Anyone have experience with this? My wife likes bonnet stripes from AC. We were originally going to get sport stripes installed as a dealer installed option. I called MA and asked if they would install stripes from outside vendor. She said they would but if they have and problems either caused by them (air bubbles, cutting mistake, etc.) or caused by defect in the stripes they could not stand behind them. Where as if they used their stripes the parts department would provide another set if problem arises. She said the bodyshop manager said that I should possibly get 2 sets in case of problem! My wife would like the car to be done when she picks it up so were leaning against taking it somewhere else for installation. Just looking for anyone who maybe has experience with this.

 

Order the stripes from www.cooperflags.com, www.mightystripes.com, www.mossmini.com or other vendor. You and your wife install them...directions are included and there is nothing to it. I'm 63 and my wife is 61, we installed bonnet stripes on my '03 MC and they look as good as any that are factory or dealer installed.

 

If you go with the Dealer (MINI OEM) stripes, you'll get the ones that have the neat black (or white, depending on the main colour) trim stripe integrated with them. I've seen MINIs with the OEM stripe and MINIs with aftermarket stripes; when it comes to the classic bonnet stripes, I always seem to prefer that neat little contrasting trim on the stripe.

You'll pay twice as much though...

 

A third party vendor can install the stripes while you wait and will cost a fraction of what the dealer charges. Plus, if you go to a well-respected one, they will guarantee their work.

 

Yep, and you will have tons more choices on designs. If you like, you can get something a little more personalized than the standard stripes.... or you can just get the standards at a much better price.

Are you going to any big MINI events soon? MINIs in the Moutains or anything like that? There are always vendors doing good quality installs at events.

 

I recently put stripes on my mini by myself. It is really actually fairly easy with some patience. It is a safer bet if you use a soap/water mixture to make sure you get the exact placement of your stripes and gives you more time to move the strip of vinyl before you squeegee the water out. I only had to pay for the cost of my vinyl ($50)

 

Nice job, imthing1. What color is the stripe and how wide?

 

Thanks! The color of the stripe is called Slate gray, it is a very metallic dark silver color with a slight blue hue (you can tell i put a lot of thought into the color lol) . It is 14" wide, i will be putting pinstripes on in the future

 

Non-OEM stripes can be found with those also. I got my boot stripes from AC and they match the OEM bonnet stripes in appearance, with the white edges... just higher quality.

 

It looks sharp. I want to replace my factory stripes with some wider-than-normal viper stripes in a metallic color. Where did you get yours?

 

Thanks. I bought the stripe at a place called Vincent Signs & Lettering Inc. in Ridgefield, NJ. I paid $5/foot and bought 10 feet. I walked in and he cut the stripe right then for me. (They use 3m vinyl)

 

I got my stripes from Mike at Aesthetic Creations (http://www.aestheticreations.net) to replace the black w/white pinstripe factory stripes I had. He made me a set of black w/chrome pinstripe. I removed the original set and installed the new ones in about an hour, most of that was removing the left over adhesive from the first set.

The chrome stripes were more expensive than the vinyl ones, but my set was still less expensive than the OEM stripes, and doing the installation myself was a LOT less expensive than the dealer. If you choose to have them installed by someone, I would recommend finding someone other than the dealer to save yourself a bunch of money.

 

Thanks all.

 

got our stripes from mighty stripes. black wth silver borders. installation was relativley easy, plus the actually cross the entire bonnet, not short like the dealer ones. spent about $50, saved about $120.

get lots of compliments.

 

Thanks everyone for all your input. I'm going to place the order with AC tomorrow. When they come I'll look them over and see if I'm up to the job. Just want it to be perfect because its for the wife's car. You have me leaning towards doing it myself but will see. Thanks again!

 

I'm a mechanical moron and I installed my AC stripes myself. Very easy

 

I negotiated free dealer installed racing stripes but my car is several months from delivery.

 

Honestly, it's really is not that difficult to go DIY w/ applying the stripes. It's something you and your wife can do together. If you get the necessary tools ready you will be set...
spray bottle with diluted soapy water for placement
squeegee for smoothing out wrinkles
tape for guides and placement http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?actio...1.5&lpage=none
and a small sharp needle to carefully poke the air bubbles out..if needed.
Patience, clean working space, and good lighting is key
Also, you will probably need to remove any wax from the area where the vinyl is being placed. You want a good clean surface for the stripes to stick and last.

Best of Luck!

 

...and once you're tired of 'em, or want to change the color or look, a good sunny day (or a hair dryer) and some patience and they're off....

 

The stripes have been ordered when she gets her MINI I'll post Pic's when I'm done. Hopefully you won't be laughing at me.

 

You'll be amazed at how easy it is, I promise. I know I was!