My dealer stuck a little name tag on the back to the left of the license plate. I'd like to remove it, but I'm worried that I'll damage the paint under the adhesive.

Any suggestions?

 

*_babs_*

Aloha and welcome to MCO.
You can search through the threads about this with various methods but from my own experience, you could use a heat gun or a blow dryer. Heat the adhesive and slowly peel pack the emblem. If there is any residue, use a silicone spray(WD-40) and wipe off the rest.
I hope this helps. Good luck.

 

Welcome to MCO...

If it were me, I'd go back to the dealer and ask them to remove it... Did they ask you if they could "adorn" your new car with their free advertising? Or maybe they offered you a discount for providing them with free advertising? I doubt it... :smile:
I really don't like those dealer badges at all... (as if you couldn't tell, lol)... Get in your car, do not pass GO and have them remove that ugly thing from your beautiful new MINI... Best of luck... and let us know what happened...

Paul... :smile:

 

The best dealers are using the rear license plate frame to place their advertisements...easily removed and makes a great garage ornament.

 

I'd go back to the dealer and ask them for $300.00 for
"advertising." If they don't give it to you tell them you
would like a frame without their name on it. This tactic
will probably not win you any friends at the dealership.
But then, life is unfair.

 

Goo Gone is a great product for removing stickey stuff in general. It won't hurt your paint, I've used to remove bumper stickers and such. You'll probably have to use half the bottle and drench that sticker to get it off. I think you can get it at most drugstores and some groceries stores in the cleaning product section.

_________________
MINI COOP' DU JOUR: looks like velvet red/black, everything but the kitchen sink. Also r87's, clear front and side markers. Just got my production number. Go April club!

 

Sticker: heat with hairdryer and slowly peel off, then use WD-40 or Goo Gone to wipe off any residual

Emblem: heat with hairdryer and then use a piece of dental floss to "saw" it off, placing the floss between the car and the emblem, then use WD-40 or Goo Gone to wipe off any residual.

The emblem technique works great if you want to remove the "Cooper (S)" from the rear hatch as well.

R

 

When a dealer does that I like to call it decptive marketing... they assume you'd be proud to be a customer and wear their badge with honor, yet the completness of the picture is that they know damn well that not everyone knows where to buy a mini due to Mini's marketing campaign..... so a tattoo of sorts will guide the bulls into the pen. It is wrong and I would protest, ask for a marketing fee per mile driven. Or have them remove it, leaving all liability in their hands.

It's just wrong to mar the surface of a nice car like the mini... you never see a ferrari with a Jacktown Ferrari Emblem on it!

 

I agree, don't risk doing it yourself, however well it might turn out. Unless your dealer is far away, I would definitely recommend demanding that they remove it.

 

I just re-read this and noticed they put it on your
car. I initially thought you were talking about a
license plate frame. They put IT on your car?
I would be p+*&%d. Demand they take it off. :evil:

 

Reading is FUNdemental...or is it fundeMENTAL?

 

>>Reading is FUNdemental...or is it fundeMENTAL?

 

>>My dealer stuck a little name tag on the back to the left of the license plate. I'd like to remove it, but I'm worried that I'll damage the paint under the adhesive.
>>
>>Any suggestions?

First, How long have you had your MINI?
If not long and it has not set in the sun??(I know, what's that)

You should be able to peel it off. When I took delivery of my MINI last
July, my dealer stuck on one of their "Free Advertisements"
I just took my time and pulled on the sticker. It came right off with no
indication of any paint damage at all....

Best of luck :smile: :smile: :smile:

 

if it is a hard plastic badge, you can 'saw' it off with a piece of dental floss (real floss, Glide does not work so well because it stretches)

Then rub off any excess adhesive and use Goo-Gone to remove anything left over

I removed my "Cooper S" badge letters this way, and have done it on other vehicles that have been badged with things I did not want on my car.

Now I just need to get those chrome side markers that do not have the offending "S" on them and my MINI will be left with nothing but a sensible front and rear MINI logo badge.

 

Thanks everyone for the advice. I'll try to remove it this weekend.

I can't have the dealer remove it since I'm in Seattle and I got it in New Jersey. It didn't even occur to me that they'd put a badge on the car since dealers in this area don't do that.

 

I was curious where you got the car. From observing various cars, the dealer badge seems to be an East Coast phenomenom. For those of us on the left coast, that is anything east of the Colorado River

 

>>My dealer stuck a little name tag on the back to the left of the license plate. I'd like to remove it, but I'm worried that I'll damage the paint under the adhesive.
>>
>>Any suggestions?


HOW DARE THEY? They defaced your MINI? I'd return it and have THEM do it! Otherwise charge them $1000 for the advertising!!!!!!!!!

 

Just be thankful that they didn't use one of the metal plates (drilled and fastened) that were popular through the 1980s at many/most dealers. Back then, "asking not to" was not exactly an option.

Does your sticker incorporate any part of the MINI logo? If so, maybe someone on eBay will give you money for it!

 

>>Just be thankful that they didn't use one of the metal plates (drilled and fastened) that were popular through the 1980s at many/most dealers. >>
>>

:evil: Nobody will be drilling into my MINI I would go, what's the term, Ape ***** on their @$$.


Back to the original question: Another vote for "demand the dealership remove it" Sleaze-***** at domestic-maker dealerships can get away with this crap, however, a MINI is an institution, how dare they deface it!

 

>>I can't have the dealer remove it since I'm in Seattle and I got it in New Jersey. It didn't even occur to me that they'd put a badge on the car since dealers in this area don't do that.

That is absolutely true -- it's an east-coast versus west-coast car culture thing. Back east dealers routinely put stickers or even cheap metal/tinplate plaques on the backs of the cars they sell. It's expected. The metal plaques rust first and look terrible, and sometimes they're bigger than the car's own nameplate.

I hardly ever see that done now that I've moved to the northwest, not even by Chevy dealers. The MINI dealer here in the Seattle-Tacoma zone gives out a nice-looking rear license plate frame that says NORTHWEST MINI, but you can remove it in two minutes if you don't like it.

 

Sometimes it's entertaining to see a dealer badge on a car way-far-away from its origin. I've frequently spotted the badges from the Koons family of dealers (DC area) and Fox (NYC area) on cars on the other side of the country from where they started out. Easy to spot, since they're big old metal things. In most cases, these cars were probably bought used and the used car dealer simply neglected to remove them. In the case of the Koons and Fox badges, removal would result in holes that needed to be filled/sanded/painted...and who'd want to go to that expense??

But no stinkin' badges on my MINI!

 

I made sure to inform my dealer prior to delivery (I think it was still in production) that I did not want any stickers/badges/what-not on my car. I reminded them a couple of times, too! They were very cooperative.

I realize this doesn't help anyone who already has something stuck on their car - but it might be helpful for anybody getting ready to get their MINI.

 

When I was in Las Vegas I noticed almost all the cars with Nevada plates also had those ugly little dealer stickers. My mini didnt come with one ,and I'm glad, but it did come with dealer license plate frames that I think are kinda cool (only cuz they say mini on them). I asked my dealer if I can have a free Mini shirt to pay for all the advertising i was doing for them, they said ok but they never sent it to me!!