OK NAM community, I need your help. I have a DS/B MCS and I have decided I am going to have the trim pieces painted - wheel arches, lower valance, rocker moldings, etc. The question - should I paint them body color of DS or contrasting roof color of Black?

OK, let's hear it. . .

 

I vote black!

 

I don't really see the sense in painting the trim black. It's already black and looks great with your black roof. Painting will not only cost a lot (or take many hours of your time) but will then introduce the possibility of scratching, chipping and general . I say just keep the original trim clean and glossy.

Now if you had a DS roof, I could see going body color...

 

I say if you want to spend them money painting them, just get the aero kit and they are already painted. I have a DS/B with the aero kit and all the trim is matched to the body color and looks awesome.

 

maybe this would help :smile:

 

Gosh, I think you really can't go wrong either way! My personal preference would be painting them body color though, I think it looks more seamless and smooooooth

 

Bodycolor!

 

Wow

Bodycolour looks really great

The Aero kit even better

 

Bodycolor 100%!

 

With an aero kit, body color!

Let's face it they all look good.

 

I have the same color as you and I have thought about this a few times. I have seen body color (looks fabulous! but of course the one I love the most is the guy who painted everythign body color, including the headlight trim!)

but I have also seen the trim painted gloss black to match the roof and it looks sexy!

Whichever one you do please post the pics! I think if I do go ahead with it, they will be done gloss black!

 

DS is a great color because it (and LS) is image-neutral. It resembles the color of treated metal. Therefore it avoids admitting to a color preference (which would automatically brand you as being in one camp or another--which is fine unless you want to keep everyone in suspense and there are those of us self-conscious enough to have to do that, along with wearing all black). DS has an advantage over LS because it is close in value to the charcoal accent body parts. If those parts do not appear to be stridently different then the shape of the car appears more as a whole--one single volume which suggests greater solidity (see Diablito sometimes posted in NAM). So having selected DS in the first place it would seem that a consistent move, visually, would be to have the accent pieces painted body-color. This should consolidate the appearance of the car from behind where the MINI design is especially "busy" (and where the aero kit really pulls it all together). But you might have to get the clear tail lights too.

Yet for the majority of MINI owners the disparate touches, the contrasting panels, the dischord of perkiness contribute to the car's desirability. That is why itsa MINI.

 

Good Stuff! I feel like I just sat thru a college art course.

So how much is the aero kit?

 

I just looked at my invoice when I bought my Mini and it says 2900 for the aero. I know it seems expensive but I decided to do it when i bought the car so i could finance that. Maybe you could still finance it, i am not sure. But i think it is definately worth it.

 

black