I'm getting ready to install my new black chrome emblems but need some advice before I begin.
I've read countless threads on emblem removal so I can pretty much get that part of the job done.
I'm just wondering how I should go about prepping the area before I install the new emblems...
I know to have the area masked so I'll have a guidline for positioning the new "S2000" emblems. After its removed and the remaining adhesive is gone, do I go with...say the 3-step Meguiars polish and wax procedure? Or maybe just steps 1 and 2?
What do you guys think?
Thanks

 

i prepped my paint by clay and light polish... did not wax cause i wanted the new badges to stick.
i zainoed over after the application

by far the most important tip is the masking-
not a bad idea to photograph the old badges before removing too (with a digital camera)... so you can make sure to place them the same way.

my black chrome sides:

 

i know you said youve read the threads for removal, but id like to add my tips. i just did this last saturday, and it was a bit of a pain.

first, i removed the emblems. i used my old insurance card. shaped like a credit card, but made of stiff cardboard so its not as stiff and damaging as a hard plasitc debit car. if i had my preference, i would have used 10lb test fishing line.

after i got the emblems off, i squirted the adhesive with glue gone, heated with hair dryer, and started peeling at it. this didnt work too well, so i devised another plan, using what i had.

i got a papertowel from the kitchen, folded in half to cover emblems but not much else, and taped it to the car, using blue painters tape. make sure to put a diagonal piece across the corners to hold it really well. once they were taped up, i continued to use goo gone to saturate the paper towel so it would "bleed" through to the adhesive, and be able to sit on it withe out running off. i let it sit for a while, and about every 15 minutes or so, i would re-soak with goo gone, and use hair dryer to heat up the adhesive. after doing this process about 4-5 times, you should be good to go.

when you remove the emblems, there will be at least a 1/16th inch of adhesive on the paint, and this process makes it easier to get it down to a much thinner layer.

when you get down to a thin "workable" layer, i suggest using more goo gone, the same hair dryer, and a MF towel wrapped tightly around one finger. squirt the goo gone on your finger, heat up for a few seconds with hair dryer, and then direct heat to paint/adhesive. use your finger wrapped in towel to firmly rub at adhesive, like a pencil eraser on paper. the adhesive will ball up on paint, and you can then wipe clean with slightly damp MF towel.

hope this helps!

james

 

Yeah, thats what I was thinking...I don't want to surface to be too slippery and the emblems not adhere properly. So maybe just use the Meguiars step 1 cleaner polish after the old adhesive is gone?

 

shotgunjimmy...Thanks, thats quite the process but I'm sure its effective. I think I'll do the same but use 3M adhesive remover, I hear it works wonders. I'll give it a shot and let you know how it comes out

 

cool, let me know how it works! i guess the main thing i learned was to give it time to soak in. also, let me know how the polish works. ive still gotta polish mine out so it looks nice and clean. ( i removed mine and left them off)

 

Waxed dental floss works extremely well for removing emblems.

 

and a blow dryer too. Will cut through that adhesive like a hot knife through butter.

 

Update: I removed the front emblem last night but ran into some problems =/
When removing the old emblem I thought it would be easy to snip it with some wire cutters so I would have small portions of the emblem to saw off with the steak knife. I did this because I wanted to make sure I wouldn't accidentally cut into my bumper trying to maneuver around the emblem with the knife. So the problem is...I gouged the bumper pretty good in a few places and the new emblem will NOT cover up my mistakes. You can see some pretty nice little paints chips.
I'm thinking about using an exactco knife to cut away the gouges and then filling them with touch-up paint and then doing the whole 2000-grit wet sand and polish technique.
Also, you can clearly see where the old emblem once was. You can see the discoloration and hazing. I picked up some Turtle Wax polishing compound which I'm hoping will work for both the discoloration and after I wet sand the touch up paint.
Does this plan sound ok to you guys?


BTW...the dental floss trick worked like a charm. Thanks!

 

good luck!

i took off my s2000 badges a month after returning from afghanistan. what a pain!

theres no short cut. you have to use the long way as it seems you've found out. as for the discoloration you speak of, same thing happened to me at first. best way is to use dish soap on the whole area to strip off everything, clay the area, then use a quick detailer in the area. BTW part of having to use the long way includes ending up with a dirty car after so just accept having to wash and wax it when ur all done and you'll save some sanity.
i also agree with wanabe's statement about wanting to make sure the emblems will hold well, so you'll want to make sure to not apply on top of layers and layers of wax and such.

good luck!