I was thinking of getting some aftermarket bonnet stripes to set my MINI apart. I just had some questions...

What's the best place(s) to get stripes?

Are they as good as the manufacture's?

Are they easy to care for? (I heard you can't wax them)

How much has it cost for a pro to put them on for you?

Anything else I need to be aware of?

Thanks guys!

 

Hi fellow Noob here - I have been thinking of doing the same thing. Cooperflags.com has a nice website. Lots of choices...can anyone recommend a place to put aftermarket bonnet stripes on in northern N.J.?

 

CooperFlags made a set for my Cooper last year and Ziebart installed them when they tinted my windows. I've had no problems with either at all, and I DO wax over my stripes with no problems, either.

AesthetiCreations just made a set for my new S, along with a sunroof graphic. As neither has been installed yet, I'm not at liberty to say how they perform...but they sure LOOK nice as they sit here beside my PC! A friend and I are going to do the installs, but if he is busy, I guess another trip to the Ziebart in Dayton, Ohio, will be necessary.

 

my fav place is cooperflags, they have hooked me up numerous times and they do great work.
www.cooperflags.com

 

I went to Sign-a-Rama. I had a bad experience. But they are franchises and you may find a better one. My Mini Dealer recomended another Sign place in case I cannot get my striping fixed. You may want to ask your dealer who they recommend. They will even install what you have bought from Cooperflags or Aesthetic Creations offers.

 

The vendors here are great.

The quality is better than MINI's factory stripes

Treat them just like your paint. No special care is really necessary. Some people spray them with vinyl protectant.

I probably wouldn't spend more than $30-40 to have them installed. They are easy to install yourself too. Most of them will come with easy instructions.

 

I've been considering buying a bonnet stripe and installing it myself, but I'm wondering:

- Do you need two people to do this right?

- How hard is it to apply a stripe when there's a windscreen washer nozzle in the way?

- If I try a self-install and get it wrong, have I ruined my bonnet? How hard is it to remove vinyl stripes, anyway?

 

I bought some stripes from Mike at http://www.aestheticreations.net/ and did the installation myself. My stripes went beside the washer jets so it wasn't a big deal to install. The hardest part was making sure they were spaced equally, but just take your time.

Mporter, I removed the factory stripes with one of these. It was easy because the Chizzler slides under the edge of the stripe and lifts it so you can peel it off. One problem I had was half the adhesive from one stripe stayed on the bonnet. To get rid of it, I soaked a paper towel with GooGone and put it on the adhesive to soak for several minutes. The adhesive slowly started to ball up and dissolve, and I was able to evetually get it all off.

 

My Aesthetic boot stripes are on the way and will hopefully arrive today. I hear nothig but good things about the quality of his materials, and I'll be documenting the installation when I get them.

 

My Aesthetic Creations boot stripes are on the way too but I'm not installing them until I can learn from any mistakes ImagoX documents

 

LOL... You are wise, Grasshopper.

I'll let YOU do a DIY pulley job or something then.

 

anyone know where i can get a stripe like on the GP... but in red?

 

There's several variations of stripes.. some of them far easier to apply than others. My mini came with white OEM stripes and I wasn't that thrilled with them.. To me, the stock stripes aren't agressive enough for my taste.

I've gone through a couple of sets and am considering swapping out the ones I have now, in the pictures, for some of the NEW faux carbon stripes from Aesthetic Creations. I was a little leery about "fake" carbon fiber stickers but I must say that the the new stuff from AC is awesome. I got a sample of it from them and the stuff really looks like carbon.. even close up. The only drawback, for me, is that it's not very flexible at all.. So, the contours of the Mini bumpers, especially the rear, is probably a no-go. But, I'm still considering it.

As far as application, the OEM, or similar, stripes shouldn't be much of a problem at all for one person. You just need to take your time and have your slightly soaped water bottle and a vinyl squeeqy handy. You can get the squeegy's at virtually any vinyl store, or I think AC also sells them. Anyway, if you want to tackle the lower bumper, be warned. This will take you a considerable amount of time to get right. It doesn't look like much work, but to get the viny around the curves of the bumpers can be challenging.

I picked up my stripes off someone on Ebay.. Mine are just basic stripes.. no contours or curves, so they were pretty cheap.. something like $70 shipped with plenty of extra. Wtih my setup, .5" stripe, .5" gap, 9" stripe, 3" center gap, etc., it just missed the washer jets.. riding just along them. AC's vinyl is much more durable than the stuff that I got.. My stripes on the lower front bumper are strating to chip from daily commuting. I wasn't too concerned because I've got extra to replace it if I want.. and when I put these stripes on, i wasn't too sure as to how long I was going to have them on the car..

If you want to have it professionally done, I would recommend it for the bumpers (rear in particular), if you want to go that low. For the standard stripes, grab a cole one and have a go at it!

 

Those look GREAT, Typer... the bumper must have been hell, though. Nice work.

 

Thanks ImagoX... The front wasn't too bad at all.. I think the rear bumper, around the aux light, took me just shy of 2 hours.. I wouldn't wish it on my enemy.. I think the rest of the stripes in total took me about 2 hours. My girlfriends hair dryer got a workout on that stripe install.. Happy Motoring!