Bought a strut brace, but it's hitting the underhood insulation so I cant close the hood properly. I'm trying to figure out how to transfer exactly where to trim the insulation . I put double sided tape sticky side up on what I thought were the high points and when I closed the hood where they touched they adhered to the insulation. But I'd like to be more precise with my trim. Wondering if anyone has a suggestion of something I can put on the entire top of the brace that would outline the contact points precisely. I guess I could use grease but I was hoping for something less messy.

 

How about using chalk or talcum powder?

 

I'm not really sure I'd start chopping out sound insualtion.

What year is your MINI?

I'm wondering it your strut towers are not mushroomed.

Who made this strut bar? If it's a Taiwan-Chi-Com Ebay special I suggest throwing it into the nearest trash can.

 

M7. Strut caps are flat.

 

I tried some Velcro and it adheres to the heat insulation. I may buy some more and try that.

 

I agree that powder can be used to find where the bar is touching. However, before going the trimming route, try spraying the hood insulation with water to get it soft. Then close the hood and wait a day. You may find it conforms to the brace and you're finished. That's what I did with my M7 brace and it worked well on my R53. I actually seemed to settle in better over time.

 

Had the same issue with my VIP brace and used water on the pad. I soaked it and drove the car to "heat set" the pad several times to fix it.