Just a small modification this one, but to further reflect the STi heritage of my Impreza, I thought I’d take a look at fitting a new front STi badge to replace the original Subaru emblem.
At a total of just £12 posted from ScoobyParts.com, this is one of the cheaper modifications one can make. Although only a replica badge, it looks perfectly fine to me. They do also sell a genuine STi badge, but totalling nearly £30, my wallet much preferred the less expensive option.
Fitting the STi Badge
I could’ve fitted the new STi badge in situ on the car, but it was raining – and I’m impatient. I quickly whipped the front grill of the car (just a couple of clips if I recall correctly), and took it inside the house.
The hardest part of this process was removing the old Subaru badge as delicately as possible, and then removing any remaining adhesive from the grill. Simple enough though – just take your time.
The new badge does come with instructions that advise drilling a small hole into the grill just behind the original badge, and then pushing outwards through the hole. You’ll then have to remove a protruding plastic lug before affixing the new badge.
Thankfully the new STi badge has a self-adhesive backing, so it’s simply a matter of carefully lining up the new badge in position, then applying pressure firmly to ensure the adhesive sticks as intended.
You’ll also have to heat the new badge slightly to ensure the material conforms to the slight convex grill shape without deformation.
Then time to fit the grill back into place (but not before a quick clean to remove 10+ years of grime that may be missed during regular cleaning).
I’m very happy with the new look. It matches the pink (cerise) colour of the STi emblem already on the grill, and the STi fog cover stickers. Just makes it look a little different to the countless other Subaru’s roaming about too.
Link to the STi Badge here: http://www.scoobyparts.com/graphics/badges-emblems/oval-emblem-with-i-logo-new-age
