Anyone have any cool ideas for the Mini R53 dual sunroofs , even with factory tinted glass the heat transmitted is crazy "hot" ? I live in So Cal and about to get the darkest window tint available ...

 

Paint it white will gain you the most effectiveness in combating solar gain. That's what I did to my RV's panoramic sunroof. I will never buy a vehicle with a big hole in the roof and owning one convertible (no top) is enough for a lifetime. If I want a sunroof the only one that I want is the good old ones that were made of sheet metal and hand crank to open and close.

The other option if money is no object is to replace them with plastic or composite ones. These are not operable and just return the hole to no hole and admit your mistake . I have seen them on BMW's and some Mini's (at the tracks) when the owners realize the performance penalty with having so much weight on top.

Just a thought. Consider putting the tint on the outside if that is the easy route you elect to take. I would just DIY to minimize the cost should the film don't do well outside. Having the dark film out the outside should give you the best of reducing solar gain. Also you can pick the most reflective ones that are gold or silver tint as there is no law against their use sunny side up.

 

Maybe the union jack flag on top might block the heat also??

 

Most people seem to go with a dark tint or a sunshade, but I have no first hand experience since I ordered my car without a sunroof.

 

We had the same situation with our 2004 MCS living here in Florida! I bought an inexpensive windshield sun shade and cut it just larger than the openings! I tucked it up inside in the rails, closed the sunroof screens to hold them in place! What a huge difference in cutting down on the heat! It’s easy to remove them so when it’s cooler outside you can still open the sunroof! Good luck!

 

I just orders a shade kit for my mini. I believe they are called zippy shades . Work great.

 

Instead of tint you could use Vinyl which would be less transparent

 

Yep we had zippeeshades and they work great: https://www.ecstuning.com/b-zippeeshade-parts/

 

I just had mine done with limo tint. Made a huge difference.

 

Perforated color-matched vinyl was all the rage a decade ago on these cars.

 

Ekler's Corvette used to carry a dot-matrix /static cling vinyl for the t-tops for Corvette & TransAm and this was bullet-proof...

 

I use this:

 

+1 for Zippee Shades I used them on my '07 MCS with great results. When installed properly you can still operate the sun roof if desired. When I was shopping for a 3rd Gen car a slick roof was one of my first requirements.

 

Another +1 for Zippee Shades. Really helps keep the heat out, especially when it's triple digits in the summer. With 20% tint all around, a windshield cover, and the ZippeeShades, my interior is noticeably cooler after a day in the sun. When I take the shades out to enjoy the sunroofs and forget to put them back I can tell without even looking, car is a lot hotter inside.

 

This is the last of the good sunroof that I would care to have in a coupe. Nicely formed sheet metal with hand crank. They ended in this era like on this nice M3.

 

x10 for zippee shade- My mother has them on her Mini in SW Florida. While it's still hot as hell down there, the shade has been doing its thing for a few years and it makes a huge difference... Also, consider reflective front window shades too for when you park the car. Every bit helps.

 

I wrapped my roof and went right over the sunroof, night and day difference literally

 

Never thought of wrapping the roof and the Union Jack flag would look nice on a silver MCS.

 

I cut out a windshield sun visor to fit in the holes. Black on one side silver on the other. $15. Mainly cause I hate sunroofs and this is just my back n forth to work beater