Just put a set of white stripes on my wifes Mini. Had a problem with small air bubbles. Looks good from afar but looks like crap close up. What a bummer!

 

A lot of times, the air bubbles will dissipate if the car is left out in the sun for a while. I know they did when we applied my stripes. Hope that helps :smile:

 

Good thing to know Holly. I was thinking about changing the bonnet stripes on my MCS.

 

I'm going to make myself these... hopefully do them on Monday, I'll post pics if it works!

Magnetic Bonnet Stripes

~Joe

_________________
'03 BRG/W MCS Sport, Premium, Leather - Since Nov '02

 

Did you put them on with soapy water???

 

I'm affraid not.

 

I tried the removable stripes, used soapy water, and still had poor results. I squeegied the heck out of them, and the tiny bubbles were still not coming completely out. Stripes looked good from afar, but lousy close up. I took them off, and the worst part is that I had to trim them to fit, and so I'm sure they're not returnable.

 

>> Just put a set of white stripes on my wifes Mini. Had a problem with small air bubbles. Looks good from afar but looks like crap close up. What a bummer!

What you can do is where you find tiny air bubbles carefully poke it with a sharp needle and push the air out with your fingers. This should resolve the problem :smile: good luck

 

that happened to me when i tried to put on my stripes, i forgot the soapy water. its not gonna get better. take it off and go to a sign shop. i went to fast signs and they did it in like 10 minutes for $25.. cant beat that.

 

Yeah, just pop 'em with a needle. A hair dryer really helps too.

 

I know it's been said before, but the secret is LOT's of soapy water. Either a couple of squirts of Dawn or baby shampoo in a squirt bottle. Then flood the area where you are going to put the stripes. Position them, they'll move very easy, then spray a little soapy water on top of the stripes. Use a small squeegy to remove the solution from under the stripes. This kind of stuff used to be very difficult for me until I watched a professional. The secret is lots of soapy water. I put my stripes on straight and with no bubbles.....this is in spite of my advanced age of 60.

OK, my wife helped....and she's only 58.

Good luck!

 

The secret is soapy water only if you don't know what you're doing . This is because a lot of people set the stripes on the surface and then squeegee. If you do this w/o a soapy solution you will get a lot of bubbles. With soapy water you might get a few, but it is hard to get zero bubbles. Use an x-acto knife (with a new blade) to pop bubbles.

To apply vinyl w/o soapy water you will need:
Masking tape
Squeegee
Scissors
X-acto Knife

1. Tape the stripes in place near both ends.
2. Put a tape hinge about 1/3 to 1/2 of the way from the windshield end of the stripe. ====|==
3. Place small (1&quot pieces of tape along an edge of the stripe so that you can line it up while you're applying.
4. Take the tape off the shorter section of stripe and peel back the vinyl from the backing paper to the tape hinge.
5. Cut the backing paper about 1" from the tape hinge. Cut it cleanly so you don't get paper lint stuck under your stripe.
6. In your non-squeegee hand, hold the stripe above the surface WITHOUT touching it to the surface. It should be at a 35 degree angle or less.
7. Starting at the tape hinge, squeegee firmly with overlapping strokes. Use your tape marks to make sure it's lined up.
8. Remove the tape hinge.
9. For the other side, start peeling back the backing paper from where the tape hinge was.
10. Since this is the longer end, peel the paper back about halfway so you don't have to hold the stripe all the way at the end (or whatever you're comfortable with).
Repeat step 7.
Use the x-acto knife to pop any bubbles.

This is a lot easier if you actually see someone doing this, but it should help.

 

I used lots of soapy water in a spray bottle, no bubbles, not one!

 

Sometimes "bubbles" are actually dust and dirt and stuff trapped underneath. Make sure the hood is clean and that you are doing it in a relatively clean area. Its good to keep the stripe away from the ground at all costs. Hold it up in the air while peeling, and spraying. That should help a bit...good luck

 

I too did mine with soapy water and a squeegee. no bubbles
at all. Waxed afterwards and it looks perfect. :smile:

 

Same here, soapy water. It does take time to work out all of the water, soap, and air bubbles, especially at the front of the hood where it curves down.

 

Thanks to those who agreed with the soapy water solution. I think I'll just pass on knowing exactly how to put the stripes on as long as I can get perfect results without knowing what I'm doing.


R.E.

 

>>Thanks to those who agreed with the soapy water solution. I think I'll just pass on knowing exactly how to put the stripes on as long as I can get perfect results without knowing what I'm doing.


Im no pro-decal installer, but most decals are put on using soapy water
as tints, clearbras, etc. so you're definitely on the right track.
Its no meaning trying to aim and fire without soapy water and miss!

 

Any complex curve/crease can be cured with a hair dryer to heat the vinyl and make it stretchier(a very scientific word)