I applied for the first high mileage badge a month or two ago. When I took it out of the box, the white paint on one side of the star had already peeled away and fell off. Since it was already messed up, I didn't bother with any attempt to coat the badge (I had been considering a can of spray vanish I had laying around). So I put it on as it was, and two or three days later the white paint had come off the other sides as well. Those badges are really terrible quality, just lousy. If this is how Mercedes these days deals with people who are surely among their most loyal customers, I just decided to never buy a Mercedes made after 1990.

Admittedly the badges are free. But I'm not sure they're doing us much of a favor. I'd rather pay and get a good one, myself.