General: Debadging
 

So i want to debadge the back of my 2007 Mazda 3, but don't really wanna screw anything up. I wanna remove everything on the trunk except the 3. However, I have heard that the "flying M" has holes underneath it. Can anyone give me suggestions or comments about this. Much appreciated.

How-To Starts Here:

Moderator Note: Use a hair dryer to heat up the adhesive, it makes it easier to remove.End Moderator Note


Don't own a 3. On my Protegé5, every badge on the back end is pinned to the car, removal would leave holes.

However, on my 2004 Honda Civic LX Coupe, the only badge on the rear that was pinned to the car was the H. The Civic and LX badges both came right off. I'm kinda hoping to hear that this is becoming standard operating procedure, making the company emblem the only non-removable badge so owners can clean up the rest of the car if they so desire. I personally would leave the H or the M on there anyway, it's just all the extraneous detail badges I like to clean off.

You can try sliding a length of dental floss behind the badge. You have to kind of saw through the black foam tape used to hold badges on, and sometimes it's so difficult that you'll use up a couple of pieces of dental floss. If you can work it all the way through and out the other side, the badge will come right off, and you can then use a bit of mineral oil or Goo Gone to remove the remnants of the tape. If the dental floss hits anything hard, that's probably a pin, you might as well stop.

If you change your mind, it's actually pretty easy to put the badges back on. Buy a roll of automotive trim tape at any auto parts store. Apply it to the back side of the badge and carefully trim it around the edges. Then peel the green plastic off and apply it to the car. The only tough part is getting it in the right place. Don't miss, it's just as hard to get off as before, and you'll have to apply the trim tape again.

One warning: I debadged my Civic within days of new. If you wait a couple of years and park the car outdoors, the paint might fade. Then when you debadge, you'll leave an area of unfaded paint the shape of the badge. You can't fix that without a respray.

good lord Kirbert, you joined in '02 and only have 15 posts.....welcome back from the dead.

If you're serious about de-badging just plan on having your trunk/hatch painted....should be in the neighborhood of $250-300. They will pop off the emblems, fill in the holes, sand down to the metal and repaint everything.

Im a big fan of de-badging and I think it's worth the money more-so than other cosmetic additions people make to their cars.

^ thats what i did.. but i just traded vinyl work for the job ;)

On the 3, only the flying m has holes behind it, so feel free to mess around with the other badges.

Kirbert detailed the process pretty well so I don't need to dive into it.

I'm pretty sure there's a how-to thread on debadging so if I find it I'll merge these posts in or somethin to keep the section clean.

you could always just buy a CF trunklid if you like the look. They come with no badges, so no need to worry about a respray.

except for the fact that they don't match the paint of the car at all and usually have crap fitment unless from fiber images :)

just debadged my 07 3.

the 'mazda' has 3 pins on it. pops right off, though. leaves behind 3 little plastic 'anchors' looks like they should just pop out, i haven't had a chance to mess with them. you will still have three small holes to contend with though.

leaving the '(M)' on though

I just debaged my 2008 3.
It has 5 holes in the back right now. I need to get those filled.

Any suggestions of a cheap fix that still looks good?

All i did was strip the 3 off since there was no pins behind it and then painted the "mazda" and the flyin m. since my car is the mica black i painted the badges charcoal metalic and it looks really good. i also painted the front flying m if you are intrested in doin this then e-mail me at fearthisbmx9400@aim.com ill send you the steps you have to do in order to paint it the right way.