Hey All,

In a world with limited cash I have to make hard decision on what to buy for my mini. I know everyone will have a different opinion on this but still curious what you all think:

Paint Protection Film for the full front of the car is somewhere between 1.5k and 2k in my area ($usd). Of course, this is a ton of money and could also be spent on meaningful upgrades (like RSB, window tint, etc...). Heck, even new wheels can be bought for the same price.

​​​Which would you choose in this case?

 

Probably helpful if we knew what car you have.

 

Makes sense! Bone stock F56 JCW.

But more generally curious how people balance something like protecting paint with upgrades that carry immediate effects.

 

Tuning, Tires and for me most important was upgraded stereo speakers & amp.

If you are a diy'er, ceramic paint coating is a nice add, paying someone else to do it is pretty expensive as it is mostly labor.

If I had limited cash, I'd save it for a rainy day and make do with bone stock JCW which is a pretty good place to be.

 

At least on the Gen1, the front bumper and the front of the hood gets blasted pretty good on the road. If If I had a dollar for every chip I have regardless of size, I might have enough money to to put some clear bra stuff on.

 

I would only have PPF (paint protection film) applied to the front bumper only. That will save you some money if you decide you need ppf at all.

The othe areas don’t get as much road rash from rocks if you don’t tailgate people on the highway. Even my 05 JCW, which I had a new bumper put on, takes most the hits but I keep them to a minimum.

I never tailgate anyone or ride behind stone trucks or any trucks ever. I don’t go on dirt roads or follow anyone on them. Really, I just hang back in traffic and let all the idiots drive up each other rears.

You can cover ppf and your paint with a ceramic coating and it’s easy to do. If you have applied hand wax before you can apply a ceramic coating. Your car will also be protected from bird dropping and all bugs sticking to the paint. This will make your car very easy to keep clean and allow you to spend more money on other mods like tint and a RSB.

 

Thanks, Minnie, Whine and Dave. I know from my previous cars that rocks can be the devil on highways. That being said, what Minnie says about labor just psychs me out too much; when I pay someone all that money for PPF I'm pretty much just paying for their time and I could be buying something that would make the car more fun to drive.

I'll think about it more (while accumulating more chips, of course). =)

 

I put this http://www.xpel.com/search-coverage-...tible/Cooper_S on my 2017 MC S convertible. I used the hood/mirror and bumper kit. Had about $800 installed. Installer came to my house. Very convenient. 20k miles later I'm still happy.

You'd still have money left over.

 

I am with Dave on this one- avoidance. as much as you can.

Ceramic coating is expensive---not for the product, but for the prep work to apply it properly. You can do this yourself if you have the time and place.

I would not have 'clear coat' installed. It is not 'forever' and is very expensive to remove later.

 

Can you put the Ceramic coating on your wheels/rims?

 

The first 2 mods I do on all my new cars is my Valentine 1 radar detector and full hood and full bumper clear film.

I cant say enough about the benefits of clear film

 

Pretty sure you can. I saw someone show this off on a camaro. He did just his wheels.

 

I have some 3pc BBS Rims that I'm restoring and painting white to match the Chili Red R53. The Rims I have now are white and it's a PITA trying to keep them white, so hopefully once my BBS's are done, slap some Ceramic Coating on and hopefully be good to go.

 

Yes. When I had my '16 MCS/JCW ceramic coated, they did all paint, plastic, glass and wheels. When I get home from being in the rain, I grab two microfiber towels and wipe off the 15 or so drops of water on the car.

 

I'd most definitely invest in a clear bra. Mods can come later, unless you're unhappy with your JCW in its current state. Can't say how many times the clear bra has saved me from rock chips in the canyons and at the track chasing friends.

 

Yes, but don’t use the same coating you use on the paint. I mean you can and it will,last better than any wheel wax but it will not last as long as coating formulated for rims. Oh and ceramic rim coatings are cheaper than paint coatings.

I charge $200 to do a full 4 wheel set. Wash, clean, polish, prep and two layers of coating.

You can search Amazon or Google “Gyeon Rim” or “Kamikaze Stance Rim” coating.

Both have a higher levels heat resistance for the high temps breaking places on rims. I also is it to coat nice Brembo’s and other cars BBK calibers.

 

I opted not to get a clear bra when I bought my new F55. Just about two years later, i'm getting enough nicks and outright chips on the bumper and the leading edge of the hood that I wish I had done it.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

Great insights. Thank you, all.

 

I have thought about a Lebra type thing when I do a longer drive. Around town I would remove.

 

Hi again easter.

As I'm washing my Mini I thought of this thread. Upon reflection, I'd answer your question about paint protection and mods this way - if you're the kind of person that hand washes your cars more than 50 times a year, never goes through an automatic car wash, knows every single square inch of your car's surface and gets irritated every time you get a new knick or scratch, then paint protection film will likely be important to you. This is me, btw. If yours sees an automatic car wash once a month at most, then it might not be money well spent.

In my case the Xpel film went on in the first 1k miles. Window tinting soon after. Runflats came off at 12k. ST coilovers and NM GT 25mm rear sway bar went on a few weeks ago at 23k. The car now sits 1.25" lower and truly handles like a go cart. :-) :-) The transformation is amazing. I love driving driving this car even more now.

Next time I need tires, the oem 16" wheels come off and on go 17" Oz Leggera HLT wheels and Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires. At some point a chip or ecu reflash may be in order.

The beauty of this is there is no wrong answer, just what works best for you.

 

A brush type car wash for my MINI, ain't going to happen. Now my car had 44k on it when I bought it and was driven around DC so lets say it had paint chips. Thinking back I probably should have put a film on it.

 

Contented, that is a valid analysis. I'm semi OCD about things but I've never had a car I wanted to drive so much like the MINI. I want to be the guy who only hand washes but we'll see I suppose. Luckily I'm out of town this week so I can use the time to call around and see if I can find some better pricing.

How complicated was the 25mm NM RSB install? I want that as first mod for sure.

Whine, thanks for checking back in with more info .You are all making me consider it more and more .It's just sooooo overpriced.

 

easter, click the Xpel link I posted above. The two kits I had installed were $280 + $290 for a total of $570. Xpel charges the installer a cutting fee (I think its called) of $125 if memory serves me correctly. These prices included installation. So add state tax and your still less than $800. The Xpel website list installers. There are two shown in Monterey. Don't know how far that is from you. Even given Ca. prices you should be less than $1k. I only covered slightly more than half of the hood. If you cover the entire hood its more. I'd never heard of Xpel until my son put me on to it. Good stuff.

Re: the NM rear sway bar. If you have some mechanical skills and tools, its doable by the home mechanic. I assisted the tech installing my coilovers and sway bar. We did it on the lift used for alignments. if your doing it on the garage floor it will be harder. To install the RSB, we removed the struts and springs, much of the remaining rear suspension components had to be loosened and dropped down so there is room to remove the old and feed the new sway bar thru. No clue what it would cost to have it done retail. Perhaps others can weigh in. My install was part of a trade.

The purchase of my Mini reignited a long dormant interest in cars. Keeping it for a long time. I keep it spotless and am learning how to wrench on it. I'm fairly good w/ my hands, have some tools and have the time. The future looks bright. :-)