Debadging

[Morris Minor]

I removed the 'Spécial' badge from the 2CV I had back in the 80s.

did not want to enrage the peasantry.

[JWC]

I wouldn't lose the Stingray badges on a Corvette. Too much history there. 

I used to pull the emblems on my VW Beetles when I refurbished them, but stopped as I got older and realized badges are unique in their own way. I have a small collection of badges/emblems: Nova, VW, Volkswagen, Wolfsburg, Montclair, and Nash.  All from the sixties, except the Nash.

[Payman]

I guess my question is.... why do the badges matter that much to you?

This isn't personal, so no need to make it so. I think I explained my opinion in the first post.

[cawimmer430]

I removed the 'Spécial' badge from the 2CV I had back in the 80s.

did not want to enrage the peasantry.

Guess it wasn't so special anymore once the badges were gone. See what I did there?

[MrH]

I debadge my vehicles if it looks like total over kill. It's not like people can't tell what the car is once you take off the badge.

- 4Runner took off the SR5 Badges on the C pillars
- BRZ lost Subaru spelled out on the back
- Genesis got the wing logo instead of the Hyundai H
- NC Miata got totally debadged
- when the outback comes in, I'm probably taking everything off the back. It just has too much. 5 emblems on the back: Subaru logo (which also acts as the hands free sensor, obviously that stays), Subaru, Outback, XT, Symmetrical AWD. It's like a tacky chrome children's book on the back. Everyone knows what the hell an outback is.

[Soup DeVille]

It's a purely German thing due to the envious and jealous mentalities here.

If you're driving a CLK200 Kompressor you're still some rich douchebag, but you're not such a big douchebag as the show-off who drives a CLK500 or CLK55 AMG... 

There's also a Chinese custom that says you should drive a lesser vehicle than your boss does, which could in some instances provoke someone into down-badging their own car in order to avoid insulting the boss.

[MX793]

There's also a Chinese custom that says you should drive a lesser vehicle than your boss does, which could in some instances provoke someone into down-badging their own car in order to avoid insulting the boss.

That could really suck if your boss isn't the least bit into cars or status and just drives some old clunker.

[Soup DeVille]

That could really suck if your boss isn't the least bit into cars or status and just drives some old clunker.

It could, but the sense I get is that the pressure goes both ways.

[MX793]

It could, but the sense I get is that the pressure goes both ways.

True, at least for China.

[cawimmer430]

There's also a Chinese custom that says you should drive a lesser vehicle than your boss does, which could in some instances provoke someone into down-badging their own car in order to avoid insulting the boss.

Makes sense. Can't be driving something better than what the boss drives!

[FoMoJo]

Makes sense. Can't be driving something better than what the boss drives!

Makes no sense to allow subjugation of your person to someone else. 

[cawimmer430]

Makes no sense to allow subjugation of your person to someone else. 

Different cultures, different rules, I guess.

I can see how this is a big deal in Asian cultures, which tend to be all about respect and "knowing your place" in a business.

[Soup DeVille]

Makes no sense to allow subjugation of your person to someone else. 

I'm gonna make a libertarian out of you yet.

[FoMoJo]

I'm gonna make a libertarian out of you yet.

TANSTAAFL.

[Morris Minor]

This discussion reminds me of  the boss of a network services company I used to work for. We got lots of business from state government entities who had got themselves into trouble with IT stuff & needed expertise to fix it.
Contracting with us was not popular with the government IT staff because we were intruding on their territory, so when we rolled up we were always told to leave the fancy cars at home. The boss had an immaculate AMG-trim E350 but he showed up for meetings in a used Ford CVPI that had about 200,000 miles on it.


It was actually good manners, good politics, and good business sense,

[Eye of the Tiger]

This discussion reminds me of  the boss of a network services company I used to work for. We got lots of business from state government entities who had got themselves into trouble with IT stuff & needed expertise to fix it.
Contracting with us was not popular with the government IT staff because we were intruding on their territory, so when we rolled up we were always told to leave the fancy cars at home. The boss had an immaculate AMG-trim E350 but he showed up for meetings in a used Ford CVPI that had about 200,000 miles on it.

No one has ever told me to "leave the fancy car at home".
That's one less thing to worry about.

[NomisR]

There's also a Chinese custom that says you should drive a lesser vehicle than your boss does, which could in some instances provoke someone into down-badging their own car in order to avoid insulting the boss.

I don't think most cared, because if that was the case, it would be really hard for people working under my friend's dad.  He's a millionaire that drives a Corolla in Hong Kong...

[Payman]

Okay, so removing some of the number badges, etc cleans up the back of the car and some cars are overdone with badges. I can understand that, and it also personalizes the car a bit. No problem. But would you remove the stingray emblem and Corvette script from the rear of the C8, and even the crossed flags emblem on the nose? That seems like scraping off the prancing horse from a Ferrari to me.

[12,000 RPM]

Is a Corvette not a Corvette or a Ferrari not a Ferrari without badges? I don't get it.

[Soup DeVille]

Okay, so removing some of the number badges, etc cleans up the back of the car and some cars are overdone with badges. I can understand that, and it also personalizes the car a bit. No problem. But would you remove the stingray emblem and Corvette script from the rear of the C8, and even the crossed flags emblem on the nose? That seems like scraping off the prancing horse from a Ferrari to me.

No, because those in general look good. The Ferrari crest on the front fender of some models is overly large, but being a Ferrari, I wouldn't screw with those either.

[Soup DeVille]

Is a Corvette not a Corvette or a Ferrari not a Ferrari without badges? I don't get it.

Is it some kind of addiction you have of arguing against things nobody is saying?

[Gotta-Qik-C7]

Okay, so removing some of the number badges, etc cleans up the back of the car and some cars are overdone with badges. I can understand that, and it also personalizes the car a bit. No problem. But would you remove the stingray emblem and Corvette script from the rear of the C8, and even the crossed flags emblem on the nose? That seems like scraping off the prancing horse from a Ferrari to me.

I wouldn't remove the Corvette script because it's body colored.......

[SJ_GTI]

I've never bothered to debadge a car, but I can see why folks do it.

The closest I ever came to debadging was wanting to remove the "V6T" emblem on my S4. Have the "T" made no sense. It implied the car was turbocharged when in reality it was supercharged. The only reason I never removed it though was because I was too lazy. 

[12,000 RPM]

Is it some kind of addiction you have of arguing against things nobody is saying?

I didn't say that's what he was saying. I just don't agree that a badge is a key identifying feature on something like a Ferrari.

Can you tell what kind of car this is?



How about this?



Distinctive cars like these don't need badges for identification.

[Soup DeVille]

I didn't say that's what he was saying. I just don't agree that a badge is a key identifying feature on something like a Ferrari.

Can you tell what kind of car this is?



How about this?



Distinctive cars like these don't need badges for identification.

Please refer to my previous post.

[giant_mtb]

I've never bothered to debadge a car, but I can see why folks do it.

The closest I ever came to debadging was wanting to remove the "V6T" emblem on my S4. Have the "T" made no sense. It implied the car was turbocharged when in reality it was supercharged. The only reason I never removed it though was because I was too lazy. 

[MrH]

Okay, so removing some of the number badges, etc cleans up the back of the car and some cars are overdone with badges. I can understand that, and it also personalizes the car a bit. No problem. But would you remove the stingray emblem and Corvette script from the rear of the C8, and even the crossed flags emblem on the nose? That seems like scraping off the prancing horse from a Ferrari to me.

Any badge that's molded into the body or bumper, or has alignment posts and would leave holes if you removed, are pretty much off limits to me.  I would consider swapping them to something better fitting though.

I don't mind the corvette flags at all.  It's the huge amount of chrome lettering for the brand (I don't need the back to say Subaru.  It has the subaru logo all over it) and weird technology badging I don't like (AWD or Skyactive, etc)

[Speed_Racer]

Sometimes after debadging you need to rebadge to make sure everyone knows what you're driving

[Morris Minor]

Okay I saw a Tacoma today - and the rear has too many badges. Definitely ripe for weeding out the excess: hair dryer, dental floss & Goo Gone.

[giant_mtb]

Okay I saw a Tacoma today - and the rear has too many badges. Definitely ripe for weeding out the excess: hair dryer, dental floss & Goo Gone.

Rubbing alcohol is much better for adhesive removal IMO/E. Goo Gone leaves that annoying residue/film behind. Isopropyl is cheap as shit and doesn't require you to clean further when you are done removing the sticky stuff.