Are you planning to remove the badges on your Toyota Tundra, and you want to know how to remove them safely without damaging the paint? You’ve come to the right place, for we have researched this question, and we have the answer for you.
Here are the simple steps that you can follow to debadge your Toyota Tundra without damaging the paint.
- Heat the badge.
- Peel the badge.
- Clean the adhesive residue.
- Polish and protect the area.
Let’s talk more about the steps to debadge your Toyota Tundra in the sections below. Learning more about each step is important so that you can prevent damaging the paint of your Tundra while you do this project on your own.
Read on!
What are vehicle badges?
Car badges are emblems or logos that are present in various areas of your car. Badges show off the model and trim of your vehicle. Some badges boast about specific details like the engine displacement in some models.
Some manufacturers use badges to advertise the new features that are present in the new models and trims of a vehicle.
What is debadging?
Some people want to highlight the smooth paint job or bodywork of their car. They want to show off that their vehicle is blemish-free and that there is no hidden defect anywhere. Removing the vehicle badges—or debadging—is a process that some owners put their vehicles through to highlight their vehicle’s external qualities.
Sometimes the presence of a badge in the middle of a shiny new car just doesn’t look right for some people.
The reason for other owners could be on the other side of the spectrum. They would install several upgrades to their vehicles and improve the performance. At the end of their efforts, they would like to get rid of the badges that say that their vehicle belongs to a lower model or trim.
Practical reasons for debadging vehicles include easier cleaning. Badges are notorious for trapping automotive wax—or dirt—making it difficult to evenly shine or clean the areas around a badge. And it can be difficult to clean the inside corners of a badge.
Thus, removing badges make it simpler to clean and shine vehicles.
Badges are even known for snagging fiber and trapping dust between the badge and the car when the adhesive in the corners of the badge starts to weaken. This can lead to scratches on the paint surrounding the badge.
Some vehicle owners don’t like the idea of advertising the name and brand of a car company without getting compensation. Debadging their vehicles make the car truly their own without advertising the company that made their vehicle each time they drive down the street.
Some people want to debadge their vehicles to protect them from car theft. Car badges can sometimes advertise the value of a car or the equipment inside and make it more attractive to car thieves. Removing the badges creates an illusion, making a car look ordinary and safer from theft.
Sleeper Cars
Some owners like to improve the performance of their vehicles to the point where they become illegal to drive on ordinary streets.
Highly modified, high-performance vehicles with ordinary-looking exteriors are called sleeper cars. Owners of these cars prefer to debadge their vehicles to make it easier to blend them with normal cars.
When performance upgrades can make a car illegal to drive on regular streets, debadging their cars make it less noticeable when they drive on regular streets.
Some street racers intentionally make their cars look ordinary to convince opponents that they are not a threat and get them into a race where they have the advantage.
How to debadge a Toyota Tundra?
Debadging a vehicle of any make and model should be done by a professional who has had years of experience doing debadging. There are parts in the process that only experience will make safer for the finish of the vehicle. Similarly, the process for debadging that we provide below can apply to any make or model of vehicle.
Preparing Your Vehicle For Debadging
- Park your Toyota Tundra on level ground.
- Engage the parking brakes.
- Place the transmission to “Park(P)” and turn off all your electronic devices.
- Turn off the engine.
- Wash the area around the badges that you want to remove. This will get rid of any dust or debris that you don’t want to get under the badge and scratch the paint while you remove it.
- Tap the area dry with a clean cloth.
MR.SIGA Microfiber Cleaning Cloth is available on Amazon through this link.
Removing The Badges
- Use a powerful heat gun to apply heat directly to the badge. Keep the heat gun at a distance of at least one foot away from the badge. Keep moving the heat gun around the surface of the badge. Never keep it in a single area to prevent heating the paint of your Tundra and damaging it.
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- Constantly monitor the temperature of the paint around the badge. If it is getting too hot, move the heat gun to a different area or move the heat gun farther for a few seconds.
- In most cases, when the surrounding paint becomes too hot, that is a sign that it is time to move to the next step.
- Get a strong fishing line and slide it between the badge and the body of your Tundra. Move the fishing line up and down, slicing into the space between.
- Once the fishing line goes through the badge, try pulling the badge off but do not force it. If the badge is still firmly adhered to the body, do another pass with the fishing line under the badge. Make as many passes as necessary to loosen the grip of the adhesive under the badge.
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- Never force the badge to come off. Doing so can cause the opposite end of the badge to dig into the paint and damage it.
Getting Rid Of The Adhesives
- Use a plastic scraper to gently peel off one edge of the adhesive and pull it away from the body of your Tundra slowly at an angle.
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- Alternatively, you can also use a rubber eraser wheel connected to your drill. Eraser wheels are made of rubber, and they buff off stickers and decals off your vehicle.
- Once most of the adhesive is gone, use a liquid adhesive remover to remove the rest of the adhesive from the body of your Tundra. Spray some of the liquid adhesive removers directly on the leftover adhesive on your Tundra’s body. Massage the liquid by hand to help dissolve any remaining adhesive. Once you feel that the adhesive is ready to peel off, use an automotive cleaning cloth to wipe off the liquid adhesive remover and the adhesive residue.
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- Repeat this process until you remove all the adhesive from all the areas where the badges were.
ABN Rubber Eraser Wheel is available on Amazon through this link.
FOSHIO Plastic Razor Blade Scraper is available on Amazon through this link.
Goo Gone Adhesive Remover is available on Amazon through this link.
Protecting The Surface
- Wash the area with your regular car shampoo. This will get rid of any adhesive remover left on the paint of your Tundra. Alternatively, you can also wash your entire Tundra to make the clean area even with the rest of the truck.
- Wipe with a clean automotive cloth until the area is completely dry. If you decide to wash the entire truck, dry the rest of it too.
- Spray some car wax polish and protectant on the body of your Tundra.
- Wipe with a buffing cloth.
SHINE ARMOR Car Wax Polish is available on Amazon through this link.
Conclusion
Debadging your Toyota Tundra is easy. Weaken the adhesive before prying the badge off, then clean the area.
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