Not sure if this is in the right place, but i need some help! I made a stupid move and had a debacle with an awful, oily airfreshner that ripped the paint off the plastic on some of my interior. It left a lovely white line of plastic where it used to be that gunmetal grey color (see photo below for where i'm talking about) on the right side of the center radio/cupholders area.
Is there anything i can do to fix this? or at least cover it? I hate that my baby's not even a year old and has such an ugly mark from my own stupidity.

 

Buy a new downtube. They should be cheap and are relatively easy to install.

 

I'll 'ditto' the thought to buy a new one... cheapest possible solution and pretty easy to do for most cars. The '05 and '06 models can be pesky to get apart as they flare out at the bottom, inside the plastic boot next to the pair of tiny cupholders.

You could also take them both off and have 'em re-painted. Think about this carefully as you could have some serious fun adding an accent color to your interior. You could use red to add a flash of color to the inside... :D It's possible to drive the car without the downtubes attached, so you might get a price break at a body shop if you aren't in a hurry.

You could also buy the JCW leather downtube upgrade and have these bits covered in leather (http://www.outmotoring.com/mini-coop...own_tubes.html)... covering up the accident that you had. I think that redline goods is also making a downtube upgrade where you can pick all of your colors and stiching (http://www.redlinegoods.com/MINIdowntube.shtm#PRICING)

 

Where would i go to purchase new ones? do i get them through my dealer? Sorry, i'm not very car-savvy

 

You can get them through the dealer, or Classic MINI (a vendor here) will sell to you at a 20% NAM discount, but you'll have to pay shipping. It probably breaks about even.

 

My car's previous owner had the same thing happen to the dash panel below the speedometer. She had one of those air freshener things mounted in one of the center air vents, and it spilled. Perhaps she was having a little too much fun in the twisties!

Shortly after purchasing my '04, I had the rear foglights programmed and an Inspection 1 service done at a dealer in San Francisco. I never mentioned anything about the dash piece. The MA did a visual inspection of my newly purchased MCS and noted that it was perfect except for that 'one blemish' on the dash. When I picked up the car, it had a new dash panel in place. Replaced under warranty - "paint defect" or something to that effect.

Maybe I was lucky or something. You could try bringing yours to the dealer if it's under warranty and see if the MA could pull some strings for you...

 

Looks like retail for a new downtube is about $40. Not the end of the world.

 

Go to www.realoem.com and find the part number. Then go to some place like www.pelicanparts.com and type the part number. I just bought a set of down tubes for like $40.60 each.
FWIW - some sunscreen lotions will strip the paint right off your interior pieces, especially those with out a clear coat like the down tubes.

Here is the diagram from RealOEM: http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts...46&hg=51&fg=30

 

Good excuse to get a CF down tube.

I would just remove it and paint it some other color along with the coin/cup holder trims and shift ring.

$5?

 

I could tell you how to fix it, but you're a Mets' fan. So no dice.

Kidding...not about the Mets thing. About knowing how to fix it. I agree with the suggestion to just go ahead and replace the tube.

 

Hahaha, i understand about the mets thing. To each our own =)

And thank you everyone! I'll be getting myself a new one!

 

You could repaint it if you can find the right color.