In older cars, hood ornaments were used primarily to cover radiator caps; however, these days the hood ornament is purely aesthetic. When it comes to removing and replacing a hood ornament, larger hood ornaments are often mounted using spring bolts and smaller ornaments and badges will use adhesive, and some ornaments will use a combination of both. Replacing a hood ornament is one of the easiest car modifications you can do, and the hardest part is to take care to not scratch the paint when removing the ornament.
Open the hood of your car. Check underneath to see if there is a bolt holding the ornament to the hood.
If bolted to the hood, use pliers to loosen the bolt. You often only need to turn the bolt 90 degrees to get it to release.
Close the hood. Use a plastic scraper to gently pry the hood emblem up a little. Use a towel underneath the scraper to protect the car’s paint.
Once you have gotten an edge of the ornament up a little, take some dental floss, and using a sawing motion, separate the hood ornament from the glue.
Clean off any leftover adhesive residue on the hood.
Replace with your new hood ornament. If the ornament has an adhesive backing, remove the paper and position into place. If the ornament is attached by a bolt, open the hood of the car, put the ornament in place, and tighten the bolt with pliers.
