I've dremeled the posts off the front
emblem, but now I'm not sure at what height to install.
The korean genesis shown here:
has a different grille so it's not quite apples-to-apples, but the
wings are fairly low. Samifumi's pic on page 7 that is supposedly too low actually looks about right to me, as does dataguy's pic.
Matching the curvature of the
wings to the hood tends toward low placement as well. Still, it would be nice to have a definitive measurement.
I just got done installing the front
emblem. I matched the curvature of the
emblem with the hood and it does come out much lower than I see most people installs...very similar to the Korean location, which makes sense, because I'm sure the hood is the same.
I used blue painters tape to box out the area to install it. First I taped the center line. Then I measured equal distance from it and put tape on the left and right...just wider than the
emblem. I put the
emblem on the hood and slid it up and down till it best matched the hood's curvature. I then measured up from the hood edge on the left and right tape strip and placed a piece of tape perpendicular to the hood line. With this taped box I could see exactly how to place it...no chance of getting it crooked.
I heated the hood with a hair dryer till it was warm to the hand (it is only about 40F in our garage.) I peeled off the backing and placed the wing tips at the corners of the box...with the base tilted away from the hood. I slowly swiveled it downward into place and held it there for about 30 seconds. Then I applied a bit more hairdryer heat...for another couple minutes. It is stuck tight.
The hood
emblem ended up approximately 15/16th's of and inch or 23.5mm up (from bottom tip to the edge of the chrome grill.)
Removing the rubber backing and glue from the rear flying H
emblem was a bear. The
emblem came right off with a little heat and 15lb monofiliment line (fishing string.) The backing left behind took an hour to remove...scrapping bits off with my nail and rubbing with an adhesive remover. I then had to polish it with Meguiars, to remove the tiny fingernail scratches (before installing the winged
emblem.)
I've read all nine pages of this thread and have decided to have a local body/trim shop do mine. The guy is a perfectionist and, of course, very experienced. He said it would be about $42 [one hour of their standard shop time].
After spending an hour removing the H and polishing the trunk, I'd say $42 is a bargain!
As far as looks was concerned, I'm not sure I like how the
emblem breaks up the clean lines of the front of the car, however, when my wife saw it, she wanted it. I also wonder if the car looks more "generic" without branding in the front. BMW, Mercedes, Aston Martin, Bently and Porsche all have front hood mounted
badges.
Infiniti and Lexus have grill logos. Jaguar moved their
emblems over the last few years, to the grill. But they all have some indication, on the front, of what they are. "Rangerich" suggested the front
badge looked too big. I wonder if the front would look better with the trunk
badge...it would also fit higher on the hood better than the hood
badge...where it is flatter. The rear
badge is not only smaller, but has a lower profile...less of an ornament and more of a
badge. I'll wait and see if the hood
badge "grows on me." If not, I may try putting the trunk
badge up there...though I don't relish another adhesive removal job.
Speaking of logos, you can see the Aston Martin and Bently influence on the Genesis logo.
Note the low profile of the Aston
badge.
, most any body or paint shop will do it for cheap.
