I really want a black roof, would it be a good idea to mask it off and spray paint it? I have other parts on the car that are spray painted and they've been holding up perfectly. Any tips on how to do it?

 

in theory yes but unless you have the right equipment and access to a proper paint booth I'd recommend a letting a paintshop do it.

I would not try to do something this large with rattle cans. You also need to sand the existing finish to give the new paint something to bite. And you may find a blemish or two needing attention (rock hits) which can mean a wee bit of extra sanding, a touch of filler and a shot of primer.

Hey, no one has suggested plasti-dip yet?

If you really want to rattle can it, look at
http://www.automotivetouchup.com/

you can get the correct color match for MINI and take a look at the application instructions on the web site. What these guys would be selling would be the proper automotive base/clear system. You'd buy the color base coat, and clear to top that.

I've used their stuff to do small repairs, and parts like hood scoops etc but use real paint guns & bulk paint if the area is an entire panel, or a door.

 

Why not wrap the roof? It would be cheaper and you could undo it later.

 

I think FF has the right idea, and it'll probably cost less too.

 

certainly worth a look but I know that when I looked into a roof graphic the particular vendor wanted $200 for installation on top of the graphic price.

You may find it can be painted in the same neighborhood. Get estimates for both. Wrap folks are all over now and painters are a dime a dozen.

With either I'd ask around for some local recemmendations tho as we've all seen both poor wrap jobs and bad paint.

Do you have a sunroof? That can cut the material cost in half.

 

nothing would cost less than sandpaper, spray paint, tape, and primer....I think i could do it myself instead of bringing it somewhere....is there anything i could remove to make it easier? and yes i do have a sunroof

 

If you got the skills and a place to let the paint cure for several days without being exposed to dust, I would take off the rain gutter, mask off the entire car, scuff the original paint with some 1200 grit paper, and shoot it. But remember unless you take the sunroof off, the felt will prevent you from wrapping the edges around so it will probably get painted on, or there will be no new paint here and eventually the paint will peel and you have to do it all over again.

You will need to shoot it with clearcoat as well. Once you're done, and you've waited about a week, start sanding the new paint with 1500 grit paper to remove orange peel and make it uniform. Sand out any dust/lint that settled in it. Now using a rotary buffer and a wool pad, compound the sanding marks to bring back the shine. If you don't sand and polish it, the paint will be dull and ripply.

Put the rain gutter back, and hopefully it looks as good as you hoped!

Note the reason I would paint it myself is because I wanted the challenge, and thought I could do a better job than the local bodyshop. I painted my scuttles with Krylon rattle cans. This is fine. Use of an HVLC sprayer is necessary when you are matching paints with a paint code and need to mix it up.

Good luck.

Richard

 

Plastic dip......

 

I agree!

 

Please don't rattle can your MINI. I rattled canned a $500 Civic's hood with a friend and still felt bad. No matter how steady you are and how well you prepare it, it will not look as good as a professional spray job. You will definitely detract from the value of your vehicle.
I would go to a local auto painter and ask how much it would be to get Gloss black and clear coat. If you pay cash you might get a really good one-off deal.

 

PlastiDip looks like butt on the roof.

Since you have the sunroof id say go for it. Properly done with time well taken itll turn out fine. Worst case is a nice buff after its done.

Just take off all the trim possible like was mentioned otherwise youll probably get flaking in the near future.

 

Wrap the roof. it will look great, last a long time and you can remove it.

 

You could always get a quote from a shop to JUST spray it. That would seriously cut down on labor costs. You seem to be plenty comfortable with sanding/prepping yourself. You could even tape it off for them. Just an idea.

 

And if you rattle can it, you are only wasting about $30 in material if it turns out crappy. Easy to deal with for a couple weeks until you get funds to re-do it a different way.

 

You rattle can that car and you will pay dearly when you go to trade it someday. Any dealer will know what's happened and you'll get a appraisal that will make the best paint job cheap in comparison. You may think you'll never trade it but you most likely will and that's a huge mistake.

 

What about the carbon weave vinyl I've seen. I know I have seen pictures somewhere of it and it actually looked good. I think you can pull it back off later if you want to change back.