badge or no badge

mikedragon32

Kermitt wrote:

Trouble is the kind of people that want to steal a 4mothion passat have a trained eye, exhausts would be a dead giveaway, as would brake discs. though to yor average punter it would look normal right enough.

Friend of mine has a 1.4 golf , but has a 1.8T badge on it, bought from eBay - looks real, but doesn't match with base trim so I skit him the whole time!!

But a 1.8T has two exhausts...

That's just wrong!

Anan1

steve06 wrote:

generally if there's no badge it's because it's a lower spec and people don't want to advertise that!

The only function of a rear badge is to tell those behind you how big your engine is. Not being insecure enough to feel the need to advertise the size of my engine to people I don't even know, I can happily live without the badge.

LikeOhMyGawd!

Anan1 wrote:

The only function of a rear badge is to tell those behind you how big your engine is. Not being insecure enough to feel the need to advertise the size of my engine to people I don't even know, I can happily live without the badge.

It probably also comes in useful when it comes to buying/selling as a badge kinda identifies what model the car is and sorta reassures the prospective buyer that the seller hasn't done any other half-arsed modifications to the vehicle.

Anan1

LikeOhMyGawd! wrote:

It probably also comes in useful when it comes to buying/selling as a badge kinda identifies what model the car is and sorta reassures the prospective buyer that the seller hasn't done any other half-arsed modifications to the vehicle.

Badge delete is a factory option on many makes of car. I can't see how the absence of a power badge would indicate that the car might have been modified. It would also be a very simple buyer who relied on the badge to identify what model the car is.

kdevitt

I know of someone who had his BMW M5 robbed off him - they came into his bedroom and demanded the keys. He has another M5 now, badged as a 520i though.

I debadged my current and previous cars as I think it looks cleaner.

LikeOhMyGawd!

Anan1 wrote:

Badge delete is a factory option on many makes of car. I can't see how the absence of a power badge would indicate that the car might have been modified. It would also be a very simple buyer who relied on the badge to identify what model the car is.

Point taken on the badge delete. I take it this is more likely with higher-end vehicles? I was referring to the more run-of-the-mill cars which are owner debadged.


As for

Anan1 wrote:

a very simple buyer

that's pretty much 99% of the buyers in Ireland

Anan1

LikeOhMyGawd! wrote:

Point taken on the badge delete. I take it this is more likely with higher-end vehicles?

That's an interesting question. I'd imagine there are 3 main reasons for badge delete:

1. Small engine, owner doesn't want strangers to know this.

2. Big engine, owner doesn't want strangers to know this.

3. Aesthetic.

Funnily enough, 1. & 2. actually complement each other!

mike65

My Audi has top end spec but has a horrid 1.8 badge on the back! I'll have to de-badge and get my pride back!

Mike.

Eoin

mike65 wrote:

My Audi has top end spec but has a horrid 1.8 badge on the back! I'll have to de-badge and get my pride back!

Mike.

Or turn it upside down so people may think you have an 8.1 planet killer of an engine?

mike65

I like! Maybe I can find a V from somewhere and chop the 1

Mike.

Darando

kdevitt wrote:

I know of someone who had his BMW M5 robbed off him - they came into his bedroom and demanded the keys.

That doesnt sound too pleasant an experience. Worst nightmare.

colm_mcm

I really hate when people de-badge, then re-badge with completely wrong badges.

One of my neighbours has a Prelude with "X Type" from a Jag, on the back

Saw a Fiesta with "Type R" badges from a Honda on it.

A customer at work has an Avensis D-4D, he replaced the D-4D badge with a VW TDI badge.

cantdecide

colm_mcm wrote:

I really hate when people de-badge, then re-badge with completely wrong badges.

One of my neighbours has a Prelude with "X Type" from a Jag, on the back

Saw a Fiesta with "Type R" badges from a Honda on it.

A customer at work has an Avensis D-4D, he replaced the D-4D badge with a VW TDI badge.

i would puke!
i saw a '90 starlet in Tallow with the front bumper cut up, it had TRD in blue spraypaint stencilled across the radiator. i nearly crashed with laughter.

opus

Definitely a fan of removing the badge, have had it taken off the last two cars I bought. No interest in advertising the engine in the car to people.

colm_mcm

cantdecide wrote:

i would puke!
i saw a '90 starlet in Tallow with the front bumper cut up, it had TRD in blue spraypaint stencilled across the radiator. i nearly crashed with laughter.

Maybe they couldn't spell "TURD"

Oh, I saw a Micra in Palmerstown a few months with "TWIN CAN" written in huge writing on the side!

mike65

I love the nailed on Turbo badge myself.

Mike.

byte

Haha, this reminds me of an old mate some years ago who had an Opel Kadett! He had replaced the front Opel badge with a Ferrari one. Then one night, somebody had ripped off the Ferrari badge, along with half the grill!

colm_mcm

It could have been a Ferrari with a Kadett body

byte

colm_mcm wrote:

It could have been a Ferrari with a Kadett body

Highly unlikely with a 1.2L engine!

mloc123

I'm looking to buy either a saxo VTS or 206 Gti at the moment, if I get the Gti my first and only 'mod' will to be replace all the Gti badges with 1.1 lx or whatever the ****tiest spec is.

Suprise all the boy racers and bmw execs at the lights

colm_mcm

Anyone who races 1.1 LX 206's at the lights probably isn't worth impressing

mloc123

hehe true enough

FX Meister

I recently took the badge off my golf. It's a 1.6 high line model so not the base. I think the back looks nicer with just the VW badge. I don't see the point in telling other people what size engine your car has. Nothing wrecks my head more then spas that put fake badges on their cars. Happens a lot with goons putting GTi badges on a base model golf. You can spot them a mile off.

ninty9er

Theres absolutely no reason to debadge a car unless you have something to hide like the fact its its bog standard 316 with alloys ticked on the options list.

All fur coat and no nickers.

The only thing that upsets me more is incorrect badging

unkel

el tel wrote:

When I see a debadged car I aways assume it's the crappiest model in the range

That's the main reason I debadge. The higher up the range the car is, the more I would feel the need to debadge

Something I noticed:

In Ireland the majority of debadged cars are low end within the range (i.e. BMW 316 debadged but perhaps with M badges)

In Continental Europe, many debadged cars are higher end (i.e. BMW 745)

Comments?

5500

cantdecide wrote:

i would puke!
i saw a '90 starlet in Tallow with the front bumper cut up, it had TRD in blue spraypaint stencilled across the radiator. i nearly crashed with laughter.

Sounds like a turbo starlet with trd intercooler so may not have been totally rice!

IrishRover

^ That's just ironic humour on the owner's part though. Re "Fiesta Type-R -type wrong badges", I saw a completely standard, poverty spec, mid 90's VW Polo with a "VTS" badge on it the other day I do wonder what the thinking was there :rolleyes:

ando

kdevitt wrote:

I know of someone who had his BMW M5 robbed off him - they came into his bedroom and demanded the keys. He has another M5 now, badged as a 520i though.

I debadged my current and previous cars as I think it looks cleaner.

Im amazed it took 36 posts before someone said security is a big reason to debadge.... Im debadging my car, it just causes to much hassle with little racers riding my a$$ all the time, plus it would ease the mind a little at night

smash

I think it happens mostly with BMW's anyway, because people in a 316i without a badge could be driving a 320 for all anyone else knows....

Robbo

I have the opposite problem in that people see the GTI on the back of my Polo and reckon I've been furtively buying go faster badges from fleabay. Suits me as the only guff I get from boy racers is a look of bemusement. Oh they'll know every insurance loophole ****ebox Jap import coupe relic from the early 90s with a near autistic zeal alright, but a quick Polo seems to be beyond them.

I might go one step further and go for stickers. "Full drift spec FWD Type-RZzzzzz" and the obligatory "shopping list" on the front wing before the door.