I got my baby used and it didn't come with bonnet stripes, what's your opinion on the vinyl and magnetic stripes? Any recommendations?

 

I didnt know there were magnetic ones...who sells them?

 

i would think the magnetic ones would allow dust and dirt to get under and would eventually ruin your paint. Vinyl on the other hand is the way to go.

 

Go with the vinyl ones. The magnets will affect the paint if you leave them on. Sure, you will be able to repair the damage with the correct tools and much of elbow grease but how often do you want to have to do this?

 

Don't go with the magnetic ones. I had them on my first MINI and they blew off at speeds over 35 mph. So, they wouldn't stay on long at highway speeds. Also, if you take your car to a do-it-yourself carwash, the spray will rip the stripes off if your not super careful.
Go to Aesthetic Creations and get some vinyl stripes. They are not that hard to apply.

 

I have magnetic ones and they don't blow off at 80 mph, so I'd have to say that application is important with them as well as it is with vinyl.

I plan on replacing mine with vinyl soon. I wasn't sure if I'd like then on my car so I went with magnetic so I could take them off easily if I didnt like them. But if you're sure you want them, I'd say vinyl, too.

 

Are the vinyl stripes glossy or flat? In other words, are they going to stick out very noticeably as being vinyl rather than painted?

 

You could go with the magnetic ones for the first year, then take them off and use the scratches on the hood as a template to make replacement vinyl ones.

 

You can get automotive vinyl in flat, matte, semi-gloss and glossy, although even the "glossy" isn't quite as shiny as paint. It's very close, though.

Here are my rear graphics - you can tell from the reflections that it's not "flat".



Here's another close-up of the gas-cap area, although the reflections aren't as noticeable here since it was a night shot.

 

That looks great scott, I'm planning on leaving them on, and as magnetic ones might me prone to flying off i don't think i'll go that route, as i do some rather 'spirited' driving on stretches of freeway.

 

Thanks!

For me, the problem with magnetic stripes isn't the potential for them to fly off, since most of them stick fairly securely. My problem is that they tend to chew up the paint underneath them.

As an example, the next time you're in a parking lot, find a car with one of those "yellow ribbon" magnets that's obviously been on the car for a while. Peek under the magnet and check out the mess it's likely made of the paint underneath.

 

LOVE my magnetic stripes. NO problem with them flying off or scratching the paint. I ONLY put them on after I've cleaned up the mini... and enjoy them a few days and take them off when I'm not in the mood.

I'm peper white with black checked stripes!

Denise
"PreShrnk"

 

So I've decided to use my magnetic bonnet stripes as a template.

There was a picture posted here somewhere a while ago of a black Cooper with black bonnet stripes with silver edges. Turns out that those stripes are simply silver edging of the proper width and the black is just the paint. I love the effect!

So what I'm gonna do is use my magnetic bonnet stripes as a guide to lay the edge stripes next to, and then remove the magnetic bonnet stripes completely. It should be the easiest way to get them on straight while maintaining the proper distance between them.

Zip

 

+1... Love the option of going out striped or naked!

 

still LOVE my magnetic bonnet stripes.

Question: Once I read on here how to take care of the "ghost" stripe that was left behind if I would happen to leave them on too long or moisture got underneath.. but I can't find that post no matter how hard I look. I saw a slight hint of a stripe on my bonnet when I removed them the other day, but nothing major. Does waxing take care of this (I'm a Prima products fan), or are there other suggestions.

denise
Pepper white!

 

Waxing won't fix those micro-scratches or "ghosting".

You'll need to clay first to get the dirt out of that paint. Those magnetic stripes are grinding in contaminants into the paint.
Then use a mild polish. If you're a Prima fan, use one of theirs. Make sure that it doesn't have too many fillers otherwise you won't know if you're fixing or just filling in the scratches. Everyone has their own special polish that they like so I won't get into that.
Once you've polished out the micro-marring you can then apply a topcoat to protect it. Either wax or a synthetic sealant. I'd recommend a sealant since carnuba's don't last too long.
Depending on the dust and dirt level and the miles you drive you may want to do this multiple times a year just to prevent that micro-marring from happening, or at least minimize the impact.

(I've cleaned up quite a few of these types of issues from those magnetic soldiers ribbons. They do the same thing as the stripes. If you hit it early it's easy to do. If you wait it may need to be machine polished with the same polishes)