No worries .. when you said yours was coming in at the NY port I knew what yah meant!! I originally thought mine was coming in the NY port.. But mine is going to the Baltimore port!

 

My dealer switched from 3M to Xpel about a year ago - says it's easier to install, a little more clear and more durable. I've had both and have no complaints about either one. The first car I had done used VentureShield, which was a little less expensive, but thicker and more visible; I also had to have a couple of pieces replaced due to bubbling and peeling around the edges.

BTW, I always have the top of the rear bumper included in the package.

 

Thanks for the info on that.. I agree.. I want to get the top of the rear bumper done.. seems to be a prone spot for scratches and what not..lol. Xpel is the other brand.. I just don't want it to be real noticeable and of course I want it to protect good as well..

 

Wow, hadn't heard of either of these until reading your post.

Thanks for the heads up, I'm definitely getting front and rear bumper!

 

What is your dealership charging to do the install? I've went back-and-forth on doing this with my R53, ultimately never did it. Regretted never doing it. Now I'm debating again with my R55. Debating if I could do it myself though...

 

If you've never purchased a clear film protection package, be sure to look at other jobs the vendor has done, since the product is pretty much worthless without a perfect installation. Also ask about the warranty - minimum 5 years or as long as you own the car - and don't faint when you hear the price. Here, the standard package (entire front bumper, front section of hood, front sections of front fenders, mirrors and door-edge guards) is $995 - $1,295 if you have the whole hood done. There's usually a little room for negotiating a lower price, and you can add other sections (roof above the windshield, in front of rear wheels, etc.) at additional cost.

I thought about the do-it-yourself option, until I saw how intricate the pieces are - and how easy it would be to stretch or otherwise screw up the material during installation. Some places use sheet material and cut everything to fit; my dealer has one of the computer plotters that cuts the material specifically for each car, and the patterns have been really good. I don't know if you can buy precut material, but imagine if you were off an eighth inch on one side on the installation - that could translate to an inch or more on the other side.

 

I'm actually going to see my MA on Saturday to go over all my dealer installed options and pricing. Going to try to negotiate the prices down since I'm going to be spending so much on those options.

But Spa2K is right, I'm expecting my clearbra to cost right around $1,000. I spent $1100 on my first one back in 2006. Have spent $700 and $850 on the other two MINIs clear bras.

One of them was on my other half's 2006 PW Justa. She didn't listen to me when it was new. Two years ago, she had the bumper and bonnet repainted and then put on a clear bra. Had to bite my tongue so as not to say, "TOLD YOU SO!!"

 

Doing some research on the clear film I see they make it for behind the door handles. Makes a lot of sense. Anybody use it there?

 

Never have. the light scrateches from keys and stuff come out so easily using a little polish, I prefer doing that to putting film there.

 

Well, I didn't faint when I heard the price...I just crawled into a corner under my desk, curled up into a ball, and started rocking

I found a video of an R53 having a full-bonnet clear bra installed, and it seems pretty straight forward actually. I do imagine the precision cut pieces would be more difficult to deal with though. You would definitely have to take you time, and make sure that everything was perfect the whole way.

 

Having watched two of my MINIs getting their clear bra, I will say that anyone who tries to tackle that job by themself is either the bravest and confident persons alive... or a flat out ninkumpoop.



The guy that did my first one, from a company named Proform, also trained installers on the eastern seaboard. he said it takes about two weeks to train someone on how to do a clear bra install. Between that comment and watching the process... noooooooooo way I would tackle that job.

 

What dealership is yours heading to? Mine is traveling on the Mignon as well and eventually to Habberstad in Huntington Station.

 

Ok, the Tiger is now in position to take on cargo and set to depart tomorrow. It moved in the last hour from where it has been moored since at least Monday to a different doc that has a lot of cars near it, so hopefully this is it. It is already past 6pm there. Not sure if they load at night or only during the day. Anyway, hoping my CM makes it on board.

Sent from my iPhone using NAMotoring

 

I would think if your MINI is about to be loaded onto a ship, it would already be on the ship's manifest and therefore would show up on their website by entering your vin in their cargo field, right ?

 

"FOR A NEW OWNER, YOU'RE PRETTY QUICK ON THE DRAW.
So quick, in fact, that it seems you’ve beaten our system to the punch. It can take up to a few days for orders to move through our database, so chances are yours is right around the corner. Try again in a few days, but if you still have a problem, double-check your production number with your dealer."



I received my production number on June 6th... Is it normal that my order is still not showing up in the Owner's Lounge 1 week later? But maybe more importantly, can I track my order on https://ol.miniusa.com/, even if I'm a Canadian customer?

 

I've always had my production number show up on MINIUSA within two days of getting it.

your dealer should also have your VIN by now.

 

Just checked on the status of Scarlett and she is at the port of exit in Southhampton. Checking on the ship schedule on WW returned a message that no records where found of ships schedules for the month, (cant be right). Does anyone knows what ships are scheduled to depart Southhampton for Port Hueneme, CA in the near future? I'm on the west coast, so I would think that will be the port of entry for my girl.

thanks in advance.

 

Asian King should be docked, and hopefully unloading!

 

Looks like the Tiger is scheduled to be in Southhampton on the 18th.

 

SOUTHAMPTON18/06/2013 PORT HUENEME, CA10/07/2013 TIGER CD324-TIG22


yep.

 

well, if that is the case, then I am not on it. I am hoping it doesn't show up on the online tracker until it is logged as being on the ship. I'll know by this time tomorrow for sure as the ship leaves on June 14 and by 1pm my time, it is 10pm their time.

 

Yup. It is in Bremerhaven right now and I am hoping my CM gets on board before she departs tomorrow.

 

It seems not all ships are listed on the WW schedule. I missed the Tongala, and did not think I would be shipping for a while, but ended up getting on the Artemis Leader which I did not see on any schedules. Artemis Leader left Southampton on June 9th.

 

My understanding is multiple carriers (at least 2?) service Southampton for Mini/BMW but Bremerhaven is only serviced by WW. If I am wrong, someone please correct me, but that might be why you didn't see it on the WW site.

 

NEWS UPDATE: (For anyone that remembers when I was posting on here about 100 pages back...)

There's finally some news on production! After (yet) another call to ASKMINI, George (the automated voice, as I have named him) has told me that my CMA4 is finally in production, estimated to be completed on the 20th (of this month!)

Yep! After 38 days (Yes! You read that right - 38 days) of nothing happening, the gents and gals have decided to start working on my car. I'm still hopeful to get it in (to Chicago) before July 10th as my wife and I will be road-tripping to a wedding in Pocatello, ID. If everyone on these boards could send out good vibes (see "The Secret"), I'd really appreciate it.

Also, using the hashtag #GetHortinHisMINI on MINI's facebook, instragram, twitter, etc would be nice Nothing like power from the people to get things happening.

Cheers everyone!