Has anyone here used them before? Do they look as good as the regular vinal stripes? I'm considering buying them, but I don't think I've ever seen them before.


Thanks in advance.


-m

 

Run Forrest RUN.. I had them they scratched my car oh so slightly. You have to remove them daily and clean the dust for some reason dust is attracted to them magnetically.

 

Yeah I heard a bunch of stories like this, so I got scared and ran to vinyl haha

 

I had them for a while. They didn't scratch my car or cause any damage.

But, you must make sure that your bonnet and the back side of the stripes are PERFECTLY clean when installing.

Also, you need to remove them if there is a chance of moisture getting underneath them for more than a day or so. Moisture underneath can cause the paint to get hazy. This usually will reverse itself with sunlight and time.

I would say that they are great and fun, but would be most appropriate for use on club drives and other special occasions. If you want an every day stripe, go with regular vinyl.

 

Vinyl looks FAR better, but if you wax your car well as well as the backs of the magnets and make sure you clean the surface well before application you should be OK. Be sure to wax the paint first though - I got a bit of marring from magnetic gumballs before I waxed the paint.

 

I suppose I'll go with Vinyl. I just hate to pay the dealership to put them on. I'm guessing that this is out of my skill set.

 

I thought it was out of my skill level also, but I thought i would just give it a try, and It came out pretty well, and saved a bunch of money. if you do end up trying this yourself, I would recomend applying it wet, it lets you lift up the vinyl incase you make a mistake

 

If you have a bit of patience, a roll of masking tape and about 30-45 minutes, you can install the bonnet stripes no problem. I'd avoid the wet technique if you've never done it before - if you prep the stripes well, a dry application works flawlessly.

THIS DIY HOW-TO is for vinyl boot stripes, but the basic technique is exactly the same. The only "trick" is in aligning the stripes - use the windsheild washer nozzles, the edges of the chrome headlamp rings and (if you have a Cooper S) the outside edges of the supercharger scoop as convenient, symetrical reference points. Also, pay attention to which stripe is marked "left" and which is "right" (they're cut subtly different, with a slight curve on the end CLOSER TO THE FRONT). FYI- the proper spacing from the windsheild washer nozzle on every bonnet stripe I've measured is exactly the same - the length of the last digit on my pinky. When I did them, I aligned the front edge of the stripe about 1/16" from the chrome grill edge (just like the OEM install) and then allowed for any extra length to be on the BACK edge (closer to the windsheild) - that way, I could trim it off with a razor like 1/2" past the bonnet seam and wrap the extra around, then press it down after opening the bonnet. Seemed cleaner that way, and if MINI installs them so that the frint edge doesn't wrap into the seam between the grill and the bonnet there must be a good reason......

Once you have the bonnet totally clean and the stripes laid out with masking tape holding them in place, walk away for 10 minutes and re-check all your measurements with a fresh eye and a tape measure. Then follow the appplication steps in the linked How-To, letting the squeegee do all the work.

I've done afew sets by now with no problems whatsoever, and I bet you can, too. If you were closer, I'd do the job for you for the price of a few drinks - I love doing graphics work on MINIs.

Good luck, and PM me or ask here if you have any questions at all!

 

everytimeidie and ImagoX,

Thanks both for the advice. I think I may try this myself. Who did you buy your stripes from?



-m

 

I got mine from Aesthetic Creations and they're great. they have boot stripes, bonnet stripes, roof graphics and other fun srtuff. Other places like CooperFlags.com have them as well. I know the Aesthetic Creations ones come with an installation squeegee (I think the CooperFlags ones do as well). Aesthetic Creations BOOT stripes come with a replacement "Cooper S" chrome badge - not sure if CooperFlags' ones do, but I'm sure someone here can confirm.

Good luck and again, don't hesitate to PM me if you decide to do the work yourself and have any questions on prep or final installation.