Dealer Badge on Trunk Lid

I just returned from the dealership where I ordered my 550xi from. The car is in and is being prepped... dark graphite/pear - a beauty...

The dealership however was taken over by one of these NJ "super dealers" on 12/1...

The new dealer has really gotten off on the wrong foot. They offered me $5 k below KBB "trade in value" on my 09 328ic and they refused my personal check for down payment (the old dealer would accept a personal check to $10 k)... so now I won't pick up until Tuesday because of my need to get a cashier's check etc...

To make matters completely unacceptable - they glued one of their dealership badges on my trunk...

I obviously asked my CA (still employed from original to new) to have them remove the badge...

Am I allowing my emotions to get the best of me?

I didn't catch this from your message but did you ask the dealer not to put their badge on your car? If you did ask and they did it anyway then you have a right to be p****d, although I really don't know what you can do about it (i.e. what leverage do you have?).

It really is a matter of what kind of CA you have; the guy I bought my last two BMWs from is stellar. He made sure no dealer badge went on either car; in fact, when I bought my E39 M5 from him I mentioned that I didn't really care, and he INSISTED that there would be no badge.

Too bad his service department doesn't know what it's doing or I'd have already bought my 3rd car from him.

Learn to not get angry about things you can't control. Enjoy the car in good health.

I would never drive a car off the lot with a dealer badge. I hate those things. If I really thought the people were great I might sport the plate frame if it looked decent (have done that once before).

The good news is they are easily removed without damage to the paint. Tell the dealer you're not taking delivery till the badge is properly removed.

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Originally Posted by Flavorguydfr

I just returned from the dealership where I ordered my 550xi from. The car is in and is being prepped... dark graphite/pear - a beauty...

"Pear"??

The dealership however was taken over by one of these NJ "super dealers" on 12/1...

The new dealer has really gotten off on the wrong foot. They offered me $5 k below KBB "trade in value" on my 09 328ic and they refused my personal check for down payment (the old dealer would accept a personal check to $10 k)... so now I won't pick up until Tuesday because of my need to get a cashier's check etc...

To make matters completely unacceptable - they glued one of their dealership badges on my trunk...

I obviously asked my CA (still employed from original to new) to have them remove the badge...

Am I allowing my emotions to get the best of me?

So I'm guessing you ordered your car prior to 12/1. Didn't they make an offer for your trade during those negotiations? Not sure why they are telling you that price now that your new car has arrived.

In any event, if it's the type of badge that can simply be removed (taped on, etc), then ask them to remove it and make sure there is no residue, etc. If it's the old kind that makes a hole (I doubt this), then you are SOL.

I always specify NO BADGE at order time and double and triple check as the car arrival is near. Actually, most "decent" high-end dealers today don't apply badges anyway, they use a license plate frame for their advertising.

The dealer badge must be an East Coast thing only since I've never seen it done here in California. Why in the world do people allow these badges to be affixed to their cars? I don't get it . . .

Pear - yikes!

It's Oyster - completely wrong color (and food group)... I work in the flavoring industry and during my rant took a request for a pear beverage flavor, so you can tell where my head is at...

The "original" dealer never put badges on the car.... so this was a shock...

I never had poor trade ins with the original dealer as well. The paperwork was started in October and apparently my CA with the old dealership was not informed of the ownership change until Nov 19th...

I would not take delivery of a car with a dealer badge. It's your car not theirs.

I HAVE had dealers remove not only their badge, but all the other markings as well. I have that car manufacturers have to put all that crap on... I know what I ordered and it does what I want. I guess I am secure enough not to brag about it... your dealership should be too.

Originally Posted by Flavorguydfr

To make matters completely unacceptable - they glued one of their dealership badges on my trunk...

Ray Catena? The only dealer in NJ that I know of who likes to do this crap with all cars they sell.

Originally Posted by B-1 Pilot

I would not take delivery of a car with a dealer badge. It's your car not theirs.

.

I guess all those BMW logos come off too, then?

I have never had a dealership slap there own badge on a car I was buying, and if they did I would have a stroke.

Roundel is OK; all the other stuff just clutters the car's appearance. See the photos of my debadged 550ix - much cleaner look.

Originally Posted by AlexK

Ray Catena? The only dealer in NJ that I know of who likes to do this crap with all cars they sell.

I leased my F10 (535xi) from JMK BMW, a NJ dealership. JMK only put their dealer license plate brackets on the vehicle, but I swapped them out with BMW license plate brackets that I purchased from the BMW store.

I have seen other vehicles from Open Road BMW, which is also a NJ dealership, and they put decals on the left side of the trunk with their dealership's name.

I would have been mad if my F10 came (it did not) with a decal on the back trunk with the dealer's name.

With regards to the BMW badges, which set forth the model and x drive, I like those on my alpine white vehicle and plan on leaving them on the vehicle.

Originally Posted by CRMESQ

I leased my F10 (535xi) from JMK BMW, a NJ dealership. JMK only put their dealer license plate brackets on the vehicle, but I swapped them out with BMW license plate brackets that I purchased from the BMW store.

I have seen other vehicles from Open Road BMW, which is also a NJ dealership, and they put decals on the left side of the trunk with their dealership's name.

I would have been mad if my F10 came (it did not) with a decal on the back trunk with the dealer's name.

With regards to the BMW badges, which set forth the model and x drive, I like those on my alpine white vehicle and plan on leaving them on the vehicle.

I have my current lease from Open Road, and yea, there is a decal with dealer's name. Doesn't really bother me since my car is leased and the decal's small, dark letters don't stand out much on gray color - I wouldn't probably remove it even if I owned the car. Ray Catena's badges, however, are more noticeable (since they have some shiny metal areas and protrude a little bit from the surface of the car)

Originally Posted by AlexK

I have my current lease from Open Road, and yea, there is a decal with dealer's name. Doesn't really bother me since my car is leased and the decal's small, dark letters don't stand out much on gray color - I wouldn't probably remove it even if I owned the car. Ray Catena's badges, however, are more noticeable (since they have some shiny metal areas and protrude a little bit from the surface of the car)

Ray Catena's badges are not decals. Rather, they are plastic or metal badges that they stick on the back of the vehicle in addition to their dealer license plate brackets. In my opinion, the Ray Catena badge on the back of your vehicle is going to be the least of your problems when getting involved with that dealership.

With regards to the Open Road decals, the vehicles that I have seen have decals with white (not black) letters.

Originally Posted by Flavorguydfr

Pear - yikes!

It's Oyster - completely wrong color (and food group)... I work in the flavoring industry and during my rant took a request for a pear beverage flavor, so you can tell where my head is at...

The "original" dealer never put badges on the car.... so this was a shock...

I never had poor trade ins with the original dealer as well. The paperwork was started in October and apparently my CA with the old dealership was not informed of the ownership change until Nov 19th...

send your CA an email asking that the car not have the dealer decal not be put on the car. If he says too late, tell him to get you another car. You will be surprised at how they are willing to take a hot gun and get it off. Better for them to do it then you as if they take the paint off its their problem not yours.

Well it was Open Road and they took over Bell on Dec 1st...

This is my 5th car that I have purchased from this CA, and I called him immediately after I saw the badge. He will remove it...

RIP Bell BMW...

Originally Posted by Flavorguydfr

To make matters completely unacceptable - they glued one of their dealership badges on my trunk...

Geeze..I thought that glueing (or bolting) dealer IDs onto the trunk died years ago and was replaced by license plate frames.IMO it's 100% reasonable for you to insist that they remove it.

Originally Posted by 1HOT BMR

The dealer badge must be an East Coast thing only since I've never seen it done here in California. Why in the world do people allow these badges to be affixed to their cars? I don't get it . . .

As I noted above it's really rare here as well.License plate frames are pretty much universal, at least as the car rolls out of the lot.Although I didn't buy my "d" there I got frames from BMW of Manhattan a)to lend it a little "class" (folks will think I'm a high roller ) ...and b)because it conceals the slogan on my state's plates,a slogan which I dispise because it's an absolute lie.

Originally Posted by raleedy

I guess all those BMW logos come off too, then?

There is a fundamental difference here... the roundel is integrated into the car. If it came off it would be obvious since there is not a finished surface underneath it. A dealer badge, an x-drive logo, or even the series numbers all have pristine paint underneath them.

I would not be opposed to limited BMW logos though either... I think the flush on the hood and trunk is enough... the side roundels, license plates, tire caps, etc are a bit too much in my opinion.

The only other thing I would add is if you are doing a lease I could see where this may be harder to get the dealer to take it off, since they own the car -- but as many have pointed out there are plenty of others dealers; tell them you will take your business elsewhere and they will comply.

Originally Posted by B-1 Pilot

There is a fundamental difference here... the roundel is integrated into the car. If it came off it would be obvious since there is not a finished surface underneath it. A dealer badge, an x-drive logo, or even the series numbers all have pristine paint underneath them.

I'm pretty sure when they're painting the car's panels, they don't mask off the paint for the roundels. I think those are added toward the end of vehicle production. Maybe the areas under the roundels don't get some final polish or such, but I'm pretty sure the whole hood and trunk panels are totally finished, including clearcoating.

Originally Posted by markl53

I'm pretty sure when they're painting the car's panels, they don't mask off the paint for the roundels. I think those are added toward the end of vehicle production. Maybe the areas under the roundels don't get some final polish or such, but I'm pretty sure the whole hood and trunk panels are totally finished, including clearcoating.

The Roundel on the hood is installed as the final step in the highly robotic assembly line process .............. using a single firm stroke with a large human hand held rubber mallet, it is banged onto the hood with a flourish (sometimes accompanied by an audible cheer) that the assembly is complete!

And its defintely not glued on... and in varying models sits in an indentation..

in other words if it was gone you would notice... the same cannot be said for dealer badges, model numbers, etc.

Originally Posted by B-1 Pilot

The only other thing I would add is if you are doing a lease I could see where this may be harder to get the dealer to take it off, since they own the car -- but as many have pointed out there are plenty of others dealers; tell them you will take your business elsewhere and they will comply.

I've never seen a lease in which the dealer owned the car. Do they also get to use it when they want?

Thats correct, the dealership has no ownership of the car. It would be owned by BMW FS or whoever the leasing co is

Originally Posted by raleedy

I've never seen a lease in which the dealer owned the car. Do they also get to use it when they want?

well played... i guess that is true too, which only adds to the argument that they shouldnt put the badge on unless you want it