Bought some vinyl stripes from AliExpress to install on my 2015 mini cooper countryman but now I dunno if it's even worth installing. I was thinking to install it and if I didn't like it to just remove them. But now I've read it's a pita to remove. Also not sure about their longevity either, some claim 3-5 years others say they start wearing off after a few weeks. My main concern is that the paint fades around them and I'll end up having to keep them for good or repaint the whole hood in order to get it back to a uniform shade. Plus how are these stripes after winters (we get snow storms here), or can you even use car washes in winter, what about a foam tip on a pressure washer to wash it. So many uncertainties

 

Not familiar with that brand of stripe, I replaced OEM with laminated vinyl from Aesthetic Creations (now defunct) a bit over 8 years ago and added boot stripes, they are still spotless. It gets hand washed regularly. You either want or don't want bonnet stripes so that's entirely up to you. They are very easy to remove if need be. A hair dryer provides enough heat and they peel right off.
As for washing. Not familiar with the 3rd Gen body structure but 1st Gen and car washes DO NOT play well together so consider that choice carefully, there are some horror stories on the forum. Hand washing is preferred and strongly recommended. Some of the best car care products are Mother's, Meguiars and my favorite Griot's Garage. Check 'em out.

 

The seller states the brand name is Casking and the material is KK.

Not sure what this material is...

 

Just remember. You're buying directly from China. There are plenty of sources in the states that use better quality materials. When I first bought my current 3rd Gen car I ordered several things from AliExpress because they were way cheaper than OEM. Never used one of them. They either didn't fit, the color was off, or they were such a cheap looking part that I didn't want them on my car. And good luck if you ever want to get a refund. Just my opinion and YMMV.

 

I did a google on "Casking vinyl stripes" and came up with https://www.stripeman.com/. Have no idea what KK is.
This outfit, https://www.mightystripes.com/ is MINI specific and has a track record.
I did save a link demonstrating application of boot stripes, the bonnet stripes go on just the same.
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ictures-3.html

 

You want to use what is called a "Cast" vinyl. It is the highest grade. Sunlight is any vinyls worst enemy unless you happen to use a pressure washer on it then that is worse!! I used a reflective vinyl on my MINI back in '07 and they are still on the car to this day. Car is/was a DD but did live in a garage when not in use..

 

In my opinion all Mini's should have stripes. So when mine didn't come with them I let it go for a while but it just didn't look right. I ended up getting the basic black OEM stripes and then after having trouble finding who to install them I just watched a Youtube video and went for it. They came out good and make a huge difference in appearance. All my Mini's have had the stripes, I hand wash my cars, and I also wax the stripes... never had any issues with them.

 

+1 on wax. Any good carnauba. Should have mentioned that.

 

 

I thought that too. And taking it one step further, a black roof MINI should have black stripes, and a white roof MINI should have white stripes. That sort-of coordinates very well, like when you have both your socks matching.

Now, I have a MINI with a body color roof. What stripes should I get, is my dilemma? Body color? While pondering that epic question, having a MINI with no stripes is growing on me, as is the body color roof.

 

How 'bout matching the interior grey?

 

The interior Satellite Gray is really more of a white, pretty close to the body color Pepper White. So, I would end up with white-on-white.

A good thought, though.

 

I like stripes on my MINI. Mine came without stripes so I had them added. You should get a decent grade of vinyl. I chose to have it installed professionally because it wasn't THAT much more and I wanted to be able to see the color against my car. But I heard striping a car is similar to putting a screen protector on your phone, so it's not too tough. And they're easy to remove. I did hear that you might get uneven sun fade so you might be stuck with stripes if you had them on for a long time. Mine is still new and the stripes still look good, so I can't speak to that.

...go with stripes, I say =)

 

I think having the Mini all one color frees you up to use any color stripes, now you don't have to match the roof with the stripes.

 

But you're from Hawaii, I'm from Montreal and we got some crazy weather down here... Not sure if stripes would last.