I picked up my MINI almost 2 weeks ago and took it back today as I had ordered the "Protection Package". I was told by the finance manager that it consisted of an invisible film that would protect the hood of the car, and that once it was applied, I wouldn't even know it was there.

Well, I do know it's there and it looks AWFUL! My car is chili red with white racing stripes on the hood, and on the white stripes, you can see exactly where it ends. It looks like there is a defect in the paint. On the left side near the headlight are two bubbles, and just about that, the way they pieced it together, it looks like a big scratch.

I left the dealership quite annoyed as I had signed out a loaner car. They did not tell me I had to put gas in it before I returned it. So after I transferred all my stuff from the loaner to my car, then the guy asks me if I put gas in it. I said no, you didn't tell me I had to and I only went a short distance. He said I had to put gas in the car as it was full that morning. So I had to go back to my car, get my stuff, and take the loaner to the gas station to put gas in it. I only went 22 miles (had lunch with a friend) and figured since they said it was full that it would only take a gallon at the most. Well, it took 4 gallons ($12.76), so obviously the car was not full when I signed it out this morning, or the loaner only gets 5.5 miles to a gallon. When I got back to the dealer, I just put the keys on the desk and walked out, got into my car, and headed for home. I was mega ticked off and in no mood for anyone at that point.

I didn't look at the protective film until I got home and was really not happy at all with the way it looks.

Does anyone else have this package and does it look as awful as mine? I'm ready to take it off as it makes the hood look horrible!

Carole

 

I bought my car used so I dunno if the dealer put it on the car or someone else. I LOVE the fact that it's there....picture this....2 weeks after getting car I'm driving on the highway in the left lane when I notice that a small truck in the right lane about 2 car links ahead has this powdery stuff coming from the bottom of the car. WELL that "stuff" was chunks of gravel spilling onto the road and coming RIGHT at me. Most of the debris missed me because I was in the left lane however a group of that stuff did hit the car. I had two options....hit the brakes and create distance OR slam the gas....guess which one I did. Anyhow I was (excuse my language) pissed that it happened especially after having the car less than 2 weeks BUT when I got to work I looked at the damage and was surprised to find that the clear bra took one for the paint There is only one speck where the paint is indented and the chrome grill got hit....which I traded for a JCW Grille.
Moral of story: I will ALWAYS have a clear bra for any car that I have....its a life saver.

 

Carole,

Can you take a picture of the clear bra and post it here? Maybe I'm reading your post wrong, but it sounds like they cut some of the excess material away to fit the curves - which I don't think needs to be done. On my Mini, the hood was only covered about halfway up so the only "visible" line is at that location. Actually that line is only visible if one looks very closely at it, but since it's straight, that very faint line doesn't bother me.

I installed my clear bra myself. I bought the material in bulk and cut the pieces larger than needed. This allowed me sufficient material to get a good grip on it so that I could "stretch" it around the curves. Some people have told me that they can "heat shrink" the material but I have found that not to be true - if it were, then on a hot day, the clear bra would "shrink" off the car. Anyway, to prove my point, I can put the material on one-half of a household 60W light bulb without any "pinch" marks at the diameter. Naturally, one has to think the job thru first so one will know where and what to stretch. If I can do this as an amateur, then the professionals should be capable of a remarkable job!

By the way, I like your attitude!

-Mike

 

There is also a drying period where some small bubbles and hazyness will disappear. If its only been a day or so it can look pretty bad. *Could* go away some.

My personal opinion is they look bad almost all the time, and that line will almost always be visible unless its regularly taken care of by someone who knows thier detailing techniques.

The dealer thing is sort of BS. You do have to pay for gas, but as with any loaner they usually state it to you in the beginning. There is the section of your sheet you get that has the tank amount and its your job to check it with the car before you take the loaner, though like you, I usually give my dealer the benefit of the doubt that theyre honest... They probably just checked the 'Full' box. Ive driven loaners to work and back w/o needing a drop (around 40-50 miles)

 

Try sharing your gripes in a matter-of-fact way with your service advisor. S/he's there to make sure you have a good experience.

Ring up your S/A, tell them you had a chance to look over the clear bra and you have a few questions about the installation; will the bubbles go away, will the transition from the bra to the naked paint blend in more, etc. And, it might be worth mentioning that you weren't told to top off the loaner car's tank, and you wanted to bring it up just in case it will remind them to tell the next customer. They will return your professionalism with the same.

It might also be worth researching the next upgrade before you make a decision. Ideally, the service advisor should be able to show you a MINI on the lot with, for example, the protection package, whatever. That way you'll have a better idea of what to expect after it's installed, and before you've invested your money and your time.

I've made about six or eight visits to the dealer since I bought my MINI. I've owned many different makes of vehicles (VW, Audi, etc), and I have to say that MINI is a standout when it comes to resolving issues I've had.

MINI wants you back, they want you happy.

 

Yes, Mike, I am going to go out later and take photos. I have a macro lens so I'm going to take some close up shots. I did try to use my fingers to get the bubbles out, but it didn't work. I thought if I moved the air towards the headlight, it would get rid of the bubbles, but it didn't.

I'll post photos later today.

Thanks,
Carole

 

I actually did ask to see what it would look like and all I got was a brochure. It looked nice on the brochure, but I have a feeling the photoshopped out the place where the bra ends. On my car it's so obvious it's there, that it looks like a defect. Not great when I'm showing my brand new car to friends.

I am going to call the service manager when I cool down - maybe later today. I'm still ticked off.

Carole

 

I contacted my sales rep and he's taking care of the whole thing for me. He wasn't happy when I told him what transpired yesterday. I have to go back to the dealer when my new license plates come in, so he's going to reschedule the car to have the hood redone.

I took the car to a friend's house today to show him. He said, "Did you know there is a film on your car? Shouldn't they have taken that off before delivery?" So you can just imagine how obvious it looks. And it's already collecting dust where the film ends and making a black line across the hood. So I have a feeling it wasn't done right. We shall see

Carole

 

Carole,

Please keep us posted on the outcome!

Thanks...

 

Your next visit is to the stealerships general manager and/or owner.

 

My sales rep is taking care of everything. When I got back this week or next for my license plates, we are going to work all this out. I've also received an email from the service manager who was not happy with the way I was treated. He told me when I bring my car back to make sure it's almost on empty and he will fill the tank for me

Carole

 

I got the Clearbra a week after I got my MINI, when I got a chip right at the edge of the hood near the grill. I had turned them down, when I bought the car. They had a Chili Red JCW on the show room floor with the Clearbra installed, so I knew what I was getting. My dealer has a five year waranty on the paint protection film. It is noticeable, but acceptable, for me.

I was on the freeway the other day and boxed in by a couple of semi trucks, the one I was directly behind was a hopper truck with a load of small gravel or sand, it sounded like I was getting sandblasted! I couldn't get far enough back to avoid it. When I got home, I washed the car and looked it over carefully, the clear bra had done it's job. There were no chips or scratches anywhere! I'm glad I got it, visible line or not.

Dave

 

I have the clear bra (Xpel version) on my car. When done properly you really can't tell its there. I have the whole hood covered as well as the entire front bumper, headlights, mirror caps and a strip on the rear bumper to protect that part when moving items in and out of the boot.

I am sure your dealer will take car of you.

Its always best to provide pics on this forum. We like em whether they are good or bad.

Good luck.

I took this picture today. Its not very close up but you can get the idea. The whole front is wrapped.

 

I had it on my '03, but I wonder if some colors make it more obvious than others? My car was electric blue and you could only tell it was there if you really looked - hard. Or ran your finger nail across the hood till you encountered the edge....it did save the paint thos, and since the front end of these cars is so....blunt.... it's sort of a pay me now, pay me later thing. Put the clearbra on, or repaint the front end of the car down the road.....

You don't mention where you are, or which dealer this is, but it sounds like they're going to try and make it right for you - let them!

 

When I had mine done, I was under the impression that what I was getting was what you have. It was not. The protective film only goes 1/3 of the hood from the front. I am taking the car back next week and they are going to upgrade it to what you have. I am sure I'll be much happier with that. With what I have now, every time it rains, I get black stripes of dirt where the white racing stripes are and it looks horrible. Once they do the full hood, I will no longer have that problem

As for the problem I had with the service person over putting gas in the loaner (he never told me I had to - see original post), they are also going to fill my tank on my car for me. So I'm going to let it go down to almost empty

Carole

 

Well, as they say, all is well that ends well. My second trip to the service department was 100% better. They took off the bra protection package and replaced it with the full hood protection. I am SO much happier now!

I also picked up my new license plates which had come in and they installed those.

And a very nice service person named Chuck helped me pair my Nokia phone to the car, so now I can use that feature. He spent quite a bit of time with me showing me how to make and receive calls.

Oh, and they filled my tank with gas to make up for the problem I had with the loaner vehicle.

So I am a VERY happy camper now :-))))

Carole