I saw this listed in the accessories book, and it's got me intrigued. I think it could either look pretty sharp, or really cheap.

Did anyone get the bumper protection in black (or in clear, for that matter)? Is it just a piece of black colored vinyl, or is there some texture? Pictures would be awesome.

Is this even neccessary? At $58 it seems like an easy way to prevent boot lip scratches (if this is even an issue) and add a bit more uniqueness (or youification if you buy into the Mini marketingspeak).

 

I almost got it, then read it was just vinyl. I decided that the thing to do is go without until the bumper is scratched there. Then get it to cover the damage.

 

I got it. I was prepared for a the black mat across the bumper when I took delivery. The dealer had put the clear on instead. He figured it looked better. I never notice it now. It is kind of like having Clear Bra on the top of the bumper. Having scratched up plenty of bumpers in my time getting things in and out, I like the idea of a protectant.

 

I'd rather have scratches than something that makes it look like a minivan step...

 

It must look pretty bad if the dealer switched w/o even clearing (hah!) it with you first.

 

if its just like the clear bra, go on ebay, and buy a roll of the same material used for the clear bra and put it on yourself. I bought a roll of that stuff for my mountain bike to protect the frame from cable rub and various other scratches that would be caused by abrasion. its easy to apply and is hard to see.

 

I got the bumper protection to avoid scratches as my dogs scrabble up into the back. Carrying dogs is not the primary function of my MINI (in spite of the bulldog motif), but my actual dog carrier's bumper was really scratched up and I decided to take pre-emptive measures, just in case.

I picked the black because I thought it would look good, and I think it does (make your own judgement from the picture below). It's a vinyl, not textured, but not super smooth either. There is a lot of black on the MINI anyway...not only the black roof on mine, but the wheel well skirts, the grill pieces in the back and rear fog lights, etc. I feel that the black bumper protection blends in very well.

 

Thanks for the picture. It looks pretty nice on your Mini. I was starting to wonder if anyone'd gotten it. That does indeed look pretty much how I imagined it would, though I don't think it'd blend in as well with my plans for a white roof, mirrors, and wheels. I'll just have to Photoshop it in (now that I know what it looks like) on my color choices. I really wish the miniusa configurator showed the dealer added options on the picture of the car.

 

They were going to do that, but apparently the website designer couldn't perfect the animation of the dealer emptying your wallet out as they installed the options.

 

My dealer seems to put it on all of their Mini they have in stock. I put it on mine and think it is a good thing.

 

As someone who is familiar with creating web graphics I'm thinking how funny this would be.