7 ms·
I take the branded license-plate holders off my cars, and I'd debadge them if there was a user-serviceable way to do it. An orange branding label on my hand wou
by flerchin 2y ago
I take the branded license-plate holders off my cars, and I'd debadge them if there was a user-serviceable way to do it. An orange branding label on my hand would be absolutely disgusting.
- overcast 2y agoThis is one of the first questions I ask when buying a car. Do you put that stupid badge on everything you sell? I make it clear no sale if they do. I bought the car, you made your money, I'm not advertising for you, end of transaction.
- klyrs 2y agoHow do you feel about branding on the bus you ride?
- dylan604 2y agoThey just told you they bought a car, so why would they take the bus? Also, you've totally missed the point. They own the car. A person riding the bus does not own the bus nor get a say in how the bus is decorated
- lupusreal 2y agoThe way city busses are crammed full of commercial advertisements is one of the reasons I hate riding them.
- Haammamajoe 2y ago[flagged]
- deleted 2y ago[deleted]
- _yb2s 2y agoHigher end German cars typically have a badge delete factory option. I have an older Porsche that came without badges from the factory. I also think it is in poor taste to have prominent logos or brands on a product… if the manufacturer is going to use me for advertising that needs to be explicitly the deal: they provide the product free, and then we can negotiate how much they will pay on top of that.
- overcast 2y agoI'm not talking about brand badges, I'm talking about the tacky dealership badges they put on aftermarket.
- _yb2s 2y agoAhhh… yeah I would not tolerate that either, but I don’t buy cars from dealerships- they are middlemen in the business of ripping you off. They already had to buy it at a market rate and added no value, so can’t make anything unless they overcharge you.
- chaostheory 2y agoIn the US, in most cases you have to go through a dealer due to lobbying.
- 3-cheese-sundae 2y agoI think that's an oversimplification. The market rates for wholesale, private sale, and retail are different. Selling a vehicle to a private party always nets the seller more cash than selling the same to a dealer. As a private buyer, you would have a very difficult time trying to buy a vehicle direct from most manufacturers. As another said, this is due to lobbying, but that doesn't change the fact that the markets are different.
- _yb2s 2y agoFair point for new cars, I neglected to state I was only talking about buying used cars. Personally, I buy used cars because the amount of depreciation makes them an incredibly good deal, it seems to be an irrational cultural thing. I find it amusing that I get comments like "I didn't know you were so rich" for driving an old Porsche Boxster I got for $8k on Craigslist... always stored indoors and looks like new- and has been as reliable as a new car in 4 years of commuting. A new low end economy car at 3x the price is way too expensive for me. Most individuals selling a used car, especially wealthier ones, aren't too interested in getting the most money from it, but just want it gone to move on with their lives. Not so with dealers, if they can't get you to pay a huge margin over what they bought it for (a price you could also buy one for) they'll wait for another buyer. I'm not fundamentally opposed to buying used cars from a dealer, but when I've researched fair market prices, I've usually not been able to talk them down to anywhere close to them... whereas I've had many times where private sellers took an incredibly low ball offer I wasn't really expecting them to take.
- qingcharles 2y agoWhen it comes time to settle up the car purchase just adjust the total for the monthly rental of advertising space on your car. Say, $200/month, 5 years in advance?
- whartung 2y agoI don’t go as far as the car, but I do strive to not have branding on most everything else, but specifically clothes. A logo on a shirt is pretty much a non-starter.
- illiac786 2y agoDepends for me. Some small company, I’m fine with supporting them. The H&M of this world, they’d have to pay me, a lot.
- LeifCarrotson 2y agoRemoving the badges is pretty easy with some dental floss, a hair dryer or heat gun, and Goo Gone. Lots of how-to videos on the Internet. They're just plastic held to the paint with some adhesive, and the adhesive deteriorates at temperatures much less than what would damage the paint.
- delichon 2y agoThe first thing I did when I drove my new Jeep Wrangler home was get out my tools and remove about six different brand labels. There are two remaining, one cut out of the rear bumper and one embossed in the metal of the rear gate. Praise to Chrysler for attaching the other labels in a way that I could remove them without damage. This is generally how I treat brand labels when bring something home. I use a thread puller to remove logos from clothing. I keep flat nail polish to paint over other cases. If I got a prosthesis with a logo I'd try the same, and at least manage to cover it up a bit. I figure if they want me to display their brand they can make an endorsement agreement with my agent. As soon as someone asks for my agent's number I'll hire one. First I'll see if Deloris Jordan is available.
- flerchin 2y agoWearing my own branded shoes would be nice. Yes I will take that deal with Nike. They can put a small swoosh on there too, for even more money.
- bookofjoe 2y agoI would bet a huge majority of ALL buyers of high-end vehicles would opt in if asked whether they wanted brand logos on their expensive purchases/leases. I would also bet that a huge majority of HN readers would opt out.
- _yb2s 2y agoLook at high end German cars on the road- Porsche, BMW, Mercedes and see what portion are missing the badges, because they all offer a "badge delete" factory option. I'd say it's roughly 10-20% that opt in. It's considered sort of a cool thing with car enthusiasts and often makes the used model slightly more desirable and unique. I suppose it means that you care more about driving and not impressing other people, or you care about trying to impress other car nerds with the implication.
- bookofjoe 2y agoI accept your challenge! From today on I'm gonna keep track and when I tally 100 or so total I will report my results here, prolly via an Ask HN post. Stay tuned. >It's considered sort of a cool thing with car enthusiasts and often makes the used model slightly more desirable and unique. I'm unclear: which option is "considered sort of cool..."?
- _yb2s 2y ago> which option is "considered sort of cool..."? badge delete If you're going to analyze which percentage of cars are ordered which badge delete, you will first need to know which can be ordered with it.
- bookofjoe 2y agoFrom Wikipedia entry on Debadging: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Debadging https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Debadging >Some people driving high-end luxury cars do it so as not to flaunt the fact their car is any different from any other model and remove the badge. In Europe in particular, it is a common request for purchasers of high-end models of cars like BMW or Mercedes-Benz, etc. to have the emblems removed. Since I am in the U.S., I need to contact my local Mercedes and BMW dealers and ask if their cars can be ordered without the badge. Stay tuned.