Alright so I decided I'd remove the SR5, 4WD, and Toyota emblems. First I started with the 4WD emblem, used dental floss, it came off fine. Next I used a hair dryer to get the sticky stuff off, and it worked just fine. Used a little adhesive remover to get what was left and it came off. Now I cleaned it up real good and even waxed it but you can still see where it says 4WD... what do I do???? How do I get that off???

 

Do you have T-CUT in the states? or some equivalent cutting polish.

 

also one thing to think of is if your paint has faded, it might show up in certain light.

but i recommend either Decal/emblem remover or goo gone. i removed some emblems from my friends Delica and the goo gone worked on most but the decal/emblem remover worked the best, but now he has to repaint where he removed them because of fading and the 4WD emblem took paint with it.

 

WD-40 Works really well.. just make sure you wash it off after you remove the buildup.

 

I dont know if thats such a good idea....


Fosheezy...the paint has faded...it has to be repainted to match the rest

 

I have used it on multiple vehicles to take vinyl sign residue off without an issue (use a heat gun to get the sticker off). I usually wash and wax the vehicle right after... always worked pretty well for me. But you are correct, if the paint has faded it must be repainted to match.

 

You might try Flitz polish. It's non-abrasive and works wonders. I have used it for years to polish almost anything in need, and only last year I noticed on the tube that it says "restores painted surfaces". Sure enough, it does a beautiful job. -Clark

 

You can still see where my badges were on certain spots. You're going to have to live with it, FoSheezy. I think the only way you can really get a badge off clean is to do it when the vehicle is brand new.

 

I think you'll still see the outline of the emblems unless you repaint your tailgate. I'm sure there are some polishes you could try or maybe even wet sanding, but I don't think you will completely remove the "ghost" lettering unless you have your tailgate repainted.

Let us know if you happen to find something that totally removes the leftover though.

 

I messed up pretty bad on the SR5 emblem, but the 4WD looks pretty good. I'm definitely going to have it repainted, luckily my dad hasn't seen it yet...

 

You're being a bit hasty. Give it a good polish with a D.A. buffer before you try anything else...

 

I'd put em back on before I painted the tailgate.

 

didn't you just get it all buffed somewhere? i say ask those guys if they have some other buffing compounds and polish that could kind of blend the faded paint with the pristine new finish from under your newly removed badges.

i've done this on a few vehicles, i usually would hit the spot with a more aggressive compound to rough up the nice clear to give it a more "used" look, then continue to work up to lighter and lighter compounds and polishes until it looks pretty decent. i agree though, it's hard to make faded paint blend perfectly with just buffing, especially on a darker color. i can see some of the "sr5" from where i removed the badge on my lighter desert dune paint, so it's impossible to completely remove. go ask the guys that buffed your 4runner what they suggest.

i would also just live with it before repainting. but that's me. if you have a really good paint shop that does it for cheap i guess that might make it and easier choice, but you just can't beat a factory paint job, well, Toyota that is.

 

What exactly is D.A. ??..

I know that's probably a n00b question...

 

I would say since the paint may have faded on there you should either maybe paint the emblems so they wont be noticeable, or put a sticker over it or something..

 

Fo sheezy,

I just did that to my 98 to get off all the nasty gold badges and I got the same hazey thing you have. I kind of made the hazy stuff go away but buffing it out with some good wax but it is kind of still there. I could only see it in certain light. Most of the time you almost have to be looking for it to notice the faded letters.

 

D.A.= Dual-Action

It doesn't just spin the pad....its orbital.
Makes more sense if you see a standard buffer and d.a. working side-by-side.

 

When I removed my emblems I had the same problem... I ended up using an orbital buffer and some rubbing compound and it looks great! Then again, my truck is white. I'd say that is probably your best bet w/out repainting.

But, I definitely dig the no emblem look. I'm all about that "clean" appearance.

 

Alright I got it all off, cleared it up about 99%. You can't even tell there were ever any emblems there.

I used a 3 step process:
First I used a heavy duty compound, then polished it, then waxed it, then power buffed it. I repeated this about 5 times and it looks great!

 

Cool to hear your method worked. Care to show us the clean look . It's not often I see a tailgate w/o emblems...