I decided to add the bonnet stripes to my car. It's funny, I hated them at first, but they grew on me so much over time that now I wouldn't think of ordering my MINI without them. I do have a few questions though.

First of all, let me first say, I want the black stripes with the thin white borders.

1. What are they made out of? My dad is trying to talk me out of the stripes, telling me they'll fade and peel off over time, and ruin the paint as well. Anyone know? Are they basically just cheap vinyl, or are they pretty permanent? Either way, I'm still getting them.

2. In the brochure, it says the stripes are $39 each, but I'm assuming that's not including installation fees. How much can I expect to pay the dealer to put the stripes on?

Thanks in advance, Kyle

 

i paid $125 to have them installed at classic mini, but thats not including the price of the sripes.

 

They are made of 7 year vinyl. A vinyl that will last atleast 7 years under harsh climates i believe. I paid 5 dollars and made/installed my own. If they ever fade, i will just make new ones. But after a year, they are still good as new, and my car sits outside most of the time

 

Hmmm, I wonder if anyone has taken their MINI to a local paint shop and had stripes painted on...

 

There are a few people with painted stripes, I will have mine painted eventually. The vinyl stripes that come factory are nice, and I don't think they will cause any problems. The only complaint I had about my white stripes was with the black border wax got stuck on the edges of the stripes, and it was hard to get off, and easily seen. I could not order a MINI without the stripes, I love them, they really complete the car.

 

I went with a custom vinyl uni stripe, and I plan to have it painted in the future at the same time I repaint my front end to remove all the rock chips. I will likely end up doing a clear bra install as well. Something I wasn't aware of at the time I bought my MINI--by the time I had brought it home--4500 miles later--it was too late.

I do wonder if it will last 7 years. My own white vinyl has bug stains that don't come out. The vinyl on my glass---from all the washings, is starting to peel after 1-1/2 years. The vinyl on my paint is adhering much better.

 

They will fade, they may peel and yes they will ruin the paint if removed after 1 summer in the sun (paint fades slightly). But the are OEM and everyone else will have the same issues in 7 years, you can always re-apply the stripes If you are one of the very few who maintain their car after 7yrs the way you do the 1st year of ownership, but chances are it wont matter, the stripes wont be the only thing that has lost it's lustre. Then again if you maintain it so well then the stripes will proabably look as fine as the car and it will be a mute point

 

I went a completely different approach with mine. I got the magnetic ones. Now I would say with these there is even more problems. When you place them on if they and the car are not totally clean you can create very tiny scratches. On the plus side though I can remove them easily clean them and the car and wax the spot and then reapply them.

 

Our MCS was one of the 1st that went off the lot at our dealership. The stock bonnet stripes are still in great condition, even in 2+ years of Florida heat. The MINI's not a MINI without bonnet stripes.

 

Thanks for all the replies.

 

Are you really sure about 1 summer? I've seen stripes removed from a MINI after bearing at least two summers in the Phoenix/AZ sun (which, I must say is pretty brutal). No paint fade whatsoever...and this was on a DS.

 

Mine sat outside 24/7 all summer in a beach climate with lots of sun....no fading, and i have a read car which is the most common color to fade.

 

Yes I am quite sure. I got my car without bonnet stripes because I wanted to go with traditon but was afraid the stripes would be a little to boy racer. Anyway, so I got some static cling stripes to try out. I put them on in May took them off in August and there definitely was fade. The fade could only be seen when freshly polished. If you just keep your car clean and not shiny then no big deal but if you try to keep it shinny you will notice it at certain angles.

I am just glad that I liked the stripes, I had the factory ones put on after that so no big deal.

 

Just to remind you, if you find your MINI bonnet stripes fading, peeling or defective in any way, your MINI dealer should replace them for free, because they are part of your car's warranty. (At least that is what they told me when I bought mine). NOTE: you must have purchased your car with the bonnet stripes on. If you've added them any time after the purchase, you might be out of luck, not sure...

I've noticed a scratch on one of my black bonnet stripes; probably from a stone. It is white underneath the black layer, and that white bothers me. I will be asking about a replacement when I go in for service next.

 

Yes they would probably replace them if by defect they faded prematurely because your car will NOT be under warranty after 7 short years.

Second, Let us know if your dealer obliges your request. That is a little like a warranty claim for a rock chip or any other scratch to the car. This is normal wear and tear, though it is relativly easy to fix your dealer would be under no obligation to do so. So, if your dealer does then spread the good news. But I doubt that they will be so accomadating

 

Cool...thank you..you guys answered my question. My dad had this idea that I was going to be putting cheap stickers on my paint that wouldn't last long. It seems that that is not the case, which is exactly what I was looking to hear.

 

Vinyl is different from stickers which are mostly paper backed. Those stickers fade and when you peel them off, they shred and leave sticky stuff all over. Vinyl, is plastic material all the way through, and is fairly easy to remove. Actually on glass I wish it would be more durable. The edges keep lifting every time I wash my car! I actually had one piece of a 3 color vinyl go flying off my car yesterday as I blasted it with water.

 

Just an FYI - Wax your vinyl just like you do your paint. This prevents "chalking" and pre-mature fading. Also, most vinyl has some sort of warranty for 3, 5 or 7 years, but they usually won't cover horizontal applications.



[font='Times New Roman']Also - White or light color cars are the worst to show shadow effects after the decals are removed.[/font][font='Times New Roman'] [/font]

 

If you are un sure about whether you want to install them yourself or have the dealership do it, I would suggest you install them yourself because it is not hard at all (maybe you'll need another set of hands). There may be other reasons why you would want the dealership to do it for you but I'm not sure on that.

 

I was actually getting ready put up a stripe special for the color you wanted. I have a bunch left over from the Bonnet and Boot show in Vegas.


20 bucks plus shipping and I will include step by step instructions on how to install them. They are pretty easy to put on.

I also have Black with Chrome pinstripes I can offer at a discounted rate.