I've been contemplating debadging my car for some time now, but always felt that it may take away from it?!

A debadged e60 could comes across like you're trying to hide the fact it's a 525/530 ?

I don't think anyone would debadge a M5/550/545 ! So my initial reaction to a debadged e60 would be to think it's probably a 525 or a 530....!

What do you guys think ?

 

I've been debating for a long time if I should debadge my 545. Now the 550 is out I don't want folks to think I'm a poser, ever though it is clear my car is a 545 with of with out the badge... my plate it 545-E60 so It's not like I'm trying to hide anything.

 

Take a look at this:
http://forums.e60.net/index.php?showtopic=2197

It was a pretty "hot" topic a few years ago.

noonehome, if you debadge your car and have a plate that says 545-E60, people might still think you're a poser -- just like someone who would "re-badge" a car with an upgraded model or M badge when it really isn't...

 

as always - tis a personal preference thing. It does usually follow though that a de-badged car is due to someone wanting to hide smaller engine capacity though. I de-badged my Audi S4 and then replaced it 2 months down the track, i thought stealth was the way to go however anyone here who knows the S4 well enough knows that without badges it could be a 1.9tdi and no one would know the difference (until you floored it that is, obviously) . What I found though was quite interesting, my natural reaction became to try and out accelerate anything that moved in order to prove I had a fast car!!!!!!!!!!!! - badges went back on and my fuel bill reduced significantly!

I can understand the de-badging to not advertise a smaller capacity, but re-badging to suggest higher capacity points toward a lack of understanding on the 're-badgers' (did i just make a word up there?!?!) part that anyone who knows anything about cars and recognises the meaning of individual model designation will instantly pick up on a tell tale that shows the car for what it genuinely is ie - single exhaust on a 520d versus twin pipes on a 525 / 530 or 535d etc etc

 

I debadged my E39 and my E60. Personally, I just think it looks cleaner. When people ask me what happened to the numbers and I tell them I debadged it, all they can say is, "Wow, I love the clean look. It really makes the rear of the car a lot better looking". They don't often ask what model. I do it for the clean look of the car. I just like it that way.

 

My uncle debadged his M5 and I thought it was the coolest thing. Kind of like, "I drive this car for me, not so that you know I have an M5." If he needed to prove to anyone what he had, he just blew their doors off. I think there is something really cool about debadging.

 

Another very good point. When you look at pix of a BMW (especially) with the numbers, and one without, to me the debadged car is a much cleaner and 'even' (big silver numbers on side and not the other) look. But always, to each his own!

 

Have recently debadged my 545 and I prefer the cleaner look from the rear. Also, I knowhow many cylinders it has, which is good enough for me.

Its also true, that any petrolhead or similar would know what it is.

Although, if anyone can tell me the external differences between a 545 and say a 530 , please could they list them, 'cos I'm not sure.

I think the chrome kidney grills is one.

 

Only problem is that due to the 4 exhausts even the untrained eye can see that your uncle must have a very fast car / an M5.

 

I think the 530 now comes with chrome kidney grills so you're really down to the diameter of the exhaust pipes now...