How to remove badges from the Clarity

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MichiganClarity said:
When I was younger it was not uncommon for me to turn a job I could pay $50 for a professional to do into a $150 job for the professional to do the original job and fix what I broke. For those like me, my local body shop charged me $50 to remove the three plug in hybrid badges.
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I'm the same way on things where I feel like I would be trying to figure it out myself. But when I find posts from people who have done something and provide the steps on how they did it, then I can usually determine if it's within my skill range. Hearing from others who have done a particular procedure also helps avoid common pitfalls.

In the case of debadging, the big important unknown is whether a particular badge uses adhesive only or also has a couple of pins that go though holes in the body panel. The ones with pins are usually best avoided. If you don't know and take a chance, and get a third of the way through cutting and then hit a pin, you are toast, it's too late to turn back and now you have a mess to deal with. But once I found out from others who have done it that there are no pins at least on the plug-in badges I knew it wouldn't be a problem.

I have had enough botched work at repair shops over the years that I feel like if I am capable of doing it myself I increase the odds that it will be done right. That's why I DIY oil change and tire rotation for example. If however I feel I am over my head then the odds go the other way and it's better to leave it to the professionals and just hope for the best. Of course if you have a mechanic that you trust then unless I just want to get greasy I leave it to them instead of trying to save money.
 
Raymondca said:
I don't like the plugin badges either. Feels like yelling to the whole neighbourhood. But I'm concerned what if I want it back later after I have removed it. Looking for the right stickers to cover it.
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Raymondca

If you take care when removing the PHEV badging...they can easily be put back on with $2 worth of double sided tape.

I would assume most folks keep the badging that has been removed so it can be reattached for resale.

Hope this helps.
 
Clarity_Newbie said:
If you take care when removing the PHEV badging...they can easily be put back on with $2 worth of double sided tape.

I would assume most folks keep the badging that has been removed so it can be reattached for resale.
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You should use something better than typical cheap double-sided tape or within a year it's going to drop off onto the roadway and the new owner will have to purchase a new badge. I wouldn't feel right doing that to someone even if I trade it in and know that I will never meet the next owner. If someone doesn't think they can permanently reattach the badges themselves then it would be best to have a bodyshop reattach them, or else don't remove the badges in the first place.
 
2002, Clarity Newbie is correct. Double sided tape is exactly what the factory uses during assembly, and is what any body shop would use to reattach a nameplate to a modern car. 3M makes the professional/automotive version that should be used. It is dense black/grey foam and same as original and lasts the life of the car. It’s more of a school type of arts and crafts project and you do not need to be a professional to apply it. Clean the painted surface, cut the tape to size, peel and stick. If you make a mistake just discard that piece and do it again. All basic auto parts stores sell the narrow tape so it is easy for anyone to obtain. Commercial auto body supply shops will sell wider widths if needed and are open to the public. Google search “3m molding tape”. A $5 package will be enough to install nameplates on several cars.
 
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craze1cars said:
2002, Clarity Newbie is correct. Double sided tape is exactly what the factory uses during assembly, and is what any body shop would use to reattach a nameplate to a modern car. 3M makes the professional/automotive version that should be used. It is dense black/grey foam and same as original and lasts the life of the car. It’s more of a school type of arts and crafts project and you do not need to be a professional to apply it. Clean the painted surface, cut the tape to size, peel and stick. If you make a mistake just discard that piece and do it again. All basic auto parts stores sell the narrow tape so it is easy for anyone to obtain. Commercial auto body supply shops will sell wider widths if needed and are open to the public. Google search “3m molding tape”. A $5 package will be enough to install nameplates on several cars.
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My wording probably gave the wrong impression I was referring to not knowing what adhesive to use and just buying cheap tape. I got the impression from "$2 worth of double sided tape" that they were referring to the price of the package of tape and meant something like this:

Double-sided tape.webp

Maybe I got the wrong impression and that's not what they meant but so might someone else reading it, I wanted to emphasize that you need to use quality adhesive not something cheap that you pick up at the dollar store, and if don't know or aren't sure then have a bodyshop do it. Although yes I think with some research it is an easy DIY. People take their cars in for all kinds of things that I never would (cabin air filters comes to mind) so I don't presume what someone wants to do themselves.
 
Mikep00 said:
Just remember to keep the badges and glue them back on before you go to sell the vehicle.

Vehicles missing their standard badging take a significant hit on resale value. Unless it is one of a few niches where people want that vehicle without the standard badges.


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Im not sure if you are kidding or not.

Do you really think that not having the "Plug-in Hybrid " decal will affect the resale value down the road?

I can understand a hood ornament on a luxury car or even the decal on thr rear of the car, but this one on the fuel door?

Im not trying to be an ***, Im just curious if this would matter to anyone buying a used car. Once again, on the rear it might make the car seem somewhat naked, but on the side fuel/charge door?

I really dont like the look of it, but I haven't gotten around to removing it yet.
 
Lord knows what Honda would charge for those badges or the length of time it would take to arrive at the parts counter.

A car missing a 427 or 396 badge may suffer some loss in value on the used market. Perhaps time and low production numbers will elevate the Clarity to collector status and an all-original, fully-badged specimen will command a premium price.

Some of the plastic letters had fallen off my 15 year old VW Jetta and I know that their presence would not have netted one more dime than their absence.
 
All this talk about resale value... I live in a state where the Clarity did not sell well (I've heard there are fewer than a half-dozen on the road) and, two months in, the car has lost a third of its purchase value. When the time comes to go all-electric I'll probably get whatever I can get for the Clarity as a trade-in. So replacing the side-badges I removed isn't really going to be an issue in my life...
 
Inspired by Kentucky... from another thread. Ordered today and will be installed in place of the Plugin badge... If you get this then yes, I am happy with 42 miles of EV range! They have a "sport" badge available as well... And we do have a "sport" button - hmmm, this could get funny really fast. Let's see, remove "touring" badge, replace with "sport," observe odd looks from others...

s-l500.webp
 
I removed the two front fender badges after installing the front radiator screen. After fussing with a heat gun and dental floss, which didn’t care for warm surfaces, I slid a zip tie under the edge, smooth side toward paint, and peeled the badge off. The adhesive tape came off with a little thumb muscle. Less than 5 minutes each.

I didn’t realize how awful they made the car look until they were gone. Trunk lid badges remain in place.
 
With #Kentuckyken as the inspiration... Behold the new expanded touring class of Clarity for 2042! (insert dramatic music here)
20200225_114937.webp

... Sport badge mode will be installed once it arrives from the Great Rock Candy Mountain...

My Clarity now has a heart of gold!

Cheers,
Cash
 
Wonder if the dealer will notice when I bring it in for service?

I am still looking for a Bambleweeny 57 Sub-Meson Brain with integrated atomic vector plotter "EV Charger" in Dallas to connect my car for recharging. I stopped by the coffee shop and keep a full cup of strong Brownian Motion producer (a nice hot cup of tea) with me in case the BsMB57 EV charger is running low, or someone was rude and failed to refill it after leaving... which is almost as rude as someone parking an ICE only vehicle in those nice EV charging parking spots! If anyone in the Dallas area knows where to find these rare chargers please let me know. I have been looking on PlugShare and OpenCharge and I can't find one - however Garmin may have a BBC version of their database that is more complete.

20200308_142943.webp

Cheers,
Cash
 
Has anyone here tried to remove more than just the Plug-in badges?

I'm a long-time lurker, but today I joined just to ask.

I have a 2017 Magnetic Blue Prius Prime (Premium). Thanks to the market being as demanding as it is right now, I have the opportunity to make 4k more than I paid for the Prius in early 2021. I plan to trade up to a 2018 Silver Metallic Clarity Touring with fewer miles, and will break even if my math is right. I don't like the Silver and am looking to do a dip, or even a wrap in the blue or (most likely) green color family. I have done paint and vinyl work in the past including wrapping smaller items but have never done a full car. I used to work in the industry (mostly made signs, and at one point sold cars) so I have a couple connections where I can do it myself at a fairly low materials cost, even if I mess up a bit along the way.

I haven't seen the car yet (shipping it from PA to GA with CarMax) so the amount of paint correction it needs will be a factor in what I decide to do about the color as well. I know from the pics there is one area on the back bumper I'll probably ask CM to do something about, even though it 'meets standard'.

Anyway I'd like to remove all the badges for best results and wondered if anyone can give some insight to whether the H badges have pins etc. Has anyone here removed all the badges on one of these?
 
PHEVB4BEV said:
Has anyone here tried to remove more than just the Plug-in badges?

Anyway I'd like to remove all the badges for best results and wondered if anyone can give some insight to whether the H badges have pins etc. Has anyone here removed all the badges on one of these?
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The front Honda Logo is behind a clear cover and it's the vehicle's forward radar unit. The Honda logo on the rear of the vehicle is applied to the glass "window" in the trunk lid. The three hybrid badges and the "Clarity" name badge are all held in place by adhesives.
 
I didn't realize the rear H logo was mounted on glass until you pointed it out. So I don't need to touch either of the H badges because I won't be painting/wrapping over glass and don't want to chance messing with the radar functionality.

Many thanks to you :) My car will be in GA to look over sometime near the end of the month. If I take the plunge maybe I'll create a thread showing my progress on the mods.
 
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