Looking to debadge or at least remove the tesla emblem? In general, Do you love the minimal design of your Tesla, but don’t like the emblems and badges? 

You can remove your Tesla emblem at home using a hair dryer, dental floss or fishing line, and commercial adhesive remover.

You will need to heat the adhesive and then slowly remove the emblem or lettering with floss or line. 

Yes, this process takes a little time and elbow grease, but your patience will pay off when you see how great your car looks with clean paint. Read on for how to remove Tesla emblem or badges. 

A Few Considerations

If your paint is very old and has been in a lot of sun, it is possible you have some paint fade that will be visible if you remove your emblem.

If you feel your paint is faded, you may want to think about how important it is to remove the emblem. 

That said, it is possible to reattach badges if you don’t like the look. 

A Disclaimer: Even when done gently, this process involves some risk you may damage your paint.

Make sure you test any materials on your paint before you use them, be very careful with the heat, and take your time removing the emblem.

Materials You Need to Debadge Your Tesla

Rags and Soapy Water

You need to clean your workspace before you get started, and you will need to polish off any excess glue after you remove the badges. Any old rags will do, provided they won’t scratch paint. 

Hair Dryer or Heat Gun 

A hairdryer is definitely the best choice since typically they don’t get as hot as a heat gun and you run less risk of damaging your paint.

However, not all hair dryers get hot enough to melt the glue. If that is the case, or if you don’t have a hair dryer but do have a heat gun, go with the heat gun. 

Dental Floss or Fishing Line

This is the absolute best way to remove your badge. These options are cheap, won’t scratch your paint, and you may already have them. It takes a little elbow grease to remove with floss or line, but it’s the best way. 

Dental floss might break frequently during the process, so if you have a fishing line that might be the best bet to avoid breakage. 

You can also use a putty knife, but it isn’t as efficient and you risk damaging your paint. 

Adhesive Remover

Owners differ on what the best adhesive remover is. Many recommend Goo Gone or Goof Off (make sure you TEST these on a small, hidden spot FIRST to ensure they won’t damage your paint, but they shouldn’t). 

Also, check the bottle to make sure whatever you are using is safe for automotive paint. 

Some people also use rubbing alcohol or some type of 3M adhesive remover.

Some users report using a tiny amount of nail polish remover (use non-acetone) but be careful as this can damage the paint. 

Polish or Wax, as desired

You may want to polish and treat the area when finished, as the adhesive remover has most likely stripped off any wax or a protective sealant. 

How To Debadge Your Tesla

Clean Your Work Area

Clean off any dirt, debris, grime, or grit from around the badge so that it doesn’t scratch your paint during removal. 

Heat the Area Around the Badge

Using a hairdryer or heat gun (probably a high setting on a hair dryer and a low setting on a heat gun), slowly heat the area around the badge by evenly heating the entire area.

For small lettering, like the Dual Motor badge, you can heat all the letters at the same time. 

For larger badges, you may need to do them one at a time. For the Tesla emblem, start with the top of the T. 

Keep the heat source moving! Don’t stay on one spot or you might damage your paint. 

You don’t have to heat the badge, really you are aiming for the metal behind the plastic lettering. If you park your car in bright sun all morning before you do this, it will speed up the process even more. 

Keep in mind this is easier to do in the summer, though you can do it in cool temps, it will just take longer. 

Use Floss or Fishing Line to Remove Lettering

Keep the floss flush against the surface of the car, and move in a gentle sawing motion behind the letters. 

If your heat has cooled, just reapply heat to the area you are working on. 

Try not to let the letters fall on your paint when they release from the car, as this may get adhesive on other parts of your paint.

If you can, pry almost all the way off with the floss and then remove the letters gently when fully loosened. 

That said, don’t pry them off before fully loosening or you risk scratching the paint. 

Remove Leftover Tape or Adhesive

After the lettering is removed, you can heat the remaining adhesive again and rub off with rags. If it is stubbornly attached, you can use a plastic blade very carefully, but make sure not to scratch the paint.

It will be easier to remove adhesive that has been warmed. 

After you have removed as much as possible by heating and scraping, you can use adhesive remover to clean off any residual adhesive. 

Polish and Wax or Seal

To protect the area, you may want to finish up by polishing and then sealing with wax or protective sealant, as this process has most likely removed any wax or protective coating that was on your paint. 

Conclusion

Yes, you can have Tesla service remove badges for you, but you can probably do so yourself at home with a little patience (plus, sometimes the service guys are the ones who put the badges on against your will). 

Maybe you are just ready for some new badges and want a fresh start. Whatever the reason, you can remove emblems at badges at home, and you will love the final product. 

As always, remember you can check in with the Tesla Owners online community and see how they did it too.