Hello,

I had the dealer install Bonnet stripes yesterday on my MC (having the dealership do it might have been a mistake) and I am a little unhappy with how they were put on.

There are no creases or air bubbles but the stripes cut off well before the grill (about an inch or more) and cut off before the vents as well.

I took a look around the dealership, and all the MINI's with bonnet stripes had the exact same issue, so I don't know whether I am being **** or have a legitimate complaint.

Anyways, let me know what you think, and whether or not I have a shot to getting them redone?

 

The factory stripes are a little short but you should be looking at no more than 1/4 inch space at either end. I actually did mine myself after checking out others onthe lot and did not have a problem. If there is that much of a gap, it is possible that they didn't align them properly in terms of the spacing from the windscreen washers, etc. thus incresing the amount of bonnet to be covered. I'd check out others on their lot from the factory and point it out. Good Luck!

 

There all like yours at that dealership, maybe that's how they put them on or maybe the strip dude could have had a bad day.

 

An inch seems like a lot to me. My stripes cut off at the ends but there's no more than probably 1/8" of a gap.

 

Mine are also dealership installed...about 1/2 inch clearance at top/bottom of hood.

 

A slight gap is normal for OEM. If your gap really is a whole inch or more you have a legit gripe. Take it back to the dealership. If they say that is the norm tell him that you can provide him with hundreds of pics of MINIS from NAM with OEM stripes that are not like that. For example here are my OEM stripes:

 

Thanks! Especially for the picture, that gives me a clear idea of what gap is "normal". I guess I'll be going back to complain.

 

Wrong stripes? Are the standard MINI stripes the same length as the "S" stripes?

 

Don't think there's a difference as I've got the "S" Stripes (white with black border) on my MC.

 

Are the stripes easier to remove if they are new? Can they be reused, or repositioned?

 

I don't think stripes can be reused. Once they have been stuck they are done

 

I dont think you could cleanly reuse or reposition them. I dont think they would stick

 

In terms of the OP....your local autozone carries pre-cut stripes. It's like 7 dollars for enough vinyl to do 5 cars.

That's what i did, and i made my stripes go all the way to the grill and end of the hood without any gaps whatsoever. Looks much more finished. And you can't beat the price.

 

Yeah, there is a diffrence. You can get the so-called S-Stripes with the pin striping for either model, but the S version is a different length than the Cooper version for both the solid and pin-stripe stripes. Maybe they put S ones on your Cooper?

 

Given what you doubtless paid for them, I'd make them re-do them until they're right. The "S" stripes ARE a bit different (they curve at the lower ends a bit on the ends to properly clear the intercooler scoop) but neither stripe should end an INCH from the grille... I think they make OEM stripes w/ contrasting pinstripes in both "S" and standard - it's the SHAPE I believe that's different... If you look at MINI's promotional materials, the Cooper stripes appear much more straight than the slight;y curved "S" stripes:

 

haha the "strip" dude

 

When you say they are curved for the MCS stripes do you mean just rounded corners?

The only reason MCS stripes look more curved is the hood shape. You do realize that all of their stripes are straight pieces of vinyl right? They just curve in due to the curve of the hood.

The pinstripes is what showed the difference....but many dealers just started putting them on coopers too. The MCS ones are very slightly longer as well.

I still think custom is the best way to go. No cheesy unfinished gaps on your car, costs $6, and you can decide to put pinstripes on it or not. Not to mention you could have left overs to replace chipped stripes, or put on boot stripes for free.

A better picture of mine from head on. You spent a lot of money on your car and probably the stripes....there's no reason to have it look unfinished

 

Not the ones I've seen... I've installed a few sets for people now and the "S" stripes I was given were curved slightly, not straight like yours - there was definitely a left and a right. Not sure where they came from though - they weren't OEM. The OEM ones on my car don't look like they were stretched into a curved shape around the intercoller scoop either, but whatever...

 

I can confirm from experience that there are Cooper stripes and "S" stripes, and that one is longer than the other.

When I had to have the bonnet resprayed one year ago, the shop put the wrong stripes on, leaving about an inch and a half gap at the grille end. It looked like the poor car had floodpants on. The bodyshop had just ordered the stripes from the dealer, and put on whatever the dealer sent. As it turned out, the dealer had wrongly supplied Cooper stripes. Didn't take them long to fix it though.

The "S" stripes have to be a bit longer since there is more metal to cover going over the bulge by the I/C intake.

 

One of my favorite MINIs EVER!!! This car with a DDM intake would make me want to un-load my MCS in a second!!!

 

thanks for the compliment coopergear