Merc with no model info

peking97

Recently spotted a 2011 merc which had no information at all on the rear. The only visible external info was a "Blue Efficiency" badge on the side near the front.
Anyone have info on this?

biko

It's called "debadging" and some people like that look.

hi5

'Badge delete' is often an option.

bazz26

Yep, a lot of the premium car makers offer a "badge delete" option from the factory where they put no model designation on the car.

Cienciano

hi5 wrote: »

'Badge delete' is often an option.

Yep. Go to the merc website and it has all the optional extras. Having no badges is there, costs €0 when I looked last time.

coylemj

I think it's also a BMW option though very rarely specified. You do see BMWs with no model number and an 'M' stuck on to the boot with only one or two exhaust pipes to give the game away. Never ceases to amaze me how those owners completely miss the point that the same people who know what an 'M' on the back of a BMW means also know that without twin exhaust pipes left and right, the badge is fake! Fooling nobody except yourself mate.

For Mercs it's a way of either disguising the fact that it's a basic model (e.g. E200) or to deter prospective bank robbers from 'borrowing' it for a job e.g. if it's an E500! However for the top end (8 cyl) models, the odd shaped exhaust pipes give it away even with no badge...

mickdw

coylemj wrote: »

I think it's also a BMW option though very rarely specified. You do see BMWs with no model number and an 'M' stuck on to the boot with only one or two exhaust pipes to give the game away. Never ceases to amaze me how those owners completely miss the point that the same people who know what an 'M' on the back of a BMW means also know that without twin exhaust pipes left and right, the badge is fake! Fooling nobody except yourself mate.

For Mercs it's a way of either disguising the fact that it's a basic model (e.g. E200) or to deter prospective bank robbers from 'borrowing' it for a job e.g. if it's an E500! However for the top end (8 cyl) models, the odd shaped exhaust pipes give it away even with no badge...

You might want to think again about your bmw rant.
An M badge is a legit factory item signifying MSport styling which is obviously a factory option.
An M3 or M5 badge on a standard 3 or 5 series is laughable but nothing wrong with anything that's a factory option imo.

rocky

No BMWs come from factory with a single ///M badge on the boot.

Yay, thisthreadagain.jpg

coylemj

mickdw wrote: »

You might want to think again about your bmw rant.
An M badge is a legit factory item signifying MSport styling which is obviously a factory option.
An M3 or M5 badge on a standard 3 or 5 series is laughable but nothing wrong with anything that's a factory option imo.

Wrong. The M-Sport package does not come with the 'M' badge on the boot.

http://www.carsireland.ie/detail.php?ad_id=1062723&r=s.php%3Fm%3D10%26g%3D0%26z%3D-2

http://www.carsireland.ie/detail.php?ad_id=1132341&r=s.php%3Fm%3D10%26g%3D0%26z%3D-2

http://www.murphygunnbmw.ie/used-cars/BMW/5-Series/520d-M/85914117944096270/

http://www.joeduffybmw.ie/used-cars/BMW/3-Series/318d-M/82514107818431310/

Sobanek

The ///M badge was/is a dealer accessory, and the dealer can have it installed on the car upon the client's request.

Confirmed it with BMW UK back in 2011. I'll give you a copy of the e-mail if I find it somewhere.

mickdw

coylemj wrote: »

Wrong. The M-Sport package does not come with the 'M' badge on the boot.

http://www.carsireland.ie/detail.php?ad_id=1062723&r=s.php%3Fm%3D10%26g%3D0%26z%3D-2

http://www.carsireland.ie/detail.php?ad_id=1132341&r=s.php%3Fm%3D10%26g%3D0%26z%3D-2

http://www.murphygunnbmw.ie/used-cars/BMW/5-Series/520d-M/85914117944096270/

http://www.joeduffybmw.ie/used-cars/BMW/3-Series/318d-M/82514107818431310/

It seems to me that you were not quite clear on the difference between a car being designated an m division car with M3, M5 etc badging versus a standard bmw with m sport styling pack and carrying an m badge. The simple m badge is not attempting to fool anyone, it is simply signifying a styling pack and is quite correct in itself.

Just to show how silly your argument is, you can go to any of cars you have picked there and have a look at the bottom of the steering for example. You will see an M badge.... as in styling pack. I don't think bmw were trying to fool the owner or anyone else into thinking these cars were anything other than standard models with MSport styling.
Are you suggesting that bmw were trying to fool the driver into thinking they were in fact in an M3 or M5 as the case may be?

testicle

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW_M#M-Cars_vs._M-badged_cars

bazz26

BMW's M Sport packages are the same as Audi's S-Line and Merc's AMG Sport packages.

coylemj

mickdw wrote: »

It seems to me that you were not quite clear on the difference between a car being designated an m division car with M3, M5 etc badging versus a standard bmw with m sport styling pack and carrying an m badge. The simple m badge is not attempting to fool anyone, it is simply signifying a styling pack and is quite correct in itself.

Just to show how silly your argument is, you can go to any of cars you have picked there and have a look at the bottom of the steering for example. You will see an M badge.... as in styling pack. I don't think bmw were trying to fool the owner or anyone else into thinking these cars were anything other than standard models with MSport styling.
Are you suggesting that bmw were trying to fool the driver into thinking they were in fact in an M3 or M5 as the case may be?

I'm not 'arguing' anything, my point simply is that there are BMWs out there which were ordered with no model badge on the bootlid (the topic of this thread) where the owners have added an 'M' badge in the expectation that people will think it's an M3 or M5 when the exhaust tells a different story.

There's even BMWs out there with '320i' or similar on the right side of the bootlid and an 'M' badge on the left side!

I'm well aware that the M-Sport trim package includes embellishment like the badge on the steering wheel, the alloys and so on, I've known plenty of people with this package and I've been in their cars. I was simply pointing out that going the extra mile and putting the M badge on the bootlid is fooling nobody.

You can call it an argument, I call it an observation.

Dartz

Am I the only person who'd be temped to do the opposite and remove the identifiers on an M-car, and replace it with the badges for the base-model?

The 135 or 235 BMW's would be well suited to it...