[surfactant17]

I just bought a 2013 highlander with low miles a real nice car I saw the detaii guy put a plastic dealer badge on the tailgate when i left did not do anything about it. In the morning it will be less than 12 hrs on. Can I take it off without ruining the paint? Is it worth it? i would like to if its not too risky thanks

 

[badnews89]

Use a plastic razor blade and peel off the sticker. Once removed, use goo gone and remove and glue residue left over on the paint. Don't scrub it too hard. Once all goo is gone, apply a layer of wax to protect the area. Make sure the area you're gonna work with is clean of any dust or dirt as it may cause some swirls on your clear coat if you press the contaminants into the paint. It's generally an easy fix tho.

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[badnews89]

Also, if you have a heat gun or hair blow dryer, try applying some heat so melt the glue a little bit to make it easier to remove.

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[funman1]

Make them take it off.
It was not on there when you agreed to purchase the car, therefore the vehicle was altered after purchase without your consent.
I raised HELL with CarMax until they took it off the vehicle in my case.

 

[Ben2881]

It drives me crazy that dealers do that. They should have to offer a discount to put the sticker on.

And they are often of such poor quality that they begin to fade or bubble after a couple years. Or worse still, they put them on crooked, or in a stupid spot...ok, rant done:thanks:

 

[Ralph6410]

It drives me crazy that dealers do that. They should have to offer a discount to put the sticker on.

Exactly my position as well..

 

[jgayman]

It drives me crazy that dealers do that. They should have to offer a discount to put the sticker on.

Let's see, that makes you a billboard for the dealer. $50/mo for the life of the car seems like a bargain for them.

Just think of years past, prior to the stick-ons, when dealers thought nothing of punching two nice holes in the trunk lip to anchor their advertisement.

 

[cbwilsha]

When I am discussing the final price on any new vehicle I buy, I offer allowing a dealer sticker on it for $500 yearly; otherwise, there is to be none! I always get final delivery with none attached.

 

[Vbpiper]

Floss

You can also GENTLY soften the adhesive with a heat gun or hair dryer as Badnews suggested, then use dental floss to separate it from the paint, then the Goo Gone, etc.

Also, how did it go with the freight charges?

 

[TN SkyPilot]

I just bought a 2013 highlander with low miles a real nice car I saw the detaii guy put a plastic dealer badge on the tailgate when i left did not do anything about it. In the morning it will be less than 12 hrs on. Can I take it off without ruining the paint? Is it worth it? i would like to if its not too risky thanks

Congrats, surfactant17, on finding your car! Did you get a demo like you mentioned before? Hope it serves you well.

 

[AXMACD]

Around here most dealers either use a frame for advertising (which get gross and discoloured from the UV rays) or one of those decals you can peel off with your fingers. I peeled the ones off my Highlander, I had a plate frame, big logo on the front and another big logo on the back. The frame got yellow so I removed that too.

My truck still has the dealership logo on the back, it's small and from an out of province dealer so it sets my truck apart from the others in town.

My Honda had one on the front which I peeled off and discovered there was overspray from some paint work so the outline of the logo is still there, I left the one on the back because the dealership was very good to me and the paint is probably faded.

The trend around here with trucks is dealerships are putting massive graphics across the back widows that say "DEALERSHIP NAME GMC TRUCK" - that is tacky. A small dealer decal is fine in my opinion, I'll peel it off the first time they piss me off.


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[iowa530]

Heat up the decal with a hair drier, heat gun or parking in the sun. Use dental floss to work under the edge and peel it off. Be careful if you use a heat gun. Don't want to blister the paint.

My Tacoma had factory TRD stickers that I peeled off just by parking in the sun, and peeling by hand. Then used a little adhesive remover to get rid of the residue.

 

[TrailDust]

Please review the Detailing & Car Care forum too, which has several threads on the subject.

 

[mckeand13]

I just bought a 2013 highlander with low miles a real nice car I saw the detaii guy put a plastic dealer badge on the tailgate when i left did not do anything about it. In the morning it will be less than 12 hrs on. Can I take it off without ruining the paint? Is it worth it? i would like to if its not too risky thanks

If it's really a "plastic" badge, use dental floss and saw behind it to remove it. Then user your fingers or thumb to roll the adhesive tape off if possible.

 

[jmuhammad]

I made the dealer take it off before I took it off the lot.

 

[AXMACD]

Heat up the decal with a hair drier, heat gun or parking in the sun. Use dental floss to work under the edge and peel it off. Be careful if you use a heat gun. Don't want to blister the paint.

My Tacoma had factory TRD stickers that I peeled off just by parking in the sun, and peeling by hand. Then used a little adhesive remover to get rid of the residue.

That actually reminds me, my Tacoma had fake TRD stickers I made the dealership remove.. I can't remember if they said 4x4 or TRD, all I can remember is they were red - my truck is green, Christmas was over a few weeks before I bought it.


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[Wetz]

I took the badges off a car many years a car when I was 16. I just used a blow dryer and the badge came right off except for a little bit of glue. I used goo gone to remove the little remaining glue. I never needed any floss. It is very easy and probably quicker than hassling with the dealer which will probably take a lot more energy.

 

[surfactant17]

Thanks for askin VBpiper! No freight charges think I got a fair deal The car was turned in after a short while (was leased) has low miles. I checked it out as good as I could. As far as I can see Its practically a new car. 4500 miles runs and feels great on the road. Its weird but the drivers carpet is worn a bit because they never got car mats. Its worn around where the heel rests but I will try to reinforce and cover with a patch or something. I'm tall and after coming from a small car I really am enjoying this car. I have the rest of the 36000/3yr and the certified drivetrain also. The dealer emblem I'm talking about is one of those plastic letter badges not a sticker. To tell you the truth I'm kinda paranoid that I will screw up the paint and might just leave it on. This car does not have the drivers mat clips that keeps the drivers mat from sliding. Gonna call them on that and see if will put those in. I know toyota considers that a safety part and I think they should install that. Thanks for all who responded to my posts throughout the last 30 days I did not know if i was getting a new highlander or a used one and I think I made a great decision.I went back and forth many times and was playing many phone games with the local dealers in my area. I'm finally done and can concentrate on my personal upgrades inproving the stock stereo getting satelite radio installed and getting all weather mats. Mark

 

[mckeand13]

Bah, just take it off. Use the dental floss method I described. You won't mess up the paint.

 

[King Kai]

Technically your signing the agreement allowing the dealer to put on badges on your car so their is nothing you can do about it. It's in the contract in one of those secret pages they forget to mention