It's strictly adhesive--use some nylon fishing line on a nice warm day and it'll come right off.
use floss/fishing line and slip it around the backside of the emblem base. Using a sawing motion you'll cut through the adhesive holding it on. once you get halfway through, you'll have to start from the other side as there are 2 small posts that attach it to the trunk, mostly for alignment. once the adhesive has been cut though, you'll gently pull the base off the trunk its self. it may take a small bit of force and make sure you are pulling straight out. if you ordered a replacement emblem it should come with 2 replacement grommets that will go into the trunk if they come out when removing the base. mine stayed in so i did not have to replace them. there are videos online that help you see the process.
Use extreme caution if you try this. I too already have the black badge installed with vinyl backing and attempted this. I used a heat gun on its lowest setting to soften the vinyl then tried using an Xacto knife to separate the badge from the vinyl backing. I ended-up slicing the black vinyl wrap around the actual badge exposing the metal beneath. (Yes, the OEM black badge is simply the chrome emblem wrapped/dipped in black vinyl.) Needless to say- epic fail for me. Now I have to order a new black emblem to replace the first one. Of course I'll remove the black vinyl backing this time before installing the new one. Just thought I'd save you some time and trouble.
Did you end up removing the black vinyl with the exacto knife? Please send any pictures of the aftermath
Unfortunately, no. I wasn't able to remove the black vinyl. It's not exactly terrible, but I'd never be satisfied with it. I ordered a new one and hope to have it by the weekend. It looks white in the pic, but its definitely metal colored.
