Hi just picked up a 07 mini cooper s, so im new to this forum. I have noticed that several of you have painted the factory black fender extension, rockers and trim. I plan on painting the black trim and changing the wheels to start. Approx. how much should I expect to spend to paint all of the trim? does it chip easy? Thanks

 

There are two kinds of arches. You might want to swap out your textured wheel arches for arches that can be painted. That way they will come out better when you have them painted. Wheel arches are cheap about $60 a piece. I do not know about the paint and labor.

I had the factory aero kit on my car at one time. The arches and side sills come pre-painted from the factory. The right front painted wheel arch needed to be replaced as it came from the factory with one of the clips broken. This was done under warranty. It held up well as did all the rest of my painted arches.

This is what my car used to look like with the factory aero kit.

 

Did you remove the aero kit?

 

Paintable arches are pretty expensive compared to the regular one's. I just installed the JCW aero kit along with painting the textured arches. I luckily have a auto body friend that does side work. Rear Hatch, JCW Aero Kit, arches and all textured parts on JCW kit cost me $700 to paint. As for price for you, I would assume just 4 arches painted would probably cost $500 at a local auto shop. That's a ball park figure. Durability is like any other painted part on the car. Paint holds up well. If you plan to use your old parts, expect to buy new clips. For the arches, there is something like a 24 at about 20-30 cents each. For the side skirts, I would suggest in upgrading to the JCW or the soon to be announced Group 4 side skirts. You would be amazed at what a difference in looks it makes.

If I get my Joey Mod done early enough, I'll try to get you some pics today.

 

Yes. This is what it looks like now.

 

where do you get the ones that can be painted?

Thanks

 

From any dealer. Just call up the parts department and ask.

 

Or just use the existing black molding and paint those like I did. You will have to buy new clips though.

 

This is [IMG]file:///C:/Users/User/Desktop/mini95.jpg[/IMG]red bull's mini...

 

was.....until he parted and sold it

 

Here's pics of my MINI:

 

NICE!!

 

I am under the impression that paint will not adhere well to the pebbly finish on the standard black plastic arches. Anyone with experience on that?

 

Long as you take it to a professional that knows what they are doing, you will be fine. There are different ways to paint the arches but the most typical way is to sand them down to make them smooth.

 

It's not hard. I used to be with a body shop that painted one of my arches as a sample piece. I actually had the arch left original, part of it primed, and another part primed and painted and polished. You need to make sure there is a flex agent in the paint so it doesn't crack off when it flexes. When you prime it, you can sand that smooth and then paint it. You won't sand the plastic texture away.

 

*wrong thread oops...

 

I will attest to dave o's lacquer thinner + penetrol method. I had some pretty bad white swirling on the plastic fenders of my 2012 countryman. They were also fairly dull looking... Penetrol tool them right out. I'll also admit I used some of the thinner to remove some stubborn sticky residue from a carmax sticker. I wiped once with a cloth with some thinner then once with one with water to dilute. the thinner.