DIY - Removing the "GTI" Front Grille Emblem [Archive] - VW GTI Forum / VW Rabbit Forum / VW R32 Forum / VW Golf Forum

VrstewartW

03-26-2006, 01:54 PM

I just tried this to see what it would look like and took some pics just in case someone wanted to try it also. Dont mind the dirty car. :biggrin:

Tools: Phillips Screw driver
Torxscrew driver (not sure what size i used)

regular front view
http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e152/vrstewartw2/diy/diy1.jpg

First, look at the top side of the bottom grill and look for two screws, unscrew those. Heres where they should be located.
http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e152/vrstewartw2/diy/diy4.jpg
http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e152/vrstewartw2/diy/diy5.jpg

Now, pop the hood and you should see this. Use the torx screw driver to unscrew the screws on the left and right side and pull the tabs and just wiggle the whole assembly out. Should come out pretty easily.
http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e152/vrstewartw2/diy/diy2.jpg
http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e152/vrstewartw2/diy/diy3.jpg

Now that you got the grill out, flip it around and youll see three tabs. Pull the tabs the direction of the arrows. The one going left and right was kinda hard, had to wiggle it in both directions.
http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e152/vrstewartw2/diy/diy6.jpg

Now just reassemble everything back. You can still see where the emblem was but you can always dremel it out if you choose.
http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e152/vrstewartw2/diy/diy7.jpg

tydale3

03-26-2006, 08:55 PM

con fush as say if it aint broke, dont F with it

GTI2007

03-27-2006, 01:12 AM

The grill looks so much better without the GTI on it. This gonna happen on my GTI also.

JJ-R32

03-27-2006, 01:15 AM

Very nice writeup thanks for sharing!

Kurupt

03-27-2006, 04:05 PM

thanks for showing me this... i needed to find out so i can black out my GTI symbol along with the VW symbol!

TeknoGroover

03-27-2006, 06:08 PM

I can see it now. People putting GLI on it instead.:barf:
A great write up for grill removal.

McPsycho

03-27-2006, 06:19 PM

i just tryed taking off the GTI emblem and could not get that clip off that you have to wiggle back and forth. i was trying for about 30 minutes to get that bastard to pop off and then just said fudge it and gave up. taking the grill off was a sinch tho which got me thinking the emblem was going to be easy too but of course it wasn't. and i didnt know what that torx screwdriver was so i used an allen key which worked fine.

atomoverride

04-18-2006, 03:26 PM

or wiggle it around a little bit without removing the grill and then break it off with no damage to the grill in 2.5 min. =) removed thanks for the pictures its nice knowning whats back there so I dont have to remove the grill to find out.

rica_roel

04-18-2006, 05:56 PM

thanks for sharing, but I think is easier to do it without taking everything, simply apply pressure with your fingers and "listo"

Salud

Ricardo

jhayregz

04-18-2006, 08:13 PM

any pics of the grill from far away?

MHS216

04-24-2006, 12:21 AM

Thanks for the writeup. Just a word of CAUTION: When removing the clip on the left in the above photo, be very careful. I wiggled it a little bit to the point where I thought it was gonna pop right out. When it finally came off I realized I had broken the plastic piece off. It's only one of the 3 so it will be fine, just be careful. I am removing the badge to paint the letters red, as I am not about to pay $75 for the 20th Ann badge. I'll post pictures even though it has been done already.

malkatraz

05-20-2006, 08:29 PM

Thanks for the pics and tute. I'm going to remove mine as well.

Plyngntrffc

06-05-2006, 05:38 PM

con fush as say if it aint broke, dont F with it
So you have no mods, and dont plan to do ANYTHING to your car unless its broken and needs repairs?

rossco63

06-05-2006, 05:53 PM

It looks better with the GTI on the grill.

Plyngntrffc

06-05-2006, 08:15 PM

i like it w/ it off :), just did it, i as well boroke one of the pieces, oh well, if i want to put it back, ill buy the red one off tmtuning.com or w/e that place is

Wantagti

06-06-2006, 03:05 PM

Wow, just did mine, that GTI left side tab from behind wasn't designed to come back out. I didn't break it, but I used the straight edge on my screwdriver to shave some of that "ramped" area off to get it out. Looks much better IMHO. Now for one of those red badges.....
BTW- thanks for the outstanding write up. Couldn't have been easier.

rossco63

06-06-2006, 04:57 PM

hey cool, just break it off. and when you're done, it looks like crap cuz you can see the backing through the grill. nice.

Kirium

06-07-2006, 02:35 AM

I'd look great as long as you get rid of the backing on the grille after. Looks messy with it there.

I like my badge on there tho, so it's staying.

Wantagti

06-07-2006, 10:50 AM

I might look for a red badge, they're just crazy money for a good one, guess I could try the spray paint method. I might even cut out the leftover mounting junk.

Plyngntrffc

06-07-2006, 05:11 PM

Crazy money??? check out http://www.tmtuning.com/vw/ 14 dollars...thats DAMN cheap, and its oem, they have the same badge if u decide to throw it back on, or the red one, or LOTS of other ones...for really reasonable prices...Click on the Accessories part, and then the Emblems part and youll find the badges

Black Sheep

06-14-2006, 08:07 PM

i should check out all the threads before i do stuff!...i was actually trying to de-badge the front grill after de-badging the rear yesterday...i got stuck with that last clip also...me and my friend ended up with purple/blue fingers reaching behind the grill...we torxed the top but didn't know about the other 2 screws below!...i'll just keep the gti in the front since i'll be changing the grill later maybe with the je-design one....

Accel

06-15-2006, 01:49 PM

Nice, I got a new grill/shield plate yesterday without the damn liscense plate holder, this will come in handy.

atomoverride

06-15-2006, 02:00 PM

anyone know where you can buy the blank gti front middle piece?

RHYS

06-15-2006, 07:42 PM

I would never do that defacing the GTI, BUT EACH TO THEIR OWN

IchBinDarren

06-16-2006, 06:16 PM

Also you can Dremel out the remaining plastic if you want.

RJS5689

08-09-2006, 10:29 PM

Just did it, broke 1 friggen tab. Reinstalling that grill is such a pain in the ass, the lower screws would not line up properly with the holes!

Plyngntrffc

08-09-2006, 10:31 PM

really, that hole deal took me 5 min...

RJS5689

08-09-2006, 11:42 PM

really, that hole deal took me 5 min...
cool want a cookie!!!!:biggrin: nah im just kidding, the holes wouldnt go down far enough to line up w/ the screws, god damn i was cursing that whole time...

KaynE

08-10-2006, 04:34 AM

really, that hole deal took me 5 min...

hahah same here. I let my dad screw those two in. Took him 10 seconds since he's a handy man.

I did dremel the leftovers, but my DIY came out extremely horrible. Now I ruined my front grill.

RJS5689

08-10-2006, 09:46 AM

hahah same here. I let my dad screw those two in. Took him 10 seconds since he's a handy man.

I did dremel the leftovers, but my DIY came out extremely horrible. Now I ruined my front grill.
Just got back in from using the Dremel. I did teh 2 plastic chunks on the side, not the big huge one in the middle, i didnt want to touch it as i was afraid of ruining too much of the grill.

Sunster

10-11-2006, 05:28 PM

Somebody stole my GTI emblem leaving me with a badgeless front grill!

Kurupt

10-11-2006, 11:43 PM

lol

GTI_V

10-12-2006, 02:01 PM

i def. looks way better with GTI on!

be ashamed if u remove this :D be very ashamed lol

Sunster

10-13-2006, 09:29 AM

I prefer it with the GTI on too. So if anyone would like to donate their removed GTI badges to me, my gti would vey much appreciated!

blackgti06

10-24-2006, 03:18 PM

where can i buy a GTI red I badge for the front grill of my mkv gti?

t-h-e-w-h-o

10-26-2006, 02:11 AM

Nice, I got a new grill/shield plate yesterday without the damn liscense plate holder, this will come in handy.

where did you get an extra/new grille and shield piece? What i have really been going for is the same grille without the VW logo. (so esentially a full girlle) that would be pretty neat... all black

mk5nrg

11-29-2006, 10:56 PM

i took it off in 15 seconds by braking one out of three clips , i put it back every once in a while and the emblem stays on )
________
Jailbroken (http://jailbroken.org/)

rightcoastbias

01-18-2007, 07:17 PM

i took it off in 15 seconds by braking one out of three clips , i put it back every once in a while and the emblem stays on )
:thumbup: Did the front and the back first week I had the car.

Looks much better. I've now had quite a few people asking: "What is that?" :iono:

Sunster

01-19-2007, 07:41 AM

What you expect?

Si Killer

09-11-2007, 10:54 PM

i want my front badge off but i hate the look of the clip in the grille, yet dont want to dremel. what to do....

saucer

11-07-2007, 08:44 PM

where can i buy a GTI red I badge for the front grill of my mkv gti?

eurobadgez.com has many options. It may be blasphemy in the presence of some, but i like the badges. Instead of removing them for customized look, I just ordered some different styles like u may be thinking. I'll post pics when i get them on...

jaysin1014

12-03-2007, 09:52 PM

i removed mine to paint the vw emblem black, and while i had it off i decided to remove the gti and dremel out the plates that hold it in place. from doing this i can say be advised to use a very small dremel bit if your going to open the honey combs up. my bit was to big and in the back part of the three slots there is some scoring that is noticable in the day. but i still like the look better with the holes dremelled out. now im just waiting for the full honey comb badgeless grill to come out after market instead of people hacking them to make them.

jaysin1014

12-04-2007, 04:28 PM

here is a decent pic of mine if you look closely at the holes where the gti logo was you can see some scoring from the dremel bit being to big

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b257/Justncredabel01/07%20vw%20gti/10-10-07_1721.jpg

marzlam791

12-04-2007, 05:31 PM

can you post a picture from a distance away ?

jaysin1014

12-04-2007, 05:36 PM

can you post a picture from a distance away ?

want to see the scoring marks or just the grill minus those little plates. from a distance you cant see where i messed the grill up.

jaysin1014

12-04-2007, 05:38 PM

crappy pic with camera phone but it shows the grill minus the gti and the placement pieces behind it

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b257/Justncredabel01/07%20vw%20gti/10-10-07_1711.jpg

marzlam791

12-04-2007, 06:27 PM

Just wanted to see it from a distance . Looks sweet :w00t:

jaysin1014

12-04-2007, 06:30 PM

Just wanted to see it from a distance . Looks sweet :w00t:

thanks man, good and cheap mod. i like those kind the most.

power-san

08-08-2008, 07:58 PM

I ended up breaking a tab off mine while removing it..
Man, it looks so much better..
It's not like it's a Bentley or something.. Debadging rules!!
I need to figure out how to get rid of the remaining crap inside as well..

lifeis11

09-22-2008, 09:42 PM

LFC RTK

09-23-2008, 01:03 AM

hey all, just replaced my front grill (as the one that came on my car was pre-drilled for plates!), and broke my gti emblem in the process! anyone know where i can get another? saw the $95 dollar red on on the oempl.us site, but i cant find another one.

any tips?

thanks

make him an offer
http://www.golfmkv.com/forums/showthread.php?t=63654

I made red vinyl overlays, so it has the same appearance as the red badge

esheg4ever23

09-24-2008, 04:42 PM

Psy GTI

10-10-2008, 07:54 PM

On my '09 GTI, the bottom two screws aren't philips, they're also torx screws. Wtf? None of my torx screwdrivers fit either. I have to go out and buy one. Kind of annoying how VW changes random shit on their cars...

i did this last week on my 08 and none of my torx screwdrivers fit either so i used an allen wrench w/o stripping the screws. And i was able to remove the badge without breaking and clips, just takes technique

JetTurbo

10-13-2008, 08:35 PM

...
You can still see where the emblem was but you can always dremel it out if you choose.
http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e152/vrstewartw2/diy/diy7.jpg

:thumbsup:

http://dataton.net/vw/GTI-front_lights/GTI_DRL_fog.jpg

Badboy27

10-14-2008, 10:35 PM

Wat exactly is DREMMELLING...?

esheg4ever23

10-14-2008, 10:36 PM

Wat exactly is DREMMELLING...?

It's a carving tool.

Badboy27

10-15-2008, 08:06 PM

and wat is it used for.. to take the honeycomb backings out?....

btw good to see a fellow armenian driving a GTI

esheg4ever23

10-15-2008, 08:09 PM

and wat is it used for.. to take the honeycomb backings out?....

btw good to see a fellow armenian driving a GTI

Yeah basically to carve out the remaining plastic.

Where in Cali are you?

Badboy27

10-15-2008, 08:11 PM

Around studio city... valley village

esheg4ever23

10-15-2008, 08:15 PM

Oh nice. That's like 15 minutes from me.

Badboy27

10-15-2008, 08:24 PM

WE'll meet up once i get my car....... hopefully in a few weeks

esheg4ever23

10-15-2008, 10:23 PM

Sick. Hit me up.

Badboy27

10-16-2008, 12:21 AM

WIll do

Psy GTI

10-16-2008, 12:50 AM

anyone know of other techniques to take out the backing besides dremmeling? I'm a little nervous about taking a dremmel to my grill:yikes:

esheg4ever23

10-16-2008, 01:02 AM

anyone know of other techniques to take out the backing besides dremmeling? I'm a little nervous about taking a dremmel to my grill:yikes:

Sharp knife, razor blade, laser vision.

JetTurbo

10-16-2008, 05:56 AM

anyone know of other techniques to take out the backing besides dremmeling? I'm a little nervous about taking a dremmel to my grill:yikes:

I used a razor knife and some small files. (picture above). But that is because I don't own a dremel tool. I am not suggesting a knife is easier or safer. it is just what I had on hand :biggrin:

SwissMkV

10-16-2008, 04:42 PM

Just debadged the front emblem successfully without breaking the clips. I won't be cutting the honeycomb until i decided whether to make this permanent.

kyle

02-09-2009, 01:03 PM

Thought I'd chime in here. I was standing outside over the weekend waiting for the wife and decided to take a closer look at the front emblem, which I never really liked. I started wiggling it a little bit. The clip on the left broke (which I could care less about, obviously). I started wiggling it a bit more, and the middle one snapped, and then the emblem just slipped out...no damage to the grill at all. I'll probably use a knife of some type to carve out the plastic backing in the grill, but for now, I'm glad to just have the emblem off. Front end looks much cleaner. My advice...before you take the front grill off, stick your finger through the grill and start working the tabs on the back of the emblem to get them loosened up. Then start wiggling the front of the emblem. You'll likely break off one or two of the tabs, but if you don't like/want the emblem, who cares?:thumbsup:

VrstewartW

02-09-2009, 01:10 PM

wow cant believe this threads still alive after 3 years..i sure do miss the gti

EvilSteve

02-09-2009, 03:34 PM

I like zombie threads. ; )

Mine's actually loose and I haven't even attempted to remove it. Car is only a few weeks old too. I might just tear it off.

kyle

02-09-2009, 03:43 PM

I like zombie threads. ; )

Mine's actually loose and I haven't even attempted to remove it. Car is only a few weeks old too. I might just tear it off.

Yeah, best time to de-badge and/or take moldings off is when the car is brand new...much easier to remove adhesive. Plastic clips are obviously a different story. I've only had the car a couple months, but when I first tried to mess with the front badge when I got it, there was no play at all. I was really surprised when it was jiggling around a little over the weekend. I just moved it back and forth/up and down very gently...I didn't want to bust out any of the honeycomb.

dsn112@comcast.net

02-12-2009, 08:54 PM

i removed my front and rear gti bagdes this weekend. I took my grill off because i wanted to dremel out the honeycomb. Looks better if you dremel it

jescarabt

03-17-2009, 12:06 PM

I did this DIY and it was pretty easy and I'm very happy with it. It was easy to get it off once i got the grille off. I just used a needle nose plier and they came right off. I used a dremel to get rid of the remaining plastic, because i like it so much better without the badge there! Here's a picture :happyanim:

http://c4.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/25/l_de1728bc772c42269512f8ed1e8b7b4b.jpg

hkswrxti

03-21-2009, 05:16 PM

When you take out all the screws and you are ready to pull out the grille, do you pull up or out towards you?

ssunnylee24

05-10-2009, 09:57 PM

I'm having hard time taking the actual bad off. I squeezed all three tabs and try to pop it out but seems like no matter how hard I squeeze them it's not going to come out. Any tips?:help:

SwissMkV

05-10-2009, 10:39 PM

I'm having hard time taking the actual bad off. I squeezed all three tabs and try to pop it out but seems like no matter how hard I squeeze them it's not going to come out. Any tips?:help:

If you are only using your hands to do so then i can understand why you are struggling. I used a utility knife to cut off a little bit of the plastic holding the clips in place. If you do that then you should be able to get it off without breaking anything. Hope that helps.

ssunnylee24

05-11-2009, 01:14 AM

If you are only using your hands to do so then i can understand why you are struggling. I used a utility knife to cut off a little bit of the plastic holding the clips in place. If you do that then you should be able to get it off without breaking anything. Hope that helps.

If I do that will I be able to put it back on if I wanted to?

SwissMkV

05-11-2009, 02:27 PM

If I do that will I be able to put it back on if I wanted to?

yeah as long as you don't take off too much to the point where it won't stay in place. Just cut a little slice off so you can squeeze it through better with your hands. Makes sense?

ssunnylee24

05-11-2009, 02:30 PM

I used a flat screw driver to push the tabs and worked, now I have deleted front badge, which looks better. Now I'm thinking about removing the plastic piece that use to hold the badge. :thumbsup:

Nrg

02-28-2010, 01:38 AM

I need to replace the lower central grill (the one under the plate), do I have to remove the upper grill? Or if I just undo the 2 screws I should be able to replace it?

thanks in advance

RevoGLI

02-28-2010, 03:11 AM

Wait, so what there's like a gaping hole in your grille? lol awkward.
you can buy a badge-less grille for like 150.
Nrg, yes you will, there are screws that keep the lower grille attached to the main body thru the upper grille.

XRayHipp

04-14-2010, 05:33 AM

dremel tool or hobby knife the clip material from the grill if you don't like it.. its really not that distinguishable unless you own one and are looking for it... Overall, its a much cleaner look... specially with a blacked front emblem..

AaronC

04-14-2010, 11:55 AM

So someone stole my GTI emblem lastnight..all i found was the broken tab on the ground. I like the look without it though just wish I would have had the chance to choose for myself.

Muck

04-14-2010, 09:22 PM

Has anyone else had the problem where the VW emblem can just be turned like 90 degrees and it pops out after it is removed for the first time?

IIIHobbs

04-26-2010, 07:07 AM

Has anyone else had the problem where the VW emblem can just be turned like 90 degrees and it pops out after it is removed for the first time?

After removing the center emblem (for the first time) is a bit more loose than originally, but it shouldn't move on it's own. A definite click can be heard when it is rotated back onto the correct position.

hkswrxti

04-26-2010, 10:27 AM

After removing the center emblem (for the first time) is a bit more loose than originally, but it shouldn't move on it's own. A definite click can be heard when it is rotated back onto the correct position.

same as mine. the badge has definitely gotten more loose when I move it around.