’ve been married for 22 years which for the last 20 has made me an expert at rubbing it.
Sticker residue was removed with acetone and a good bit of scrubbing. It did not damage the wood grain decal in any way.
It’s always a good day when vigorous rubbing does not damage your wood, I think.
Now that I have successfully removed the residue, upon careful (well OK not real careful) examination I realized I have a nice badge shaped spot that is not slightly faded like the rest of the face. Needless to say I find this to be unacceptable. Not long ago someone posted a picture of a dash that they sprayed with something to help freshen it up. Having the memory of the average 80 year old, I can’t remember who it was nor could I find it by searching. If you could help out I would appreciate it. I would like to be able to focus my OCD on a different area of the car and be done with this.
Some old-timer on one of these forums suggested using brown shoe polish (non-liquid kind) to “freshen” up the dash wood-grain on the XR7’s. It might work.
I agree with C7, why not rub some shoe polish on the spot on your wood?