After having had a loaner MINI with the black door panels/dash... and after seeing (and drooling profusely over) the official pics of the cabrio... I have come to realize that I was a total moron when I ordered the light grey interior. I HATE it. With a capital H-A-T-E. It gets filthy if you look at it too long, and even the slightest bit of grime makes it look trashy.

I really really REALLY want black door panels (I don't mind the fake alloy dash). Has anyone had this done at their dealer? Was it absurdly expensive?

 

I believe there are shops that can paint the panels, with flex based paints, and that might be cheaper than having all of them replaced. Mine are Tan, and i am working on a 2 tone. The ones in the rear hatch are painted tan, originally they are grey molded plastic. I have painted the ones back there black with Krylon flat black, since I don't see that too much, using the area as a test subject...and they have held up exceptionally well. I just made sure to clean the panels real well, and only do light coats of the spray to not destroy the texture by covering it up. Took about 4 coats to cover it fully, and in my opinion, it looks OEM black. I will be working on the rest of the cabin during the summer, to make it 2 tone Black and Tan, to match my black and Tan seats. I am going to have some custom paint mixed up for me though, with a flex base sinde the door panels are padded, I want the paint to be able to move with the panes to prevent cracking. I feel it is worth it to spend a little extra money to have it done right.

Or you can try to order the panels from the dealer and avoid all the mess. Not sure how expensive it would be, but check with Classic Auto Campus (found in the sponsor directory) they may be able to get you a deal on panels.

cheers
jon

 

Indi...

Great! Thanks for the suggestions. In the end I would prefer to have the actual door panels, as I am generally short on patience and would end up destroying the panels if I tried to paint them myself. That said, I will definitely entertain that as an option if I can't get the door panels for a reasonable price. I'm actually more frightened of labor costs than I am worried about the cost of the panels, though. So, if I can get them at a reasonable price I may take them to my uncles auto shop for install, as I know their labor rates aren't as expensive.

Thanks for the Classic Auto Campus pointer--I've Emailed them.

 

How did this work out? My wife is awaiting delivery of a 06 MINI and the one thing she was disturbed about in the ordering process was not being able to get the dash and doors to match her exterior color of Hyper Blue. I would like to know if there is any way to swap out the dash and door panels and how expensive is it?

I saw in MC2 mag a LY MINI with Chile Red Dash and doors so perhaps it is possible.

 

Why wasn't she able to get the dash and door panels in Hyper Blue? It is an option, I ordered my '06 that way. Whay color did she get? If anthracite, maybe we could swap, I now wish I had gone that direction instead of the Hyper Blue.