hi, getting a mini sooN! was thinking about painting the side moldings..what do you think? anyone have pictures of before and after.. please post them..

THANKS!

 

Do a search...plenty have people have done the same. I really wanna do it myself in the spring time. Try searching "painted arches" or "color coding" and ull get a bunch of stuff!

 

my SO has his AERO arches painted body color...


and I have mine painted gloss black!

 

yes...painted arches are the best...here's mine
BEFORE

AFTER (woo hoo!and yes I know mine is pink too...it's not the same pink we swear)

I love having painted arches because I can just wash them with the rest of the car rather than have to go back and put tire shine on them so they don't look grey. They also don't collect dust! Just remember if you paint your arches you need to make sure they are NEW arches that have never had an tire shine or products on them or the paint will chip and flake. I suggest just ordering all new ones.

 

Just be sure to do your reasearch with regards to the body shop doing the job. I have see WAY more minis with flaking or chiped arches than not. If the shop really knows what they are doing and prepare them properly they should last awhile.

John

 

STOOPID GIRL.. So i should get new ones? even tho it's a brand new car? i plan to take it in within the first 100 miles... so i don't have to worry about it later on.. thanks for all the pics!

 

can you tell me how many people have theirs flaking>>> i am kind of worried about that... thanks.

 

i c.. that's what worries me.. although it may look good... but i don't know if i want to worry about flaking.. or chipped arches...

 

hum.. that's what i am worried about.. chipping off......

can anyone in SOCAL tell me where they have gotten their paint done?

want to compare prices and stuff.. thanks.

 

are you ok?

 

yeah... for some reason.... the computer kept on saying it didn't post.. errored out.. so i had do it and re do.... .... sorry.. haha.. but i am fine!

 

Before

After


Sorry about the size of the 2nd pic....
Have a reputable shop do the work. It isn't a cheap process, but you definitely get what you pay for. Mine cost $675 in paint/labor for the arches and rear valence alone. Guarenteed work though.

 

Wow! Shooler, your MINI 'vert looks great.

 

Thanks! I really miss the car. I sold it for this one

This one seems so bland (styling) to me compared to the other one. I need to start changing some things.....Wife says "no you don't".....

 

I went to a local paint shop for an estimate and they guy told me that he didn't recommend it as the paint to flake off due to the coating on the mouldings. So I am wondering if people had the mouldings treated before painting or what the story is.

 

I can answer this! Its what I did... When you go pick up your car, ask them NOT to put anything on the black plastic OR the tires... Your delivery pics wont be as clean, but youll be able to use your arches... After that, if you DONT put anything on them, you can wait as long as you need. I had like 3200 miles on mine (2 weeks ) when Jenna went into the shop to get hers done.

as for the body shop... they should use a filler/primer to make the arches SMOOTH before painting. that will help keep the paint from flaking off... and the chips arent as bad... (but rock chips DO happen, so make sure you get some touch up paint!)

edit* or clear bra the front black! id LOVE to do this!

 

FutureQueen and Stoopid Girl - I am soooo jealous! LOVE the pink MINIs!!! I've never seen the gloss black fender flares but it looks fantastic!

McL - I've checked with one of our local shops (the most reputable here) and they say it can be done but it is lots of work to be done right. They also assure me that it should not chip or flake.

 

If this is an option for those who are interested you can PM Tuls and he can find out how much our guys will charge as well as the cost of ordering new ones (he knows everyone),so they can just be shipped rather than having down time without arches. Don't quote me on any of this you'd have to talk to him. Our buddies shop does amazing work and are the ONLY people we trust touching our MINIs, not to mention the owner is a MINI person as well. They've done My car, Tuls', TFQON's,Skinnee's,Deemotored's,Kalvin's,Scotts's (can't remember his handle) and I'm sure there are many more.
As for the paint chipping this is the first I've heard of it unless the job was done imporperly. I've had mine for 6-8 months and they still look brand new. Tuls has had his longer and they're barely scathed as well, only thing is the minor rock chips which are normal (especially since he drives REALLY fast...ALL the time) and they look better than the when the plastic gets chips making it look like the dog chewed on them. I would recomend painted archhes anyday, they have my seal of approval

 

Wow, shooler's picks really show the difference it makes, just the arches took it from stock to fancy. Mine havent flaked at all, but it looks like a few of the clips were busted on instalation and they dont stay on very well sometimes.

 

that looks sooooo good!

 

I had 2 shops today refuse to do the work because they were afraid that the paint would flake off. One shop said that he would do it, but wouldn't warranty the work. One shop said that they could do it, but it was going to be 20+ hours of labor (at $30+ an hour) and would give a 3 year warranty.

The final place is one of the best paint shops in Dallas (all of the Lambo / Ferrari guys go there), but it is Hella expensive.

 

Does anyone have a pic of a hyper-blue 'vert with painted moldings (pic with top of if available)? I think I want to do this but I can't get a mental visual... all these pics look great, but imho the silver 'vert is MY favorite

 

Get the moldings painted....it is one of the best visual mods you can do to the outside of the car. I dont understand why the Factory doesnt have them done this way...but maybe they were trying to cut cost? i dunno....but anyways the car looks 100% better when they are painted.

A shop back in florida did mine for about $600 if i remember correctly. I also have euro wheel arches that deleted the lights in the moldings as well to give it a smoother look.

Here is a before and after of my car...The painting moldings make a HUGE difference, atleast to me.





these pics are old btw.

 

wow. i have a pw mini too. and those painted wheel arches look freakin awesome..
but $600? that's a lot of money. not trying to be cheap or anything but i am trying not to spend too much money on my car.
(which of course..i cant help)

 

I working on doing this too, and $600 sounds cheap when you think about all what has to be done. Buy new moldings, sand, prep, clean, paint, clearcoat, etc. Mine will be well over $600 when everything is said and done, cause im getting all new molding, Aero side skirts and a Lumma Tunning bumper.