Debadging a car.

cozzie55

Hey

I'm just after buying a new car and I think the rear end looks a bit cluttered with letters and numbers so I'd love to debadge it myself. I've read a few posts online that suggest heating up the badge with a hair drier and using tooth floss to get the badge off.

Has anyone on here attempted to debadge their car themselves? How did they do it and did they think the results were worth it?

Cheers

colm_mcm

What car is it?

bazz26

Plenty of videos on youtube on how to do this.

Spike Witwicky

I did this on my old Mondeo. No need to now as car is factory debadged

What i did was pour fresh boiled water over the badges (not sure this actually a good idea). This softens the adhesive. The badges just pulled away using a fingernail. Used Autoglym tar remover to get rid of the rest of the adhesive. And done.

Spike Witwicky

I think it was worth it. Here is the end result

cozzie55

colm_mcm wrote: »

What car is it?

It's an 09 3 series m sport. And it's silver if that matters.

I'm worried that the paintwork around the badge will have faded making the unfaded paint work under the badge very obvious.

Spike Witwicky

I didnt have any issues like that.

obezyana

I'd use the hair dryer option. It's how we got signs of in work it does the job for most adhesives.

daveohdave

Most BMW model badges are stick-on, because buying without the badge is an option, but for anyone else considering this, always ask on a marque-specific forum first, because some badges have location pins that slot into holes in the bodywork.

OP, paint fade on a car that young is unlikely. If there is any, a light polishing compound should merge nicely. Just make sure there hasn't been any bodywork in the area, as cheaper painters will just mask the badges, and the paint never matches exactly.

Tropheus

I hope it's not a 1.9 TDi RS4.

biko

I'd go with hairdryer too, get it nice and hot and the floss it.
There are mail polish removers and similar but may be harsh on the coat/paint.

Afterwards clean off with petrol/tar remover/wd40/similar and then get car washed properly and waxed.

cozzie55

Tropheus wrote: »

I hope it's not a 1.9 TDi RS4.

It's an original m sport. I wouldn't be touching anything that some lad has had his hands on and decked it out in an m sport kit.

georgefalls

How can something be "factory debadged"..?
Surely they were just never stuck on in the first place

Spike Witwicky

georgefalls wrote: »

How can something be "factory debadged"..?
Surely they were just never stuck on in the first place

:pac: yeah pretty much but "factory debadged" sounds better than "never stuck on in the first place"

Noccy_Mondy

Spike Witwicky wrote: »

:pac: yeah pretty much but "factory debadged" sounds better than "never stuck on in the first place"

I find it strange that Ford anyway, have chose to leave the spec badges off from now on. Suppose it's keeping in line with other manufacturers.

Spike Witwicky

Noccy_Mondy wrote: »

I find it strange that Ford anyway, have chose to leave the spec badges off from now on. Suppose it's keeping in line with other manufacturers.

Ford got carried away with badging for a while. I remember seeing mk3 Mondeos with Zetec and Platinum badges during the trim name changeover. Along with Mondeo and TDCI badges it was too much imo.

Dunno who started factory debadging as an option. Possibly Merc/BMW/Audi?

daveohdave

BMW have done it for donkeys.

Some of Mercedes' badging was terrible too, remember the massive long joined-up ones of the late seventies / early eighties. And seriously, Kompressor?

String

Going to de-badge the gti lettering, looking online it brings me to US forums where people are saying to use googone on the leftover residue. Don't think we have that here? Anyway want to use household remedy and some people also said wd40, petrol, polish, soap and water. Anyone use any of these?

tossy

Tar remover will do the job.

obezyana

String wrote: »

Going to de-badge the gti lettering, looking online it brings me to US forums where people are saying to use googone on the leftover residue. Don't think we have that here? Anyway want to use household remedy and some people also said wd40, petrol, polish, soap and water. Anyone use any of these?

Warm water and washing up liquid or as said tar remover.

MercMad

BMW and Mercedes have a "badge delete" option if ordering a new car. It just means that the badge is deleted from the build sheet, not that it is put on and taken off

to the OP, do as the lads suggest, only slight problem could be if the car was regularly carwashed you could see the area where the badges were removed highlighted. However I doubt you would buy a car with paintwork in this state in the first place.