Why do people put "M" badges on non-M cars?

[Bigglez]

Ha. Very funny.

[FuzzyDunlop]

I'd like to think this was done with a sense of irony! As I also spotted it at Le Mans this year.

[Wills2]

M driver training:

[Vee]

Slightly off topic, I wonder what proportion of people posting strangers cars with dodgy M badges and with no effort to hide registrations, would have a hissy fit should their own car be posted with the plate showing.

3/4 is my estimate !!

[DennisCooper]

Hi,

genuine query/question/request of opinion - I often wonder what the 'actual' big deal is when photographs online show a vehicle registration number? - the vehicle number plate is out on public display ALL the time anyway and anyone can see it. So what is the 'risk' when you sometimes see posters request their number plate to be obscured by the person who took the photo ?

Cheers, Dennis!

[MartiniBianco]

Wills2 said:

M driver training:

The famous and mighty ///M 725 tds:

Extra credits to whoever finds out which car I was sitting in.

[Dinh]

DennisCooper said:

Hi,

genuine query/question/request of opinion - I often wonder what the 'actual' big deal is when photographs online show a vehicle registration number? - the vehicle number plate is out on public display ALL the time anyway and anyone can see it. So what is the 'risk' when you sometimes see posters request their number plate to be obscured by the person who took the photo ?

Cheers, Dennis!

Dennis,

It's ultimately a matter of chance. If your license plate is displayed on the Internet, it is more visible to the public, than purely on a public road. It therefore opens the door and potentially makes it easier for someone to obtain personal information about you. Given, on a public road it's just as visible, but the easier you make it for people, the greater the chance that someone can abuse that information.

So why increase your exposure and risk any more than you have to? But in balance, the risk is probably slight; it's more that other people are displaying information about someone else, and that means there is a lack of control for the person whose information is being displayed.

Cheers

[muckymotor]

MartiniBianco said:

The famous and mighty ///M 725 tds:

Extra credits to whoever finds out which car I was sitting in.

Z3M

[Wills2]

Vee said:

Slightly off topic, I wonder what proportion of people posting strangers cars with dodgy M badges and with no effort to hide registrations, would have a hissy fit should their own car be posted with the plate showing.

3/4 is my estimate !!

Wouldn't bother me in the slightest.

[FuzzyDunlop]

Vee said:

Slightly off topic, I wonder what proportion of people posting strangers cars with dodgy M badges and with no effort to hide registrations, would have a hissy fit should their own car be posted with the plate showing.

3/4 is my estimate !!

I initially blanked mine out on a previous post then thought, what is actually the point, I'm just doing because other people do it. So mine's on here and no i'm not bothered. As long as it doesn't come up in a google search on the make and model I'm sure it's fairly safe from being cloned. More at risk from getting the actual plates stolen imao (or the whole car). I can understand doing it for classified ads though, that is the car cloners shop window.

Edited by FuzzyDunlop on Saturday 6th July 00:01

Edited by FuzzyDunlop on Saturday 6th July 00:03

[mbromwel7]

Spotted a 525D touring with "M" badges on tailgate both wings and front grill while I was filling our M5 up with v-power... driven by a 60+yearold ...pmsl

[ecain63]

mbromwel7 said:

Spotted a 525D touring with "M" badges on tailgate both wings and front grill while I was filling our M5 up with v-power... driven by a 60+yearold ...pmsl

Can't blame the the old guy for this i dont think. Normally it's the grand-kids thinking it to be a nice gesture to buy him some nice badges for his new M-sport. What can the guy do but stick them on?

[Fox-]

Just found this in the BMW LCI bulletien regarding changes for the facelift F10:

BMW said:

Standard equipment changes – 5 Series Saloon [F10] and Touring [F11]
Please be aware of the following standard equipment changes.

M designation on front side
panels, left and right

Not that this is really that new - for years and years now with the exception of the odd models like the Z4 etc M = 'Sport' and M5/M3 = 'M Power'.

Remember that between 1996 and 2000 all 3 Series and 5 Series Sport models had external M badging on the sides anyway. It's not even that new!

[Wills2]

Yes yes but adding ///M badges to the front/rear of your 118d/302d is just crass.

[carl_w]

Saw an ///M 3-series (I know not of what ilk, but it wasn't an M3) on the M2 yesterday. The thing is, I spotted it from about 0.5 miles back as the ///M logo was about halfway between the centre and the right hand side. Not where an ///M badge would appear at all. If it had been where the normal M3 badge goes maybe I wouldn't have noticed. There were no other badges (apart from the roundel) on the rear.

[BorkFactor]

Saw this in GG, thought it needed to be put in here!

http://www.gumtree.com/p/cars-vans-motorbikes/bmw-...

ETA - more to this one than meets the eye:

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

Edited by BorkFactor on Friday 26th July 11:59

[SNEL]

Saw a 5 series 3.0d M5 towing a trailer today!

Couldn't stop laughing long enough to get a picture.

I breezed by with no M badge on my arse. I wonder if he noticed if it was a proper M5

[Dr Nookie]

MartiniBianco said:

The famous and mighty ///M 725 tds:

Extra credits to whoever finds out which car I was sitting in.

Defo a Z3M.

You don't see dashes like that these days...

Mines the same(but RHD).

[MartiniBianco]

Dr Nookie said:

Mines the same(but RHD).

If you own one, you're cheating

[BullyB]

FuzzyDunlop said:

I'd like to think this was done with a sense of irony! As I also spotted it at Le Mans this year.

they stole my eBay sticker idea....