The CF wrap looks good indeed but I have noticed, at least where I live in S. Florida that the heat and UV rays wear it down fast. Had my R53 hood scoop done at the Dragon in 2011 and it did not survive 1 year it was also 3M Di-Noc which is good stuff. I bit the bullet and went for the real deal CF scoop recently. I would definately use the wrap on interior parts but exterior I am not sold on.

 

Yeah the washer caps are repairable, I'll probably just go to the dealer and pick up a set of new ones though. If you want to wrap your rings in carbon, you may want to order a 24" wide roll. I only had 12" wide and you can't flip the patter to make it directional/side specific. I will probably order a wide roll and redo in a month or so.

Also when pulling off the washer coves. I have heard of people removing them at the "ball socket joint" where the clip and cover cap attach at the washer arms. Apparently they do twist outward to remove them but I'm too scared to try.

 

Awesome pictures and a fantastic job. Great looking guys too.

 

This looks great! I think Im going to give it a try.

does anyone have pics of CF wrapped interiors? Im thinking about wrapping the A/C bezels and maybe a few other things as well.

 

If you're ordering from Metrorestyling, email them ahead of time and ask if they're willing to cut you a 13" or 14" wide roll of 5' vinyl. I was given a name of customer service contact to use during checkout and they were more than happy to do so (granted they know that I've ordered a number of rolls from them in the past.)

I have seen a few steering wheel control covers wrapped in vinyl as well as secret compartment door, etc. Will definitely last longer than on the exterior. I haven't done anything on the interior yet, but the spedo/A/C bezels have been on my list.

As ACallahan mentioned, vinyl can have the tendency to fade/deteriorate in the sun, especially FL sun. Some of my vinyl is nearly a year old and doing great here in SoCal, but I do garage my MINI and coat the vinyl in Sonus Total Eclipse/303 Aerospace every 2-3 weeks.

 

Looks awesome Wish I had your talent

 

[QUOTE=BullyR56;3519931]

"Also when pulling off the washer coves. I have heard of people removing them at the "ball socket joint" where the clip and cover cap attach at the washer arms. Apparently they do twist outward to remove them but I'm too scared to try."

Just pull out the arm gently and then place a flat screw driver under the clip it pops right off and goes back on just as easily the hard part is holding the arm out while you pull it off. I did my whole front end these were the easiest part to remove and re-install.

 

Nicely done!!

 

[QUOTE=Showtime99;3524172]Do you pry on the topside with the single hole or the bottom double holes? Or are you taking it of at the ball joint?

 

This is my method: The greyish piece (on right in pic) has a "nib" top and bottom that the black washer cover (on left in pic) part fits over. Hopefully the pic below illustrates that well enough.



Pull straight out on the washer arm to get the washer head clear of the headlamp unit then put something behind it to hold it in place so you can work with the (to be wrapped chrome piece). From the picture you will see the chrome piece (mine is black) has small arms with holes that the joint is mounted to by little "nibs" on the greyish piece. One on top and another on the bottom and they just pop into place.

You can see that the top mounting point is shorter than the bottom. I chose the bottom as the pry point since it is longer and flexes more. Pry down and away from the greyish piece with your fingers/fingernails. Once you seperate one the other will be self explanatory. Just pry enough to get the small arm with the hole up and over the "nib"

Importantly is not to force it by prying like a maniac. It doesn't take much. I hope this helps!

 

Anybody knows where i can buy this carbon fiber wrap , i live in central florida and i just dont know where to get one. Also what color/ texture would look nice on my gray cLuby with silver pillar? Thanks!

 

I order all my stuff from Metrorestyling.com! They have everything you could ever want for wrapping a car. Go with 3M's 1080 Scotchprint wraps. It comes in many colors and textures, including carbon fiber.


I wanted to add that when prying on the bottom piece first, I did it with even pressure on both sides directly around where the "nib" and hole are. I kinda pushed and pulled with my fingers wedging it between the space until I felt it give. The two pieces always had contact while doing this. In other words I pulled them apart just enough for the hole to give way from the "nib".

 

So to be clear, you are prying /putting force on the washer cap itself? these don't seem to have any flex to them at all, just looking at them crooked could cause them to break. Seems getting them up and over the nubs is a tricky deal.

 

Thank you, i just ordered mine from metrorestyling and the prices seems to be reasonable. Do you think it will it look nice if i cover the c pillar on my dark silver clubman?

 

Yep that's it. Use the washer cap. The greyish piece will flex a bit too as you pry. You can use a flathead screwdriver between the two pieces as well. Just slide it in between and turn the flathead toward vertical using your other hand to pull the cap away as you do. Remember, you just have to pry enough for the washer cap attachment point to clear the "nib". Once it does just slide it away carefully. Once the first side is free the other will pull apart without resistance.

I know it looks like it'll break but remember they had to get them on the same way, just in reverse. Of course they may have a machine or proprietary tool but it still has to get up and over those nibs to go on or off.

If you're extremely worried about breaking them you could also just pull the arm out using something to hold it in the extended position, mask everything and paint it, or wrap it in place.

 

I applied my CF stripes about a year ago and it's holding up great. I'm in NY so I don't have the high heat and UV but I do have nasty winters and cold to deal with. So far so good on my daily driver.

 

Nicely done! I dig the thin center stripe. Any plans to finish running it down the front bumper?

I have some more vinyl wrapping plans this summer so I'll be sure to update once I do.

 

No plans to finish the stripes through the bumper. The stripes I put on when I first bought my MCS went through the bumper and I didn't really care for it. I thought it sort of hid the hood scoop where having them end at the scoop make it stand out more.

Original stock:


My first stripes, gloss black kit I bought with the body color grill:


Current stripes I made from CF vinyl, wider than the kit I bought and grill blacked out w/ CF vinyl:

 

Anybody tried wrapping the black plastic fender with this cf vinyl? Will it stick?

 

I saw a MINI at the dealership that was completely wrapped so I suspect that a quality vinyl will stick to the fenders.

 

funny i should stumble on to this thread, i was thining the same thing as owi1kenbi, would this wrap work on the fenders, i think it would look sharp

 

This crossed my mind a few month ago too. I tested a few scrap pieces of vinyl on the fenders (along the edges and across the center of the plastic) and they held up well for the few weeks that I had them on there. The main reasons I abandoned the idea was that:
1. Each wheel arch would require a large square piece of vinyl since stretching it to curve would be difficult and probably compromise the adhesion.
2. Very few sheet of vinyl are sold in long enough length to cover the side skirt (and look at how far into the door jamb and below the car it runs).
3. For a complete look, you'd need to wrap the front and rear bumper trims...

AND that becomes A LOT OF VINYL!!!

 

Nice work!

 

Thanks! These are probably one of my favorite wrapped pieces.

 

wow, this thread is great... nice work Nate!

I am trying to man up and try some of this wrapping myself. I have seen another MINI with the roof rack wrapped out here on the westside and it looks sweet!!!

My rack is now is 4+ years old and faded and could use an update...

Do you have any pointers for wrapping the rack? Did you wrap it off the car or on? Was there one piece of vinyl that spans the entire cross bar or did you have to piece it together?

Thanks again for such and awesome thread