I recently bought a 2008 335i that was certified, and I noticed there were no model numbers on the rear of the vehicle. In order to give the back of the car a cleaner appearance, the salesman claimed that occasionally people buy automobiles without the numbers. Who has heard of this?
Actually, both of them are possibilities. I’ve heard of people ordering cars debadged, and many people have done the same with their own vehicles. It’s actually not a huge thing; it probably just implies that an enthusiast once owned your car.
Before taking possession, you may have demanded that the dealer repaint the automobile with the proper letters and numbers. It ought to have been covered by the CPO procedure. I believe that ordering without a model number is only possible in Europe.
In order to be a d-bag, I did it on my AMG. Since the automobile already had a black AMG logo, the factory one was replaced before being painted black and then completely removed.
Such a liar. The dealership was unwilling to replace it because the prior owner likely took it out themself.
In this, I agree with you. Former owner debadged it. In the US, BMW does not provide this “badge removal” option like Porsche and some other carmakers do.
Yes, there is no such option available in the United States. You might ask them to omit the model numbers but not the dealer decal.
but I prefer a cleaner appearance (debadged); ever since I bought my first VW GTI in the past, I do this to all of my vehicles. Even with a M vehicle, I would debadge it.
I truly prefer the unbadged appearance as well, but my mother’s superstitious thinking prevented me from doing it because she declared the numbers were lucky ones just as I was about to. Ha!
The word for “death” in “chinese” has a similar phonetic sound to the word for “4”
EDIT: Because the term for luck has a phoenetic similarity to the number “8,” Asians frequently utilize that number in their phone numbers, house numbers, license plates, supermarkets, and pho restaurants.
The word for rolling, or “rolling over,” has a phonological similarity to the number “6.” For obvious reasons, that is awful for a car in my family =)
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Germans, I suppose, don’t feel the need to brag about having the largest engine type, but Americans, for the most part, do it to conceal the fact that they have the smallest engine while some do it for a cleaner appearance.
1) The 523i, 528i, 520d, and 525d four-cylinder variants account for almost 90% of the F10 and F30 vehicles sold in Germany.
2) As a result, it can’t be that the men with huge engines don’t want to brag if the majority of German BMWs are debadged. Because even if that were the case, fewer than 10% of the cars would be accounted for.
3) As a result, the behavior of those with the smallest engines must be the cause of the explanation.
4) People frequently carry or wear luxury branded goods in Germany, such Gucci wallets, Prada handbags, Porsche Design briefcases, and Prada handbags.
5) A recent development in luxury branded products is the prominence of the logos (e.g. Gucci switched from embossing to using metal logos on their wallets).
6) It is difficult to infer a preference for debadging among Germans considering their love of brand-name clothing and accessories.
Due to the aforementioned reasons, I believe individuals are embarrassed of their little engines. A different conclusion cannot be drawn based on points 3 and 6.
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It simply means that there is only a make and model, not a trim level. As an example, the Audi RS4 is simply known as the Audi RS4; there are no “S-line” or luxury trim levels, hence there is no badge.
Debadging is frequently done to hide a model with lesser specifications or to compliment a modified car’s smoothed-out appearance. When driving high-end luxury vehicles, some people choose to remove the insignia so as not to “flaunt” the fact that their vehicle differs from any other model.
It is acceptable to take off your car’s badging. Although it’s uncommon, some people request that their cars be built without any badging, which means that neither the fenders nor the trunk or hood lids have holes drilled into them. Without badging, some vehicles seem pretty sharp. It’s legal and it’s your car.
Some individuals like you not to know it’s a base model, while others like the way it looks. It is known as debadging. It applies to more than simply BMWs. They only want to show their friends that they purchased a BMW or a Mercedes, but they remove the serial numbers so that their friends won’t know that they purchased the entry-level model with no power.
It won’t matter unless the car is maintained; if not, it won’t. Now, removing the logo, leaving the adhesive liner in place, and not keeping up with maintenance would make the car appear neglected and reduce its resale value. Debadge is a must because it appears so neat and balanced without it.
BMW Clarifies What Model Numbers Mean Currently
The latest episode of the official BMW podcast explores the evolution of the company’s renowned naming scheme. You should feel (somewhat) less perplexed after reading this.
In the past, reading the model name of a BMW would reveal a lot about it. You were looking at a 3.0-liter gasoline engined 3-series if the badge on the boot said “330i.” The displacement didn’t always equal the last two digits, but generally it worked out that way. We could go on, but the majority of models adhered to the standard or at least didn’t wander too far from it. The E39 540i featured a 4.4-liter engine, the E82 125i utilized a 3.0 liter, and so on.
This approach was employed for many years, as stated in BMW’s most recent podcast, which makes use of portions of the business’ quite lengthy naming guide website page. Prior to World War Two, all automobiles had a 300 number to distinguish them from BMW bikes and airplanes (100s) (200s). Following the war, names were all over the place, but the ‘E12’ 5-series brought order to the chaos in 1972. BMW wanted a new system that would be simple for customers to comprehend regardless of the language they spoke.
The naming convention no longer functions this way, as some shockingly irate keyboard warrior types will loudly inform you. A human being! However, since displacement is no longer the primary method by which BMW delivers its customers greater power, the conventional approach is no longer viable.
The same size engine is currently used by numerous variations of each model, with the power outputs changed by various levels of turbocharging and occasionally by the addition of hybrid technology. We’re sure you’ll agree that having three separate products with the same name as 520d might be a little perplexing.
More recently, battery electric vehicles, which have no engines at all, have added to the complexity of the situation. Similar to what Audi started doing a few years ago, the last two digits of this and the majority of other BMW models now denote various output “tiers.” According to BMW, “45” refers to vehicles with an output of between 300 and 350kW. (402 – 469bhp). That is the total output with electrical aid, which explains why, despite the fact that the 540i and 545e hybrids both have the same internal combustion engine, the 545e hybrid has a higher figure.
The initial “e” did originally stand for the Greek letter “eta,” designating cars that were “optimised for torque and RPM,” according to BMW. These days, plug-in hybrid models employ it. Although “leccy M stuff” receives a simpler naming scheme, e.g. i4 M50, complete EVs like the i4 eDrive40 get a more modern moniker called “eDrive.”
Exclusively the Z and X model lines are designated for two-wheel drive, whereas the moniker xDrive is only applied to all-wheel drive derivatives that are available with and without the technology but are otherwise identical. As always, a badge with a I or “d” at the end denotes gasoline injection or diesel.
For example, a M Division’d 3-series is an M3, but on SUVs, the magic letter is coupled with just one number designating the “series” and appears after the model name. Although electric cars and SUVs only have the two digits, such as the X3 M40i, you get the standard three-digit number if it’s a half-fat M car, such as M550i.
Some people favor a neat appearance. I don’t think the x3 needs to be debadged. doesn’t actually make things appear better. I did remove the 328i’s badge from the trunk when I got my E90.
Not that I’ve ever debadged any of my cars, but I think it’s an inexpensive way to make a car more unique. Unsure of which is worse, some people like to add badges while others prefer to remove them. I suppose that occasionally a nice badge can improve the automobile’s overall appearance, and in my opinion, debadging a car makes it appear to be less expensive.
Some people want to conceal their lack of power or to keep their under-the-hood horsepower a secret.
Despite the fact that my 30d is devoid of badges, I believe BMW ought to have provided me the unapplied badges as part of the handover in case the subsequent owner desired them.
I’m assuming it will cost PSPSPS or $$$ or something like to get all the badges from the vendor. Any clue what the price is?
De-badging is a matter of taste. Others don’t enjoy it as much. You can order it as an option in some (or all?) of Europe.
It was previously beyond my comprehension. I’m beginning to change my mind. The more I look at it, the more I enjoy how it looks.
presumably manifests variably on cars of various colors. Personalizing makes sense, such as when a Toyota becomes “Toy” or when a car’s insignia is applied to another.
My 911 was debadged. I exchanged it for a 981 that I’ll probably debadge. One of the photographs of the automobiles I have will be blown up and mounted with the badging and text in a shadow box. However, I don’t believe I will debadge the X3. Porsche writing can be challenging to remove, and I believe their badging is a tad excessive. Not so much BMW; they appear to like having 30+ models, each of which has an M, an I an x, a hatch, sans hatch, a 2 door, a 4 door, a 5 door, etc.
Removing the plastic emblems makes it look more sleek and contemporary, which I adore. Who cares what engine or model you drive? Nobody needs to know! BMW makes it.
My copy was sent unbadged. In any case, in my opinion, the “xDrive20d” looks about as horrible as adding “turbo GTI.” Although the “X3” itself didn’t bother me all that much, it does look better without.
To be clear, I also took down the garage advertisement on the back window and everything that even vaguely resembled a label.
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I believe it to be extremely prevalent in Germany, which is why BMW offers it as an option. It doesn’t bother me much, but since I only have a 2.0l, maybe I should do as X Man suggests (LOL!)
What are the numerals on a BMW’s back stand for?
The numbers always show which end of the size range the car falls on: the higher the number, the bigger the car. The ultra-sporty varieties, such as coupes, are typically assigned even numbers.
How can I tell what model of BMW I own?
Although your vehicle’s model number is prominently badged on the back of your BMW, internal classifications into E/F and G model codes also exist. The body style, model, and approximate age can typically be determined by specialists or dealers using this three-digit combination.
You can find the model code for your BMW E, F, or G using this short list. The car will always be referred to on our website (in any article or explanation) using the main body code (indicated in bold).