I know that this is a controversial topic, but I just have to bring it up again...

Yesterday I saw a 01-03 black w203 (non-Sport) that they took off the C240 (possibly C320) badging and just blacked it out. However, they put a Carlsson badge on the right side. The car had NO modifications except for a flat hood emblem and tint (if you can call that a mod). The guy had stock rims (the 16 inch 12 spoke or something, you know what I mean), stock suspension and stock exhaust. Why would anyone put a Carlsson or any type of tuner badge if your car is stock?

Today, this is primarily what prompted me to make this post, I saw a brilliant silver post 1997 w202 on the road in Torrance today. It was badged as a "CLK 320". I tried to take a picture, but I didn't manage to pull my phone out in time. This has to be the worst badge job I've seen.
Living in LA, I've seen really poor badging, but this is the worst. I've seen a lot of "S600's" and "S55's" in Glendale. The worst part is, that the people that have the "S600's" clearly have S430's (no xenons, stock 430 rims, stock exhaust without any tips or anything of that sort).

Why do people do this? Why do they think they can fool everyone?

 

no one will ever know.

worst is when it's another car with a different car brand's badge on it. like when i saw a honda civic with the bmw roundel on it and "325i" on the rear right side. some people are just weird?

 

oh no,, not this again..

I will throw this OT

http://media.ebaumsworld.com/ferrarismack.wmv

 

Well, my Merc is debadged. I like the clean look and the BMW guys always wonder...the IS300 and M45 guys think it's a C240 until I smoke them at the green light. Now my car is no C32, but it's no slouch either. The 3.2 is very torquey off the line....

.03

 

i've seen a mitsubishi mirage coupe with bmw 3 series wheel, actually the guy lives around the block from me, but i think people do it so that it looks like the have a more expensive car than they really do cause the average person cant tell the difference, only car enthusiasts like us

 

Yep. I told this one chick that my car was a Honda Civic, and she said Wow, that is so nice! Ours is 2000 and it's nowhere close to this! Friend told me later that during dinner (I dropped them off), she spent the entire night gushing to everyone about my car :p

Yeah, there are BMW Hondas everywhere. There's also a MB Volvo 245 in Vancouver...

 

You told her your Honda Civic was a Honda Civic, or you told her your C230 Coupe was a Honda Civic?

 

I don't drive a Honda Civic. Never have, never will

Which goes to prove another point. generally, most chicks have no idea what you are driving anyways. I'm not sexist, but it seems that nice cars turn guys' heads way more than girls' heads, from my experience. Better to spend the $$ on clothes or cologne if you want a girl to notice.

 

funny !!

I was recently told that I should completely debadge my C320 COUPE.
As it is, the car is very fast off the line. I recently added a RENNTECH ECU Upgrade,
and now the TORQUE is way strong. Added a bunch of HP too at 3k-5k rpms.

While I'm modeling my car after the EUROPEAN AMG C32 COUPE, I don't think I would remove the "0" from my C320 badge and make it a C32 badge. The engine is just not there... Yet ! However, I have added an "AMG" badge. Why ? I think I've added enough AMG components to the car to warrant the badge:
AMG wheels, AMG brakes, AMG spoiler, AMG sway bars, AMG shift knob, AMG foot pedals.

It's all personal preference. Slight modifications to your badging shouldn't be a big deal. Trying to re-badge your car (based on engine size) is plain dumb, and you're gonna get caught soon enough. It only takes a true SLK320, S55, SL600, or C32 to smoke someone on the street.

Hondas, BMWs, Volvos re-badged as something they are definitely NOT, is simply ignorant !!

 

When debadging my C320 Sports Coupe, it was a C32, for less than a minute. It looked good then, though.

 

I've been tempted, but know better than to pretend to have something that is not under the hood. The AMG C32 COUPE would have been the car I would of bought, unfortunately, none made it to the US. For the $25K+ engine upgrade to make it a true C32, I would much rather buy the real thing. My next car will definitely be a C55 / 65 / 75 or whatever AMG is around 5-6 years from now.

 

I feel sorry for these people.

 

Not really. The etiquette requires that you have to have proper engine modifications (that can NOT be seen from the outside) to have the right to put a badge. Spoilers, brakes, pedals, knobs, etc. certainly do not qualify, even combined together. But then again - if you cared, you would know.

 

before we assume people are badging their cars to look more expensive, most people as some of you have said, do not know the difference between the cars and only enthusiasts. that being said, most MB drivers don't know the difference as well.

when i was in the accident a couple of months back, the damage to the taillight and badge area of the trunk prompted the body shop to remove my badge to fix the damage. they order a new badge from MB and they sent them a CLK240 badge. i couldn't go to pick up my car, so i sent my sister, who also drives a MB, to check the repairs and bring the car home. she saw the CLK240 and didn't think it was anything weird. i had to take the car back to get it fix and when they reorder the badge, MB sent again CLK240. it turns out that is what they mass produce and the body shop was responsible to badge it correctly.

so these people you driving around with different badge, it might not even be there fault. they just don't know the small details about their car and/or the body shop is full of morons.

 

i de-badged mine for the clean look. i love the way it looks now. im not the kind of person to badge my car something else when it isn't. hell i didnt want to put AMG brakes on my car fearing people would think i was trying to pretend i had an AMG car.

 

I took my badge off my old 01 c240, but after I did... I found that the paint faded and where the c240 use to be, it was darker. Fun Fun Fun, At close up, you could still read c240. LOL

 

I took the 0 off my 240 and made it a C24 AMG for about a aweek..

It had a GT1 kit and some clown thought it was the new C32.

hehehehehehehe

 

Check out this advert at Pistonheads:
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/det...?i=27444&s=294
"CLK 230 Kompressor Cabriolet Elegance 2001
27,000 miles. Quartz Blue, Light Grey Leather Interior, 18" AMG style 4 Alloy wheels with brand new pirelli P Zero Tyres, 6 speed manual gearbox, Cruise control, Electric heated seats, Electric rear head rests, Parking sensors front and rear, Bixenon Headlights, Bose sound system with cd autochanger, Air conditioning, Full dealer service history, MOT and Taxed."

Now check out the second picture:


If I'm not mistaken, that CLK 230K says "AMG CLK55" on the back. Why would anyone want to do that?

 

Saw a black C320 coupe brand new near Anaheim area, however the badge says its CLK320, and the right side tells you its a Kompressor too!

I am sorry but I had to laugh at him when I passed by. Hey dude, if you are the guy I laughed at....take those off man !!!

 

wow... I always thought this habit was for the import boyz

I could never really fig out why ppl would do this in the first place, regardless of what make their car was. because if they're doing it to look like they got something better, those who know will be quick to point it out, and those who don't know really wouldn't care too much WHAT said 'modder' was driving. badge engineering is about the only thing that bugs me about modded cars

Looks like I'll be the first guy rolling in a C230K type R then, it'll be so pimp, yo

 

"Type R" LOL!!!!!!

 

Even in Memphis I saw a black C320 Kompressor

 

I saw a new C230 SS in Rowland Heights area......debadged as a C55 AMG

 

nothing but a bunch of posers when they do stuff like that.

 

When did you debadge it ? Was it a long time after you had it ? Maybe the sun had already cooked the paint a little before you did it ? I'm going to do it as soon as I pick up the car at the dealer today.

BTW, how should I do it so I don't scratch the new paint ?