Badge replacement - Method?

[YRRunner]

I need to replace the Sagaris badge on the rear as the chrome badge plinth has oxidised. Got the new bits including gasket, removed the gel badge hoping that the screws were on the outside (er, no). It's the one with the boot glass actuator behind the badge. Any advice on interior panel removal method to get to the back of the badge? Also, is there anything I should be careful of, since it is also the boot actuator? Really need to acquire Graham's Bible!

Edited by YRRunner on Thursday 21st April 19:02

[Ironballs]

If it's anything like the Tamora then it involved a stanley knife on the carpet and some careful cutting, followed by blind removal of nuts and washers

[NBON]

I'm struggling with the rear badge on my T350 too. Any hints and tips welcome.

[D14 AYS]

Remove the off side rear speaker and access from there, very easy really

[parvs]

Why ARE the badges so st?

[NBON]

D14 AYS said:

Remove the off side rear speaker and access from there, very easy really

Thanks for the tip regards access through the speaker. Easy when you know how. Although having the hands and forearms of a six year old might help.
Whilst tightening up the nyloc nut I managed to screw the bolt stem through the front of the plinth. I called Racing Green who I got the plinths from and this is a common occurance. The recommendation was to use standard nuts rather than the nyloc variety. Which I did with a dab of loctite. It also made things a lot easier with the restricted access of the rear badge.

[Chamorange]

Wait until you drop the spanner in there, it took me over an hour to get it back!!

Ian

[NBON]

A couple of nuts and washers went AWOL. Managed to keep hold of the spanner.

[Ironballs]

I lost a nut doing mine and very nearly lost the extension and socket too

[YRRunner]

D14 AYS said:

Remove the off side rear speaker and access from there, very easy really

Spot on. Thank you very much. You were right. quite an easy job. Here are a couple of potential pitfalls:

1. Make sure you don't lose the nylock nuts when unscrewing. The new badge plinth doesn't come with new nuts. Lose the nuts and I would imagine they're gone forever, rattling around the bottom of the bodywork somewhere!

2. NOTE: Once I got the nuts off, the badge exploded out of the back of the car. There is a reason for this, as I found to my dismay. There are 2 spring loaded rubber collar thingamygigs that fly out with the badge. They belong on the plinth threaded bolts, between plinth and bodywork, pushing the badge away from the actuator. Luckily I found one of mine on the floor and wondered what the hell it was and where it came from. Once I figured it out, it then became a sleuthing job to find the other!!!

3. If you have the boot glass actuator model, don't over tighten the nuts as this makes the badge press overly sensitive (although pretty cool - almost "senso touch"). Very cool until you hit a pothole I imagine (then you're gonna look pretty stupid when your glass hatch becomes an additional aero spoiler!

4. If actuator model, you will need to take the rubber disc off the back of the old plinth and re-attach to the new plinth (again this is not supplied with the new plinth). The rubber disc (middle of the back of the plinth) is what hits the actuator button on the car bodywork when depressed.

And finally....

5. The new badge plinths are alu but not chromed like the O.E., therefore slightly different (not too noticeable to people less picky than me). I guess this was done to avoid the chrome flaking in the first place, as mine did.

[jpp]

NBON said:

I'm struggling with the rear badge on my T350 too. Any hints and tips welcome.

For access I used the same method as for changing a rear bulb ie. undo the boot cover studs next to hatch window, and then undo the screws holding the rear boot leather cowl on (under the boot carpet). Remove the cowl, and the boot button screws can be accessed more easily than would be the case if you tried to do so via the accumate housing.