Chrome Fuel Door Removal by Dealer
 

I recently ordered a 2015 BRZ. The dealer found a black one which came in last week. Its great and has everything on it that I want except for the cheesy chrome fuel door applique.

I asked my dealer to remove it for me before I pick it up Friday, and he talked to his guys and they don't want to remove it but they will(liable for damages). I assured him that its just a sticker and will be no problem but he keeps saying hopefully its painted underneath.

I know that its painted underneath but can anyone reassure me that there are no instances of the car being sent from the factory with a chrome fuel door sticker and no paint underneath. Now he's got me questioning if its going to be an issue even though I know its no big deal.

Never been a fan of that decal neither. The BRZ is not supposed to come with that so, if you don't want that, then dealer should remove and give a a clean fuel door IMO.

Don't worry, there will be paint underneath the sticker.

My dealer refused to remove the sticker too. Apparently it is installed at the port and the only option the dealer said he can do was to replace it with a new cover for which I would have to pay.

I thought I would remove it myself after I bought the car. But its almost been a year now and it doesn't bother me as much.

If you really do want to get rid of it, I believe there are threads on this forum explaining how some people were able to get rid of it using a hair dryer! Enjoy your new car!

I've never been a fan of unnecessary chrome on vehicles. The only color it looks decent on is silver, and even then it's very easy to over do...

My truck had chrome badging and it hated the look of it against the blue. So I replaced it with color matched pieces...and the couple emblems that weren't offered as color matched I sent off to have de-chromed and had them color matched by a good body shop in town. Didn't cost a ton, but wasn't cheap. However I get more compliments on the color matched badges...even from other owners of the same model truck....


Anyway as to the OP...you don't have to accept anything you don't want/didn't pay for on YOUR vehicle. Tell them to remove it or you walk away. Simple as that. Watch how quickly they'll take it off.

If its vinyl, heat it up with a heat gun or hairdryer and it'll peel right off.

thats wierd, the dealer is supposed to sell you a stock brz. That cover is an add-on. If you dont want it, it should not be there from the beginning.

I believe its more a case of the car coming to them with these add ons from the port. The dealer did not want to mess with the task of trying to remove it themselves.

I am also sure that if I had held on to my demand, he would have eventually removed/replaced it. But it was not a deal breaker for me and I didn't really bother about it. It was also the only BRZ on their lot which had been there for a long time and they were giving me a good deal!

OP, be prepared to lose 5hp!

Yeah, hair dryer or heat gun (on low setting)... It's just a heavy duty sticker.

The sticker is bundled w/ one of the many port installed packages (1a,1b, etc).

I worked at the port as an accessory installer a few years back where these cars got imported on the east coast. I've probably driven some of yours before it even got to the dealer. :D


Anyway, these were installed by us, despite our willingness. It's nothing more than just a cheap ass sticker. apply some heat to soften the glue and it will peel right off. I'd suggest some alcohol to dissolve any residue, then polish and wax the area.

As mentioned before, it's not so much that a customer didn't pay for it, but rather that the sticker came as part of a package.

Whether we like it or not is irrelevant... to the dealer, taking it off is basically throwing away inventory.

Some cars arrive with a homelink mirror installed at the port as part of a package. If you don't want it, the dealer will just try to sell the car to the next person looking.

It's like you walking into a store looking for a 40R suit jacket, and they have only a 40L. You insist on them tailoring it to fit you (at no extra charge), whereas from the store's perspective they are losing money. Most likely they'll just sit on the inventory and wait for the right customer to come around.

If you don't like how a specific car's options are, you are most likely not the right customer they intended with that OH inventory.

-alex

Clearly this is a big issue for you now OP, and for good reason. I would think twice about the purchase now.

The weight savings will make up for it.

I like the sticker on a silver car as long as it's debadged (like mine :))