Debadging residue ? (Still see 135i)

[edisapimp]

I've never debadged before but I bought the car with a fake ///M badge on the left rear. I decided to take it off today, it came off flawlessly with the methods everyone recommends.

Then my addict personality took over and I decided to take the 135i off too. Badge came off, adhesive came off. But it's still pretty noticeable on my red car (see pics). I hit it with mcguires scratchX, mcguires polish, then wax. And this is what it looks like.

Any suggestions?

[moveswiftly]

You're going to have to use a random orbital buffer to get that out with some polish. You could use compound but that's more abrasive on the paint. Try buffing the area.

[edisapimp]

Okay, I guess I will purchase the kit thing. Do you think I can use the one that plugs into a cordless drill, or will that be too many revs?

What is your recommendation for an orbital buffer and what polish would you go with?

[BMist371]

Just buy a DA polisher. Easy for novices to use. I have*Meguiars DA polisher and it works great. Just pick a polish and a few passes should take it right off. Don't forget to properly clean the area first to prevent marring the finish. After you finish, don't forget wax. If the polish won't fix it, you may need to try a compound. Always start with the least abrasive method.

[Chandon]

clay bar and polish

[Harlequin]

That's the paint around where the badge was. The "135i" is how your paint looked when the car was brand new.

You probably need to paint-correct the entire panel - if not the entire car...

As above, a claybar would def be a good start as it could be mostly particulates in the clearcoat...

[edisapimp]

Originally Posted by Harlequin

That's the paint around where the badge was. The "135i" is how your paint looked when the car was brand new.

You probably need to paint-correct the entire panel - if not the entire car...

As above, a claybar would def be a good start as it could be mostly particulates in the clearcoat...

Uhhh. I'd probably just order a replacement and put the badge back on before I considered repainting anything let alone the entire car. Was that a joke or were you serious. If it's nice out Monday I'll start with the claybar and some polish.

[Harlequin]

Originally Posted by edisapimp

Uhhh. I'd probably just order a replacement and put the badge back on before I considered repainting anything let alone the entire car. Was that a joke or were you serious. If it's nice out Monday I'll start with the claybar and some polish.

I said paint correction. Not paint the car...

[edisapimp]

Originally Posted by Harlequin

I said paint correction. Not paint the car...

Forgive my ignorance. When you say paint correction what are you referring to? I appreciate your help sorry for sounding snippy

You're talking to a guy who doesn't know much about detailing. (In case that weren't obvious.)

[Harlequin]

Originally Posted by edisapimp

Forgive my ignorance. When you say paint correction what are you referring to? I appreciate your help sorry for sounding snippy

You're talking to a guy who doesn't know much about detailing. (In case that weren't obvious.)

All good mate. There's plenty of stuff about it in the detailing section on this site...

Basically your paint has built up a whole lot of gunk in it. Road grime, particulates, etc. The paint where your badge was is still nice and clean and free of particulates. You need to clean the paint. It's not as simple as washing it.

Go check out the detailing section. There are some vendors and other guys in there who know their stuff...

[Blackls]

had the same problem on my 09 i de-badged this year used a clay bar and wax and buff the whole back of the trunk now its not visible

[tglazed]

Just take it to a detail shop
Pay 10-20$ and have them cut the paint and polish.
Throw wax on it and it will look like new.
If you don't know how to buff, it's better to just leave it to a pro

[SOL3MATiiCKK]

To blend in and remove the old 135i you would need a dual action buffer and a heavier compound like meguiars M105/M205 then a layer of sealant.

[BMW_135i]

Originally Posted by tglazed

Just take it to a detail shop
Pay 10-20$ and have them cut the paint and polish.
Throw wax on it and it will look like new.
If you don't know how to buff, it's better to just leave it to a pro

^this guy

I'm a detailer, I would suggest leaving paint corrections and buffing to a seasoned veteran. Attempting to correct paint fade caused by years of sun baking and grime is no simple task to do it proper. Personally, if I didn't know how to do it I would never start my detailing practice (especially buffing) on my own car. Buffing isn't an easy skill to perform properly. Simple mistakes can lead to paint burning and thinning or cause issues down the road, not to mention one section of the car's paint will look much more vibrant than an unbuffed area.

Attempting to clay bar it as a start can't hurt (it's hard to tell the extent of the detailing required from the pic). There isn't really a way to mess up a clay bar clean. Just make sure the area you are using the clay bar on stays wet. That's basically it. Clay barring it first will also take away some cost at a detail shop since they will know they won't have to clay bar it themselves, they can get straight to the buff.

My overall verdict: wash your car, clay bar it, maybe use a bit of polishing compound. If that doesn't do it than take it to the pros and have it done right!

[Adam135]

Originally Posted by tglazed

Just take it to a detail shop
Pay 10-20$ and have them cut the paint and polish.
Throw wax on it and it will look like new.
If you don't know how to buff, it's better to just leave it to a pro

Bingo

[cbl117]

Originally Posted by edisapimp

I've never debadged before but I bought the car with a fake ///M badge on the left rear. I decided to take it off today, it came off flawlessly with the methods everyone recommends.

Then my addict personality took over and I decided to take the 135i off too. Badge came off, adhesive came off. But it's still pretty noticeable on my red car (see pics). I hit it with mcguires scratchX, mcguires polish, then wax. And this is what it looks like.

Any suggestions?

Ed, sorry to bring back your thread from the dead, but...did you ever get this resolved? I just had the same thing happen to me today. Looks identical. I was going to throw some matte black emblems on until I saw this. Were you able to correct the paint at a detailer?

[edisapimp]

No, you can actually still see it. It doesn't bother me. I did several passes with my DA polisher - admittedly I'm not very good at polishing. I never took it to anyone who knows what they are doing, like others have said, I've actually just learned to live with it. Sorry I couldn't be of more help! ;[

[cbl117]

Originally Posted by edisapimp

No, you can actually still see it. It doesn't bother me. I did several passes with my DA polisher - admittedly I'm not very good at polishing. I never took it to anyone who knows what they are doing, like others have said, I've actually just learned to live with it. Sorry I couldn't be of more help! ;[

I tried and I took it to someone too. Nothing really changed. You can still see a little ghosting. I guess I'll live with it or get black lettering.

[E82MSport]

I'm a little late to the party but wanted to give my $.02..

I removed my 135i badge and had planned on wheeling out that spot before I installed the black replacement. My car is Crimson as well and I had the exact same ghosting.

I'm actually fairly handy with a rotary so I wet sanded the area with 1500 & 2000 moving on to compound and then polish. Nope, didn't touch it. I wasn't expecting much considering when I looked at it with an LED light it seemed like it was the basecoat that was discolored. Fortunately I had a replacement badge that I installed in the exact same spot so I wasn't too disappointed.

What's strange is, usually you see the opposite when you remove badges or decals. Typically the color would be brighter under the badge not darker. Not sure if this is caused by water based coatings vs urethane which I believe BMW uses.

[cbl117]

Originally Posted by E82MSport

I'm a little late to the party but wanted to give my $.02..

I removed my 135i badge and had planned on wheeling out that spot before I installed the black replacement. My car is Crimson as well and I had the exact same ghosting.

I'm actually fairly handy with a rotary so I wet sanded the area with 1500 & 2000 moving on to compound and then polish. Nope, didn't touch it. I wasn't expecting much considering when I looked at it with an LED light it seemed like it was the basecoat that was discolored. Fortunately I had a replacement badge that I installed in the exact same spot so I wasn't too disappointed.

What's strange is, usually you see the opposite when you remove badges or decals. Typically the color would be brighter under the badge not darker. Not sure if this is caused by water based coatings vs urethane which I believe BMW uses.

Thanks for sharing. Its interesting that it happened on all 3 of our cars. I wash and wax mine religiously so I was kind of surprised to see that much (of what I'm assuming to be) oxidation. If you can't correct it with wet sanding, then I think its there for good. I'm learning to live with it. I may put matte black emblems over it someday. Maybe a nice douchey Dinan emblem lol. (kidding!)