I bought an '08 MCS a little over a year ago, Lazer Blue with white bonnet stripes. They were getting scratched and dingy, so I decided it was time for them to go. After 5 years out in the SoCal sun, the vinyl was so brittle that it chipped off in tiny pieces rather than peeling. I spent about 2 hours with a heat gun in one hand and the other picking and peeling, and got about 3/4 of one side off. I searched the forums, and bought two products recommended here: and . For the 3M remover, first I decided to test it on the paint in my engine bay. sprayed a bit on, wiped it off, and the paint thinned out to where I could see bare metal, and the rag turned blue. No Thanks! Next up I tried the razor blade, and it worked great! I waited for a hot day, and went out during my lunch hour, and got the remaining 1 1/4 stripes up in a half hour. I did manage to wear out one of the two blades in that time, though, so if you have a big job I would recommend buying extra blades.

 

How was the paint beneath the stripes?

I've got an '07 MCS but have been hesitant to remove the strips for fear of a paint differential due to the paint beneath the stripes being protected.

 

yeah, lots of times it not so much that the paint has faded some, ( paint and clear coat has come along ways ) it's that the paint under the stripes has no scratches at all.

 

The guys that do vinyl for a living use vinyl erasers that will chuck up in a hand drill. They're made of rubber and take the vinyl right off without damaging the paint underneath. I've used one to remove a lot of 7 year old vinyl off a race car and it worked great although required a lot of hand strength to keep it from skipping all over the place. Obviously the professionals have bigger/better ones...

 

What color? Some colors are more susceptible to fade. Metallic reds and metallic dark greens can be a problem. Black, white, solid blues, silver, not much problem.

Does the car live outside in the sun all the time, or is it garaged?

 

Agreed. Did my dark silver 2007 last summer using a plastic blade and some goo remover.

The paint underneath was totally perfect, so the lines were visible at first. But the paint was unfaded and a clay bar and polish made everything look near perfect.

 

My car is the metallic British racing green. The strips are starting to crack a bit. The car is new to me, so I have no idea if it was garaged.

Sounds like I should be prepared to replace the strips if I remove the old ones.

Thanks for the info!!!

 

Not too bad, but definitely noticeable:
It's an '08, Laser Blue Metallic. I've had the car for one year now, it spends most days out in the Southern California sun. I knew it wasn't going to be perfect. It looked a lot worse right after removal. Clay bar, polish, and wax helped a bit.

 

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co.../small/cat/500

 

MINI's don't seem to be clear coated under the hood, and in the jambs, except for the doors Even a mild cleaner like diluted simple green will remove the paint in those areas.

 

Good point, RB. I thought that might be the case, but wasn't willing to risk it. The plastic blade was gentle enough.