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How to best remove metal Guzzi tank emblem

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Matt Story:
I have a related badge anecdote that I will tell in the most unbiased way I can as it falls close to the "no unjustified dealer attacks" clause that we agree to when posting here.  In this case I feel justified, but I will stop short of a direct attack.  There is a small amount of culpability on my part.  This is a cautionary note about the purchase of replacement badges (or any other replacement part for that matter) such as the ones guisto needed to remove.

In the process of my build, about a year ago, I needed to buy several items.  In order to save shipping costs, I generally try to look forward when ordering parts to predict what else I'm going to need and add those items in.  In this case the forward looking items were tank and tool box badges.  My old ones were nice enough to redo, but for the cost, replacements seem to be the easiest in both effort and dollars.  -  That is if they 'drop in'.

I received the badges in good time and condition as expected from a very popular web store based in Wisconsin.  A few months go by, and I was to a point where I could install the badges.  The thing is, they don't fit.  The mounting pins have the wrong spacing and at least half are bent.  Now these are new components although most certainly aftermarket items.  I should say that cosmetically the badges look like original production parts, and the marketing on the web store certainly implies direct replacement.

I call the supplier up and ask to have the parts swapped for ones that would fit better or to return them for store credit if better fitment was not possible.

I was told there was no remedy.  My ninety days were up and nothing could be done.  At that point I was no longer the happy customer I was for quite some time.  I could see there was no point in blustering or climbing the management ladder to find a more agreeable solution.  I simply let it go with the feeling of being burned
 - until now I guess.

I could either open the holes up so the pins fit, or cut the pins off and cement the badges on, but that defeats part of my reasoning for buying replacement in the first place.  I could follow these courses to use the new parts, or go back to my old parts that need refinishing.  To keep a clear conscience, I can only sell the extra parts with full disclosure of the poor fit.

I am in the wrong for not doing a more thorough inspection upon receipt.  I'm not going to pull out my receipts and tally up how loyal a customer I've been.  In the past few years, I've probably spent somewhere between a grand or two on miscellaneous items with this company.  I realize that's still small potatoes in the big scheme.  Apparently, not a significant enough account to warrant accommodation.  Anyway, I had been really happy with the selection and service until this point.  Now not so much.

So, don't buy the die cast replacement badges that are all over the net and necessarily expect them to fit.  Circumstantial evidence leads me to believe the badges I bought are from the same production runs as a popular German supply house.  If you do, check the fit before your return window has expired.

If you're selling aftermarket stuff and it doesn't fit correctly, it is right and honest to fully disclose this to your customers.  

Matt

Groover:

--- Quote from: Matt Story on January 25, 2015, 10:26:21 AM ---
So, don't buy the die cast replacement badges that are all over the net and necessarily expect them to fit.  Circumstantial evidence leads me to believe the badges I bought are from the same production runs as a popular German supply house.  If you do, check the fit before your return window has expired.

If you're selling aftermarket stuff and it doesn't fit correctly, it is right and honest to fully disclose this to your customers.  

Matt

--- End quote ---

Matt, thanks for the heads up as I'm getting ready to buy some badges and I know where possibly not to get them from..... I just removed mine over the weekend using a plastic scraper, and the areas where the pins catch were rusty so some of my pins actually broke, so I want to buy new ones (which I was planning on doing anyway.)

Where can you buy OEM ones? Or at least ones that are guaranteed to fit? I don't really want to deal with that same issue, and I would like to (if possible) avoid using double-sided tape.

Hahnda:
This discussion got me curious about the badges I had in stock. I pulled one out and compared it to an original badge from an 850T.






New badges are just slightly thicker. From what I can see the posts are in the same location as the old ones. About 106mm center to center.

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