Discolored/stained bonnet stripes

[BritBoy]

When cleaning Min today I noticed one of the white bonnet stripes had badly discolored. I tried cleaning it in case it as stained, but nothing would work. It appears as though the vinyl is actually discolored as if it had been heated in some way. Has anyone else experienced this problem?

[Drillslinger]

Yup, the swoop (i.e. U-Stripe) on my 06 R53 got so bad I finally pulled it off
I was told that the factory vinyl didn't have any protective coating so you need to keep it waxed up real well (same as the paint of course). It was too late for me so I never bothered. For me, the worst bit was the water spots/discoloration from the washer nozzles

[BritBoy]

Drillslinger, did they replace the stripe under warranty?

[Porthos]

Ya my 07's bonnet stripes are all water spotted up. So when I get to Florida I am taking them off an putting new stripes on.

[Benibiker]

I've been keeping my waxed up so no problems here, mine are black though...

[Drillslinger]

Originally Posted by BritBoy

Drillslinger, did they replace the stripe under warranty?

Hell no I asked but got shot down.

[krim]

pulled mine off due to heavy discoloration. drove thru an errant sprinkler head and got sprayed. it's almost like the water spots got cooked into the stripe. nothing worked and off they went.

[BritBoy]

Seems like a few people have had water spotting, but no-one has experienced the discoloration that I have...Weird.

[Porthos]

I think that the bonnet stripes don't look that great but, the Mini looks weird without stripes. I might even take the big leap and have them painted on.

[Drillslinger]

Originally Posted by BritBoy

Seems like a few people have had water spotting, but no-one has experienced the discoloration that I have...Weird.

Mine looked pretty much the same as yours, I just had it worse around the nozzles.

[sequence]

discolored or peeling stripes? they fall under warranty replacement, if yr. car is still under warranty. My black ones on my 05 were doing this, almost looked brown, and the dealer replaced them NQA.

water spots? Not a chance. Yr. best be is to "Klasse" them with Klasse All-in-One acrylic cleaner-polisher. Will help keep hard water spots and rogue Cosmoline from the washer jets from becoming big problems. Stripes can be high mtce if U know not what y're doing, like me and my 05. Now, with three coats of Klasse protecting them on my 09, it's a breeze

[BritBoy]

Just thought I'd post an update to the discoloration problem;

The dealer replaced the stripes free under warranty, but advised me they only do it once, as they know its a common problem. They recommended cleaning the stripes with water every couple of weeks and applying a non-abrasive polish.

Well, the original stripes lasted two years, lets hope with a bit of care that this set will last longer.

[vudugrl]

same thing happened to my poor car. it almost didnt look like water spots but chips on the stripes. i went to the dealer and they're going to replace them free of charge.

next time i'll keep my stripes waxed, dealer says this helps the life of the stripes.

[Topmini]

mine have spots on them too from bird poo and from water stains also.
i have some matte black vinly i bought and thought that it would be good to make some on my own.

only problem is i dont know how to make cut it..
Someone told me that the strips are just straight, and that they look like they curve because how the cars bonnet looks.

i think that that bonnet stripes are curved in fact, but im scared that when i peel em off i wont be able to use em as a stencil to cut the new ones..


any ideas?

[Sketch]

Take the stripes off, minis look better without them anyway ;)

Before I took mine off I actually noticed mine had been just fine, I would assume because of the level of protectant and car care products I use on my car.

[glhboy]

After taking them off, could you tell where they had been on the paint because it would be brighter underneath? I'd like to take mine off.

[Fly'n Brick]

My stripes got spots all over them, looked horrible. I used a hair dryer to remove them and replaced them with new ones from Aesthetic Creations. Only took about an hour.

http://www.aestheticreations.net/

They went on with ease and look great. Just make sure you don't shed a hair and get it stuck underneath as you lay down the new strip. With the light just right, there it is.

My next project is to add boot stripes.

[blonda]

Mine have yellow spots all over them. I assumed it was bug or tree sap stains (just bought the Mini a few mos. ago), but maybe is burnt in water spots. I wish I had known the dealer "might" replace under warranty as I just had it in for service a couple weeks ago darn it. Hmmm....only one month left on my warranty. Maybe I'll give it a shot otherwise it looks like I may just buy new ones and replace them.

You all mention waxing. I always thought wax was bad for decals and caused them to deteriorate so I've always avoided getting wax on any decals on all my vehicles. Are the modern waxes safe now?

[naturallybuilt]

I cleaned mine today with tire whitewall cleaner that the autoparts guy recommended... Worked Great!

[blonda]

Originally Posted by naturallybuilt

I cleaned mine today with tire whitewall cleaner that the autoparts guy recommended... Worked Great!

Cool I have to give that a try.

[jewitcher]

Dealer replaced under warranty.