What could I use once I work at getting the dealer decal off the back of my car? Bought a 2005, so it's been on their a couple of years. I started to work on taking it off, but there's alot of glue gook left so I just left it till I know what I can use that won't hurt the finish of the car. Is Goo-gone a good product for this sort of thing????? Thanks for any help!

Use a hairdryer to heat up the decal before removing it. Just peel it bit by bit and put the heat back on intermittently.

I didn't take the dealer decal off mine for about a year or so and it came off fine. Most of the adhesive that was left (not much) rubbed off pretty easily.

dealer decal? lol I have not had a dealer decal on any of my vehicles since 1987 when I asked my dealer for $100/month for advertising their dealership. They removed the emblem within 5 minutes of that. :-P

Ever since I have been purchasing a new vehicle I have it written in big letters clearly stating that I can cancel the contract if the dealer name is anywhere on the vehicle other than a license plate frame.

...
Ever since I have been purchasing a new vehicle I have it written in big letters clearly stating that I can cancel the contract if the dealer name is anywhere on the vehicle other than a license plate frame.

:) Licence plate frame! The dealer ones I see are WORSE looking than the decal IMO.

I don't worry about the decal so much - it's actually easier to get off (when new) than a licence plate frame.

NO dealer decal was ever on my E. They did put a license plate frame on, which was switched out for an EOC frame. My last car a Ford Explorer didn't have a deal decal either--don't recall about the license plate frame.

Thankfully, my car didn't have a dealer decal, but it did have a plastic dealer badge.

I took it off with some waxed dental floss and some Goo Gone (not Goof Off).

Worked like a charm.

- Jeff

Thankfully my dealer only puts the frames on ....im actually suprised to see a lot of local dealers still using decals.

dealer decal? lol I have not had a dealer decal on any of my vehicles since 1987 when I asked my dealer for $100/month for advertising their dealership. They removed the emblem within 5 minutes of that. :-P

Ever since I have been purchasing a new vehicle I have it written in big letters clearly stating that I can cancel the contract if the dealer name is anywhere on the vehicle other than a license plate frame.

You drive a hard bargain. I feel sorry for the dealer when you come to town. :D

I tell them not to put a decal on there or I just remove it when I get home, Usually they have not been on there that long and are easilly removed. As for the plate frames, They get removed right away as well.

When we bought my wife's E it had a plate on the front, plate frame on the back and stupid decal. I handed the plate and frame back to the salesman before leaving the parking lot! Scraped off the decal as soon as I got home.

My E only had a plate frame-which I removed as soon as I bought a new chrome chain style one.

What could I use once I work at getting the dealer decal off the back of my car? Bought a 2005, so it's been on their a couple of years. I started to work on taking it off, but there's alot of glue gook left so I just left it till I know what I can use that won't hurt the finish of the car. Is Goo-gone a good product for this sort of thing????? Thanks for any help!

Goo gone always worked well and didn't mess with paint. Make sure it is hot outside and try some of this, it worked well for all of my decals.

Dealer thing came off the first ten minutes of ownership!

You drive a hard bargain. I feel sorry for the dealer when you come to town. :D

Yes I do. I've had some really bad dealer experiences and have learned to drive a hard bargain.

License plate frames are easily removed in under a minute, stickers used to be real stickers and not this easy to remove 3M double sided tape. There is also a dealer around here that actually PAINTS the dealer name onto every single vehicle they sell! Some use stickers like the EOC sticker which isn't easy to remove from paint once it's been sitting on the vehicle in the hot sun for weeks or months...

Some dealers used to even drill holes to mount the dealer badges, those required body work, paint, etc to repair.

I'm very much like Larry when buying a new vehicle and demand that they do not install ANY advertising on the vehicle or the deal is off.

Now as far as removing stickers goes...I've even scraped off the LEV stickers on the insides of the rear windows and peeled off the airbag warning stickers on the visors.

My E is also de-badged.

Yes, I hate stickers, badges, and other crap on my vehicles.

My dealer didn't have the time to install the antenna or to put the bungie cords on the back of the seats. But they did have the time to glue a plastic chrome dodad with their name to the E's tailgate.

Took about 15 minutes with dental floss and goo gone to remove it.

...death to dealer decals !! ...aw c'mon, if they want to advertise, buy some real billboard space, not the ass-end of my car...including their license plate frame...sheeeesh !! Truly the first thing to go from my cars if I haven't had them pull the stuff before delivery.

Speaking of dealer advertising on our vehicles. When I had my Audi TT I brought it into the dealership for service. These people had the gall to actually remove my stainless steel license plate frame and replace it with a DEALER frame! I noticed this even before I got into the car. I marched back into the service area and demanded to know where my plate frame was. The idiot behind the counter asked why I didn't want their frame on the car! lol

I explained that first of all I didn't buy my TT from them. Second of all I paid for the one they removed and it is my property and I didn't give them permission to remove it. The mechanic or whoever removed it tossed mine in the trash and it got scratched! They had to buy me a new one.

Still to this day I couldn't believe they had done that.

I had almost forgotten about this gem. My dad took his recently purchased car back to the dealer for a warranty repair of the windshield wiper motor (a FOMOCO product of course). He ordered this car and told the dealer he would not take it if there was a sticker, front license plate holder/plate or plate frame on the car. They delivered the vehicle "clean".

When he picked the car up after the repairs, it had a plate holder installed on the front-with holes drilled. TWO stickers on the trunk lid and a plate holder.

He refused to take the car until the stickers and other dealer crap was removed.

They scratched the trunk lid removing the stickers and couldn't cover up the holes in the bumper. My dad called Mercury. Wrote letters and finally had a lawyer friend write a letter. He ended up with a repainted trunk lid and a front bumper off another Mercury on the lot.

He never bought another new American car either.

Speaking of dealer advertising on our vehicles. When I had my Audi TT I brought it into the dealership for service. These people had the gall to actually remove my stainless steel license plate frame and replace it with a DEALER frame! I noticed this even before I got into the car. I marched back into the service area and demanded to know where my plate frame was. The idiot behind the counter asked why I didn't want their frame on the car! lol

I explained that first of all I didn't buy my TT from them. Second of all I paid for the one they removed and it is my property and I didn't give them permission to remove it. The mechanic or whoever removed it tossed mine in the trash and it got scratched! They had to buy me a new one.

Still to this day I couldn't believe they had done that.



When i worked at another Honda dealer both our sales managers had the balls to walk thru the parking lot and replace all the frames on the cars that didnt have our name on it.....i walked out to go for lunch and found one one the back of my Chevette....i left waht was left of it when i tore it off on the sales managers desk.

mine came off easily after being in the sun for a while.
than again, i did it within a couple weeks of ownership :rolleyes:

lighter fluid works great on decals. if they are raised plastic, use fishing line and lighter fluid and maybe a hair dryer if needed. just don't use the hair dryer immediately on the lighter fluid.

i have never bought a vehicle that had their stickers on a vehicle. if they ever do, it will be off before leaving the lot.

I removed the decal...before I took it home. I also took out the dealer mats.

lighter fluid works great ...


Maybe we should try it on car salesmen too given the horror stories in this thread!

:)

This must be a East Coast Mid West thing.

All the new cars I've seen in California have Dealer Plate Frames.
No decals.

My dealer only put on a Plate Frames and a plate in the front, no decals. The Plate Frames and front plate came off before the engine was cold when I first got her home. I hate that! If they want to advertise on my "E" they better take a few $$ off the price. Kind of like buying a $5 T-shirt for $20 just because it says Coke-A-Cola on it.

First thing I did when home was to remove the godawful decal on the back with big letters and a mascot logo, white silhouette of a cardinal bird, and it was larger than the letters, how tacky.

When I returned once, and I say once, as I never went back, I said to them "please note there is no decal on the E and I don't want one put back on",

they said "but that's how we tell you bought it here"

I said "it has a vin number, duh"

Never went back.

In regards to dealers, I am presently with some really good guys. (different dealer)

Irony - I liked them so much I asked for a lincense plate frame of theirs......:twisted:

always,
jurn

I bought mine from:
"Chezik Bell
Iowa City"

Each letter was an individual sticker, so I took a few off.

Chez
it

eh, works for me.

i didn't even let them put it on. i told them not to wash it but they didn't listen. i spent all day polishing it when i got it home.

same experience here, I told them no advertising (consequently advertising is my business) anyway. After they had a chance to run it thorough the shop it conveniently had a front/back plate holder and decal. Since the store closed about 45 minutes before this, I told them I would drive it back around to the bay and they would supply me with the tools I needed, as I would not let them touch my vehicle again.
It turns out, I didn't need anything but my bare hands. The decals was 3M tape which I just peeled off since it had only been applied moments before. As the slesman stood there, nearly amazed, as I removed the decal I walked to the rear plate frame and simply ripped it right off. I knew it was just cheap plastic so it would come right off. I deposited the broken pieces of the frame in the salesman's hands and wished him a good day. I kept the front frame because I need it to collect on my "free car washes for life." I still hate it though, and the free car washes suck. They are basically a pre-wash for me.

I went through this last week when I was doing all the financial stuff.

The dealership actually doesn't put decals or logos on, which I thought was nice.

At the worst they do a plate frame, and the guy said he'd make sure that it wasn't on there if I didn't want it. Nice guys....

We'll see what happens though when I go to pick it up this evening.

I would not purchase a car if it had a dealer decal on it. I am up in Canada and you don't see this happening as much as the US. Just yesterday I was behind a BMW X5 with US plates and it had a dealer decal on the back. If i was dropping that much on a car I would be pretty pissed that it did. But then again they still had the dealer plateholders on so I guess they didn't care. My dealer plate holders are the first thing that comes off when I pull in my driveway after picking up a new car.

A car like that, the owner is more concerned that the "BMW X5" emblem is on the car. And it was most likely a leased so the driver doesn't car if the dealer stickers and plate are on the car. In fact, here on "The Main Line" outside of Philadelphia, getting a high-end car at certain dealers is a status symbol.

took the sticker and lic. plate holders off as soon as I got it home. It just peeled off because it was only on there a few hours. Using the EOC lic. plate holder now.

The third day I had my E, I took the dealer stickers off (blow dryer, tweezers), the plates AND I got a little crazy and removed the "Element" badge on the rear. I kind of like the minimalist style w/ only the Honda badge on the front and rear. Besides, the E isn't the smallest vehicle on the road so it's not like it doesn't stand out already.

I told the dealer (who got from another dealer) NOT to put his dealer stickers on the E. The license plate frame I could deal with for the short term because it covered up the expiration date on the temp tag. It has since been removed.
Since then, I have removed the Element AND "H" from the hatch and am planning to remove the front "H" once I get a good replacement (since I don't have a choice, unless I replace the whole grill).
IMHO, if the dweeb next to me doesn't know what kind of car it is, either ask or make him wonder!! It's MUCH easier to wax the hatch with no interference and it provides a MUCH smoother look to the back.

Just my wooden nickel's worth...... :-o:shock::razz:

I took my dealership sticker off as soon as I brought it home. The use of a finger nail did the trick, fast and easy. I recently took the Honda "H" off which I didn't realize was about to come off on it's own. I mean a simple tug and it popped off clean. Once done I took off the Element as well. I like the clean looking back in. Nothing back there but the 4WheelDrive sticker and the EOC chrome decal. Nice, real nice!

My rear end is totally debadged.

The day we picked up our E I was shocked to see they took off the Princeton plate thing we got when the boy graduated and replaced it with their logo tag. I gave 'em hell, told them they had no idea what it cost us and made them pull it out of the trash and remount it. The nerve of some people.

I won't take delivery of a new vehicle without them removing the dealer decal. I'll take their plastic license plate frame and later remove it.

To this day, I still sit in traffic during my daily commute...staring at the back of some really high-priced, beautiful vehicle with some cheap a$$ dealer decal on the back and it just drives me nuts. If you feel loyalty to them, fine. But otherwise, all you are doing is running around promoting the dealership for free 24/7. I never have understood that.

To me, if dealers want to get advertising from us...treat us right. We'll tell lots of people about it because we are so freakin excited about our new ride. Sure, make some profit and do your thing but treat us right, understand our needs and even more...understand the vehicles on your lot. If we feel like we were treated right, that's way more valuable in future sales than some freakin decal.

*off soapbox*

Wow, I'm surprised how many people take-off the "ELEMENT" and the "H" as well. I do like the fact that it would make waxing a lot easier. The only thing for me is the since my last name starts with an "H", the Honda "H" on the front and back are almost like a personal badge. You know, like the "S" that Superman wears. :grin:

Wow, I'm surprised how many people take-off the "ELEMENT" and the "H" as well. I do like the fact that it would make waxing a lot easier. The only thing for me is the since my last name starts with an "H", the Honda "H" on the front and back are almost like a personal badge. You know, like the "S" that Superman wears. :grin:



If Honda had chromed the E badge like they did the H i would have left it on.

Why have 2 emblems with 2 different finishes? Didn't look right to me.

Wow, I'm surprised how many people take-off the "ELEMENT" and the "H" as well. I do like the fact that it would make waxing a lot easier. The only thing for me is the since my last name starts with an "H", the Honda "H" on the front and back are almost like a personal badge. You know, like the "S" that Superman wears. :grin:

I am planning on putting the Superman S on the front and rear in Place of the Hs on mine. My first and last name both start with S, so I feel it would be fitting to do so. Or Batman emblems, which would be fitting too, I earned that name during that fun period of drinking in my early 20s.

Critical_level2, where do you plan to get the "S" for your E? I've seen them for upper end cars where the grills have it. I think Shaq was the first to have this done and for obvious reasons. The clean look is sweet! People look wondering what it is. I'd like to do the same for the front grill but to remove the "H" wold leave a blank space and if memory serves me correctly, when I put the "H" on when I switched over to the '07 grill, there was an outline for the "H". Like I said, if memory serves me right, I've slept since then.

As a California resident (San Francisco/Bay Area) of more than 35 years, I have noticed that very few dealerships place those little decals on newly purchased cars (they do put the dealership license plate frames). In fact, the only one that comes to mind is "BMW of San Francisco".

When I do see dealership decals, they are from dealers from points east - Mid-West, the South or back east.

My guess, is that it's a regional thing.

I just took the dealership sticker off yesterday and ordered an EOC decal as an upgrade.

Critical_level2, where do you plan to get the "S" for your E? I've seen them for upper end cars where the grills have it. I think Shaq was the first to have this done and for obvious reasons. The clean look is sweet! People look wondering what it is. I'd like to do the same for the front grill but to remove the "H" wold leave a blank space and if memory serves me correctly, when I put the "H" on when I switched over to the '07 grill, there was an outline for the "H". Like I said, if memory serves me right, I've slept since then.

They sell those emblems all over around me. Most rim shops aroundPhilly either have them or can get the S emblems. Also I am not keeping the stiock grill, I am going to be going Billet once I get the funds.

Right on Critical. They probably have them around here as well but I haven't looked. Going into a rim shop for me would be like being a fat rat in a cheese factory!

If Honda had chromed the E badge like they did the H i would have left it on.

Why have 2 emblems with 2 different finishes? Didn't look right to me.


That's the exact reason that I also removed the ELEMENT badge. But now I'm toying withe the idea to have the lettering done in an open graphic, color corordinated with the paint, and of course, done by a professional pinstripper. Then you can have ELEMENT EX, etc. that matches your vehicle, in the exact coordinating color scheme for your individual E! The thought definitely has merit!

Got that ugly dealer sticker off a couple of weeks ago. It took some work to do it. I bought the car used and it's a 2005, so it had been on for awhile. Looks great now that's it's off. They also put a dealer logo frame on it, which immediately came off when I got home with it. Thanks for everyone's input on this!!!!!

You bought an 'MM,'..."NICE!!!" Now go to KISSYA's thread on MM's.....

Just want to say thank you for your input!


I plan on bringing back my Blueberry to the dealer and have them remove that nasty sticker.


Cheers!

It's cool that so many Element oweners care about this stuff. I made the dealer remove thier chrome dealer badge from my new Element before I took delivery. It amazes me how many people have no problem with advertising a deadlership everywhere they go. I just saw a CRV with a huge ad for the same dealer on the spare tire cover today ... it made me shudder with disgust. The "Element" badge will stay put on mine, though. "Element" is just such a cool name IMO, and I love the type treatment.

It's cool that so many Element oweners care about this stuff. I made the dealer remove thier chrome dealer badge from my new Element before I took delivery. It amazes me how many people have no problem with advertising a deadlership everywhere they go. I just saw a CRV with a huge ad for the same dealer on the spare tire cover today ... it made me shudder with disgust. The "Element" badge will stay put on mine, though. "Element" is just such a cool name IMO, and I love the type treatment.

Some people just seem oblivious to the dealer decal thing, but I really hate advertising on my car. I too will keep the Element badge....I like it!

I removed the tag frames/decal,as soon as I came home from the dealership,I hate those damn things with a passion.:mad:

I removed the dealer plate frame on day one.
After a little reading,I removed the rear H and Element badge.
Looks so much cleaner and sleek especially on the NBP color.

I want to remove the front H,but I think I need to take off the front end to do that,I'll be installing fogs soon and have to do it anyway.

Anybody know how that front H is attached on an '07? screws etc?:confused:

Thanks!

It is held on my two retianing washers. You can use a needle nose pliers and work the 2 washers off by "unscrewing" them.

Sap remover only required one swipe.

Now I'm thinking of removing the Element badge on the back.....anyone had any problems with this???????

Now I'm thinking of removing the Element badge on the back.....anyone had any problems with this???????



My came off real easy.... a little heat and my visa card slid underneath to help trim off the tape....and some decal remover to get rid of the residue.

My "H" popped right off with little effort. In fact, I think it was ready to fall off. My ELEMENT came off pretty easy as well though all I did was start lifting it and worked my way from the E to the T and it was a done deal. I do like the fresh clean look from the rear.

I removed my E's badges,using a heat gun and a plastic putty knife.:cool:

The only emblem left on mine is the H on the rear. I haven't had any time to pull it yet. Probably this weekend. The front H I didn't simply remove, I hacked it off with a sawzall. Overkill, yes, but I was using it for some stuff and figured, while I have it out, I can rip the H off the grill. Jsut so you people know, I had the black part of the grill sitting on the work bench, so it was off the E when I attacked it witrh the sawzall.

I had thought of removing the front H but then I'd have an open area of nothing. I wouldn't mind keeping it but not keeping it chromed. I thought about covering it with some black tape, nice and neat like. Don't know though. May take the one from the back and hit with some black Bulldog and then a shot of Krylon fusion and see how it looks. If it turns out OK, I'll tape off the area up front and do the same process and take care of it that way.

Chozn, how about power coat it black..

Yea, suppose that would work and work well. Just need to find a place that can do it here locally. I'll look into that. Too bad Honda doesn't make one in black chrome like they do the gold kits they have available. That would be a very viable option if they did and I'm reaaly surprised they don't.

chozn4service, why not take it off and replace it with a Transformer's logo? That would look cool.

First mod I did was remove the CarMax decal. I forget what I used to peel it off, but I know I just used Windex and my fingers to clean off the residue. Fingerprints are remarkably good as removing sticky stuff.

I warned my dealer when I ordered the car that if it had a decal, a plate frame or any kind of badge on it, that they would be ordering me another E..............they were more than happy to oblige..... others arent as lucky....A friends dad ordered a new Z06 & it came with 3 holes drilled in it & the dealer emblem pressed in...........:-(

A friends dad ordered a new Z06 & it came with 3 holes drilled in it & the dealer emblem pressed in...........:-(

Un-friggin-believable! I think if I were your friend's dad, I'd have forcefully relocated that emblem to somewhere a bit... eh... "less sunny".

:mad:

Un-friggin-believable! I think if I were your friend's dad, I'd have forcefully relocated that emblem to somewhere a bit... eh... "less sunny".

:mad:

You'd better believe it!!!!!

I warned my dealer when I ordered the car that if it had a decal, a plate frame or any kind of badge on it, that they would be ordering me another E..............they were more than happy to oblige..... others arent as lucky....A friends dad ordered a new Z06 & it came with 3 holes drilled in it & the dealer emblem pressed in...........:-(

I would have demanded a new car shipped there WITHOUT the emblem!!!!! Or I would have demanded they pay me monthly for advertising, or no deal!

Use a hair dryer and that usually does the trick. Iff the resedue stays on, then I used Goo-Gone. It took some of the wax off, but that was easy to fix. I wax my car every two weeks or so so that was not a problem.

I bought my used 05 EX last Wed. This morning I went to remove the Carmax dealer plate off the front bumper. These jerks actually DRILLED INTO THE BUMPER! I couldn't believe it. The decal on the back doesn't bother me, but actually drilling into the plastic for their free advertising made me really mad.
Boooo!

I left on both the dealer decal and the license place, as the dealership has always been courteous, pleasant, clean, punctual, etc. Sure, there's the usual bargaining, but that is to be expected. It is, after all, a business deal. Still, they never acted demeaning or used any high pressure tactics, and I have nothing but complements for the dealership. I had no issue whatsoever leaving the dealer sticker and frame on there, although it is essentially meaningless here in California!

Just a few weeks, they sent me a birthday card (to my new address 1500 miles away), with a picture of me in my new car.

I've bought two cars from them, and although I'm in another state now, if/when I move back, I'll buy more cars from them.

(Just FYI, it's Honda Cars of Bellevue, NE)

I bought my used 05 EX last Wed. This morning I went to remove the Carmax dealer plate off the front bumper. These jerks actually DRILLED INTO THE BUMPER! I couldn't believe it. The decal on the back doesn't bother me, but actually drilling into the plastic for their free advertising made me really mad.
Boooo!

Other than CarMax doing you a disservice, "WELCOME TO THE EOC!!!" You will find a wealth of information about your E, and too many nice people willing to help you, than you can count. Again, "CONGRATULATIONS!"

Chief

took off as soon as i got home

I bought my used 05 EX last Wed. This morning I went to remove the Carmax dealer plate off the front bumper. These jerks actually DRILLED INTO THE BUMPER! I couldn't believe it. The decal on the back doesn't bother me, but actually drilling into the plastic for their free advertising made me really mad.
Boooo!

If the Element is like most Hondas, it has two little divots in the front bumper to help guide the screws into place for the front license plate. It's standard procedure in most states to go ahead and drill the holes, since you'll have to mount your front license plate there anyway.

Do you know for a fact that Carmax did it? I mean, they are a national chain... could it be a vehicle that wasn't registered in one of the 19 single-plate states? Plus, considerall the private owners who will put a non-official decorative plate of some type on the front. Surely Carmax shouldn't be required to replace the bumper just because you want virgin screwholes, unless you specify that and are willing to pay extra.

Yea, Carmax may or may not have done the dirty deed. I do know the piece you're referring to goes pretty cheap at HandA and I if the hole bother you that much I'd just replace the center trim piece, or maybe even add the front bumper trim to give it a more rugged or custom look. Just an idea. They also make some push plugs in black and gray that you can probably find and just plug them so they're not so distracting to you.

The holes are probably only causing you to lose may 1 or 2 MPH on the top end.:rolleyes: That's what Bofus would probably say. :lol:

If you decal/badge ones property with out the owners consent before hand
it would be vandalism.BUT if its a lease they can?.......A. mark it up without crim liability B.cant with out a vandi case getting tossed at them as if you owned it c.both a and b depending where purchased or d none of the above.or E ive run out of hypotheses as i just wanted to put up an E

If you decal/badge ones property with out the owners consent before hand
it would be vandalism.BUT if its a lease they can?.......A. mark it up without crim liability B.cant with out a vandi case getting tossed at them as if you owned it c.both a and b depending where purchased or d none of the above.or E ive run out of hypotheses as i just wanted to put up an E

On a Lease, they can do A, as the vehicle still belongs to the dealership. You are just renting it from them, you don't own anything on it.

Yea, Carmax may or may not have done the dirty deed. I do know the piece you're referring to goes pretty cheap at HandA and I if the hole bother you that much I'd just replace the center trim piece, or maybe even add the front bumper trim to give it a more rugged or custom look. Just an idea. They also make some push plugs in black and gray that you can probably find and just plug them so they're not so distracting to you.

The holes are probably only causing you to lose may 1 or 2 MPH on the top end.:rolleyes: That's what Bofus would probably say. :lol:

My Accord actually had a similar setup, from the factory... it had the holes already drilled, and two little caps, each one painted to match, that you could pop into the holes.

I left on both the dealer decal and the license place, as the dealership has always been courteous, pleasant, clean, punctual, etc. Sure, there's the usual bargaining, but that is to be expected. It is, after all, a business deal. Still, they never acted demeaning or used any high pressure tactics, and I have nothing but complements for the dealership. I had no issue whatsoever leaving the dealer sticker and frame on there, although it is essentially meaningless here in California!

Just a few weeks, they sent me a birthday card (to my new address 1500 miles away), with a picture of me in my new car.

I've bought two cars from them, and although I'm in another state now, if/when I move back, I'll buy more cars from them.

(Just FYI, it's Honda Cars of Bellevue, NE)
CARD? I NEVER GOT A CARD. DAMNIT I WANT MY 4 BIRTHDAY CARDS THEY OWE ME ASAP. HEAR THAT BROWN nose HONDA OF OHIO ? I KNOW ABOUT THE CARDS THAT WERE NOT IN MY MAIL BUCKET [IF I SAID MAIL BOX I WOULDVE FELT NOT GOOD ABOUT IT] OR 4 X HALLMARKS ARE LIKE 5 BONES EACH SO 4X5 = 20 BONES ASAP BROWN HONDA OF ODELOT 20 BUCKS U O ME

Well, - I love my dealer!!!

I have established a very good relationship with the sales department (Natalie Smith) and the service organization (Shawn Landquist and his boss Randy Hickerson) at Orange County Honda World in SoCal. I can walk up at any time and feel welcomed and genuinely concerned about. I can take any car out for a drive I like with nobody along. I will be handed the key and wished a good ride. This aspect alone sold me on OC Honda World. When I drove Es and Highlanders at other dealers I always had an annoying 'sales prick' riding along that knew a lot less about the car than I did. It just flat p!$$ed me off. I want to 'feel' the car without some moron rambling specs he does not understand and just parrots from the tech spec meeting!!!!

I have a dealer badge on mine, I didn't care at first but now it's coming off!

I'm keeping the ELEMENT on there, gotta represent :cool:

I picked up my 06 last week; it was used, but the dealer who'd sold it originally had a giant ugly badge on it...the dental floss trick sliced through the tape like buttah. :)

A few soaks of Goo Gone (the citrus based one), a little thumb pressure, and it all rubbed right off. Washed the car, can't even tell it was ever there.

Great advice, thanks!

Just remember to put a little bit of wax on the area where the badge was, as there is no wax under that area where the badge was.

Is this like a midwest or east coast thing? I've never had a vehicle bought here in california where the dealer put their advertisement in the form of a sticker on the body of the vehicle.

I'd actually be quite put off by this. The vehicles that I've seen a dealer sticker on the back have always had out of state license plates on them leading me to believe that maybe it's something that dealers do outside of california. The more that I think about it, I think i'd not just be put off by the sticker, I'd be pissed off by the sticker.

I finally took mine off today, just used an old gift card, it wasn't on there very long because my E wasn't at that particular dealer for long. The dealers should really pay us if we are going to be advertising for them....I don't understand it. Well it's off so I won't be bothered by it anymore.

I finally took mine off today, just used an old gift card, it wasn't on there very long because my E wasn't at that particular dealer for long. The dealers should really pay us if we are going to be advertising for them....I don't understand it. Well it's off so I won't be bothered by it anymore.

Exactly what I said earlier.....if you put your logo on my car then you need to pay me for advertising.......it came off soon after I purchased it, with no problem.

Old posts - but still my pet peeve.

I always remove all 'non-original issue' dealer labels and tags and visor covers and plate surrounds and etc.

Same goes for parking lot stickers required by employers. I cut off part that identifies worksite - leave the scan bar or the ID number or whatever they want to 'prove' that I should be parking where I am. Parking attendant knows where he and I are - no one else needs to know.

My question is that I still have the dealer decal but Im wondering if I take it off now of my NBP 2005 would it leave a shadow effect?

My question is that I still have the dealer decal but Im wondering if I take it off now of my NBP 2005 would it leave a shadow effect?

Check out all the ideas of how to remove and how to even out finish farther back on this thread or do a search elsewhere here for same.

My thoughts:

Probably not, especially if fairly new vehicle and not parked in sun all the time.

Can take it off and check to see how it looks, both in strong sun and in carport/garage with indirect light.

If you can see shadow, I'd try washing and waxing whole panel that had the decal/adhesive and check again how it looks.

Still an issue, try polishing compound (or whatever is finer than rubbing compound...) that will remove wax and oxidization on the whole panel.

Then rewax and check again. Should not see any shadow.

If you do still have a problem - get an EOC decal an place there instead to camoflage!

Happy E'ing!:grin:

If you do still have a problem - get an EOC decal an place there instead to camoflage!

Happy E'ing!:grin:

I ordered one so I guess now all I have to do is taking off that stupid sticker and seeing how it looks

take it to the dealer and have them remove it. u didn't pay for the auto to advertise for the dealership.

My hubby removed the dealer sticker from my E as soon as we got home with it.

First, it was a Toyota dealer and second, it was a dealership 5 hours away- doubt anyone local would be looking to purchase there even if I said they were the best dealership in the entire world :-P

take it to the dealer and have them remove it. u didn't pay for the auto to advertise for the dealership.

Well the dealer is a couple of hours away so Im not sure if the trip would be worth the gas over there, and it was a couple of years ago. So I might be S.O.L.ed

We just dumped our '00 4X4 Ford truck for an '02 4X2 Chevy (darn I wish I could afford a used Ridgline) Told the salesperson NOT to put on the decal or plate holder-as I visit 8 to 12 different dealers a month on my sales route. They put the stupid S#@! on anyhow. Lasted the 5 mile drive home, then gone.

Well the dealer is a couple of hours away so Im not sure if the trip would be worth the gas over there, and it was a couple of years ago. So I might be S.O.L.ed

that long!? hmm. try heating it and pealing. do not scratch at it. try goo gone with it too, but that may not be very helpful. if u do have discoloring, try a wash and wax. a buffer should blend it in. keep us updated.

Goo Gone.... try any one of those orange oil label removers...
then, wipe the area clean with rubbing alcohol or easy-off oven cleaner...
re-wax the area after that...

That's what decal shops do...you might as well too!

John

yes all of yous. Thank yous for reminding me to promptly remove the dealer decals from my new purchase. Saved me a lot of elbow grease pealing those things off immediately. Now on to the license plate frames. . .

Dental floss and goo-gone first day of ownership.:)

Took mine off after about 2 weeks. The sun warmed it up a bit, I started to peel it off to check if I needed anything else and it came right off. No left over sticky patches or anything.

Mine was one of those puffy 3D ones. They didnt put it on all that well so I just grabbed it and pulled it off on day 3 of ownership.:D

Never was attached on the E, thank goodness. :) BUT if it was on the E before I drove it home, I would have them take it off.

Mine was a year old when I got it, and it was not originally purchased where I got it. 4 days after I bought it I used a heat gun to warm up the dealer badge. Peeled right off. Cleaned the area with rubbing alcohol to make sure all the adhesive was gone. Somehow that allowed me to see the area where the original dealer sticker was, so I found out where it was originally purchased, too. I hate those dealer badges. I didn't get enough extra off the E to warrant advertising for them, too.

Now I need to find some fun stickers. I keep admiring other people's stickers on the sticker forum.

I did, with floss and goo gone.

I hate dealership stickers/logos/plates. My cars have never come with them but I will remove the license plate frame as soon as I get the car home. They aren't paying me for advertisement so why should any of us keep their name on our vehicles.

I bought a used Silverado a few months back and told the salesman not to waste a plate holder. He put it on anyway. I took out my Swiss Army knife, removed the holder, put the plate back on and handed the plate holder to a lot attendant. As soon as I arrived home the dealer name badge on the tailgate met its demise too.

If they want to advertise- let them PAY to do it.

Never was attached on the E, thank goodness..

The dealer sticker/decal/emblem thing is nominal for most CA dealers unlike other states.

Mine came off easy a little heat from the hair dryer :)

Mine came off easy a little heat from the hair dryer :)

holy crap, that's a hell of a decal. it really had to go.

I used fingernails and goo gone on day 1 of ownership myself. i can't tell where it was, it came off clean. I really don't like having those things on my vehicles either.

I hate dealership stickers/logos/plates. My cars have never come with them but I will remove the license plate frame as soon as I get the car home. They aren't paying me for advertisement so why should any of us keep their name on our vehicles.

I bought a used Silverado a few months back and told the salesman not to waste a plate holder. He put it on anyway. I took out my Swiss Army knife, removed the holder, put the plate back on and handed the plate holder to a lot attendant. As soon as I arrived home the dealer name badge on the tailgate met its demise too.

If they want to advertise- let them PAY to do it.

Agreed. No amount of coaxing could make me keep the dealer logos on my cars either. I believe that they rely on peoples laziness to keep their logos alive. I notice around here that dealer tags are always on the banged up filthy vehicles, and cleaner more cared for vehicles are more likely <not> to have dealer crap on them.

I've never taken one off a vehicle - I don't care if it's there, and neither do the dogs :)

I bought my E on a Saturday and by Sunday afternoon the decal was off the back and I had removed the dealer license plate frames on the front and back. As a previous poster noted, if the dealer would like to pay me a monthly fee I would consider keeping his name on my car.

I asked if they put any logos on the vehicle when I was arranging delivery, they don't do this. But I also asked that they not put a dealer license plate frame on either. I don't like advertising for the dealers and it is a much cleaner look without their logos on the vehicle.

I've seen some Honda dealer decals around here that are stickers, plaque's and one dealer that even put a plaque and license plate frame. Plate frames I can understand fly under the radar for some people.....but a fair sized plaque....blah.

i sent them to the recycle bin immediately when arriving home!

i bought mine at
GARDEN STATE HONDA
PASSAIC - CLIFTON
so i just left ass and removed everything else, so if u see a silver 04 element with the word ass on the back u know its me :grin::grin::grin::grin:

My dealer only put on a Plate Frames and a plate in the front, no decals. The Plate Frames and front plate came off before the engine was cold when I first got her home. I hate that! If they want to advertise on my "E" they better take a few $$ off the price. Kind of like buying a $5 T-shirt for $20 just because it says Coke-A-Cola on it.

OMFG, what?! *&^%, you mean all this time, Company A would sell us a product to advertise for them? They made money from advertising? They should be paying for that! Fortunately, all my company shirts with logos on them have been given to me.

Stephanie feeling stupid...

Yeah my Element had the same, plastic license plate holders with the company logo. They went into the trash and now I have one from my University on there. :)

I was lucky, no sticky decals or logos to come off.

A car like that, the owner is more concerned that the "BMW X5" emblem is on the car. And it was most likely a leased so the driver doesn't car if the dealer stickers and plate are on the car. In fact, here on "The Main Line" outside of Philadelphia, getting a high-end car at certain dealers is a status symbol.

I wish those "status symbol" people good luck, because driving an expensive car is like advertising that you have something at home to steal. On top of that, people trying to be like wealthy people with money have it WRONG. People with money do not advertise themselves like that. People who are Old Money truly live modestly but comfortably, because the goal here is at least wealth preservation, so that they can survive and pass on the money to subsequent generations without pitchfork crowds coming after them in a financial collapse (hint; be like the average money earners in general and befriend them - you may need their help at some point). From what I understand, that is a responsibility given to each generation as they mature. Those who don't uphold the responsibility for the family become the black sheep of the family.

"Beat me, bite me, *&^% me, but don't you ever, ever dare walk by me without even attempting to rob me. Why do you think I drive around in this thing? I did it so that you can follow me home and rob me in your hulky, sexy way. You have to rob me, GD it! Rob me, rob me, rob me!" (starts beating on the refusing-to-be-a-thief with her hands) Oh man, I see a Saturday Night Live skit coming out of this...

Someone mentioned in another forum, "I would also be inclined to believe if you are concerned about military or terrorist attacks (EMP, biological, nuclear, etc) there are many items that would enhance your ability to survive more than vehicle make & model. I would argue that in a city of millions having one of the few remaining functioning vehicles might lower your chances of survival." That makes it even worse if a Hummer or BMW is seen rolling after a financial collapse because the have-nots will be coming after them with a vengeance of jealousy and payback.

Stephanie

Yeah, you're probably wondering, "How the hell did all of this come out of a simple decal?!" :boredwhistle: :whistlingpastagraveyard:

Luckily, dealers do not put those dealer plaques/emblems on new cars on the west coast. We get the plastic license plate frames. I would not buy a vehicle with those dealer plaques.
First thing after bringing home new vehicle: remove all window stickers and license frames.

I really dislike those metal ones that the dealers in the 1970's (and before) riveted or screwed into the edge of the trunk lid. Takes gall to do that to someone else's new vehicle.

On the other hand, the dealer that I bought my used E from didn't tick me off and I bought the only E they had on the lot. So my leaving the frame and front ad plate is kind of amusing to me because it advertises for a VW dealer. At least until this weekend when I swap my old plates on to it.:)

I bought mine from Infinity of Tucson and they removed the one on the back from Dobbs Honda. How do I know? The paint apparintly was still fresh when Dobbs put it on and after it was taken off there was a outling of the sticker from the paint shrining around it. It finally disapered.
I am like spdrcr5 at the dealorship about advertisment.:evil:

No decals. Only my Harley Davidson rear plate frame. I even took off the rear "Element" and "H" logo plates. Looks badass without them, IMO.

I rage over dealer decals. I know at least one AZ dealer chain that adds their badging and I think it is painted on. The Earnhardt group of dealers. My near death Jeep was purchased in NJ and we luckily got it from a place that didn't play the decal game. I think it was Jeep of Ramsey. But I think there is a Jeep of Teterboro in NJ that always added some hideous white plane with there information on it. Looked like a refrigerator magnet.

Personally, I don't understand the purpose of liscence plate holders, I had one of my own and took it off because it just looks better without one. My favorite Liscence plate holder sighting was on a POS with Beverly Hills Mercedes or Rolls on it. I forgot the specifics but it was so awesome. I have never had a dealer add a liscence plate holder to my car. I think many think the liscence plate holder is a status symbol as well. That only impresses others with the same kind of holders and decals. I will be debadging my E within days of getting it (will get keys thursday).

To those that wonder why people leave them on, ask yourself the same with regards to clothing. People pay more just for the name. What percentage of your clothing is nameless? How about purses? If you think it is bad here, go check out Japan. They advertise EVERYWHERE!

Here in AZ, if you are an employee of Jobing.com they will pay for a portion of your car if you do the entire car decalling. I saw it on a Range Rover this week! That is a company honest enough to pay you to advertise. Shame on those that do not even put up a fight.

This must be a East Coast Mid West thing.

All the new cars I've seen in California have Dealer Plate Frames.
No decals.

When I lived in Lompoc, California, I took in my Honda to the aptly named Lompoc Honda for service. I left with Lompoc Honda frames on the front and back of my car (I was in a hurry to pick it up, didn't notice until I got home).

Thankfully I had the Jeff Wyler Honda frames (Florence, Kentucky (south of Cincinnati) on my car to begin with and not some nice chrome frames or anything like that.

The frames were still horrible... they said LOMPOC in the biggest chunkiest boldest white san serif font. They were removed and I went frame free.

I look over everything now twice before I leave the stealerships.

I love buying cars just to tell the dealer to "pay me for advertising or remove the advertisement". :D

I took the plastic dealer badge off of my E today. In our 90 Degree Alabama heat, I just gave it a little pull and it came right off. I used a very small amount of Goo Gone and waxed the area a couple of times. My E Looks so much better now.

I have never had a sticker on 1 vehicle I have bought from a dealership. My ex-girlfriend bought a car and while signing papers they slapped the vinyl sticker on it. I will walk out of a purchase if they do that.

I requested a dealer plate frame instead of a sticker on the paint. They complied. I have gotten a few questions about the North Carolina frame over an Alabama tag. When I find a suitable Auburn University frame, I'll replace the dealer frame.

I don't like dealer stickers either.

While purchasing our latest Element I told the salesman not to put the sticker or plate frame on our vehicle, as I would rip it off immediately. They did it anyhow:evil: So, as soon as I got home-bye-bye to both. Why do they waste their money and my time!

This bugged my dad too, I recall when going along to get the new car years ago...
Picking up the E, the kid at the dealership went over to put the dealer license plate trim on - my wife asked why - he winked at me and said, It's a law!

He dissed my wife, sort of, and remembering dad I simply said - Don't worry hon, I'll throw them in the f $#@! garbage as soon as we get home! He got up, and took his advertising trim back inside.....:roll:

Why do they waste their money and my time!


It is freee advertising for us and most people will never bother to take them off.

I really don't mind the plate frames since they don't damage the vehicle and are easy to remove. I do however think it is a big slap in the face when a dealer puts a plaque or decal directly on the painted surface of a vehicle. In my opinion the dealer should have to pay for removal or any damage to the paint from removing the unwanted eyesore.
Most of the decals I see are also put on crooked to add insult to injury.
If I wanted to advertise on my car I should get paid for it. A sticker on an expensive to repair paint job should be worth something, lifetime oil changes perhaps.
Word of mouth is now and has always been the best advertising. If I get treated fairly and the service is good I will let people know about it.

Richfield Bloomington Honda in Richfield Minnesota is THE best dealership I have ever done business with and they didn't put a sticker on any of the vehicles I've bought there.

I agree bryon - I don't have a custom, tricked-out E, but a decal would have made me stop and think, - a crooked one would have been totally unacceptable! :x

Well at least they are made easily removable. Since when a car is traded in, no dealer wants to have to remove a decal that damages paint, then fix it, to put their own on. Dealer emblems are either foam-backed - removable using a little dental floss to cut through the foam and Goof-Off the residue, or they are heat-sensitive stickers - heat with a hair-dryer and peel off.

just a plate frame on my E, and it will be coming off soon.