Doing a Badge Thing

"for Michigan" (formichigan) 10/15/2015 at 23:16 • Filed to: mazda3, badges, modifications, mods, debaging

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In my opinion, completely debaging a car gives the appearance that the vehicle has been repainted and the owner couldn’t afford or be bothered to finish the job properly. That’s not attractive.

However, some badges are just awkward or ugly and are in desperate need of improvement. Modified badges can also serve as an inside joke for those who know what they’re looking at.

Having never been a fan of the moldings or 2.3 badge on the side of the BK Mazda3, the first thing I did after buying my car was peel them off and polish the nasty leftover marks out of the paint. I think it’s a big improvement.

Clean door panels. Not my car.

But the ugly badges don’t end there. The contrast between the classic Mazda logo and the dynamic “3” on the hatch just doesn’t work.

The other offending badge.

I wouldn’t mind ditching the MAZDA text because there’s a big Flying M on the hatch, but Mazda decided it was a good idea to put pins in the back of it, so it isn’t going anywhere. The 3 just peels off, though.

As such, I began toying with ideas to modify the rear badging. I noticed the recently-removed 2.3 badges fit nicely on the passenger side of the hatch and thought about installing one there and calling it a day. The same spot is actually used for Axela and MPS badges in other markets.

Something like so. Also not mine.

Another possibility was just moving the 3 across the hatch, but the shape of the number would make it hard to align and it’s somewhat slight to balance out the MAZDA text. Various ideas came and went until I was sitting at my desk one day playing with the old badges.

The beginnings of mischief.

Sitting there, looking at the badges, I realized the answer had been sitting right in front of me the entire time. This 3-series Mazda, as some would call it, sporting a 2.3 L engine lends itself delightfully to the revival of an old-school Mazda nameplate. And it could be a subtle, good-natured jab at the mind-boggling badges found on German luxury cars.

And so from the discarded carcasses of the displacement badges, I fashioned something new:

Mind your kerning.

It’s not on the car yet as it’s dark here and I still need to scrounge up the proper adhesive, but pictures will be on their way as soon as I get it installed.

HammerheadFistpunch > for Michigan 10/15/2015 at 23:23

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don’t forget to add and “i” so people know its fuel injected.

Supreme Chancellor and Glorious Leader SaveTheIntegras > for Michigan 10/15/2015 at 23:23

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Take off trim badges, make rear Mazda badge into batman symbol, problem solved

Amoore100 > for Michigan 10/15/2015 at 23:24

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You should find some way to pull off the Mazda badge and see if an Axela one fits over the studs...then you can have a Mazda Axela 323! Most exclusive model ever...

for Michigan > HammerheadFistpunch 10/15/2015 at 23:26

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323is

It’s the Sport package.

for Michigan > Amoore100 10/15/2015 at 23:29

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It’s a stick-on badge that goes on the right, so no dice. That would be funny, though.

Amoore100 > for Michigan 10/15/2015 at 23:37

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Darn...so I guess there’s no way around the stud issue with the “MAZDA” badge? Because you could technically put “323” on the left and “Axela” on the right...

Chariotoflove > for Michigan 10/15/2015 at 23:37

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I don’t know where this idea of companies putting writing on cars started. It does seem a little superfluous, and I see your point in taking them off and even messing with them for fun (like the 323 idea btw). But what really never understood is the practice of removing all badges to de-identify a car, such as removing a Ford oval or Chevy bow tie from a grille. What’s the point? Everyone still knows what it is.

Rykros the Disdainful - Supposed Petulant Capitulant Junkie > for Michigan 10/15/2015 at 23:56

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Son?

for Michigan > Chariotoflove 10/15/2015 at 23:57

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Thanks! I’m excited to get it finished up.

Writing on cars goes pretty far back. Besides the company logo, some cars of the early 20th century featured model designations on the radiator. It really hit its stride on the rolling sculpture of 50s and 60s American cars. Once safety and economy overtook style and power as the kings of automotive design, badging became pretty much what we see today.

Completely debadged cars remind me of automotive cleaning products and car insurance billboards. Sure it’s clean, but most cars are designed around the brand badges anyhow, so it messes with the gestalt. Leaves the car feeling off.

for Michigan > Amoore100 10/15/2015 at 23:58

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Not unless I want to grind them off and repaint the hatch, which definitely isn’t happening.

for Michigan > Rykros the Disdainful - Supposed Petulant Capitulant Junkie 10/15/2015 at 23:59

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Precisely.

for Michigan > Supreme Chancellor and Glorious Leader SaveTheIntegras 10/16/2015 at 00:01

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Not a fan Evil/Batman/Whatever M. I actually prefer the standard Flying M, but that isn’t the issue. The MAZDA badge is the problem. I’d gladly lose that if it didn’t involve repainting the hatch.

plak424 > for Michigan 10/16/2015 at 00:03

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Take off all the badges on the hatch. I’ve got a speed and it looks so much cleaner without all the clutter.

for Michigan > plak424 10/16/2015 at 00:08

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I would ditch the MAZDA badge, but research indicates it has studs under it that make removal a bit more involved than peel and polish.

plak424 > for Michigan 10/16/2015 at 00:16

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The Mazdaspeed badge had no plugs and I would bet the Mazda badge doesn’t either. The M does have plugs but I just bought flush plastic plugs from ace and painted them with touch up paint

and 100 more > for Michigan 10/16/2015 at 00:22

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Brilliant idea! It fills the role of the 323 in the lineup, so why not?

for Michigan > plak424 10/16/2015 at 00:24

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Extensive Googling says otherwise. Looks like the Speed3 is unique in that respect.

And I’m not interested in ditching the flying M.

RazoE > for Michigan 10/16/2015 at 00:32

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It’s funny, though. The Mazdaspeed3 DOESNT have holes in the hatch for the Mazdaspeed badge, but the regular 3 does for the Mazda badge. I personally removed my “3” badge and added a JDM Axela badge on the right side in the original JDM location. Never been a big fan of a full debadge.

Amoore100 > for Michigan 10/16/2015 at 00:37

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Damn...at least it’s attached with quality!

for Michigan > RazoE 10/16/2015 at 00:38

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I thought it was weird that they did it that way.

It looks so much more balanced with the Axela badge on the right side.

for Michigan > Amoore100 10/16/2015 at 00:38

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Actually, that’s backward. There are pins in the badge and holes in the hatch. So it’d be bondo and respray.

Tohru > for Michigan 10/16/2015 at 00:41

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+1 for proper kerning

Dunnik > for Michigan 10/16/2015 at 00:45

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Well, considering that car was a 323 until the marketers got their hands on it, I’d say thats an excellent mod.

Amoore100 > for Michigan 10/16/2015 at 01:00

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How big are the holes? Could you just cover them up with the other badges? I’m sure there’s an easier solution albeit they’ll all have less professional results...

Little Black Coupe Turned Silver > Chariotoflove 10/16/2015 at 01:05

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I took the rear bowtie off my car, and painted the front one pink.

Why?

I hate gold, end of story.

for Michigan > Amoore100 10/16/2015 at 02:57

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Maybe. I’ll have to think about options for that.

yamahog > Little Black Coupe Turned Silver 10/16/2015 at 08:31

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That reminds me, I need to plastidip mine. The gold does not look good with the rest of the flat black on yellow.

plak424 > RazoE 10/16/2015 at 08:31

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I always liked the axela badge

Chariotoflove > for Michigan 10/16/2015 at 09:41

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You know what else Looks strange? When some car dealers put their own plaques on the car to try make it look like their name was factory installed.

uofime-2 > for Michigan 10/16/2015 at 10:16

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Badges with dowels are more expensive than ones without, they must have figured the volume was low enough that removing the pins from the stamping tool for the hatch and running two versions of the part were cheaper than having a new mazdaspeed badge made with dowels.

Little Black Coupe Turned Silver > yamahog 10/16/2015 at 12:08

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I need to do the same for the Colorado. I *really* wish the Black Bowtie Package or whatever it’s called was an option when I got mine, because I totally would have paid for it to be done already.

for Michigan > Chariotoflove 10/16/2015 at 13:42

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Absolutely.

The local Kia/Hyundai/VW dealership has the worst one I’ve ever seen. It’s the name Taylor in individual letters made from the material pictured below. It’s never straight and always in an awful spot.

for Michigan > Little Black Coupe Turned Silver 10/16/2015 at 13:48

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Gold badges are nasty. I’m glad that trend died.

If I ever bought a Chevy, I’d probably paint the bowtie or replace it with a different color.

Little Black Coupe Turned Silver > for Michigan 10/16/2015 at 14:53

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I know for 2016 trucks there was a Black Bowtie option, that does exactly what it says. Too bad it wasn't available for my 2015. One of these weekends I'll paint them or something.