De-badging a 2016 and faded paint

I'd like to remove some emblems off my 2016 silver sky metallic but I'm worried that the paint underneath the badge will be a different shade since my truck is 5 years old. I'd hate for their to be a ghost emblem there that is noticeable. Has anyone de-badged on a 5 year old truck?

 

Today’s automotive finishes being what they are, I’d be surprised if there is any difference in the color.

It’s possible that your clear coat has oxidized some, and when you pull badges the CC beneath them will have been preserved.

I think even that is unlikely, but if that is the case, you may need to do some aggressive detailing to reduce the contrast.

 

Remove the 5.7 / engine badge to test. You can always put a new badge back on there

 

Heh, I don't have the 5.7. I think I'll start with the SR5 badge since it's small.

 

Good excuse to iron x, clay, buff / polish, and seal.

 

I did my 2012 in 2018..no issues.

 

I have a 2016 as well and I have removed the SR5 badge and the Tundra badge on the door. I did not notice any paint fade, but there was still evidence of where the logo was and it could faintly be seen in the right lighting conditions. Overall it really isn't that noticeable unless you are really looking for them or catch it in the right lighting conditions.

 

I swapped out some badges on my red 2011 last year. There was definitely a noticeable difference. Wasn’t a big deal since I was going back with the same thing in a different color, but it was really noticeable. It was a ten year old truck in a pretty bright color though, so you may not have as big of an issue.

 

I removed the badges on my 2016 silver sky in the fall of last year. I couldn't tell where they were except for the sr5 badge on the driver side. A little polishing compound took care of it and I cannot tell it was ever on there. That said my truck originally came from south Florida.

 

What TNTundra16 said, you will most likely have scratches and swirls that go up to where the badges were. If you get the light at the right angle you will see it. Easiest thing to do is polish out the existing scratches or just reduce them so it is not as noticeable. This is all depending on how well your truck was washed over the years. If automatic car washes were used, it is going to be noticeable.

As for the paint correction, make sure you wash the truck well, decontaminate (Iron remover and clay bar is best), then compound and polish (or one step polish if not that bad), then clean with IPA, and wax/seal/ceramic coat.

 

I just removed all mine on my 17 yr old 1st gen phantom gray and a little bit of ghosting. Just buffed it with compound and polished it. The red in all the paint colors is the first to fade.