Maintenance on the fender flares seem like kind of a pain. I saw flares on a jeep recently, I assume made of the same type of material, that looked atrocious. They were all oxidized or stained with wax or both. I definitely don't want that to happen to mine. I have seen instances where painted flares look nice like in the images below, but sometimes it doesn't look right. Not sure if it would be better to be the body color or the same color as the roof (black).

What is the general consensus on painted flares? Yay or Nay?

 

I used to be opposed to painted fender flares until I got the JCW kit which came with primed wheel arches. They look much nicer in person than I ever imagined. They look good either way though, black or painted. But yeah, imagine in 5 years, the black plastic might look a bit worse for wear. On the other hand, if you paint over the stock textured arches without preparing them properly, you could have some issues with paint flaking in 5 years as well. Best to get the primed non-textured pieces, or just buy an extra set of the black plastic ones to replace once your current ones start looking bad.

 

I've been thinking about it for some time but need to see a painted fender mini in the flesh. Thanks for the pics.

 

I am getting ready to order a jest of wheel lip molding so I can paint them. Cant stant the black plastic on any car Our Mini is 2011 Clubman with the Hyper Sport Aero Package so in my case it is 6 pieces to buy and paint. I am also going to paint the Mirrow Cap body color they are black now, again I wll by new one so I don have to deal with wax other gunk that might be one them I will keep all the removed pieces so the next owner can put them back on if they want.

Tom

 

I can't imagine the stock ones looking bad/aging at all. Mine are 10 years old with constant weather exposure. With the right product on them (I have an exterior automotive trim spray that's simple to apply) they look fantastic (and I have the awards to show for it).
If some wax or sealant gets on it, a bit of isopropyl will clean it off.

Either way, both look good - the painted or OEM. I had never seen the gloss black - that's pretty slick

 

The hot California sun can reek havoc on black plastic trim. You should see some of the older Honda Elements or Pontiac Aztec after the sun gets to them. My Toyota Tacoma had them and the faded so I replaced the fender flare with one I painted body color still look good after 5 years in the sun and weather.

Tom

 

Painted looks best imo. Not important enough for me to change, but if I could I'd remove all the plastic inside and out.

 

Painted, I will be doing mine in the future

 

That is because the owners of those cars did not take the time or effort to properly take care of them. A little protectant every month goes a a long way to keeping these pieces looking good for many years, no matter the conditions. I live in Texas and can say the environmental conditions here are equal if not worse than most of california.

 

make sure you order the smooth primed trim pieces if you can still find them. They're more expensive than the stock black textured ones, but you'll save money in the long run on paint prep and they'll turn out nicer and you won't have to worry about adhesion problems down the road.

 

I really like this look.

-Luccia

 

I love mine. Some colors do look better then others with them though..