FINALLY Completed my Matte Grey MINI Project!
 

So I finally completed my MINI Project! :grin: I had quite a few things done to my 07 Pepper White MCS. Figured I'd mention the original color since it no longer looks like that anymore. :thumbsup: Below is a list of everything that was done to the car. Unfortunately I lost a lot of photos that I had taken during the project, but here are a few I managed to save through the process.

- Matte Metallic Dark Grey wrap including plastic fender-flares. To answer a common question, YES it adheres quite amazingly and in a smooth finish!
- Headlight housings were sandblasted and painted gloss black
- Custom Projector Retrofit using OEM-style shrouds & factory D2 ballasts/bulbs
- Shrouds were sandblasted and painted hot pink .. bc you know, girly :nod:
- Amber turn-signal lenses were removed. However, we quickly realized doing this left the ugly chrome reflector and it looked really off with everything else black. To fix this (and make the turn signals brighter), a mini projector was added and this was perfect for the black housings.
- Factory wheels were sandblasted and painted gloss black
- Factory calipers were sandblasted and painted hot pink
- Just the word "MINI" on the wheel caps were wrapped in hot pink
- Chrome trim was wrapped in gloss black
- Door handles and Fuel door was sandblasted and painted gloss black
- Side scuttles were sandblasted and painted gloss black
- "S" in the side scuttles & rear "S" emblem were wrapped in hot pink
- Windows were retinted in 5% all-around to match the look of the car better
- Windshield was tinted in AirBlue
- Installed "MINI door courtesy lights - MINI logo gets projected onto the ground when you open the door(s)

*** I would also like to mention because I have seen the "car needs reprogramming after you retrofit" thing going around the forums. I am successfully using factory D2 ballasts (taken from a Nissan) & bulbs, and I have not needed any reprogramming. Maybe I misunderstood what I read, but I saw somewhere that people were needing to have their MINI's reprogrammed for a few hundreds bucks in order for the car to work with the HID's? iunno. I definitely did not need that.

These photos were taken BEFORE I washed the car, so you may notice quite a bit of dust on the car. :sad: Enjoy!

BEFORE THE PROJECT!
http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/640x480q90/36/ix73.jpg


Wrap officially under way
http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/640...0/607/l5d4.jpg

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/640...0/819/rlgu.jpg

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/640...0/703/lgd8.jpg

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/640...0/716/ztht.jpg


MINI logo door courtesy lights
http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/640...0/163/zq6g.jpg


Pink Calipers!
http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/640x480q90/32/j29c.jpg

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/640...0/541/p76d.jpg


Wheels after sandblasting
http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/640...0/833/5k2i.jpg

http://imageshack.com/a/img706/822/nu7q.jpg


Wheels back on + Before new window tint (15% was on it before) + Side scuttles have not yet been installed
http://imageshack.com/a/img585/6590/ak8j.jpg


Factory headlight housings painted black
http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/640...0/585/tlq4.jpg

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/640...0/834/i3or.jpg


Housings with the amber lens removed
http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/640...0/849/u8ls.jpg


Housings fully installed + windshield AirBlue tint. You can also see the mini projectors that were used for the turn signals. Couldn't paint the reflector black because it deflects the amber LED, so this was the next best option without having the icky chrome
http://imageshack.com/a/img401/2885/gnkv.jpg

Looks awesome!:thumbsup:

I want to see the final look though! Lets see those new scuttles!
Also, where did you get those MINI door courtesy lights from?! Those are way cool. :cool:

Nice looks good:thumbsup:

I'll post a full photo tomorrow with the side scuttles. I want to wash her up and get it cleaned first. :thumbsup:
Courtesy lights came from HID Pro (www.hidpro.com). They don't have a web store, but they can still be ordered.

Thank you! :)

Wowza, what a fantastic looking car! :eek:
I have to say, generally I'm not a big fan of pink, but you really make it work!! :nod:

Fantastic !!:thumbsup:

Just curious.....why did you opt for vinyl over plastidip? Looks good though

Thank you, sir! :thumbsup: I wanted to keep it subtle.

Thank you! .. and several reasons ..
- my wrap is matte, so I wanted the black to be in contrast
- my roof and mirrors are black, plastidip wouldn't have matched
- I don't like plastidip to begin with, and working in the automotive field, I never will be. The color is more deep gray than black, the finish is impossible to get smooth, and plastidip fades.

The gloss black makes for an overall cleaner look with matte wrap.

As much as I despise the color pink (and/or purple)...that is one of the sickest minis I've ever seen. LOVE the matte gray wrap!

How much did it cost you to get it wrapped if you don't mind me asking?

Thank you! Just the wrap was $1200.

geesus...baller status! plasti dip for me :(

Actually that's a great price, some people drop 3k on vinyl wrap, it's a lot of work if done right, I'm sure babysarah had discount I hope

definitely plasti dip for me then :(

Lol I don't blame you bro

Where I got it done, the price is mostly based off the size of the vehicle or if you're using a unique vinyl like brushed metal. Luckily, my MINI is a mini car, so the price was low! :thumbsup:

Beautiful car!

I assume the plastic fenders and skirts on the R56 have the same knobbly texture as the R53 - did you have to sand them for the vinyl to come out smooth?


How will the wrap handle chips on the front?

Actually, the wrap adheres to the fenders amazingly well. As for the texture, it is smooth as a button. The "grooves" if you will, in the texture of the fenders are so small that the wrap (being thick) can't settle in. Now, if these were plastidipped, it'd be a different story. Here are some closer shots. This is the plastic fender, with a portion of the quarter panel in view so you can see the difference in finish .. if you can find any :grin: ..

With flash ..
http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/800...0/706/byde.jpg


Without flash ..
http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/800...0/607/6lms.jpg

Wrapping a white car black is quite the undertaking to start with. That look's great and not a hairline of white in sight! I like the gloss black accents, good choice. :grin:

What material did you use? I wrapped my black S in 3M 1080 gloss white a month ago, including the chrome trim (but excluding the beltline and door handles).

Look Good!

That looks really good, how long does the wrap last?

Real pro job! Looks great. Come do mine!

Thank you! This is the 3M 1080 film in Matte Metallic Dark Grey.

Thanks! Easily a few years. I will say this though .. MINI's factory paint is complete garbage. In some places, the paint AND clearcoat completely lifted because the paint formed tiny bubbles in one spot right above the fuel cap. So for me, if I ever remove this, I imagine it won't be pretty. :sad: I don't think I ever would anyways. I plan on running this puppy til she's dead. :thumbsup:

Bring cookies. :grin:

Scuttles! :grin::thumbsup:

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/800...0/546/m2lf.jpg

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/800...0/547/rk6w.jpg

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/800...0/198/2a3v.jpg

Car looks great. Any more pics of the projector mod? I'm curious how it's mounted and which model nissan was the donor.

wrap the rascal !!
 

Really like the matte finish and all the new fad is just like that on the new Euro hot rods like BMW , Audi and Benz. Often thought of mine in matte chile red and what that would look like against my matte carbon roof. Less chipping too!
Nice work !

:popcorn: