ISU_Acura2002

So I had the urge this weekend to take off the "Acura" and "3.2TL" badges on my TL. Using dental floss, warm water, and goo-gone.... as promised the badges came off without any issue at all besides a little patience. That said, the surface is smooth to the touch now, so any residue from the adhesive is gone, but you can still see where the badges were... i washed and rewaxed, and there is still a little ghosting. Aside from repainting, is there a convenient way to take care of this? I really have to get down and it really is only noticeable from strange angles.. but its still there. Suggestions?

ISU_Acura2002

Oh... I tried to take a picture, but between the poor lighting in the garage and the flash, they really didn't turn out.. sorry.

MikePA

Repainting is the only option. No amount of polishing or compounding will work. I ended up putting the A C U R A back on because of this. The area under the 3 . 2 T L was not as noticeable so I left that badge off.

sbuswell

When I debadged the 3.2TL badge I scrubbed it with goo-gone for a while, let it sit then cleaned it off, polished it and it is gone, you cannot see that it was ever there. I think if you do this a few times when the A C U R A badge was you can take care of that problem or make it so you can barely see it even up close.

Bambo2888

well, first off, whoever it was above me that said you have to repaint and no polish will work doesnt know what they are talking about.

the ghosting is a mere imprint on the clearcoat, not IN the paint. with that said, using a porter cable polisher or any polisher/buffer for that matter will remove almost any imperfection you want to rid.

I know this not only from experience with the exact emblems you are talking about, but also the fact that I am a detailer. i deal with this problem a lot.

good luck, pm me if you need any help.

PS- waxing is for protection, not for paint correction.

MichaelBenz

iTrader: (2)

You dont need paint. It can be polished out fine from where you are now with little effort.

fsttyms1

MikePA

Why should people have to PM you? Share your wisdom with everyone. Oh, I tried polishing, didn't get rid of the ghosting. Since you said polishing can remove almost any imperfection, what should be done in the situation where it doesn't work? Paint? Nope, can't be painting. You've already said only people who don't know what they're talking about recommend paint. So, if not painting, what?

Studio

I think its more of a sun fade issue then a physical "imprint"

Regardless, it still cant be wheeled out.

fsttyms1

With the right compounds most all things can be buffed out. Sometimes it requires to cut deeper into the clear to do so. Sometimes it requires wetsanding. I removed a dealer sticker on my Red expedition that had been on for 7 years, wetsanded the area and polished the area and you could no longer see the discoloring/ghosting.

I used the 3 Meguiars products in this pic

sbuswell

^^^^that is some stuff your using, props for getting the pro-grade Meg's instead of the generic OTC stuff. Did you buy that off of autogeek.com? I also removed the delaer sticker on my TL and it to was on there for 7 years and you can't see it now. I only used goo-gone, buffed it pretty hard for about 10min, let it sit for a few minutes and then cleaned it off with car wash and then polished with Meg's #9(no where near as good of a polish as 85) and then waxed it to shine witht he rest of my paint and it looks perfect. Some people may have bad luck and the adhesive may not come off so easily. anything is possible and if that is the case and even a PC won't work, then repainting is the only answer. I would do whatever I could first before repainting as that can be very expensive.

fsttyms1

I get them from my local auto paints store. Check your local paint stores to see if they carry it.

Studio

fsttty, are you using a wheel?

I wouldnt recomment a heavy or even med cut compound unless they have experince with a wheel. Last thing you want is to burn through the clear. Then you will have a REAL problem!

Does that end can say "pro honda"? what is that stuff about? a hand glaze or something?

fsttyms1

Yes, DW849




If they are using a Porter Cable or the Meguiars (highly recommended for novices) they should be just fine with the heavy and med cut compounds. They are DA polishers and far harder to do damage to the finish and do great work.

That is Pro Honda, its a detailing spray. Its really nice stuff for in between washes and for detail cleaning. You can get it at any honda/acura dealer. Even places like honda motorcycle stores carry it

Leo Type-S

that's the same thing that I did also and it worked for me. just keep rubbing it with a polish.

03c0upe

what did use to make A C U R A stick back on?

xdxlx

THe same thing happened to me. But i just left it there for a while because i never got around to buffing it, and it just went away. its flawless now