Hood Roundel feels loose...normal?

[ES_TRADER]

Anyone know how to tighten this? when i tap on it, towards the top of the roundel, you can feel it go down just a tad...but it seems loose...i dont want to pry it off for fear of breakage....is this normal or there a way to fix it??

i dont think its ever been removed before...

[JCtx]

Originally Posted by richpuer

i dont think its ever been removed before...

Think again; that's the only way it gets loose man. I had exactly the same issue, but I knew it was removed because hood was repainted due to a few scratches on the right side when I hit black ice a while ago. Turns out bodyshop reused the emblem, rather than replacing it. I bought a new one myself and replaced it; problem solved. By the way, you need to also buy the 2 plastic grommets, or it'd be loose again; they're like $1 each.

My question would be who removed it and why. Did you buy the car new or used? If new, I bet car had some kind of transit damage and was repainted in that area (happens all the time, and dealers rarely disclose it). If used, it was most likely involved in an accident. As a comment, my $10K cosmetic damage covered by insurance doesn't show up on carfax-type reports, so you know. Anyway, when you remove the emblem and grommets you'll be able to easily tell if that area was repainted, since grommets were obviously not removed. If it had been done right, which means removing emblem and grommets before repainting, it'd be a lot harder to tell. Take care.

[Crazy Bimmer]

My 328i, 335i and M3 all felt like that. Pretty normal.

[ES_TRADER]

Originally Posted by elp_jc

Think again; that's the only way it gets loose man. I had exactly the same issue, but I knew it was removed because hood was repainted due to a few scratches on the right side when I hit black ice a while ago. Turns out bodyshop reused the emblem, rather than replacing it. I bought a new one myself and replaced it; problem solved. By the way, you need to also buy the 2 plastic grommets, or it'd be loose again; they're like $1 each.

My question would be who removed it and why. Did you buy the car new or used? If new, I bet car had some kind of transit damage and was repainted in that area (happens all the time, and dealers rarely disclose it). If used, it was most likely involved in an accident. As a comment, my $10K cosmetic damage covered by insurance doesn't show up on carfax-type reports, so you know. Anyway, when you remove the emblem and grommets you'll be able to easily tell if that area was repainted, since grommets were obviously not removed. If it had been done right, which means removing emblem and grommets before repainting, it'd be a lot harder to tell. Take care.

i bought the car new and ther wasnt any damage in transit...BUT, i did get clear bra on my front bumper only...at the time of install, the installer thought we were doing full hood...but his boss told him bumper only...he was in the process of removing the hood vents, but i didnt see him take the roundel off...maybe my back was turned at the time...that would be the only thing i can think of.....

i mean its not completely loose...just feels like theres some space below when i tap on the top part of the roundel

[JCtx]

Originally Posted by richpuer

i mean its not completely loose...just feels like theres some space below when i tap on the top part of the roundel

Then I bet he started prying the emblem off before stopping. Inspect that area (around the grommets edge) if you remove it, just for piece of mind. The small gap bothered me a lot since it was noticeable to me, plus crap was getting into the emblem, and couldn't remove it. After I replaced it, it's hard as a rock, and solidly against the hood all around. It snaps in pretty hard; that's why I can tell you the only way it gets loose is after removal (or attempt to remove it). BUT you need to replace the grommets too; they get damaged when prying out the emblem, but many folks fail to replace them. Take care.

[ES_TRADER]

just checked my 328i...solid as a rock no movement....so is there anyway i can fix this myself?

[JCtx]

Originally Posted by richpuer

just checked my 328i...solid as a rock no movement....so is there anyway i can fix this myself?

Buy a new emblem and 2 grommets and just replace it. The studs and grommets are at the 3 and 9 o'clock positions, so start prying at the 6 o'clock position, and as you gain some space, go right below each stud and pry it out a little at a time, alternating from side to side, until you can insert your fingers and finish the job. The hardest part is the first pry, but if your emblem is a bit loose, it won't be that difficult. I used a hard plastic pry tool, but you can use a screwdriver instead. Just make sure to put a rag under either tool, create some space with your fingernail first, then insert the screwdriver and start prying the emblem off, going deeper towards the studs, because that's where you'll start lifting them. You'll bend the emblem, but it'll be thrown away, so don't worry. Good luck.

[immiketoo]

My car was new from the Welt and it had the same issue. Very slight rocking. I didn't really care at the time and it never got any worse. Change it if it really bothers your, or ask your dealer to fix it...

[ES_TRADER]

Originally Posted by immiketoo

My car was new from the Welt and it had the same issue. Very slight rocking. I didn't really care at the time and it never got any worse. Change it if it really bothers your, or ask your dealer to fix it...

Thanks I just wanted to see if this was normal or not. I'll leave it be and have the dealer swap it out just days before warranty expires