BMW F10 – Debadge

Less is more … and for some reason I like the shape of the car in it’s pure form.

No M sticker, no writings, no 3 colors on the grille, no country sticker and so on…

What products did we use for the debadge?

• Dental Floss
• An all purpose cleaner – Chemical Guys Nonsense
• CarPro TarX – Tar and Adhesive remover
• Microfiber towels/rags
• Latex gloves

What tools?

• Hot air gun
• Plastic trim removal tools
• DA polisher – Rupes 3 Inch 

What products did we use for polishing?

• Menzerna 400 on a Meguiars Microfiber Cutting Pad
• Sonax Perfect Finish on a Rupes Yellow Pad
• Chemical Guys Jet Seal

What are the general steps to follow?

• clean the badge and the area next to the badge with the APC
• if the area is dirty spray the APC on the panel and gently lift the dirt with the microfiber towel 
• heat up the panel and the letters with the hot air gun
• try to lift the letter buy hand, with some twisting movements
• if they don’t cooperate use the dental floss
• you could also use the plastic trim removal tools but be careful not to dent the metal, these tools should not scratch but be mindful of that  
• depending on your dental floss, if it is snapping, overlap it 2, 3 times
• reheat the area if needed
• after the letters are off 
• clean area with APC
• try to remover any adhesive foam by hand and maybe plastic trim tools 
• once the big parts are removed, it is time for TarX, or if you don’t have it, there are other options like: petrol, IPA, WD40, or other adhesive remover products
• ideally you would spray TarX (or your poison of choice) on a rag and hold the rag on the adhesive to let it break down the residues. I know that in the videos it looks instantaneous but in reality it takes 10+ min for it to help you remove what was left.
• the rags used in removing the residue should be considered compromised and should not be reused on delicate surfaces as it might scratch or spread the glue   
• depending on how crazy you want to be, you could clean the area with IPA or a 20% IPA solution before attempting to polish

The polishing part:

• to get the area to look relay good and not have marks I would recommend a cutting step followed by a finishing step followed by a protection layer of sealant or wax
• all polishing steps have been done with a DA (Dual Action) Rupes polisher
• for the cutting step I have used a 3 inch Meguiars Microfiber Cutting Pad with the Menzerna 400 Compound
• for the finishing step I have used a 3 inch Rupes Yellow Pad with the Sonax Perfect Finish
• and to top every thing up I have applied some Chemical Guys Jet Seal that was sitting for many years in my garage
• for a good result I also recommend to polish all the top area surrounding the taillights, so that you feeder the polished area nicely (check the image gallery for details)