I ordered my S last Monday and am eagerly awaiting arrival. I also ordered bonnet stripes and have concerns regarding longevity and paint issues should I choose to remove them. For the foreseeable future my Mini will be a 24/7 outside car whether I like it or not. If I want to remove them in a few years will I need a repaint? How well will they hold up if given proper care?

 

Get a car cover.

I'm not sure about the paint. You might find more info in the Detailing 101 forum in the General section. I would think that even if the color didn't fade, the paint surface may differ with that protected by the stripe. Claying the paint after removing the stripe might fix that, again see Detailing 101.

The vinyl for stripes varies in quality from 2-3 years life to about 10 years, depending on the quality. I'm not sure what MINI uses.

I would think that a good wax with UV protection would help both the paint and stripe.