hey guys, just bit the bullet and put in an order for a clubman s (lightning blue with silver roof / pillars, thank you very much).

i also opted for the close (viper?) stripes on the hood and rear doors. this is where my question lies. is ~$150 worth the dealer / factory installed stripes? or is it easy enough to get them aftermarket and save some change?

also, how close are the factory stripes? i want the inside lines on the stripes to be about a 1/2 inch off of either side of the mini emblem on the hood, but the more i see it looks like they're really close together on the clubman...

and since i have you attention, would anyone know if tint shops can tint in different colors? i've been tossing around the idea of getting the sunroof darkened and thought it would be really sweet if it matched the silver of the roof. just a thought...


sorry for the long message, but thanks for any input!

 

If it's $150 including labor, that's a great deal. I was quoted about $300, but I was lucky enough to get them to throw them in for free::

 

I got a quote of $240 installed on the Sport Stripes by my dealer after the order was placed. I didn't like the "bonnet" stripes that came with the sport package.

Jon W.

 

Quoted $300 by the dealer. I'm good at that stuff, but in a couple places the stripes have to tuck under other bodywork, and the spacing around the emblem is pretty tight, so I decided to go with letting them install them. I don't know about your dealer, but the one here contracts it out.

 

I managed to negotiate mine to be installed for free (as well as free rubber mats). It took some headaches but in the end I think not having to futz with finding an installation place was worth it. Even if you have to pay the dealer $100-150 I think that is reasonable it b/c you will pay close to that somewhere else. The effort is not worth the few bucks.

Then again, you could order the stripes at a discount via Morristown MINI and look into getting them installed elsewhere. That may save some bucks if you can find a reasonable place.

Lastly, think about if you might want any accessory pieces painted (hood scoop, headlight rings, etc). I found a really nice Maaco branch that paints parts and installs decals for companies. If so, you could probably get it all done for a reasonable price and all at once, esp if you brought them the stripes. I had my hood scoop and HL rings painted back for $50. I found the hood scoop and sport stripes on the S to be funny looking with the stripes interrupted. I REALLY like the scoop painted black to match. Will try and post some newer pics. Food for thought.

 

I would recommend getting stripes installed after you get a clear bra put on. Either can go over the other, but the clear bra on top will trap the stripes underneath. In the future should you decide to remove or change them you will have to pull the clear bra with it.

 

Hey There,
First of all good luck. I have Lummar tint in my Clubman, paid $138. I had it in my MCS too. At both place I was told its not a good idea to tint the sunroof. I was also told this when I had a Tourag. They are afraid the glass in the roof will shatter. I have a cover that goes between the shade and the glass for those really sunny days... Good luck with the new car....
Larry ClubRed

 

Best thing you can do for your sunroof is tint it. It will not shatter. That doesn't even make any sense. If for some reason the glass breaks (such as in a rollover) it will stay together. It will help reduce glare, bright sunlight, keep the car cooler, help prevent interior fading. In addition you will be blocking out 99% of UV light.
PS. I used to own a tint shop.

 

The explanation I heard was that tinting a piece of glass that's already tinted will cause it to become hotter than it should.

 

I had the sunroof in my 06 MCS tinted for 2 years without any problems, and she only seen a garage the last few weeks of her time with me, she was outside the rest. My Clubby has a silver roof though, so I'm probably going to do perforated silver vinyl over the sunroof, if it was a black roofed car I would tint it and not think twice about it.