FR-S Debadging Tutorial

[DarrenDriven]

Easy to do, looks good.




Before you begin, you need an FR-S with badges.





You also need:
- window tinting hard squeegie
- heat gun
- lacquer thinner
- cleaner and wax





Start by using the tint squeegie to work behind the emblem. The tool is plastic that won't scratch your clearcoat.




Once I got the Scion emblem off I realized there are holes behind it. Oops, I'll figure out a way to make this look good later.





Hit the leftover adhesive with the heat gun. Make sure you move it around so that you don't hurt your paint. You just need to get the adhesive warm.





Once the adhesive is warm you can peel it off with your fingers. There will still be a little bit of residue left.






Use lacquer thinner with a soft cloth to remove the residue without hurting your clearcoat. Don't scrub it, just get it wet and then use your finger to remove larger chunks.





Clean and wax the area. I didn't use paste wax because sometimes fresh paint needs to breathe and I'm not sure how long ago this car was painted. I'll apply real wax soon, though.






The finished product.

[skoodge]

Looking forward to seeing how you cover up those holes. If you come up with some way that looks clean I might do this too now that I have my FR-S badge off.

[DarrenDriven]

[Mari0]

Move to DIY section

[DarrenDriven]

Oooh, there is a DIY section? Oops, never saw it. Thanks!

[Scooby]

Shouldn't be too hard or costly to have that little panel repainted (after filling the holes)

[eriktherod]

Can't see the pictures while at work, but anyone know if the Toyota badges would completely cover/seal the alignment holes? I plan on doing this within the first month, debadging 'FR-S' and changing the front/rear Scion to the Toyota emblems instead.

Also, would the Prius badges fit on the FR-S? I like the newer-style with the blue glow in them, especially since I'm getting an Ultramarine this weekend!

[DarrenDriven]

Well, I know for sure that the JDM "T" badge from the Toyota 86 would fit perfectly. The "S" seems to be the same size as other "T" badges... so it should work. If I see a Prius today I will measure for you.

[ahausheer]

I wonder if the lacquer thinner is too harsh for the paint. Ive used a product called goo gone (which may have lacquer thinner in it?) and had no problem with my paint for two plus years in S. CA sun. Use that heat gun carefully some heat guns will easily melt the paint completely off. Also I have used fishing wire and worked it back and forth under the emblem with good results. You can also paint the emblem with spray paint and put it back on if you want to mod your car and are annoyed with the holes.

[DarrenDriven]

My buddy is a painter and he specifically instructed me to use lacquer thinner because it won't harm clearcoat. I'm no paint expert, but I used it and it didn't do any damage at all.

I did hit Goo Gone's website and it is safe for automotive paint finishes, so that seems to be another alternative to lacquer thinner.

Fishing line is good, you could also use dental floss. And I agree that you should be careful with a heat gun... you can damage the clearcoat if you get it too hot. A hair dryer would also work because you just need the adhesive to be warm for it to be removed easier.

[Calum]

Originally Posted by DarrenDriven

A hair dryer would also work because you just need the adhesive to be warm for it to be removed easier.

A sunny day will often do.

[Mr.Jay]

goo gone is car safe and works well getting rid of the left over sticky tape/glue as well

[Godzilla35]

-Heatgun will be fine as long as you don't bake in the paint in one area for a long time, remember the paint / clearcoat is cured in heat. But, using a less harsh hairdrier and/or leaving the car in the sun will definitely help the process.

-If you're thinking about doing this... sooner the better as cars actually do get "tan" lines supposedly, although I've waited up to 1-2 years when de-badging with perfect results.

-I would not use paint thinner or any harsh chemicals, especially on a brand new car. You can use Goo GONE, but PLEASE make sure you don't confuse this with GOOF off... completely different results (you won't like what happens). If you are patient and use your finger to rub off the glue / peel patiently, it's not so bad. NO DIGGING WITH NAILS. If you're impatient, than use goo gone or a citrus cleaner (better in my opinion but takes longer than goo gone). WD40 works too to help loosen the glue, but I think it makes it hard to "grip" it.

-I use flat dental floss (you'll go through a few strands, because it will break) and a slow side-to-side sawing motion, with liberal heat applied. Again, sun is your friend getting the emblem off and getting the glue off... so take breaks and let it do the work for you.

-don't pull or pry like Darren did (no offense) cuz that can definitely scratch / chip the clear / paint.

1) Spray down cracks / edges with a LOT of WD40 / Goo Gone / Citrus cleaner
2) let soak (in sun preferably)
3) cut pieces of floss (or fishing line if you fish for fish and have fishing line already for fish)
4) heat the emblem in circular motions (don't stay in one spot too long --- more important if you have a heatgun -- hair dryer has smaller margin of error)
5) careful, don't burn your hand off, and "saw" through the glue / double-sided tape trying to stay as close to the paint to help you get rid of residuals. Go slow to help reduce breakage of line/floss and to prevent marring.
6) CLEAN, (repeating soak / heat / wipe with microfiber), and detail / polish / wax / whatever to your heart's content.


Optional, put Turbo logo to signify upgraded model that no one else has, or dares to race....

I have no idea why you did just check for holes before you did this, but I think I read somewhere the Toyota one should line up. I will wait, personally, for other cool options. I hope they make a roundel for the 86 logo like the one on the JDM steering wheel.

[MTeator]

I've always just used 3M Adhesive Remover.