badge or no badge

Kermitt

Thats another thing that pis.ses me off. All those idiots that got a set of stickers free in Max Power magazine and stick em all on the door of the car. Yes Mr. Skanger - I'm sure your 93 micra has GReddy suspension, Recaro seats, Kone Air breather systems and a set of OZ racing wheels that look remarkably like hubcaps:D

I like my car factory spec as much as possible. I'll forgive nice alloys and maybe - just maybe a lip spoiler on a hatch - but don't put stickers and badges on it!!!

Zoot

Personally I don't really mind either way - a car with or without the spec badge is still either a nice car or not.

One thing I do hate though and that's advertisement stickers on cars, be they dealer stickers or whatever. I have even gone to the expense of changing number plate surrounds to remove this free advertising for garages etc.

Other car stickers I can understand, though personally I always prefer to have none whatsoever.

Anan1

ninty9er wrote:

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.

A few other reasons have been mentioned already. Care to tell us why you feel they're not valid?

unkel wrote:

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?

It's certainly true that the Germans tend to debadge more at the upper end. My impression is that here one gets more of a cross-section, with people debadging for wildly varying reasons.

smash

Apart from de-badging you car which is ok, re-badging like adding a GTI, TDI or M or an increased engine size etc WILL void your insurance if the car is stolen because it's not the car's spec and it DOES make it a bigger target for theives as it's portrayed as a higher spec model. I think it will also void it in the case of an accident too, an insurance company will look for ANY reason not to pay and they can classify it as an unregistered modification to the car.

smash

Kermitt wrote:

Thats another thing that pis.ses me off. All those idiots that got a set of stickers free in Max Power magazine and stick em all on the door of the car. Yes Mr. Skanger - I'm sure your 93 micra has GReddy suspension, Recaro seats, Kone Air breather systems and a set of OZ racing wheels that look remarkably like hubcaps:D

Best post all day... I hate that kinda thing...

Eoin

steve06 wrote:

Apart from de-badging you car which is ok, re-badging like adding a GTI, TDI or M or an increased engine size etc WILL void your insurance if the car is stolen because it's not the car's spec and it DOES make it a bigger target for theives as it's portrayed as a higher spec model. I think it will also void it in the case of an accident too, an insurance company will look for ANY reason not to pay and they can classify it as an unregistered modification to the car.

An M badge doesn't infer bigger engine size, it only refers to the wheels and bodykit.

LikeOhMyGawd!

eoin_s wrote:

An M badge doesn't infer bigger engine size, it only refers to the wheels and bodykit.

That's handy, if you see a BMW with some nice alloys and a bodykit you can look for the little 'M' on the back for confirmation that said nice alloys and bodykit were not your imagination or your eyes playing tricks again. Those Germans think of everything!;)

AJ!

I HATE Mercs that have AMG badges on them just because they have the bodykit and wheels. I don't understand why people put 55 badges on their 200's and 320's. The number refers to the engine only:mad:
I dont mind M badges. The other week I saw a BMW 650i with M wheels and bodykit but it had the 650i badge. It would have looked better with an M badge.

mloc123

Well I just put a deposit on a 206 Gti, next thing now is to find a lx in the scrap yard and pull the badges off

Wishbone Ash

ando wrote:

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

You must not have read through all the posts ando as it has been mentioned several times!

Big Balls

I don't think debadging always means you've something to hide.

I owned an A3 with nearly 10k of extras on it. It was a 2.0TDI and it was chipped and to anyone else it could've been a 1.6 8V engine... but it wasn't

I can understand why someone with a 318ci for example would debadge their car but again, to anyone into cars, they'll see a single exhaust pipe.

What about fools like this??

Henry Ford III

steve06 wrote:

Apart from de-badging you car which is ok, re-badging like adding a GTI, TDI or M or an increased engine size etc WILL void your insurance if the car is stolen because it's not the car's spec and it DOES make it a bigger target for theives as it's portrayed as a higher spec model. I think it will also void it in the case of an accident too, an insurance company will look for ANY reason not to pay and they can classify it as an unregistered modification to the car.

I doubt it. To alter the nature of the risk the change has to be "material".

So after market alloys, big stereo, roll cage, lowering, engine tweaks, performance exhaust, bigger wider tyres, bigger brakes, racing seats, bodykits, induction kits, and the like will all possibly/probably be material changes.

A simple badge however?

Henry Ford III

Big Balls wrote:

I don't think debadging always means you've something to hide.

I owned an A3 with nearly 10k of extras on it. It was a 2.0TDI and it was chipped and to anyone else it could've been a 1.6 8V engine... but it wasn't

I can understand why someone with a 318ci for example would debadge their car but again, to anyone into cars, they'll see a single exhaust pipe.

What about fools like this??

Is that a stock golf badged as a GTI?

Big Balls

I'd agree..

A professional car thief is not gonna think you have an M3 just cause a 316i saloon has a badge to say it is on the back. :rolleyes:

smash

eoin_s wrote:

An M badge doesn't infer bigger engine size, it only refers to the wheels and bodykit.

Well maybe not an M badge but the others...

Eoin

steve06 wrote:

Well maybe not an M badge but the others...

I agree - was just pointing out the difference between an ///M badge, which just means the M-Tech kit, and an ///M3 badge

Capt'n Midnight

Any one see the Top Gear one where they each got a sub £10,000 supercar ?
and then they were doing the test to see how much horsepower they had lost since they left the factory.

Clarkson was looking through the reciepts and found one for the badge LOL
instant lost of about 50Hp

Wishbone Ash

Capt'n Midnight wrote:

Any one see the Top Gear one where they each got a sub £10,000 supercar ?
and then they were doing the test to see how much horsepower they had lost since they left the factory.

Clarkson was looking through the reciepts and found one for the badge LOL
instant lost of about 50Hp

That was priceless - was it the one where the diesel Astra beat the 'supercars' around the track?

Kermitt

Henry Ford III wrote:

Is that a stock golf badged as a GTI?

Yep - Hate this as golfs are really easy to tell apart within the range. Base models in 1.4, 1.6 and TDI have no back head rests, and no electric pack. Comfortlines have back head rests and electrics (all engines)
Highline and GTi have as above but rear light cluster is different - clouded on the indicator section to blend in better with dark colours. Also GTi has lowered suspension. Why you'd put a GTi badge on a 1.4 base is beyond me!

jamieh

A friend of my dad's had a 540i and opted for no badges because he didnt want people to know it was a 540..he now has a 550i m sport with no badges.....different strokes for different folks i guess!!

FX Meister

steve06 wrote:

Apart from de-badging you car which is ok, re-badging like adding a GTI, TDI or M or an increased engine size etc WILL void your insurance if the car is stolen because it's not the car's spec and it DOES make it a bigger target for theives as it's portrayed as a higher spec model. I think it will also void it in the case of an accident too, an insurance company will look for ANY reason not to pay and they can classify it as an unregistered modification to the car.

Total crap. Did you just make that up or is it something you Da told you?

Wishbone Ash

steve06 wrote:

Apart from de-badging you car which is ok, re-badging like adding a GTI, TDI or M or an increased engine size etc WILL void your insurance if the car is stolen because it's not the car's spec and it DOES make it a bigger target for theives as it's portrayed as a higher spec model. I think it will also void it in the case of an accident too, an insurance company will look for ANY reason not to pay and they can classify it as an unregistered modification to the car.

It's also possible to utilise that great little invention by A G Bell and inform the insurance company of the change/modification.

Capt'n Midnight

Wishbone Ash wrote:

It's also possible to utilise that great little invention by [strike]A G Bell[/strike] and inform the insurance company of the change/modification.

<cough> Antonio Meucci <cough>

Found it
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maserati_Merak

The Maserati Merak was bought by Jeremy Clarkson on the hit BBC motoring show Top Gear for £7000 in a challenge. The challenge was to buy Italian cars for less than £10,000 and unfortunatly for Jeremy Clarkson, he was the first to retire because of major engine, gearbox and eventually brake problems.

His car was badged as an SS edition but in fact the badge was bought by the previous owner and it is an SS not and has never been an SS edition.

maidhc

FX Meister wrote:

Total crap. Did you just make that up or is it something you Da told you?

It certainly isnt crap. You are obliged to disclose any material facts to the insurer. As Henry said the badge may not be a material fact, but on the other hand a "GTI" badge on a 1.4 Golf will surely attract a certain category of scumbag.

It is a very good point tbh, although it is probably unlikely an insc co would refuse to pay out. Still, you just wouldn't know!

ninty9er

All I'll say on security is that if you're prepared to secure the car sufficiently with trackers and immobiliser, steering lock etc... there's no need to let scumbags go getting the better of you. to a scumbag a BMW is a BMW and they're only lookin at the "DAYA-SENT weeells onnit".

They're gonna run a nail down it if it says 316 or 325 so in the end it makes no difference

turbo

Debagde

Henry Ford III

turbo wrote:

Debagde

That's a Cooper S isn't it?

turbo

Henry Ford III wrote:

That's a Cooper S isn't it?

yep !!

Anan1

Not an S Works?

turbo

Anan1 wrote:

Not an S Works?

nope, but it has the works exhaust