Good luck, Flyer! Let us know how you make out.

 

I realize I'm going to sound dippy right now, but I'm having the driving lights installed when my CMS comes in and all the talk of covers has me wondering...are covers required/recommended during say inclement weather, rain, etc?

 

Had mine installed around Thanksgiving….have yet to keep the covers on. Haven't had any problems what so ever… You do realalize they only activate with your high beams…so don't think you'll be cool driving around with them on…like I thought Actually I use the fogs nightly with zenons and those will deactivate as well when with the driving lights. Well worth the $$ for the extra light at night when you can use them….Enjoy

 

The covers are pretty useful when you plan to drive to Alaska, as it's mostly gravel with lots of trucks. Otherwise, covering up is a personal preference - lots of people like to keep the lights available in case of an emergency, or flashing "Hi!" to another MINI...

 

Oh I'm not ashamed to say mine I are going on purely for aesthetics. :D

 

I keep mine covered because I too like the look of them simply on the car. I leave them covered for 2 reasons. I love the white covers with silver letters in front of my chrome grill and 2 they will get pitted or cracked from road debris without them.

 

I usualy keep mine coverd unless I know I'm going to be using them. Mine came with white covers which I hated big time. I did paint them black with some plastic paint but the paint got pretty well destroyed the first time I drove over to Tampa from Daytona and back. I went to my dealer and bought a set of black covers and no problems with them getting chipped at all. I like the looks of the covers OK but the look is really much better uncovered.

I do love my driving lights and if I get another Mini I will get them installed again.

 

I purchased them totally for their looks. Especially for the "s" model I think they really look sharp. The extra light they provide is just a bonus - ha!

 

I got my DL purely for the looks. I was charged $950 for the lights (that includes the installation). Probably more than I should have been charged, but I didn't care, I was so excited to pick up the car.

My MA told me to keep the covers on to protect from rocks cracking the glass, so that's what I have been doing. I've used them once, and they are really awesome at night on dark roads.

They are wired to only go on with the high beams, as per NJ state law.

 

I don't have the OEM DL's, I have Hella 500 Black Magics, but I have protective covers on my lights (which I keep on all the time):



A very dirty front end.

 

Was thinking of doing it too but wow.... the cost is pricy just for just looks?

 

It is, but we didn't get stripes etc. we opted for the lights instead.

 

I was thinking of strips and driving lights too. I bought a used '11 and was thinking of adding these two things but wow.

 

We figured we could add stripes later if we wanted (which also gives us extra time to mull over what we want) - but the lights were more expensive to add after the fact. I was also told they have to pull the whole dash off to run the electric and install switch when they do it. It seemed like a bigger deal to do down the road so we opted to get the lights now - and maybe stripes later.

 

LOL.... figures. I am happy with my new used CMS All4 and wanted to personalize it a bit but doing all of this afterwards is a bit pricy. From what I understand adding strips isn't that expensive. I am still debating on that one. I do want to get my windows tinted though. That may be the first new thing I do.

 

I was surprised at that too (that stripes were so affordable!). I know I sound so dumb - but originally I thought they were painted on. I really didn't know they were essentially tape. If you know a good garage or mechanic maybe it wouldn't be as costly to do aftermarket lights - but we didn't so I just wanted them from the start. Plus it's one of those things I was worried as more time passed DH would say we wouldn't need. In the end though he insisted I get them since he knew how much I really loved them - so it's all good.

 

Did you consider the Hella HID lights (Optilux, etc.)?

 

Heck, I got both the OEM driving lights and the MINI Connected/Nav interface mostly for the looks (although I do enjoy the functionality)...

 

I figure it's half the reason one gets a mini - this sort of customization. Otherwise I'd just get a Honda (no slam to Honda, I've had some great ones).

 

One point that might be useful for some, esp. if you have the Xenons, is to aim the driving lights outward; i.e., more to the side. This means the xenons will light up the forward direction, but the driving lights will help you during the turns.

If you've ever done a sharp turn on a tree-covered back-country road at night, you'll know what I mean (especially at rally speeds )

 

Unfortunately/fortunately.... I bought my MINI used. I wanted the driving lights and the stripping but once I found out how much the OEM were and than to install them? I love the looks of both the driving lights and the strips. Would make for a very good looking MINI. I just wonder by adding the strips onto an older paint if that's a good idea? I will get the windows tinted and maybe consider the driving lights. I have an absolute black with black out interior and rims. Tinted windows and black driving lights would look cool.

 

Tip - order your driving lights at the time of ordering your Mini - if they are installed at VDC, the installation costs are less that $100.

 

Nice.........What mount kit did you use?

 

While I don't own a CM I absolutely love them and am hoping to add one to our MINI family once my wife's minivan bites the dust (or she'll let me sell it). I think driving lights look especially good on the these cars though I have to admit I think the grill looks really cool as is. In fact the whole front end of the CM is perfect in my opinion.

 

I have the VIP Quad Driving Light Kit.