Is it just me, or are all the new (and old) VW models, specially the hot hatches driven by young kids, are all debaged up front?

The problem I see is that when they removed the badge from the front grill, it leaves a big circle and there is nothing in it....

The grill end up looking like this:

=()=

I lol'ed every time I see one.

 

Maybe (just guessing) the badges are getting stolen...

To be honest I haven't noticed, older VWs are such an eyesore I usually don't bother looking carefully.

 

I bet they're getting ripped off. I knew a guy who had a Golf - he lived in the city (Chicago) and his got stolen twice.

Either that or people are embarrassed to be driving v-dubs?

 

I hate that, maybe because it falls down easily?

 

I see them everywhere, I will take some pictures.

I think its either pretty easy to steal, or the young ricer kids who wants to debadge/black out emblem just remove them as a cheap alternative lol

 

They've been doing this for years.
It's funnier when they remove the entire grille but the hood still has a cut-out for the emblem and have the audacity to stick an Audi-esque emblem on it.

 

Was quite common to see such debadging in Mexico with the VW models.

 

I'd say the biggest fad I've seen with VW fanboys is "The Shocker" sticker on all their cars

 

the Audi-esque emblem is the Oettinger emblem, which is a tuner for VW/Audi cars...

 

the biggest i've seen is the ridiculous battery acid rusted hoods.

 

I had this happen to me back in college. Someone stole the badge off of my '78 Rabbit. I got a new one at a junkyard for $2 and superglued it on. End of problem. The junkyard manager at the time told me that kids were stealing them to wear as necklaces ala The Beastie Boys. That was in the mid-'80's though ... hard to believe kids would still be doing that, but I guess it's possible.

 

Ideally, they should do the owner a favor and steal the entire car.

 

I actually looked it up.

It's an aftermarket company called Kamei. I still don't like it because it reminds me of the S badges

 

See that actually looks okay, but the ones that debadge it without a new grill, you just see a black hole including the bits of the hood that has the circle too.