I have a 2008 MINI Cooper Clubman S. I am not the original owner, so some of this is assumptive.

My Clubman has a clear bra applied to all forward facing surfaces. The front bumper, the hood, and even the leading edge of the roof. I strongly suspect this was applied at the dealer when the car was delivered in 2008. Mt reason for this suspicion is that the black vinyl hood stripes are applied ON TOP of the clear bra.,

After 10+ years the clear bra has taken a little abuse (hopefully protecting the paint underneath). It has a slightly swirled or hazy look, and I have been considering removing it. I've watched multiple youtube videos on using heat and the right technique to peel the vinyl away.

My questions are thus:

• Has it been on there too long?
• Is the paint going to be damaged from having a (basically ) a vinyl wrap on it for 10+ years
• Other than heat and peeling in the right way, and special techniques I should follow?
  

Thanks in advance for any advice!!!

 

steam

 

Have you tried polishing the clear bra? My brothers M3 has a bra from a previous owner. It had swirl marks on it and a few light scratches. I used a softer compound on an orange pad and got most of them out. Maybe try that first. You might regret taking it off (unless you plan on replacing it). I wish I had put one on my mini when it was new. It’s peppered with rock chips now :(

 

I just completed taking a clear bra off the front of my 2008 MCS and it was a royal PITA. Combo of baking in the sun to heat it up, followed by non-marring scrapers and also a little rubber wheel on the drill. It’s not a fun task, but if you have the right cordless drill, go with the rubber wheel. I used the non-marring scrapers and I can see fine scratches that won’t come out with compound/polish. I may have to wet sand the hood to get them out, but resistant due to the age of the car. Patience and it will come off.
I tried steam, but didn’t have much luck. Let the car sit in the sun and get really hot. You can also try covering the area with a black trash bag, then bake it in the sun. It’ll get super hot and will help.

 

after working in a friends vinyl shop, leave it on!

If you do successfully take it off then the paint under it is really going to stick out and makes the whole car look weird. After 10 yrs, paint fades so the area under the film will look brand new while the rest of the car is faded

 

Steam and patience . I suggest having it redone afterwards

 

If your paint is original, this is supposed to be the go to item. Read the reviews, YMMV.

 

I would remove it before it looks absolutely terrible. I have seen a few cars for sale here in Florida that still have theirs and they are badly discolored and look dirty. My car unfortunately had one at some point and it was obviously removed incorrectly. The paint is missing in places and was replaced with a darker blue brush applied touch up paint and looks like it was taken off with a razor blade. Do not use metal tools to remove it. As far as any color difference goes, I can't see any. If you look very close you can see where it once was because of a slight difference in gloss that would go away with a buff. I would do it, but the paint is ruined by the razor blade happy madman that had the car before me, so I will likely just repaint the bonnet and bumper cover once the mechanicals are well sorted.

 

My wife has a 2008 R52S that had one installed when we bought it. A local shop took it off for us but basically told us they didn't want to see us again after. Took them 8 hours nonstop to remove it without damaging the paint underneath. I would never put one on again

 

OP ... did you remove it?

after action report please . . .