FML this happened when I want to debadge

[ElmoHongZito]

Was about to debadge the civic badge from the trunk. I hit it with a heat gun for a few seconds and noticed that the letters were already a little lose to the touch. Mind you I live in Miami so the heat from outside may have already been sufficient. I get my nylon fish line behind the C and it peeled off very easily leaving the adhesive behind. Only problem is that some of the white paint came off as well (see picture below). I only witnessed it after the C came off so I don’t know if the heat caused it or not. I am so pissed. I stuck the C right back on. I regret using the heat gun because that may have been the culprit.

Thoughts on what happened here? Do you think I can debadge everything (without heat gun) and somehow touch up this area well? I’m scared I already started it and it will continue to peel.

I was so freakin pissed that I forgot all about the heatgun on my lap and accidentally touched the tip with my forearm leaving a nasty burn. Right now I can care less about the burn.

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[Holtz]

Let me help you so you don't freak out. Here are a few things you can do.

Continue with the fishing line / floss and remove everything.
Grab some goo gone and take off what's left of the adhesive (let soak for a few mins) rinse and repeat until all gone.
Take to a body shop to patch up what you messed up for a few hundred dollars if you care about pristine paint work.
Grab a touch up oem honda paint pen and touch up the paint + clear coat - everything comes together in pen.

OR - don't actually commit to debadging - go on ebay and buy "civic" again.
rebadge everything - clean up area + prep it with alcohol and just slightly move your civic letters over a little to cover up your messed up paint work. Ideally you could use a touch up pen here before reapplying the letters again.

 

[ElmoHongZito]

Let me help you so you don't freak out. Here are a few things you can do.

Continue with the fishing line / floss and remove everything.
Grab some goo gone and take off what's left of the adhesive (let soak for a few mins) rinse and repeat until all gone.
Take to a body shop to patch up what you messed up for a few hundred dollars if you care about pristine paint work.
Grab a touch up oem honda paint pen and touch up the paint + clear coat - everything comes together in pen.

OR - don't actually commit to debadging - go on ebay and buy "civic" again.
rebadge everything - clean up area + prep it with alcohol and just slightly move your civic letters over a little to cover up your messed up paint work. Ideally you could use a touch up pen here before reapplying the letters again.

Thanks for responding. When I put back the C it covered up the messed up paint work. I still want to debadge specially now that I feel like a failure after butchering it on the first try. Guess I will try the touch up solution and taking to a body shop will be last resort.

I saw so many youtube videos on how to debadge and not one expressed any warnings about how the heat gun could losen the paint like that in a few seconds. Mind you some of them used hair dryers because they don’t own a heat gun.

 

[gtman]

Wow, that's messed up. No way debadging should cause the paint to peel off like that. How hot was that heat gun???

 

[KeepItLow]

I always debadge my car using a hair dryer as I think the heat is easier to control, feels like to me your heat gun way too hot..

Good thing is that you can just buy that garnish piece from factory painted as well and replace it, which is what I would do!

https://www.hondapartsnetwork.com/oem-parts/honda-garnish-assembly-rear-nh0-74890tghe01ze?c=Zz1ib2R5LWFpci1jb25kaXRpb25pbmcmcz10YWlsZ2F0ZS10eXBlLXImbD04Jm49QXNzZW1ibGllcyBQYWdlJmE9aG9uZGEmbz1jaXZpYy01LWRvb3ImeT0yMDE4JnQ9dHlwZS1yLXRvdXJpbmcmZT02LXNwZWVkLW1hbnVhbA==

 

[Civics4Ever]

Wow, that's messed up. No way debadging should cause the paint to peel off like that. How hot was that heat gun???

Waaaaay too hot. Even looks like the paint is burnt.

 

[98-0425]

I used a hair dryer, floss, and goo gone. No problems here.

 

[wayoutwest]

Same here - hair dryer, dental floss, and i slide tape under the edges of the letter so nothing gets scratched while i am wiggling the floss through. Done 4-5 cars this way and have never had any issues.

Oh, and i use the 3M citrus based adhesive remover. It is like $20 for a bottle on amazon, but its way less harsh, and i'm sure the bottle will last me an entire lifetime as you really don't use much at all. I actually just spray it on a microfiber towel and lightly go over the remaining adhesive until it is gone. Then apply a coat of wax after. Takes longer but has always worked for me. Hope you are able to repair it!

 

[TypeWavey]

Buy some Dr. Colorchip.

 

[Noize]

I never ever use a heat gun or hairdryer. I used floss and then Goo Gone, it was even a cool day. Easy as pie. Sorry for your troubles.

 

[Morning Mahogany]

Re-badge > De-badge

I’ll post my black chrome replacement when I find time. It re-balances the rear with the type r emblem already in place.

 

[jasonjm]

I always debadge my car using a hair dryer as I think the heat is easier to control, feels like to me your heat gun way too hot..

Good thing is that you can just buy that garnish piece from factory painted as well and replace it, which is what I would do!

https://www.hondapartsnetwork.com/oem-parts/honda-garnish-assembly-rear-nh0-74890tghe01ze?c=Zz1ib2R5LWFpci1jb25kaXRpb25pbmcmcz10YWlsZ2F0ZS10eXBlLXImbD04Jm49QXNzZW1ibGllcyBQYWdlJmE9aG9uZGEmbz1jaXZpYy01LWRvb3ImeT0yMDE4JnQ9dHlwZS1yLXRvdXJpbmcmZT02LXNwZWVkLW1hbnVhbA==

Ditto hair dryer used here as well. On low.

This part is plastic, a heat gun is too much.

 

[keiothic]

Had a similar situation a few months ago when removing my dealer's badge. Ridiculous to think how much they press against the paint, leaving an indent and a chip. As I was trying to clean it to fill in the paint chip, I just made it bigger because it's plastic. Doing paint correction while stressed is definitely not a good combination. After contemplating back and forth on whether to get the $30 Langka blob eliminator, I went for it and fill it in gently/patiently, as best as I could, with calmer state of mind and expectation that it can can never look 100%, but at least from a far, it tells a happier story.

TL;DR: Langka blob eliminator (and Honda paint touch-up pen obviously)

 

[Mick the Quick]

Thanks for responding. When I put back the C it covered up the messed up paint work. I still want to debadge specially now that I feel like a failure after butchering it on the first try. Guess I will try the touch up solution and taking to a body shop will be last resort.

I saw so many youtube videos on how to debadge and not one expressed any warnings about how the heat gun could losen the paint like that in a few seconds. Mind you some of them used hair dryers because they don’t own a heat gun.

Wow, I have never seen anything like that. The only thing I could think of is that you had the heat gun in the high setting, had it too close to the surface, and didn’t move the gun around. But even that is highly unlikely. Perhaps it was a pre-existing damage that you hadn’t seen?

 

[Roadcone]

Re-badge > De-badge

I’ll post my black chrome replacement when I find time. It re-balances the rear with the type r emblem already in place.

do you have a black chrome red h badge too? I'd love to swap everything to black chrome but only if i can get the red H's too

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