[lll F10 lll]

Pretty & straightforward DIY

Thought I'd post it up for the few who have never done this before or are afraid too haha. I know you're out there.

This is as simple as DIY projects get. If somehow this doesnt come out right for you, you're probably not cut out for DIY's

Time: 2 hours max

Tools:

1. Xacto Knife
2. Dental Floss
3. Heatgun/Blowdryer
4. 3M Heavy Duty Double Sided Tape
5. Coating/Paint of Your Choice
6. Masking/Painters Tape

Total Cost: Less than $20(depending on what you already have around the house)


Notes:
-I definitely suggest an Xacto(fine point) over any regular razor blade bc if will make cutting thin pieces of the 3M tape MUCH easier when it comes time to apply them to the back of the emblems.

-I got lazy and only taped above and below where the emblems originally were. Im 99% sure my spacing between the emblems is a bit off after I reinstalled them. I would put tape between each emblem prior to removing them to make sure you have the spacing right.



1.) Put the tape on, make sure the lines are straight so your emblems wont come out crooked. I had already removed the "i" before I decided to to the DIY..sorry about that





2.) Use your heatgun or blowdryer to slowly heat up the area around the emblems. Careful not to hold it there too long and damage your paint. I used the lowest setting on my heatgun.


3.) Bust out your floss and start running it behind the emblems. Once the area is heated up the floss should slide through the adhesive pretty easily. Reheat if needed the area if needed.






4.) Clean the remaining adhesive off the back of your emblems and on the trunk of the car the best you can. You probably wont get them off 100% from the back of the emblems but the cleaner you can get them, the better. I used Goo-Gone to get most of the residue off and followed up with brake cleaner to remove that oily surface that Goo-Gone leaves.




5.) Clean and dry then emblems off, and cut the 3M double sided tape into pieces thin enough to apply on the back of the emblems how the OEM adhesive originally was.


6.) Now you can paint them. I chose Plastidip b/c it requires zero prep work aside from cleaning the surface. No sanding required, and 100% reversible. Leaves a matte black finish, looks great with Space Grey or AW, other lighter colors, etc. $6 at local hardware stores. Do 2-3 coats allowing 15 minutes in between each coat, and let the final coat sit for 30 mins or so before handling/reinstalling.






7.) Peel all the red backing off the 3M tape from the back of your emblems. Reinstall using your masking/painters tape gridlines. I prefer to heat the back of the emblems before installing b/c the heat helps the 3M tape stick better. Personal preference/habit, not 100% necessary.






After you've lined up and reinstalled the emblems, you're done. If you're only debadging, you only need to follow steps #2 & #3.


Finished








Have fun!

[stroyer]

Thanks a lot! I'm a DIY and BMW newbie, and had always wondered how this was done...had imagined a more complicated procedure...I was thinking about debadging at first, but after seeing these pictures I think repainting it black looks really cool!

I have an Alpine White car and I think black would look quite good on it...

Again, thank you!

[mwlmd]

Nice work. But if you are using plasti dip can't you just paint the badge on the car without removing it?

[M_528i]

Nice I did my in smoke black

[Gixxer335iCoupe]

Originally Posted by mwlmd

Nice work. But if you are using plasti dip can't you just paint the badge on the car without removing it?

That is how I understand it.

If you were going gloss black, then you might need to remove them...

[omer]

Originally Posted by Gixxer335iCoupe

That is how I understand it.

If you were going gloss black, then you might need to remove them...

You are 100% right if you have to use the gloss you have to remove them. If use only plasti dip then you don't.

[cyberbman]

Wow.. Thanks for sharing. Will try debadging this weekend.

[Approver]

Nice! Thanks for posting this.

[twelve535i]

Looks great.