The self-adhesive front insignia on the F30 BMW 3-series is mounted into the bumper. Use painter’s tape to mask off the area around the roundel because there is no use in replacing it if you’re going to harm the paint around it. Feed a plastic shipping strap under the roundel if you have access to one. The badge can then be removed by using an old credit card or flathead screwdriver.
Remove the old badge and throw it away. If you’re having difficulties removing the badge, heat the roundel using a hairdryer or heat source to loosen the adhesive holding it down. Using heat sources on the exposed glue will speed up removal because you also need to remove the residual adhesive.
To remove the old adhesive, use an old credit card or a plastic scraper. Goo Gone and other adhesive remover chemicals help hasten removal. To guarantee proper adhesion of the new emblem, try to clean the mounting surface as well as you can. Install the new symbol on its locating pins after removing the paper covering it.
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What steps are involved?
Taping the area around the insignia on the hood to safeguard the paint while removing it is optional. Using a cloth under the pry tool to prevent scratches is another option for protection. To make the removal process simpler, choosing the appropriate pry tool is essential. To fit beneath the symbol, the tip must be extremely thin. To prevent scratching your paint, we advise sealing the tip of a thin flat head screwdriver with masking tape. For further information, see the images below.
Pry up the old insignia first, then work your way around it until it begins to lift up evenly. Simply grip and pull after it has been raised high enough for you to pick it up with your fingers.
Two mounting tabs on the underside fit into plastic grommets on the underside. Along with the symbol, these two grommets should be replaced. The grommets will become loose as a result of drying out and cracking. While driving, a loose hood emblem could cause the emblem to fly off.
Use needle tip pliers to pry out the plastic grommets to remove them. Now that the hood emblem and both grommets have been removed, the hood may be cleaned. It’s possible that the old symbol had salt, sand, or dirt trapped underneath it from normal driving conditions.
After cleaning the hood, start placing the new grommets into position. Align the tabs of the new BMW hood emblem with the grommets now. The margins of the emblem should fit snugly with no gaps between them and the hood. The installation is now finished.
How to Replace the BMW Hood Decals
The roundel emblems on the hood and trunk of a BMW are one of its distinguishing characteristics. When you initially buy a new car, these decorations are attractive. However, with continued exposure to the sun’s UV rays, they may eventually deteriorate, possibly cracking and fading. A replacement emblem can be purchased for $5 to $35 on eBay and other internet retailers, making it more inexpensive than many other auto components. Once you have a fresh symbol in your possession, you may swap out the old one for the new one in a matter of 10 to 15 minutes.
Even though an 82mm ornament diameter is the norm, BMWs DON’T always have the same size ornament. To confirm the part you require, you can use a tool like RealOEM. Take off the current emblem and check the rear for the OEM part number as a last resort if you can’t figure out what part you need. In this manner, you will be aware of what you require whether you buy an OEM or aftermarket part.
Both the emblem and two mounting grommets must be purchased. You are prepared to start this BMW repair once you have the necessary parts and tools.
Tools:
- Sharp-nosed pliers
- tape masking
- razor-sharp flat-head screwdriver
- a plastic pry bar
Step 1: Tape the area around the BMW symbol to protect the paint as you remove it from the vehicle. Placing a towel beneath the pry tool while you work will also prevent scratches on your car. Make sure to use a pry tool that is as thin as possible because it will have a significant impact on how easy the replacement process is. Masking tape must also be applied on a flat-head screwdriver if you choose to use one to prevent scratching the paint.
Step 2: Use the prying tool to start removing the ornament that is currently attached to your car once you have all of your tools nearby and everything is secure. As you loosen the symbol, move it around so that it remains comparatively flat. Once you’ve mostly freed it, you can use your fingers to complete the removal.
3. Mount the ornament by inserting the tabs on the back of it into grommets. When replacing the emblem, it is a good idea to go ahead and install new grommets. The plastic grommets, which naturally begin to wear and split with time, endanger the stability of the ornament and may even cause it to come loose from the car while you are driving.
Step 4: Remove your BMW’s grommets using your needle nose pliers. The grommets and decoration should have been taken off by this stage. Cleaning is best done now because it’s likely that over time, dirt or other debris have gotten caught under the emblem.
Step 5: Now that everything has been put away, you can simply press your replacement grommets into place. Align the symbol so that you may attach the grommets with its tabs. Make sure there is no space between the hood and the decoration at all.
What stands for the BMW roundel?
If you believed that BMW’s logo evoked the company’s past as an airplane manufacturer, you’re mistaken. You’re also mistaken if you assumed that the “Roundel” in the emblem represented a rotating airplane propeller. Fortunately, the Munich-based automaker recently published a “BMW Explained” column debunking some of the Roundel’s origin lore.
As stated in the article by Fred Jakobs of BMW Group Classic, “many people think the BMW emblem is a stylised propeller.” But the reality is somewhat different.
What led to the creation of the Roundel? The company’s famous blue and white inner circular quarters actually got their start as a symbol of the state of Bavaria’s official colors, according the historical discovery. But when the BMW logo was initially designed, the local trademark law of the time forbade the use of the state’s coats of arms and other associated “symbols of sovereignty” in commercial insignias. As a result, the pattern within the BMW emblem displays those colors inverted order.
In order to get around the trademark law, BMW merely reversed the colors.
After beginning as Rapp Motorenwerke GmbH in 1913, BMW originally registered as a business with the German Imperial Register of Trademarks on October 5, 1917. Since BMW didn’t have an emblem at first, its designers simply adopted the former founding company’s original badge, kept its circular shape with the outer black ring, and changed the horse head silhouette with the state’s inverted colors and the letters BMW, which stand for Bayerische Motoren Werke or Bavarian Motor Works.
What is the origin of the widespread misunderstanding that BMW’s emblem resembles an airplane propeller? This 1929 commercial:
It first appeared that year as a marketing ploy for the firm’s most recent aviation engine, which they were making for Pratt & Whitney under license at the time, just as the world economic crisis, better known to us as “The Great Depression,” started to take hold. Due to its strong association with BMW’s past as an airplane manufacturer, this perception just took off. Since then, it has been repeated several times in the media, most notably in 1942 when a similar advertisement appeared in the “Flugmotoren-Nachrichten” or “Aircraft Engine News” magazine, published by BMW.
According to Jakobs, “BMW made little attempt for a very long time to dispel the idea that the BMW emblem is a propeller.”
Jakobs added that although it isn’t entirely incorrect, calling the BMW symbol a representation of an airplane propeller isn’t entirely accurate either. The identical idea was debunked in a 2010 New York Times piece, yet for some reason, the belief has persisted.
This interpretation has been widely accepted for 90 years, therefore it has developed some validity over time, continued Jakobs.
Hopefully the record will be cleared up once and for all with the company’s official statement from its internal monthly.
Are replacement BMW parts expensive?
It’s usually a good idea to only use genuine OEM components produced by BMW when a repair is necessary. Although there are aftermarket possibilities at the neighborhood auto parts shop, the majority are of lower quality. This implies that you’re much more likely to experience early failure.
Replacement parts for BMW cost more, as one might anticipate. The majority of these parts are produced by prestigious companies like Bosch and Bilstein. You are purchasing premium workmanship. Maintaining high-performance vehicles is considerably more expensive. The BMW M5 is a nice illustration. This powerful sports car has improved brakes, performance tires, and a unique sport suspension.
The BMW insignia on the steering wheel can it be changed?
On a 135i, the chrome parts are corroding from the inside, which is why you want to remove the roundel from the center of the steering wheel. Can you remove it without much effort?
According to BMW, no. Making a warranty claim would enable me to ask for a replacement airbag. Information on Bimmerfest can be found here and here.
I forgot to note that the roundel isn’t sold separately. Use one of the overlay roundels if you are unable to obtain a warranty replacement.
My initial hunch would be eBay. They might be the carbon fiber overlays, though perhaps someone in the commercial section has them. It’s just stickers, really.
I purchased mine on eBay, but it is not an overlay sticker like the ones I have on my hood and trunk; rather, it is a carbon fiber roundel with 3M tape attached to the back. In essence, you simply remove the 3M backing and adhere the new roundel on top of the stock one. In my opinion, it looks extremely fantastic.
I apologize for the delay.
This is the actual CF Roundel that covers the OEM roundel on the steering wheel; I apologize for the enormous size. It’s a little dusty from fingerprints and other things, though. Since true roundels aren’t really currently available for the E88/82 trunk, my overlays in CF black are only on my hood and trunk.
went in for an oil change and annual maintenance inspection. I informed my SA about the airbag roundel, and they quickly switched out the old part for a new one.
I mentioned the cracked roundel on the driver-side airbag and the depression on the passenger airbag when I drove my car in for service today. My car’s oil was changed by the dealer, but he declined to remedy the roundel and indentation problems since they weren’t serious enough to warrant the expense.
YES!!! My experience was exactly the same. I peeled off the old rondel after purchasing one off eBay for $5 with 3M on the back. The new one is the ideal fit!
You think it can be done on a 2000 Z3 2.3, I’m going to toss it out there.
Because everything I’ve read says DON’T do it! that these automobiles’ airbags will detonate. I already have the roundel in my possession, but I really want to try to remove the old one and replace it with the new one I just bought. I’d be grateful for any assistance.