M Coupe ///M Emblem Replacement

By Chad / 7 November 2014 / 0 comments

My M Coupe returned from the body shop after its hail damage repairs with a number of issues. One of which was the missing ///M emblem from the rear hatch. The shop ordered me up a new one, and I decided I’d be better off installing it myself. Now, if you’re like me, you are a stickler for the details and simply eye-balling the badge just won’t cut it. BMW, like most manufacturers, have very specific dimensions for their badge placement. Off I went to Google to see if I could find the official measurements. Fortunately I found numerous references to exactly where and how to install the badge.

Parts: There are two different badges depending on what model M Coupe you have. The first generation (1998-2000) S50/S52 powered M Coupes use a flat badge with a higher placement. The 2001-02 S54 M Coupe uses a curved badge placed lower.

RealOEM Reference:
51142250811 Letter “M” Rear (Flat) for 1998-2000 M Coupe
51142694404 Emblem, Adhered (Curved) for 2001-02 M Coupe

E368M_M_Coupe_Badge_Placement

To make sure I had the emblem properly aligned, I used Power Point to print rectangles at 23mm width (also added 65mm for any S52 guys) on some card stock paper. I cleaned the paint with some wax & tar remover to ensure a good bond, then cut these rectangles out and taped them in place, parallel to the edge of the hatch next to the right brake light.

Click the image to the left to open an Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) file of the emblem placement instructions. Print off the document, preferably on card stock, and carefully cut out the spacer templates you need. Then using some masking tape, you place the cut-outs parallel to the edge of the hatch to properly align your emblem.

NOTE: Make sure to uncheck “Fit to Page” option on the print dialog. There may also be an option to print “Actual Size” rather than scaled. You must print it to its original size.

With the paper templates in place, I double checked to make sure everything looked correct. Take a step back and ensure your lower line is parallel to the road surface, which pretty much follows the gentle horizontal sheet-metal crease running across the hatch.

Then remove the wax paper backing from the emblem and lightly place it above the lower template and aligned right to the vertical template. I emphasize placing the emblem only lightly at first, just in case you need to readjust it. I took another look from a distance to ensure everything looked right before pressing the emblem firmly in place.

Remove your template and admire your work.