Does anybody know if the 500's Fsport fender badges are the same badges from another F model? Or maybe someone knows the part number? I'm getting PPF on the full front end and my installer wants to put brand new badges on top of the film instead of cut around them. I could call and order them from my dealer but it's about an hour away and I'd rather just order them from an online source if possible.

Also, what do I need to do to get my Lexus App to show vehicle startups and such that I've seeing other people talking about? I get notifications when the car doors are unlocked but I never get any notifications regarding startups or anything else. I've went through the notification settings and I don't see anything but I certainly could be missing something.

 

Is he going to damage the original badges trying to take them off? If so, there is a chance the paint could also be damaged. Not sure if this is worth it. In a few years the PPF will have to be removed and replaced, and then you might have to go through this whole process again.

 

Agreed... leave it in place and have him cut around it. Much simpler.

 

They should be able to remove the badges without damaging them or the paint. But they probably want new ones so there is a clean back for adhesive.

 

He said he wouldn't damage the badges themselves(or the paint either) bur trying to reuse the OEM badges can be a pain because it takes quite a bit of time/risk to remove the adhesive and reapply them as good as the OEM adhesive is. For the cost of the badges he said most customers just opt for purchasing new emblems.

As far as the removal and replacement of the PPF. He said most PPF nowadays last around 10 years if it is a quality film. If that's the case - I'm not too worried if I needed to buy new emblems in a decade to do it all over again.

The guy doing it is arguably one of the best in the film business and absolutely knows what he is doing. I'm confident in his recommendation. He works on MUCH more expensive cars then this Lexus and he said this is how he does it 99% of the time.

I asked him about that, he said even with an easy shaped emblem that may not be too difficult to cut around you're still going to end up with an edge that will likely hold dirt right next to a emblem that will inherently hold dirt as well. It just doesn't look as good as putting the emblem over the PPF. Leaving it on and cutting around it is the least common way of doing a high quality PPF install. See a botched job below(not done by my installer) from a Porsche owner that was scared of having his emblems removed and reapplied - notice the dark edges of the film - and don't get me started on that cut job! NEGATIVE! lol

 

a good installer doesn’t need to remove the badges. I’ve had the PPF put on my front fenders without removing the badges and it came out perfect.

 

My installer had the same concern but since parts aren’t again let yet he opted to remove them and he said they were easy to take off and reapply.

 

Personally I’m not a fan of removing badges for clear PPF..

If you were wrapping the car a different color then sure, maybe…

But the FRONT fender badges should be easy to perfectly trim around.

For those removing or thinking about removing is that for the Trunk Lid badges too ?


I mean these are perfect squares





Joe Z

 

I'm glad to hear that! However, I never said my installer couldn't get it done that way. Just the best way to do it is to remove and reapply the badges - search around if you don't believe me. What he/I mentioned about the film collecting dirt on the edge(s) are certainly a long term concern as opposed to - this looks "perfect" while the car is new and clean right after application.

Mind posting any close up pictures of the PPF around your badges? I'm curious to see how close he got it to them. Believe me, I'd love to not have to have him remove them. It was just recommended to me as the best way. Searching around the internet seems to yield the same opinion.

 

Picked up my LE Friday from a FULL PPF, they cut around the badges. The IS 500 on the Trunk Lid... they cut around but SUPER CLEAN straight line.

Go to a Trusted Installer who does good work and you'll be fine

 

For sure, my installer gave me the option, but recommended removing it only cause the front fender gets a lot of dirt, and it’s very easy, so over the next few yrs there’s would be line. But on others areas like the trunk he had precut prices of films that fit perfectly around the badges and logo.

 

Removing adhesive is very simple using a heat gun, Goo Gone, and a razor blade. Tbh, he sounds lazy to me. I would not buy new badges at all.

 

Avoid cut lines at all costs. I have a matte wrap on my current car, and no matter how much you stay on top of it, dirt builds up on the cut lines.

 

I don’t have the is500 but my IS I opt to just buy new badge. As you can see in the picture I did the whole front end myself as well. Just one less place for dirt to get trap in.

 

Sounds like your installer is about as meticulous in nature as mine. I can appreciate that cause I am a meticulous person as well. Although I'm pretty certain mine would recommend not using a plotter(precut) and cutting around the rear emblem either - just a guess though. I'm not getting the rear done so I didn't ask.

You call it lazy, I call it thorough.

Of course he knows how to remove/reapply badges(it's not rocket science) - When you work on 150k+ cars cars as a major percentage of your work - Would you be willing to put your customer satisfaction and reputation on the line if you do a 5-7k full car PPF install on a Ferrari, then the emblem comes off cause you are trusting the integrity of adhesive that has been used, removed, possibly contaminated, and reapplied?? Even with new adhesive, it likely to not be as strong as what the OEM uses. I guess he's not wiling to risk it and I do understand and appreciate that. He wants it done the best it can possibly be done.

In all actuality the emblems are pretty cheap. I'm assuming his customers are not broke, and while I can't afford a Ferrari - I'm not either. Lol

Thank you for your perspective - It seems that there are people that share the same opinion as him(while seemingly few and far between on here) when it comes to removing the emblems and reapplying new ones. He basically said the exact same thing to me.

Anyways, I guess I'm going to be doing some comparisons tonight to some 2021 "F" emblems to see which versions are the same. No where online that I've looked has any 2022 parts fiches available yet. Maybe all 2021's are the same - I'll find out.