[GenXer]

I have friends who like cars but they love putting decals and M badge on non M BMW and re-badging Mercedes with higher end models etc.

It bothers me to see this but I didn't want to hurt their feelings so I've been keeping my mouth shut. It is their car after all.

To me, it de-values the car especially when it doesn't have the right equipment and looks to back it up.

I'm just curious who they're trying to mislead? Certainly not a car enthusiast. A casual observer won't be able to tell the difference or know what it means. There's no significance for most people.To them a BMW is a BMW or a Mercedes is a Mercedes. Most people don't know what M or AMG signify.

So, what is the motivation behind this? So why do it and why is there a huge market for this?

[MmmmmM2]

They are morons who don't know anything better and just think they are being cool.

[IllSic_Design]

Originally Posted by GenXer

I have friends who like cars but they love putting decals and M badge on non M BMW and re-badging Mercedes with higher end models etc.

It bothers me to see this but I didn't want to hurt their feelings so I've been keeping my mouth shut. It is their car after all.

To me, it de-values the car especially when it doesn't have the right equipment and looks to back it up.

I'm just curious who they're trying to mislead? Certainly not a car enthusiast. A casual observer won't be able to tell the difference or know what it means. There's no significance for most people.To them a BMW is a BMW or a Mercedes is a Mercedes. Most people don't know what M or AMG signify.

So, what is the motivation behind this? So why do it and why is there a huge market for this?

Pretty much to make them selves feel better about their car. As you said, average people won't even know what those badges signify and car people would and would look down on it. So it really only serves to make themselves feel better about their car, as if they could afford a higher end model.

[Commanderwiggin]

This is what I see...and you should share with your friends.

Friends don't let friends put M badges on non-M cars...

[swunder]

We realllllly don't need another one of these threads.

For the record, its completely embarrassing.

[SteveinArizona]

I wouldn't do it (if anything, I tend to want to do the opposite and drive a stealth mobile) but it is not my car and to each his own.

[lemans_e91]

You need to care less about their feelings and educate them on their poor life choices. Obviously, in a light-hearted way, not a complete a-hole way.

[Mason Hatcher]

Originally Posted by lemans_e91

You need to care less about their feelings and educate them on their poor life choices. Obviously, in a light-hearted way, not a complete a-hole way.

Why is it yours or anyone else's business?

[The0pportunist]

BMW do the same thing by putting M badges on non M cars.

There must be a market for it if the manufacturers are even doing it.

[allinon72]

They are to be ignored. But if we want to talk about brand dilution, it's BMW that's the biggest problem.

[Soterios]

I couldn't care less what someone else does to their car. It doesn't matter if I don't like something I down own.

If you want to put an M3 badge on your Kia, go nuts.

[1MOREMOD]

Really pisses me off when I drive to the mall in my souped up geo in all M gear and walk around and cant find one to lean on to find chicks.

[New2Roundel]

I wouldn't be friends with them any longer. But I'm a legit M3 owner and unsurprisingly, I don't have any friends anyway.

[Efthreeoh]

The term for your friends is "Roundel-hound" (e.g. Roundelhound). Definition (1) - buyer of a BMW just because of the Roundel badge on the hood, which then leads to such abhorrent behavior of re-badging their car to something it is not. (2) - buyer of a BMW (especially an SUV or "SAV" - BMW's term for SUV) just because of the Roundel on the hood, so as to impress their neighbors, and who have no appreciation of BMW's heritage as producer of magnificent small sports sedans (generally recognized as starting with the 2002 in the late 1960's). (3) - A Poser. (4) BMW corporation itself that has recently forgotten that their heritage is building small sports sedans (i.e. does not even now offer a manual transmission in the G20 3-Series for the North American market)...

[Efthreeoh]

Maybe the way BMW can cure this is to require proof of ownership of an M car prior to selling replacement badges; the same rules BMW has for buying replacement keys...

[King Rudi]

I have a friend who owns a Dodge pick up that put the gigantic Rumble Bee sticker on the bed of his truck. From what I understand the sticker wasn't cheap and he had it "installed." After years of people wanting to race him at red lights and getting his ass handed to him, not to mention the ridicule from all of his friends, he finally decided to remove it.

I have another friend that has admired my Shepherd Fairy "Obey" t-shirts but didn't know where to buy them and had someone make him a few shirts on a silk screen that have "obey" on them in the wrong font. Pretty funny.

As for badge-ing cars, I'll agree that it's to make themselves feel better about their car purchase. There is a guy here that has a IS250 that debadged it and tells everyone it's a 350. Every time I see the guy I make sure to blow the doors off him just to be an ass.

[Red Bread]

Just add to the pile. Stick a Nurburgring sticker on his car and a Black Series, RS and V Series badges.

[twinscrolled]

It's pretty dumb. Some are obviously just the owners trolling but some are not, like the bone stock E93 335i with M stripes and badges that was trying to "race" me in bumper to bumper traffic.

[///M Power-Belgium]

It's like fake news ...

[Dog Face Pony Soldier]

Confession: I have silly daydreams of replacing the Toyota badges on the new Supra with Roundels. 🤭

[gatorfast]

I don't understand anyone who would do this either. OP, having friends who engage in this terrible activity why don't you ask them why they do it? Personally, I would be embarrassed to have false/poser badging on my car.

[hellrotm]

Stopped caring when BMW starting putting M badges on non-M models.