Hi all, my 2003 Carnival Red 2.5 has an oval dealer badge on the rear, next to the license plate. I want it gone. It takes away from the class of the car.

My concern is that the adhesive has been on there so long that it may be impossible to get off without damaging the paint.

I'm not too worried about the paint underneath not matching. The car was garage kept and only has 22k miles on it. Never driven and barely saw sunlight. The paint inside the trunk matches the exterior paint, so I think it's safe to assume that the paint behind the badge will not be too far off. Even if it was, I think it'd look better than the badge.

How do I get this thing off safely? Can I just heat it up with a hair dryer and start pulling? Will Goof Off damage my clear coat? Please advise.

Thanks!

I had the X-Type and 2.5 badges stolen from my 02 car. It left raised imprints in the paint.

A varient on the hair dryer method is to loop a length of fishing line around the badge. The fishing line should act as a sort of cutter. Tighten the loop as the glue warms up.

If this works then part two is obviously to experiment gently to find a suitable solvent to remove the residue of glue.

I used a warm air blower and a fishing line to remove the badges from my 11-year old X-Type. No issues whatsoever.

Did the adhesive some off with the badge, or was there some left on the paint? And how did you safely get it off the paint?

Thanks all!

theres a liquid you can use to remove the glue off the car safely. i forgot the name but a buddy of mine used it on my car and it was like nothing ever existed.

i dont think paint discoloring should be much of an issue. maybe a detailer can buff out the area to fade it out?

Unfortunately not, and removing the adhesive took me about 5 times longer than removing the badge. I used some liquid thingy, can't remember what it was anymore. A lot of the work was still just slow rubbing it off rather than it just magically disappearing...

...just don't recklessly try different solvents like petrol or paint stripper!

Test your magic solutions in a hidden area like in the boot/ trunk to see if it attacks paint.
Then maybe try it behind the rear number plate as that area will have all the paint layers / clear coat whereas I suspect other areas are just paint.

Petrol should be OK else we all would have bare metal by the tank flap.

The stuff I use all the time (for years) in the UK is Polycell brush cleaner.
It is a bright blue liquid that claims to be better than traditional paint "thiners" user with oil based paints.
I use it to clean alloys and specs of road tar of bodywork. Great for removing bar code labels of jars etc.
Anyone name a similar product in the USA?

Rear Badge Removal
Removing Trunk Badges

So basically they say autoglym tar & glue remover or goo-b-gone. Those are US-available products, perhaps? I've no clue

In the past when removing licence plates from my cars ( those that have been attached with 3M type adhesive pads ) and they have been on the car for some years, I have........

Literally managed to get a wedge under an edge and simply & slowly prise away from the paintwork / body of the car.

In all my years I've never, ever, not once had an issue afterwards.

A quick clean up with either a little petrol, T Cut or Autoglym Tar & glue remover has always don the trick. I've usually washed the are with warm soapy water, the rinsed afterwards.

The fishing line & hairdryer trick are a favourite of many many people and always seem to work very well, especially if you are ultra cautious and I'm positive you will have no issues with this method.
Slow n easy does it......

I used "3M Automotive Adhesive Remover" - found at a parts store that also sold auto paints and supplies - after I "sawed" the badges off with some good old-fashion Dental Floss.

A quart can cost about USD $8.

What I liked about it was:
1) It is the right stuff for the job, and
2) it is not so "aggressive" of a solvent as to damage the paint.
3) There is a lot left over, and it is useful for many other applications.

It comes in a nifty metal can with a spout and screw-on cap.

A rag with a couple of squirts of this stuff will clean up around the doors and under the hood, remove road tar, and my wife would have me use this product on clothing that might have picked up a greasy spot or stain, all with excellent results.

Resist any temptation to "buff out" any slight color variation you might notice under the badge you are removing. The paint is thinner than a gnat's whisker on the trunk lid, and I managed to almost rub the color coat off mine in very, very short order.

Lighter fluid works well and will not harm the paint. It will take the wax off though.

I used "goo gone". It worked like a charm.

Goo Gone | Walgreens

My car was de-badged before I got it. No lost paint, no residue. Just remove it with a razor blade (not on paint, just on adhesive) and then goo gone it real good!