Automotive De-Badging 101
Every now and then, you might see an expensive European sedan or sports car that’s missing an emblem or two. As it turns out, automotive de-badging is more common than you think. It’s a great way to fool a fellow motorist into thinking your base Euro ride is no different from the top-of-the-line special, plus it adds a bit of mystique and intrigue to your vehicle’s appearance.
The following is a short and simple guide to stripping those tell-tale letters and numbers from your vehicle, along with some advice in case anything goes wrong.
Removing the Emblem
Before you do anything else, you’ll want to wash the area surround the badge with either car wash soap and water or a rinseless wash. Make sure the area is completely dry before moving on with the next step.
In most cases, the emblem is held in place with automotive adhesive, so you’ll need a heat gun to soften the adhesive enough to peel the adhesive and emblem away from the paint without any damage. Use a quick back-and-forth motion to evenly heat up the emblem without lingering in one spot. A hair dryer also suffices if the heat gun is too much to handle, but it’ll take longer for the process to work.
Next, use a plastic blade or a flat spatula to carefully lift the emblem away from the surface. Work your way through slowly and carefully, since you don’t want to leave behind any scratches. Using dental floss or fishing line may even be better, in some cases. This method is not as potentially destructive to paint and the sawing action required may even help get the job done a bit quicker.
Cleanup Time
Once you’ve removed the emblem, it’s likely there will be some adhesive left behind. A few seconds spent with the heat gun or hair dryer will soften the remaining adhesive enough to peel away by hand. Any remaining residue can be removed with the use of a heavy-duty remover spray.
All that’s left is to buff and polish away any faint traces that the emblem existed. First, run a clay bar across the surface to pick up unseen residue and smooth the de-badged surface. Once the area is wiped down, you can polish the surface until the ghosting becomes virtually unnoticeable.
Keep in mind that you won’t always be able to completely remove ghosting without taking the paint’s clear coat with it. Instead, polish as much as you can without removing the clear coat, but no further. Chances are most people won’t look at it close enough to notice a faint outline or slight discoloration.
What If I Screwed Up?
If you give your car’s paint finish a good nick or scratch, don’t fret – it happens to even the best of us. Instead, you’ll want to set about restoring the paint finish to as close to its original appearance as possible. You’ll want to do the following after you’ve removed the emblems:
- If the scratch is no deeper than the clear coat – Apply polishing compound to a polishing pad or a microfiber cloth. Polish the area where the scratch is present and then buff it dry with a clean cloth. Repeat the process as needed, but be careful about polishing through the clear coat itself.
- If the scratch reaches the base coat and primer – Wipe the area clean of all oils and wax. Next, fill in the scratch with a careful application of touch-up paint. Allow the paint to cure overnight and then wet-sand it with fine-grit sandpaper until the touched-up area blends in with the rest of the paint. Afterwards, use a polishing compound to bring the area back to its original luster.