I'm *this* close to ordering my PW/B justa (just gotta deter the husband from getting a Prius instead, given current gas prices, if only there was one at a dealer within 100 miles we could test drive!).

I love the sport stripes. I know that if I go aftermarket, I can get ones that continue down the bumpers, which the OEM ones don't do. Any thoughts? How easy/hard are they to install yourself, or do you have someone do it for you? (I'm not especially accurately inclined, and worry that my stripes would make my PW/B look more like a zebra if I did it myself. )

 

aftermarket has more chocies...i am doing mine next week...all the way from bumper ot bumper...

 

OH NOOOO!!!

Don't let the hubby choose a PRIUS! Get that boy down to the closest MINI dealer and put him in the driver's seat pronto!

I guarantee that after driving a MINI he will easily forget that Prius!

Just look for the telltale grin when he steps out of the MINI!

If it's there (and I'm sure that it will be) then you know you've convinced him... He's hooked!

I love stripes too, especially the sport ones!

There are several vendors on NAM that can supply you with some cool stripes for your MINI, maybe some our NAMily will chime in on this one, as I personally have not dealt with any graphics vendors, but personally I think that you can't go wrong with aftermarket stripes that extend down to the bumpers rather than the abruptly ending OEM ones.

Just make sure you get that husband of yours to buy that PW/B MINI!

Good luck and don't forget to post pics of your MINI when it arrives!

Enjoy & Motor On!

 

You know, we've already done a test drive of an MC! No grin. Not that he didn't like the MC, but he thought it would be "OK." OK, he did think it had good pickup and was nimble and all that, but he wasn't ready to order one on the spot! Perhaps I should have that boy's head examined.

However, I do 90% of the driving (he has a Vespa that he takes everywhere), so this is 90% my car, right? (We have only one primary car, right now a 99 Passat, and a VERY secondary second car, a 68 Cougar (formerly my aunt's - I'm the second owner), but that gets like zero gas mileage, and I'm terrified of parking it anywhere because it's pristine)

 

The only advantage of paying the dealer to do anything is that 1) you can finance it and 2) you can try to warranty it (of course depending on the mood of your SA).
I had a little "incident" that required a re-spray of Lewis' bonnet and the insurance company didn't blink at putting new stripes on him since they were dealer installed before delivery.
I love my dealer as much as most here, and I'm all about having them to blame for the installing of stripes. And it's actually not a bad deal for most of the "normal" stripe options. Mine, though, were $350 installed.

 

I installed factory bonnet stripes using the instructions found here:

http://www.mightystripes.com/PDF/INS...%20stripes.pdf

I would recommend this be done by someone who is detail-oriented and good with their hands.

The key is to get both the decal and the bonnet nice and wet, and they'll go on much better. Measure the stripes on another MINI, using the washer jets and MINI badge as reference points, and put down a few pieces of blue masking tape as guides. I used a 49 cent bondo blade as a squeegee (about the same size and stiffness as a credit card).

When putting down my first stripe, I didn't spray enough soap-and-water solution on the sticky side of the stripe, and had a few bubbles remain that would not squeegee out. Fortunately, I was able to pop them with a sharp needle the next day, and now (after a few days in the sun), they have disappeared completely.

 

I installed floor to floor Sport stripes from Aesthetic Creations. It's definitely possible to DIY it but take your time. I removed all the belt moldings/emblems and trim panels that the stripes would be going over so that it would come out as perfect as possible. A lot of work, but I'm very happy with how it turned out.

 

Welcome to NAM from middle Georiga Minis. I can't think of any thing more dull than a Prius. I had OEM black stripes on my 06MCS but they didn't hold up very well. I have B/W checkered bonnet stripes from Mighty Stripes and put them on using the dry method which worked for me. Do a search as there is a lot of threads on installing stripes wet or dry. Good luck and I hope you have your PW MINI real soon!!

 

I'd recommend doing them after the fact. I don't like the abruptly ending ones from the dealer.

and with the prius, it's good on gas, but if you're getting it to be "environmentally friendly" it's a no go. Studies have been done and due to the battery manufacturing, the Hummer H3 creates less carbon dioxide throughout it's life span then the prius.

 

That's an urban myth. But the fuel economy sticker does aim high - unless you live in a very congested urban area and are in constant stop and go traffic, you'll never achieve numbers that high.

 

Well, I live in San Francisco. Hills, lots of stop signs and traffic lights. My 6-mile commute to work takes an average of 20 minutes, average speed about 20 mph on my way home (faster on the way in, but that's because it's 4am! ) My Passat's averaging about 16MPG per tank on Shell 91, but if you throw a hwy trip in there, it can get up to 18-19MPG. Even the MINI's EPA mpg ratings are going to be high for me, what with CA's 91 octane gas and SF driving. Guess I need to find a job farther away!

 

My dad has a Prius. In highway driving at about 70, he gets around 44-45 mpg. In city driving, it's over 50 as the gasoline engine only comes on when you go faster than about 10 mpg. Whenever you stop at a light, the gasoline engine turns off. It's strange as it feels like the car stalled.

 

If you are planning to have a clear bra installed on the front of your MINI, you might as well wait and get aftermarket stripes as they would need to go over the clear bra. That said...if I wanted sport stripes and didn't want to hassle of going the aftermarket route, sure I'd get the OEM ones. You can always add to them (pretty easy to match) or replace them someday if you really want to. While I don't like that the stripes are cut out around the front MINI logo, I've seen "bad things" happen when folks (ordinary folks) try to remove the logo, so considering that, the cutout is a good thng.

 

NO GRIN... NO SMILE!!!


Are you sure he is alive?


By all means seek out some good medical care for this poor soul! He seems to be suffering from sensory deprivation of some sort. Immediate medical attention is required!

The Dr. says, Take the boy for another drive in a MINI (maybe an MCS this time) and call me in the morning. If he shows no response, like eagerly wanting to sign the purchase agreement for a new MINI, then a comprehensive treatment plan for your hubby is in order.



Hmm, that Vespa thing may be symptomatic of his condition.

Well anyway, since you do 90% of the driving then the solution is rendered academic. Leave the husband to fend for himself on the scooter and YOU move on up to a MINI! Yeah, that's the ticket! Make the MINI YOUR car!

It would seem that you are the car enthusiast in the family, seeing as you want an MC and also own that pristine '68 Cougar. Go on girl... Purchase that MINI! Follow your good instincts and Motor On!

 

Good point. If I get the OEM clear bra and OEM stripes, does the dealer install them bra first, stripes second?

 

I agree with gokartride. I had the factory (vdc) install the sport stripes and am leaving the rest of the stripes up to my dealer. They assure me they can match the stripes so they will be handling the bumpers and the roof only. This way I won't have to worry about a sloppy job around the emblems.

 

it's not an urban myth. If you do really get into the environmental stuff, embodied energy is huge. Right now, for the environment, the best thing to do is get a fuel efficient, standard gasoline car. I think it was the Scion xB that had the lowest embodied energy of production cars today. Those big hybrid batteries are horible for the environment.

http://cnwmr.com/nss-folder/automotiveenergy/
Believe what you want, but as someone who just graduated from Penn State engineering, I have learned all about these new environmentally friendly products coming out. There's some that are good, some that are good in one area to be bad in another(prius), and some that are downright terrible.


/offtopic...

 

Yes!

 

Everybody has bonnet stripes. My wife got tired of the black bonnet stripes. She had the dealership put the Sport Stripes and still something was off. She added the JCW Grill Inserts, JCW Carbon Fiber Hood Scoop, JCW Carbon Fiber Mirror Caps, and the JCW Boot Latch.