Can the "interior surface" be replaced?

T

Tetrodotoxin

Member
If I purchase a Mini with interior surfaces that I don't care for (piano black), can the three pieces be replaced after the fact with something I like (aluminum)?

Thanks
 
Not easily, I don't think. I believe they are attached with plastic rivets from the backside that aren't removable.

Best option is to wrap them with vinyl. I did that in my Countryman to cover up the piano black and it turned out really well.
 
Louis W said:
Yes, they snap out. You can order OEM ones from Mini or aftermarket ones are available: https://www.outmotoring.com/dash-panel-color-change-kit-fixed-oemg3dash2.html

There's a how-to, but it's in German and you'll need to register to see the pics: https://www.mini-f56-forum.de/forum/thread/2380-mini-f56-ausbau-innenraumleisten-front-dashboard/

If you look at a pic of the inserts, you can see the metal spring clips that hold them in: https://www.ebay.com/itm/233923687101
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Had been wondering this myself but never looked into availability and how doable this all was. Thanks for posting up the info!
 
Fwiw the link shows the pre LCI parts, 22-23 cars have different trim where the vents are integrated. No idea if they pop in and out the same way.
 
Brawndo said:
Fwiw the link shows the pre LCI parts, 22-23 cars have different trim where the vents are integrated. No idea if they pop in and out the same way.
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I want to wrap all my piano black and figured the $30 fee for service manual access is cheaper than broken parts.

It appears on '22+ the dash panel is held in by clips only. Doesn't appear we need to remove the radio and air vents. Door trim appears identical to other years - supposedly held in with plastic rivets that need to be drilled out.
 
Confirmed, these dash panels just snap out for ‘22+. No collateral disassembly needed. I entered a plastic pry tool from the vent cutout and twisted a bit. I also found a small suction cup helpful to pull near locked clips as I twisted.

There are 8 clips for passenger side (2 towards outside, 2 near the middle, 1 around each of the 4 vent corners.) Drivers side has 6 clips (2 towards the outside, 1 around each of the 4 vent corners.) The accent lighting seems a bit fragile so I did my best to limit prying there.

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Anybody know where you can buy other trim options? Like the "Interior Surface MINI Electric".
 
Has anyone purchased any of these replacement dash pieces? I can't seem to find which design matches which part number. Even website to website identical part numbers are described differently. I've contacted my two closest dealers and they aren't helpful unless I want a whole new MINI or an oil change.

Do I need to visit a show room with pry tools?
 
After trying some vinyl wrap and not really feeling it, I went out on a limb and ordered some of these dash pieces to replace my piano black. After 2 months they finally came in.

The part numbers for "Interior Surface MINI Electric" are 51459893545 and 51459893547. Some websites have mismatched descriptions (one will be "stroke" and the other often "aluminum") but they are definitely a matching pair in the SE style.
 
Those are what my car was delivered with, and while on truly close inspection they look kinda so-so, everyone who gets into my car has nothing but positive comments — without solicitation! They hop in and say, “Wow, cool dash!”
 
I didn’t get to choose and ended up with piano black which has a bit of glare and hard to keep clean and not scratched. A lot of the other options are just as glossy.

The SE design is interesting being mostly matte. Sometimes it appears gray and others black. I definitely noticed what you said about print/etching quality but I don’t plan on getting too close to it now that it’s installed.

I’d love more options that were easier to source. One thing I liked about my Fiat 500 (and even their new designs) is how well the inside and outside matched. Dash panels that were body color or pulled in patterns from the decals.
 
carrrl said:
I’d love more options that were easier to source. One thing I liked about my Fiat 500 (and even their new designs) is how well the inside and outside matched. Dash panels that were body color
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I've seen a Chili Red red dash before - maybe an earlier JCW?

Anyway, since the dash panels are removable you could always pop them out, paint (or wrap) them to match the exterior, then put them back.
 
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