Ask-A-Pro: How To Polish Under Emblems?
by Todd CooperiderI’ve had some trouble with car emblems that are on top of paint that needs to be polished out etc. For instance, a Mercedes star on top of neglected paint etc. Do you guys pop off these emblems, detail that area and re attach the emblem, or something else? Thanks, Wesley.
Hi Wesley, and thanks for submitting your question.
Swirly paint under or around car emblems can be challenging to say the least. In most cases, the only way to really get it fully corrected is to completely remove the emblem, polish the area underneath, and then replace the emblem.
The problem with that however is that not all emblems are easy to remove. Some of them are simply bolted on (easiest to remove), some go on with double-sided adhesive tape, and some are a combination. You also need to be very careful when doing this too because emblems can be fragile, and can get broken during the removal process. Since you’re a detailer, I would recommend speaking with your customer in advance to discuss the areas in question. If the swirls and defects are heavy, you can discuss the options with them and let them know that defect removal in that area will be limited if the emblem remains, but to gain access underneath it may require a replacement of the emblem. Provide them with the options, and let them make the decision.
As you can see on this Ferrari F355 GTS, I am completely removing the emblem to polish underneath…otherwise there would be a very noticeable difference in the paint correction in that area. I replaced it with a brand new emblem.
If the defects aren’t too bad, or if emblem removal isn’t an option and you just want to get it as best as you can, then you can also use your PC to get it as good as possible. In this case I will use my PC7424XP with a 4″ spot pad (usually no more aggressive than white) on a slower speed with a medium to light polish. You want to be extremely careful however when using this method. If the emblem is loose or has a lot of sharp edges to it, I would not recommend this method. A Mercedes emblem however, at least on the newer models, is a good candidate for this.
If neither of the above options are available to you, then I would just recommend polishing the area by hand. You’ll get limited results, but you can still make it look better.
I hope this helps!
Todd,
I have a 2010 Mercedes ML350 and have a PC 7424 with white 5.5″ pads as well as other pads. I also have the Manzerna PO85RD fine polish would I be able to remove small swirls between the rear liftgate emblem with out damaging it by going directly over it, its the oval emblem. Also what speed do you suggest I set it to if I can do this with out causing damage
Thanks,
Danny
Danny,
That combination would definitely amp up the gloss, but I think it would be limited as far as correction goes. You’d get better results with something like Menzerna PO203S (which is great to have on hand anyways). I’d limit the PC to about speed 4.5, but try a little slower than that to start. On that vehicle, the emblem should be very secure…just verify that. Take a look through the writeup I did on an SL500 this past summer, and you can see what I was able to accomplish on the Mercedes emblem.
Todd,
Thank you for all the help I’ll be following your steps and purchasing PO203S. By the way the SL500 came out amazing you really do phenomenal work.
Danny
assuming you need to remove the emblem to get under it and it happens to be one that is attached via some sort of adhesive, how do you go about “re-centering” the badging? Do you kinda just eye ball it?
You may want to tape a “box” around the emblem that is being removed, and leave a consistent gap around it (1/2″ for instance). After you polish that area, it will make it much easier to reapply since you will have the tape and the 1/2″ gap as a measuring stick so to speak to lign it back up. Another way is to simply take measurements before removing the emblem and then re-apply it accordingly afterwards.
Could you go into a little more detail about the tools and techniques to polish around an emblem by hand? Do you break out Q-Tips for this?
Adam,
If applying polish by hand around these areas, I’ll just use the appropriate 4″ spot pad until I achieve the desired results. Then just use your microfiber towel to wipe down and clean it all out. If there’s buildup or hard to reach spots, then you may need to use toothpicks, q-tips, or whatever you have at your disposal to get in all of the tight areas. Keep in mind though…you simply won’t get the same kind of results as you will on the rest of the car! Without removing the emblem and polishing by machine, you simply need to accept that it’s not going to look quite as good.