So being in Miami the sun was killing me... My car is mostly under shade or in the garage but when I have to leave it outside parked, it was truly unbearable when I got back... My seats were extremely hot and it was just not pleasant...

I tinted the windows but the sunroof was the last frontier...

I found out that MINI sells a White Sunroof decal (part # 51 14 0 390 393).. So I ordered it (since Braman didn't have it in stock) with the discount it came to $76... Got it installed by the local tint shop (Auto Perfection on US1 right by Shorty's - the best around)... They did a phenomenal job and installed it for $40..It was a lot harder than I thought it would be...

At any rate, big difference now with temperatures in the car.. The all white roof looks ok in my opinion (not crazy about it) but the temp decrease in the car is huge...

The other big advantage is that it is now dark inside the car... The sunroof would not let the tints darken the car at all since it would reflect anything on the inside...

Here are some pics... enjoy...

 

That why my new on has no sunroof

 

Summers are brutal but from Dec-May I love having a sunroof....

 

You're missing out on a lot, IMO. Driving with the sunroof and windows wide open is the next best thing to motoring in a convertible.

That looks great, spyder ! That was a side benefit for me, too, in putting on a vinyl decal on my roof. Along with 20 percent tint all around, my car stays very tolerable, even on the hottest summer days.

And hey... I prefer the solid white roof to the white roof with dark sunroof anyway. Very nice choice !

 

Thanks!

 

really nothing to miss, had it on my old mini and never used it now my SLK i used the top down at night....

 

Yeah, you have what... about 7 cars at any given time so one of them is bound to be a convertible.

But for those who like the sunroof, like Spyder, it's a good option to put vinyl on it.

 

neat, do they make black?

 

They may but it's not in the MINI accessories catalog...

 

Actually my wife has a SLK and I never drive it... Too girly and small for me... No offense to anyone... Just my take..

I prefer sunroofs or targa tops to full convertibles...

 

no offense I am a woman, LOL and the white decal looks amazing on the sunroof OP

 

Great installation. I like it a lot. Being an old fart I don't have a lot of hair on top. It's tough when the sun is directly overhead. However, my roof is pepper white. Does it come in pepper white?

 

The tint shop did a great job! Looks cool & feel cooler too.

 

I am definitely doing this. I cannot stand the perforated shade. I think the sunroof would be cool as long as it is opaque when closed, so I searched and found this thread. Thanks for the pics.

Crazy as it sounds, since a cassette is like $1500-ish, when it needs one, I am planning on cutting the roof off and replacing it with a solid white one.

 

Cooperflags.com and Aestheticreations.net could probably make one in any color you want. They both do lots of roof art with sunroof and sans-sunroof vinyl.

 

Is that the white vinyl with the small perforated holes in it?

 

for anybody who is looking to do this. You can get a better price if you just go to a sign shop that does automobiles. This would cost 70 max and thats installed. Its just white of black material.. Its not hard to cut it out from the sunroof.
So if you want to do this now, you can save some money!
looks great by the way! I bet that helps alot

 

thats why I was asking if it was perforated. i was going to suggets a sign supply shop for the material. you can buy a 24"x10yrd roll (min size per order) for about $40. (non perf) you'll need it to be hi performance in order for it to last outside. then youll have many yards left over to resell to other mini owners

 

for sure!
and you can also get the perforated stuff the same way

 

That is true, you can go to any sign shop and have them install vinyl on your sunroof.

However, like anything else, you usually get what you pay for. when you purchase a solid sunroof from us, you are buying the best 3M vinyl and laminate on the market. This is true with all of our solid roof graphics and printed stripes.

For our perforated sunroof covers, we use ClearFocus material, the company that created the original perforated material.


There are many levels of quality in vinyl. It's like steak, you can have dry aged Prime, or you can buy select.

If you do decide to purchase from a local sign shop, be sure to ask them if they use a Cast vinyl or a Calendared vinyl. that should be your first question for them. If it Will be printed, they should also use a matching laminate to protect the print.

It would be interesting to hear from those that have purchased from local shops, what material was used, what it cost them, and how it worked out in the long term.

Ed

 

actually I have been using Oracal hi performance vinyl out here in AZ for the past 10 yrs. they are 1/3 the price of 3M and have the same 10yr outdoor life warranty.
I have done fleets of 50+ trucks with this stuff and have never had one vehicle come back because of a defect.

 

And the trick to a successfull perforated job is to use clear vinyl about a half inch wide along the edge of the perforation to keep dirt from getting under it.