I haven't done it myself, but i've heard good things about Simple Green or GooGone. Do your research on it before using any products though.

 

It's a 2007 with 65,100 miles on it almost exactly. I doubt they're still covered but even if they are, I removed them so wouldn't MINI be able to refuse because there's no proof they were ever damaged in the first place?

Either that or I'm going to rock it without stripes for a little bit.

I used a hair dryer. I also did the entire job (or 90% of it) completely by myself with only rubbing alcohol, a hair dryer, and a microfiber. There's no way you can do this job at a DIY level in your driveway completely on impulse for 30 minutes, and if there is I feel stupid.

VERY little. I'm about to bring it back up to the dealership I work for and have a friend of mine buff the hood, maybe whole car if he's up for it. I hope the little bit of ghosting goes away because this stripeless look is starting to grow on me.

The first and only thing I needed was rubbing alcohol and a microfiber. Worked perfectly.

 

I'd second the rubbing alcohol as a good choice. If that doesn't work well for you, I've had excellent success with lighter fluid, or it's primary ingredient naphtha. It's a relatively mild solvent that doesn't harm most plastic or cured paints. Never use Goof off...it will start to dissolve most plastic and paints in about 10 seconds.

 

This is true

Goo Gone also makes an automotive application:

http://googone.com/GG-Browse-Product...Spray-Gel-12oz

 

Just to confuse the issue even more, I would go with gray or silver stripes. I think the white is too drastic on the black.

I think it looks a bit plain without.

Highlander, most auto parts stores have 3M adhesive remover, it is made for that and works well.

Have fun,
Mike

 

I've had good luck with "goo gone"..

 

I actually really like that idea. I just had it waxed, compounded, and buffed. No luck. I'll probably just get white viper stripes on the astro black paint and black stripes on the white paint. Or a silverish colored viper stripe all the way.

 

I have tried Goo Gone, Goof Off, and 3M Automotive Adhesive Remover. None worked very well. I will try the alcohol and the lighter fluid.

 

Using either the rubbing alcohol or naphtha, soak a paper towel with the stuff and press and hold it on the glue strip for 30 seconds...it will soften and should be able to be cleaned up with a terrycloth towel.

 

Stay away from Goof-Off in the future. That stuff can do serious harm to your car's finish.

Goo-Gone is orange-oil based and safe. Give it time to penetrate. Lighter fluid/naptha is less safe than Goo-Gone, but MUCH safer than Goof-Off.

 

Exactly! I recently added the "tramp stamp" to the rear of my Countryman, which involved removing and relocating the "Cooper" badge. After "sawing" off the letters with fishing line, I was left with quite a bit of adhesive to remove. My original plan was to use Goof Off, and I bought a small container, but after reading the directions, it mentioned that damage to painted surfaces could occur. I picked up some Goo Gone, and it did the trick. The fact that it's citrus-based is a bonus for me. I just sprayed it onto a towel, and held it over the adhesive for about a minute to let it work in. On the bonnet, you could just spray it on and let it sit for a moment.

 

Side topic: Don't use a pressure washer on your car. There are many negatives besides striping strips off.

 

I'm glad somebody finally mentioned this! My first thought was about using a pressure washer on a car. It's fortunate that only the stripes came off, and not some of the paint too.

 

Haha this thread has turned into a "detailing 101" thread.

 

I see that blank bonnet and see how great it would look to have matte black stripes. So yes, this poster is in the MINI needs stripes camp.

 

Just as an aside, I believe this is the origin of the Mini's/MINI's bonnet stripes. They were used on the Cooper formula cars of the late '50s and early 60s. Cooper won the Formula 1 Constructors Championship in '59 and '60. This is a photo of a 1959 Cooper Climax T51. Nice heritage, I think. Also, it explains the white bonnet stripes on my BRG R56!

 

Restore the stripes--either the factory design or another.

 

Minis dont look right without stripes. It looks like somethings missing. In my opinion put them back on.

 

Okay so stripes are the least of my worries now. I washed my car and the wheels were very wet. Wet tires + sport mode + wide turn = spin twice and slam the wheels into a curb, bending two of them and probably screwing up the alignment. I have access to all the recourses and tools needed to fix THIS screw up, but things like this just suck. I've wanted to get 17s for a while, I guess no better time than now...

 

Thank you for sharing this.

 

I have factory stripes (on the right):
which at this time are seriously suffering from sun stroke. On Thursday, dealer will replace them on warranty which is the oddest warranty fix I've ever heard of... Within the year, I'll be doing custom stripes like these:





that will look far better with my blackout theme (and a new black hoodscoop).

 

I really like that! I wish mine was a brighter blue. I love that and the red on MINIs with black stripes how you're going to do. I checked with MINI and my warranty ran out last year for the stripes. Bummer.