frisbee91

So I decided to remove the rear black plastic "Carrera" badge from my 996. I'm thinking of putting on a chrome "911" badge, but thought I'd try the debadge look for a while.

I warmed the adhesive with a heat gun, then used a bit of floss to slide under the badge to remove it. There was a significant amount of adhesive residue, which I removed with some isopropyl alcohol. Still, there was a significant ghost image of the Carrera logo in the paint, so much that I could feel it.

Tried a clay bar, but that didn't help. I got out my random orbit polisher and some Menzerna SIP polishing compound, and gave that a shot. After a bit of polishing, the ghost image was much improved, but not gone. So I polished a bit more. Still barely visible. Polished more.

Bad idea. I think I polished thru the clearcoat in one spot, right were the "C" is. (pics below) You have to be in the right light, but it's visible. AND, I can still see the full Carrera logo if I look hard enough.

Any suggestions to repair the clearcoat spot other than a respray? I tried some wax, but that had no effect.

The remaining image of "Carrera" looks to be a color difference in the paint, probably due to sunlight exposure. Beware of the debadge on older cars.



The "a" at the end of Carrera is just visible


The "C" is visible, along with the clearcoat damage, in the reflection of the white lid.

FRUNKenstein

That sucks. You're probably noticing it more than others. I replaced the letters on a Volvo once and got the middle "O" just a bit tilted. It bugged me every time I looked at it, but everybody else thought I was nuts bcz they didn't see it even after I pointed it out. Maybe will fade out with exposure to sunlight? Last ditch alternative to respray would be going back to original badging. But, if you're like most on here, you'll end up respraying the lid. Of course, that won't match exactly either . . . So, might as well respray the whole thing.

pfbz

That does suck. A good detail shop might be able to remove some of the fade/oxidation from the surrounding paint and minimize the visibility without further damaging the clear coat...

Gator996

Definitely looks like burn through. What machine and pad were you using?

frisbee91

Griot's Random Orbital Polisher
CCS Orange or White Foam Pad (not sure which)
Menzerna Super Intensive Polish PO83

1 too many passes.

2K7TTMIA

looks like a couple spots I have on my turbo. my detailer said that another clearcoat is all that is needed. no paint. take it to a reputable paint shop near you, get their .02

Gator996

Do me a favor and try this first. Use the white pad on a lower speed and do some gentle, no pressure passes over that area again. I have seen SIP leave behind a haze that simulates burn through but was actually product. You may get lucky. I had a freak out moment on a new Jag recently that I was sure I burned through. Ended up being SIP haze.

Worst case is a clear coat respray. If you go this route, do the whole lid. It takes a super skilled painter to blend clear coat correctly.

BAD.TAG

SIP sounds pretty aggresive for this purpose.

Have you tried a finishing compound like Meg Scratch X or 3M Finesse It?

I have seen what your describing, and it was just a matter of "working down" the level of abrasiveness that is used in the SIP.

After this, try some glaze to fill in any minor imperfections..my guess is that the finishing steps will take care of the remaining ghosting

Long Islander

Quite a coincidence because I was trying to eliminate a scratch on my daily driver and I used Menzerna Super Intensive Polish with an orange pad (white pad didn't do it). I too rubbed off a bit of clearcoat (looks like a smudge now). Next time I wash the car, I'll try it again with the white pad and lower speed, like you suggest.

frisbee91

I tried using the Griots #3 polish (which is fairly mild) and the Griot's Orange Pad on the "smudge" area, but it didn't help. I'm pretty sure I'm through the clearcoat. But I'll try again. I even have the super-soft Griot's red pad that I can try.

A respray isn't in the cards right now. Low-budget mods were the reason I even went down this road. (This was supposed to be free! ) I'm going to have to live with it for a while. Maybe a clearcoat respray later.

MoeMistry

No more polishing...the clear is gone, and you're now in the base coat. Any further polishing, even waxing, you'll be down to primer.

Because it's on such a prominent area, you'll need a repaint, and possible blend into the bumper. Take it to a good porsche repair facility to get a true diagnosis.

FYI---Simply using dental floss and rubbing back and forth will take off emblem. Using a product like goo gone, and spraying on the adhesive left behind, and allowing it to sit for a few minutes, will safely remove everything back there. If you have the "ghosting" it can be minimized by polishing. In this case, SIP was just fine, but OP polished too much. If there's a little ghosting left, that's UV color difference. That area hasn't seen sunlight in decades.

Hope this helps others. Sorry to OP...but it can be fixed

wyovino

I used dental floss and Goo Gone as well. I also had to use a plastic scraper because some of the adhesive foam backing from the emblem remained. It took a little work but it came out fine.

Hurdigurdiman

It's like salt.... you can always add but you can't remove. I think that Carrera lettering was put on to stay. That's why I didn't take mine off. Plus why remove the most important lettering of the 911 car. That's like removing the word TURBO to me. Anyway. Bollock already dropped. I hope you sort thing's out successfully.

babylonboots

My carrera 4 logo was put on off center - really annoyed me. I tried to remove with floss and cleaner, but ended up removing some of the paint. I put the logo back on for a while and then had the deck repainted. Looks great now.

theporscheguy

Logos can be a real pain to remove. I just replaced a letter and side of the rear Porsche script on my 944Turbo. I used two sets as the first did not go on to my liking. Good luck with your clear coat.