'04 R53 here. Stock badges are peeling and crappy. I had ordered the black badges from ECS (obviously different from OEM) and they (the page as well as reviews) claimed they would fit on an R53 but clearly they wont so....if my badges are peeling, can I just refinish them black myself or will they look like **** and I should just suck it up and go with the OEM chrome? Has anyone ever refinished their own badges? Or are there any black badges out there anywhere that actually fit R53's? If so, links would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

Which ones did you get? We should have it notes what the different is and what would have to be modified to fit. I know on most removing those pegs make it work. That what 99% of MINI owners do.

 

I got these:

https://www.ecstuning.com/b-genuine-...r/51142465242/

https://www.ecstuning.com/b-genuine-...m/51149880863/

Now, they say "newer design" in the label and I thought that was referring to the actual emblem being the modern design....am I totally wrong and it's referring to facelift models only (I am pre-facelift obviously) ? Are the facelift emblems larger? The rear one will definitely fit with removing those pegs as you/the descriptions say, but no shot the hood one fits...

 

Yep on the older cars like your R53, you remove the pegs and line up. Peal and stick, the logo is a bit bigger on the rear then the factory one but it works for an OEM look.

On the front: For R50-R60 MINIs back pegs will have to be removed to fit. R52/R53 S/JCW models this will be a tight fit on the hood. Pegs will have to be modified. Tighter fit but works.

We cannot sell knock off/fake MINI emblems, so we have to take the Genuine MINI ones and have people to modify them, had a bunch of people do this already. Or by the Genuine MINI Chrome ones and then have them painted.

Let me know how it goes after you line them up and modify.

 

So here are some pics for reference- this is what I mean. The badge will definitely go over the crack to the scoop/the grill.....I'd rather it just fit between and not overlap at all which is why I don't like it. So do people just let it overlap? Do you have any example pics you could show me? But yes just getting OEM and painting black might be the move... Plus I don't want to have chrome front and back but then black "cooper s" I'd want it all to match ofc

 

Yep, they overlap it bit as they want an Genuine MINI badge as some of the the aftermarket ones dont have the quality. We had some MINIs at our last cars and coffee that did the swap. If you think its too big for your liking you can return it. On the Cooper its fine, on the S/JCW on the front you don't have a lot of room.

 

Ahhhhh yes. Definitely don't want it to overlap so I will just be returning then. Please add in your description that for an S/jcw it will overlap just so future customers will know I'm sure there are others like me who are drawn in by the black but would want a flush fit.

 

Yep, it will overlap just a little based on what the guys had here in the parking lot. Don't have a lot of options because MINI decided to grow the badges like the cars and we cant sell knock offs.

 

I've also been wondering about refurbishing the badges on my car. A few years ago, I put some black vinyl over them, then cut out the letters with a hobby knife. Looked okay, but they're starting to come off again.

The other thing I'm considering is painting them black, then while the paint is wet, wiping it off the raised letters. Or sanding the paint off the letters after it dries and polishing them with some compound on a cloth. Or something.

I'd also love to hear if anybody has experience.

 

From my previous experience with different cars, the option of painting them and wiping off the letters while its still wet is definitely not the way to go. If you want to go that route, try taping over the badge, and cutting out the letters so tape is over the letters, then painting, then when its dry take off the tape

 

I've refinished mine. They were in pretty crappy condition in the center, but the wings were still in good shape. I sandblasted them and then painted black with Eastwood Chassis Black. I wanted red accents in the wings and red lettering (I've got a red trim accent thing going throughout the car). I ordered some ebay stickers to fit the wings and center piece. They look pretty good 2 years later; they could use a bit of touchup on the inside lower edges of the circles where the paint didn't adhere as well.

If you're going to refinish, you'll definitely want to do some prep work to etch the chrome so you have a good surface for the paint to bond to. Powdercoating would be another option worth considering.

 

Sounds sick....especially with the S being red anyways

 

Use RM Zinc Phosphate primer and coat with RM satin black dress it will be a bulletproof finish or powder coat .