Debadging -- can it go horribly wrong?

mauthner · Post by **mauthner** » Sat Sep 17, 2005 1:16 pm

I waxed my car for the first time today and was annoyed at having to work around the 5 badges placed in incovenient spots on the car. I have seen pics of debadged vibes on the forums but have been reluctant to try it for fear of damaging the paint underneath. Debadging ain't worth it if I risk doing permanent damage to the paint. Did anyone out there try debadging and end up regretting it?

BOZACK · Post by **BOZACK** » Sat Sep 17, 2005 4:01 pm

There are a few posts about it already. Use the search feature. It is very easy as the badges are just glued on. As long as you don't use power tools to get them off it should be easy. I've not heard of any botched jobs.

ColonelPanic · Post by **ColonelPanic** » Sat Sep 17, 2005 5:58 pm

I haven't debadged per se, but close. The dealer badge was one of the run of the mill vinyl sort. I left that thing on there for a good 2 1/4 years. It was nice and stuck on there by the time I felt the urge to remove it.At home, I'm in an apartment and there's not much of a convenient way to get power to a hair dryer so I could soften the vinyl stucker up. It wasn't even on a hot day that I tried to remove it, actually it was like 1 AM. The length of time it was on there plus the temperatures made the vinyl very difficult to do anything with.Somehow, after scraping with a credit card, using tons of goo gone, and more scraping it all came off without damage at all to the paint. The way I chose to go about removing the sticker was totally bonehead on my part, but eh.. The only negative that came about from all that mess was that the paint is slightly darker where the letters used to be. I was on the phone with Kari when I was trying to get that thing off, and I'm sure it sounded like I wouldn't have had any paint left at all back there. I do believe she would agree with me on that one. But somehow it's fine, not many scratches, just the darker areas. I guess if I can give the paint that much hell and still have it decent, that is a good sign for you. Just follow the instructions in whatevr thread and you'll be good. Don't be a goober and half (removed) things like I did and you'll be ok.

binary · Post by **binary** » Sat Sep 17, 2005 11:09 pm

I agree the badges are in bad locations - and not made to be waxed around.You can botch it you:Use a screwdriver to pry off the badgesUse a cable saw to cut through the adhesiveUse 20 grit sandpaper to remove the adhesiveBut other than that - it's a simple process that can take about 30min - 1 hr and save you easily that much time during a wax job. The only thing you're actually removing from the paint is the adhesive backing - and that you do with your finger after you've sliced the badge off with fishing line.PM me if you got questions - I can send you high res photos of the debadged areas of my car if you're still not sure. http://forums.genvibe.com/zero...age=2

AKLGT · Post by **AKLGT** » Sun Sep 18, 2005 2:29 am

like binary has already said, it'd be difficult to screw it up. of course, i'd also put paint or automotive stripper in his "you would be an idiot if you used these" list.

vibeman614 · Post by **vibeman614** » Sun Sep 18, 2005 5:05 am

I de-badge everything and all i did was take a hair dryer heat the badges up and took a screwdriver and peeled them off 1 by 1. as for the adhesive behind it i put some lighter fluid on a paper towel rubbed it adhesive and the stuff came right off no problems to the paint at all

ZubenElGenubi · Post by **ZubenElGenubi** » Sun Sep 18, 2005 5:22 am

It's fairly easy to debadge your Vibe, and easier to screw up if you're not patient. Stuff you'll need: a hairdryer, dental floss (non-waxed), Goo-goneUse the hairdryer to warm up the badge and adhesive. Then use dental floss to work between the adhesive and body to remove it. Lastly, use Goo-gone to remove the excess adhesive from the body.Did mine in about an hour, but I know some here have done it in much less.

Flip-Side · Post by **Flip-Side** » Sun Sep 18, 2005 10:08 am

I go into one of the gentler debadging processes in the thread below. Hope it helps. Some other tips are included from other members. http://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=15574

kostby · Post by **kostby** » Mon Sep 19, 2005 5:36 am

My .02: An adhesives engineer pointed out in an auto forum somewhere (possibly Genvibe) that the specific properties of the adhesive used by auto manufacturers makes it HARDER to remove the badges if you try to PRY them off, than to TWIST them off.

mauthner · Post by **mauthner** » Mon Sep 19, 2005 9:34 am

OK, so after reading all the advice in this thread and elsewhere on genvibe about debadging, I went out with my hairdrier and fishing line after work today and gave it a try. I decided to remove the little pontiac triangle on the back first, as that is the smallest badge and the one I find the most offensive. After heating it up for a little bit, just kind of warm to the touch, not hot, I started flossing the adhesive with the fishing line. I noticed that the line went through the goo easiest right after I finished with the drier, and got harder as the goo cooled down (logically). So, I went back and forth between heating with the drier and a little flossing at a time. It took about four cycles of this until I had flossed all the way through the goo and the badge came off. The whole thing took about 5 minutes.I could remove most of the remaining goo with my fingers and a gentle fingernail. Then I hit the spot with some turtle wax, kind of rubbing the wax off like a polishing compound.No damage to the paint at all. If I can do this anyone can!Tomorrow I am going to take off both the left and right side "vibe" badges. I'll leave on the "awd" and rear "vibe" badge.

ramenboy... · Post by **ramenboy...** » Mon Sep 19, 2005 12:51 pm

awright, you guys convinced me. now i've got a cool weekend project (and about 4 days to drink and get ready for it!!!)i'll post pix when its donem/ >.< m/

Merzbow · Post by **Merzbow** » Mon Sep 19, 2005 12:57 pm

I tried using wax floss when I did mine...the floss would get real hot and then melt and break...I got them all off pretty fast but to get hte glue off I used water, a rag and my thumb. Not a good idea. It was fine on the paint but after a while the skin on my thumb, from being so hot and rubbing, turned into a giant blister. The skin just turned into like a sleeve on my thumb lol.

Flip-Side · Post by **Flip-Side** » Mon Sep 19, 2005 2:18 pm

Quote, originally posted by mauthner Â»If I can do this anyone can!What is sad is I left my badges on my vibe for like 2 years before I tried it. I had no clue it would be so easy either. Needless to say I rewarded myself handsomely with some icy cold Pabst. Mmmmm.

gargoyle · Post by **gargoyle** » Mon Sep 19, 2005 10:07 pm

Quote, originally posted by ramenboy... Â»awright, you guys convinced me. now i've got a cool weekend project (and about 4 days to drink and get ready for it!!!)Hahahaaa! Yes... proper preparation is the key!

ramenboy... · Post by **ramenboy...** » Tue Sep 20, 2005 2:57 am

Quote, originally posted by gargoyle Â»Hahahaaa! Yes... proper preparation is the key! ha! yeah. just hangin out in a drunken stupor with a blow dryer, in the rain.....'awwriiight guyzzzzz, here we goooooo'

ragingfish · Post by **ragingfish** » Tue Sep 20, 2005 3:01 am

Anyone tried using a floss holder to help alleviate the torn skin and blister problem?

djpositivek · Post by **djpositivek** » Tue Sep 20, 2005 3:09 am

You might have a new invention there raging. Just re-name the packaging to say "badge remover" and you could make millions ! Not sure if the gap would be wide enough on those. Maybe you'd have to customize them.

ragingfish · Post by **ragingfish** » Tue Sep 20, 2005 3:17 am

I have one in a drawer somewhere, I'll take it out and compare it...

ragingfish · Post by **ragingfish** » Tue Sep 20, 2005 3:35 am

Couldn't find that, but I did stumble across these on the internet:It's basically dental floss with plastic tips on the ends. Makes it easy to hold, and likely would resist the heat buildup and torn up fingers of traditional floss.Have to run out to Target for some things, will pop into the dental care aisle and snap a better pic.

ramenboy... · Post by **ramenboy...** » Tue Sep 20, 2005 4:55 am

Quote, originally posted by djpositivek Â»You might have a new invention there...are you tired of blistering your finger skin on those hard to reach car badges?do people stare at your torn fingers? do you wish you had cleaner teeth AND a cleaner looking car exterior?Look no further! presenting Ragingco's tooth and badge o- maticteeth flossing and car debadging all in one. but wait. it does more!it slices. it dices. it makes julienne fries...

binary · Post by **binary** » Tue Sep 20, 2005 1:11 pm

Wow, this thread to a detour! Sure the posts make debadging sound easy - oh wait, IT IS!But you think your vibe is too naked, you could always add a badge or two: http://www.evolvefish.com/fish/emblems.html

redlava · Post by **redlava** » Wed Sep 21, 2005 12:34 am

I am going to buy one of every one of those and put them all on the back of the Vibe. I put a few nicks in mine trying to pry off the badges. I tried the fishing twine at first, but I quickly lost patience and turned to a plastic spatula. A little bit of touch-up paint and you won't notice outside of 2 feet. Definitely take your time.

ZubenElGenubi · Post by **ZubenElGenubi** » Wed Sep 21, 2005 2:29 am

(removed)! I needed a good laugh today!

ramenboy... · Post by **ramenboy...** » Wed Sep 21, 2005 4:25 am

ha! just doin my part on genvibe.but if raginfish or djp don't market this, i'm all over the badge-0-matic. move over, bill gates!!!!!!

eilros · Post by **eilros** » Sat Sep 24, 2005 7:54 am

I just finished debading my Vibe and it was a piece of cake. It took around 30 minutes. I used 8# test fishing line but wish I would have gone with something a little stronger like 20#. I tried using Goo Gone to remove the residue but it didn't do a very good job. I then used Mequiars 34 Final Inspection and that removed the residue nicely. It's 58 degrees here now and it was easier to saw through the adhesive without heating it up first with a hair dryer. The fishing line seemed to stick a lot more when it was heated. Hopefully I'll be able to Klasse it tomorrow. The forecast is calling for a partly cloudy sky and 68 degrees.

binary · Post by **binary** » Sat Sep 24, 2005 4:28 pm

Quote, originally posted by redlava Â»I am going to buy one of every one of those and put them all on the back of the Vibe. The "Shark" is proudly mounted on my hatch as of this morning... May I suggest a better site: Ring of Fire pay via paypal and shipping was USPS Priority, got them in 3 days.

gargoyle · Post by **gargoyle** » Sun Sep 25, 2005 5:35 am

OK, after following this thread, I thought... what the hell, why not give it a try since it doesn't seem like much could go wrong... well... I tried it and...It was soooo easy! I tried the fishing line first just to see how easy it would "cut" it. With a little sawing action it went right through it easily in less than 2 minutes on each side, so I didn't even have to bother heating it. After sawing off the badge, a thick (1/16") gray rubbery foam-like adhesive was left. Because it was a cool overcast day (about 65 degrees), the adhesive wasn't gooey or smeary (is that a word?) at all. It actually just peeled off clean in a solid form with no noticeable residue left. I didn't even have to use goo-gone or any other kind of solvent! I just wiped the area with a rag to remove the dirt/wax outline that was left, then washed and waxed the whole vehicle. Turned out nice and clean and shiney! This is a very simple mod, and I recommend doing it on a cool day in the shade so the glue will just peel off without any gooey mess to deal with.

binary · Post by **binary** » Sun Sep 25, 2005 9:22 am

Quote, originally posted by gargoyle Â»This is a very simple mod, and I recommend doing it on a cool day in the shade so the glue will just peel off without any gooey mess to deal with. That's a good idea! I'll try that on my wife's car. I was afraid I was going to need a heat gun - but I think you may be on to something.

mcgusto82 · Post by **mcgusto82** » Sun Sep 25, 2005 1:38 pm

it's fairly easy. but i do have to complaint. i think gm made them to be frail. everyother car i've de-badged, the letter came off as a whole. the vibe letters... i had chunks after chunk of letter. i don't think there was a single whole letter. it did come off though. my nails hurt for awhile. no, hairdryer for me.

Debadging -- can it go horribly wrong?

Debadging -- can it go horribly wrong?

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