De-badging my Travato

valkraider

Advanced Member
Joined
Jan 20, 2012
Messages
69
We got a Travato in Granite color.

The badging was huge, and in my opinion detracted from the clean looks - and the clean "auto like" appearance is one of the main reasons for the deluxe paint option.

The badging is better than the graphics on some models - but was still way too large and in too many places.

I removed the badging and it makes the Travato super clean looking.

I removed 39 plastic characters and four words in vinyl.

Before:
f86464b3fb09e6a16d01b539db15dea2.jpg


After:
29a547fbc64a7a5152cd55a9ec3f0cea.jpg


(More pics in next post)






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The letters came off easily, as did the vinyl wording. The adhesive came of the front easily, the rear and the sides were much more challenging. :)

3c328f09f01f70e9fd1b6f5beaa48406.jpg


e89dccc6a6e8585db3b52c550e3c56f2.jpg



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To do it well takes patience.

The first step is using a heat gun (or if you live in a hot climate - just leave it out in the sun in the afternoon).

You need to get the adhesive under the badges nice and warm.

Be careful here - if the car is metal you're probably OK. If it's plastic under the letters you need to really watch the heat to make sure it's no warmer than you get in the hot sun. Just use your bare hands and feel around - don't melt your car.

Some sites and videos say to use fishing line or dental floss - fishing line works better. You get the adhesive under the badge nice and hot - then you run the fishing line behind the badge cutting through the warm adhesive like a hot knife through butter.

I have found, however, that most of the time I have not even needed the fishing line.

Almost always - once the adhesive is hot, you can just kind of wiggle and pry. They'll usually just kind of peel or twist off. If you do this be careful that you are not prying on one side of a letter and making the other side dig in to the paint causing scratches.

Never use any metal utensils. I have used some plastic like paint scraper types of things to help pry - but always very very carefully.

Once you get the letter off the real work begins to remove the adhesive.

Don't use scrapers or most chemicals. They hurt the paint.

I found a cleaner/polish that I use on my motorcycles - and it's brilliant. It's called "Plexus". It really eats up the adhesives, making them ball up like poster tacky...

I spray that on the remaining adhesive and let it soak a few minutes - then using micro-fiber cloths rub off the adhesives.

This takes a while, and you have to press really hard usually.

Because you need to be pressing and rubbing - a few things are very important:

1. Only use micro-fiber. Cotton or other materials scratch paint.

2. Keep the surface lubricated with the plexus. This helps the adhesive ball-up, and prevents scratching.

3. If the cloth becomes clogged with chunks of adhesive - switch to a new cleaner rag.

Basically using some good old fashion "elbow grease" (pressing hard) and the Plexus cleaner - I just work the adhesive off the car with no scratching.

Many methods you find on the net assume lots of scratching and a need to buff out the paint afterwards. I have never needed to repair any paint, and have de-badged several vehicles.

But it takes patience, and have to follow the "rules" about the cloths and cleaner.

For the Winnebago it took a long time because there were so many letters... :)


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I have never cared for all the stickers and decals on my roadtrek, I have seen pictures of vans with all the decals removed, and I really like it , I think it looks much better without all the decals, probably a little less conspicuous when your trying to stealth camp also,,,, nice job,,,,,,
 
Your pictures demonstrate how your effort paid off. The van looks great without all that bling. What procedure did you use to remove the flat decals?
 
Your pictures demonstrate how your effort paid off. The van looks great without all that bling. What procedure did you use to remove the flat decals?


Vinyl decals just take heat. They peel right off. The heat both softens the adhesive and allows the vinyl to be soft and pliable so that it doesn't break or rip as much. Just pulls right off.


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I have never cared for all the stickers and decals on my roadtrek, I have seen pictures of vans with all the decals removed, and I really like it , I think it looks much better without all the decals, probably a little less conspicuous when your trying to stealth camp also,,,, nice job,,,,,,

One of the advantages of ordering a Roadtrek rather than taking one off the floor is that on request, the factory will delete all this stuff. Don't be surprised if some day decal deletion will be a factory option for which you will pay.:rolleyes:
 
Can the silver strips on the sides and backs be removed too? Would it be inadvisable for some reason to remove them? For me, the less bling the better.
 
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