SanchoZ

When I got my windows tinted I also had removed the rear emblems (Nissan Hamburger/350z) and noticed that there are shadow outlines of them. I took my car to a auto detailing shop, and they told me the first owner must have clear-coated the car without removing the emblems -_-. My plan is to be badgeless, but without those hideous shadows. If I purchase aftermarket parts (like a new front bumper to get rid of the front emblem) will I have to clear coat everything to match the rest of the car? Can I just clear coat the shadows to match? I have considered shaving the front, but i have read that the shadow stays. Does anyone have any ideas on what I can do? Thanks for the help





Sorry the pictures are upside down, you can still see the outlines though thats what matters.

SQuaLZ

Unless you want those ugly holes showing, you will need to get your trunk worked on by a body shop. Have them fill the holes then spray and have them blend to the rest of the car. That will take car of it. What year Z do you have by the way? If it's an early model then it could just be the color fading and now you are looking at spots that never saw the sun. That happens on cars, especially depending on where you live.

SanchoZ

Yeah that makes sense, it's a 2005 with 95000 miles on it. I was planning on buying a carbon fiber trunk (hatch, whatever you want to call it) to take care of the alignment hole problem. Unfortunately, as far as the paint goes, I feel that I have very few options. If the paint has faded, that means that any body part (even if factory paint) will not match the rest of it. Does anyone have suggestions at this point? Am I due for new paint? I am still very curious on the front hamburger emblem, has anyone shaved it and still found a shadow outline from the emblem? Feedback would be highly appreciated, Thanks!!!

SQuaLZ

A good body shop should have no problem. That is why I said they need to blend it. It's the technique they use to make the paint all look the same color and shade.

Phenom

iTrader: (4)

I want to do this (only remove the 350z badge though) but this is exactly what I'm worried about. I don't want to start popping stuff off if its going to leave an obvious footprint behind. My car has 25k miles and stays in the garage so the paint shouldn't have faded too much but I still can't decide if I want to bother messing with it.

SQuaLZ

When I removed the 350Z last year on my 08 I was able to see it on my car. I hit it with a little bit of compound, then polish and wax, and although still there, it looked much better. It didn't really matter to me since I replaced the emblem with the JDM Fairlady Z emblem.

SQuaLZ

Sorry OP should have mentioned that already. Try some compound, polish and wax. It could make it look a lot better. Be easy with the compound, and make sure it is polishing compound, not rubbing compound.

Phenom

iTrader: (4)

Any tips for safe removal? My fear is that instead of the emblem detaching from the adhesive, it'll stay together and take off a chunk of paint or something. I plan on letting it heat up in the sun then going at it with dental floss as others have recommended. Once the emblem is gone I'll use some bug and tar remover to get the adhesive off the paint.

SQuaLZ

I used a hairdryer and used dental floss to pull them off. Then while still hot I used 3M adhesive remover with a microfiber and rubbed off the remainder of the glue residue.

I then immediately washed my car since that adhesive remover is strong and I didn't want to leave any on the paint.

Just make sure to take your time and don't let impatience get the best of you. That is when you make mistakes.

SanchoZ

Thanks for the quick replies. I talked to another auto detailing shop and they offered to shave the front emblem and paint the bumper for 400-500 bucks, not too bad. They mentioned that there is a chance of the paint cracking if were to be tapped by another vehicle. I would like to think that this would never happen, although considering I live in San Francisco, the odds aren't slim. This paint fading problem is frustrating -_-.

SQuaLZ

First try polishing compound and polish then wax. What do you have to lose? 15 minutes of your life?

SanchoZ

Where can I purchase this?

To be honest, I found this Carbon Fiber spoiler that covers the alignment holes from the rear emblem. If i got it, I wouldn't have to worry about matching with the faded paint considering Carbon Fiber already looks great. It's not the cheapest route, but I already want a spoiler so...might as well. What do you guys think?

SQuaLZ

Any autoparts store.

I recommend Turtle Wax polishing compound and either Mother's or Meguiar's polish and wax.