I'll be parking on the street in the city much more often, and I know that my heart will break if my bumper is scuffed ...

I was looking for products that would protect the MINI bumper from such scuffs.

MINI recently released an official accessory - see MINI Introduces Rear Bumper Protection on MotoringFile. However, this accessory protects a part of the bumper that is very unlikely to be scuffed by another car.

Are there any other products out there that would protect the bumper. I'm not against sticking something on the bumper .... Maybe a specially-cut kevlar adhesive or something

Or maybe I should live with it and accept that my bumper will get scuffed up in the city ...

 

Here is a site that sells magnetic door guards for protection again dings. Perhaps you can put it on your bumper as well?

http://www.promini.com/product-exec/...category_id/39

 

I wonder if the 3M protective Clear bra might be the solution for you. Most people put this on the front of the car but it couldn't hurt for the back as well. It will protect against scratches and some chipping.

 

Put your tow hook into your rear bumper to puncture the other guy's bumper when he bumps into you!

 

You could always carry orange traffic cones to surround your MINI when you park it anywhere.


The phone company trucks do it, why not us?


:smile:

 

The bumper cover is plastic,magnets won't help much

 

We have a tow hitch on the Envoy and it works like a charm. (I rear-ended a truck with a hitch a few years ago in my old Acura. It destroyed the front of my car. The truck had absolutely no damage).

I'm gonna look into the 3M stuff, thanks for the tip

 

Keep your eyes peeled for a spare bumper in your color. As people put on aero kits, more and more bumpers will be available. And probably fairly cheap. When yours gets knackered, swap it out with a fresh one!!

ripley.

 

As much as I want to protect my MC,I need to use it all the time,and using it makes it fun

 

Yeah, I knew that.

 

HAHAHAHA NOT A BAD IDEA when I need to parallel park... but the hook is off to the side... will it still work?

Bad part is I bet the guy will be pissed and get out and steal my hook and key my car while hes at it.

 

This a reasonable idea. Protection from other cars is valid but unfortunately no real options exist at this point. However, MINI owners are a creative bunch and there is no reason we cannot adlib a solution.

I'd suggest using bulk film which runs from $6.50 to $15.00/foot which can be cut to any dimension then adhered to a bumper or other surface to offer a clear and durable surface to resist damage caused from everyday bumps.
http://www.autoclearguard.com/bulk.asp
The headlamp protectors I think are a bit thicker and more durable while the 8 mil thick film is lighterweight like what you'd see on a front bumper or bonnet to resist rock/pebble dings. The film is pliable and will mold to non flat surfaces, it can be removed once heated up to 150 degrees, it won't discolor and is durable for washing and waxing and it comes with a 5 year warranty (ave life span of 7 years).

I've gotten alot of scuffs and dents in my plastic bumpers from other bumpers and license plate nuts. Probably the most protection would come from an all out large black bumper pad attached right and left on the bumper or from a metal bumper bar.

 

I was at a BMW Car Control Clinic at Candlestick Park in January and saw a red MCS with bumper protection. This was in the form of a black rubber strip that the owner had applied. I'm sorry to say that I forgot where he said he got this, but I think it was at an auto supply store, like Pep Boys or Auto Zone. (Though it might have been JC Whitney or someplace online.) I'm pretty sure it had a peel and stick adhesive on it.

The rubber was maybe 1-1/4 inches high and was sort of rounded, maybe 3/8 of an inch thick. It kind of reminded me of the white rubber strips you see along the gunwales of dinghys, although they're hollow and I think this might have been solid. I assume you can cut and trim the ends into a rounded shape so they look nice. He had applied one long strip all the way across the rear, just below the upper edge of the rear bumper and two pieces on the front corners of the front bumper.

If you can visualize the chrome bumper strips on the Coopers, it was very similar to that, except black of course. I wasn't really crazy about the way it looked, but I don't do a lot of parallel parking. It would probably look better on some colors. (I could picture it on Dk Silver, for instance.) I'm sure it would look better than a lot of scrapes!

It sounds like this is just the sort of thing you're looking for - I'm sorry I didn't pay more attention to what this was and where he got it!

 

Some great ideas!!!

I definitely like the idea of the film protection on the bumper, that would work out nice, and be barely visible.

I also wouldn't mind the rubber strips that LombardStreet mentioned...

Thanks for the tips guys!

 

Spray on truck bed liner! :smile: I saw it on the front bumper of a black New Beetle. The owner said he got fed up with having to replace his clear bra after a couple of years so he decided to have it sprayed. At first it looked unusual, like it grew a beard, but it didn't look too bad. Perhaps on a different color it may not have.

 

I'll bet that would scare other people into NOT scraping your bumper - it looks like sandpaper!

Not my keppa, but kinda cool looking in a high-tech, industrial sort of way.

 

The best defense is a good offense. Deterrence!

 

Good news!

I contacted Ryan at Auto Clear Guard (a NAM sponser - http://www.autoclearguard.com/) and he is going to makes patterns for the rear bumper It even sounds like they might be ready this week sometime

I think he'll offer them for the regular bumper as well as the Aero so there should be something for almost any Mini (although I think that those with PDC might have to cut out the holes themselves, not sure).

I also wanted protection for the sides of the car, along the bottom, and he is going to produce that as well :smile:

I'm really happy that he is creating these rear bumper pieces since my last car was so mangled by other people who parked by feel - hope this helps you guys!

 

Lol, it does look like a beard - reminds me of Homer

I think I'll keep the Mini clean shaven :smile:

 

that's perfect! i had a clear bra installer add a few custom pieces to my newly-painted front trim and i'm glad he did it. i accidentally went a bit too far forward while parking and bumped the stopper. there were some scuff marks on the clear bra, but there didn't appear to be any paint damage, ie. cracking.

the rear bumper is a must-have for me, especially with all the parallel parking i do.

 

Took me a second - Homer? The Greek poet?

Then I realized who you meant, and ohmigod - you're right!!! It does look like Homer!

Good one!

 

Awesome!!! Please keep us posted in this thread

 

Yup, thank you all of you aerokitters out there that make brand new OEM bumper covers readily available. My rear BC got scraped pretty bad (accident in parking lot) so the same body shop that paints and installs aerokits for the local MINI dealer did just that--except the new BC was black, so it had to be matched and repainted CR. Just like new tho!!! Impressive! Jimbo

 

I ordered my 05 MCS with rear bumper protection, but the dealer didn't get the part in time so he mailed it to me a few weeks after I took delivery. Although the black adhesive strip says "Mini" on it, the strip doesn't seem to fit precisely where it's supposed to go, at the top of the bumper just below the hatch. And the installation instructions that came with it were for a Suzuki. Honest.
Not sure if I'll install it now or not. You have to use a soap solution and a spray bottle (not included) to make it stick to the bumper.

 

I actually put pointed license plate bolts on in the front of a car, and while they did not deter people from backing into me, they left two perfectly round punctures in their back bumper every time. So I didn't mind as much. Wonder if that'd pass the new pedestrian safety regs.

Just mount a special "bike rack" to the tow hitch that would puncture their radiator first.

Hmm, if you sprayed the whole car with bedliner, it would be even more ding-resistant than a Saturn. Maintenance free, too.