Dealer Accessory Input Please

T

Tetrodotoxin

Member
That's just say ... hypothetically ... I was about to buy this Mini (link). I was assured, being Iconic, the Mini will arrive with black exterior trim rather than the chrome that is displayed.

Any thoughts on dealer accessories that I can't live without ?

First, let me say that I would not even drive it home with yellow mirror caps, so I would order:
NIGHT JACK MIRROR CAPS

I might also add the Waistline Finisher, thoughts?
might add some Mud flaps to protect the pretty paint ...

Hypothetical car, already ordered with:
Black All Weather Floor Mats
MINI Luggage Compartment Mat
MINI First Aid Kit
MINI TPMS Caps (whatever these are)

Hypothetical dealership also installs XPEL paint protection and they offer Cilajet ceramic coating (for $985!). At a minimum, I'm going to Xpel the front bumper and I'm considering the hood.

Any opinion(s) would be appreciated.
 
XPEL your bumper and full hood (maybe front quarter panel?). Skip the ceramic coating and you can always order accessories from your MINI dealer later.

If you have a friend in a BMW CCA chapter, then you might be able to get the discounted parts at a combo MINI/BMW location.
 
teslarati97 said:
XPEL your bumper and full hood (maybe front quarter panel?). Skip the ceramic coating and you can always order accessories from your MINI dealer later.

If you have a friend in a BMW CCA chapter, then you might be able to get the discounted parts at a combo MINI/BMW location.
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I’d skip both Xpel and ceramic that the dealer puts on. Even though they most likely outsource the work, I’d expect the Xpel will be a pre-cut kit so no tucked edges. The edges will just collect dirt and not look good in a year. If you’re going to do ceramic, it’s best to have paint correction done first. Even brand new cars will need some level of paint correction, especially a dark colored car. $985 for ceramic coating is expensive. $985 for paint correction and ceramic coating would be a good price.

I never let the dealer do things like this. Find a local shop that specializes in this type of work. That way you build a relationship for future cars. The local shop I use also does my window tint. For the Mini, I’m skipping Xpel and just doing paint correction/ceramic and ceramic window tint all around.
 
I’ll be doing any correction and the coating (I prefer this word) myself, and my dealership’s F&I guy lost an easy commission by dropping the ball on getting me info on who does their tinting and how much I should expect to pay for a ceramic tint all around and on the sunroof. I’ll be going to the indy who handles all the tints for the local Rolls-Royce store, thanks to my nephew who started out as a car jockey there and is now a successful Audi sales advisor. Other than these, I’m also going to get Night Jack mirror caps and mud flaps, and an aftermarket shorty antenna. I have Weathertech mats in my other cars, but if anybody here has experience with 3D Kagu, I’d like to hear about it. Also looking at the Spigen cup holder MagSafe charger, unless someone has experience with the printed adapter that enables use of phones like the 12S Pro Max in a slim case. Can’t think of much else I want to add.
 
BackPack said:
I’d skip both Xpel and ceramic that the dealer puts on. Even though they most likely outsource the work, I’d expect the Xpel will be a pre-cut kit so no tucked edges. The edges will just collect dirt and not look good in a year.
Click to expand...

You hit the nail on the head, the dealer explained to me that tucked edges are impossible around the hood, therefore there will be an edge to the Xpel. They do not outsource the work, they do it in house.
 
Tetrodotoxin said:
I was assured, being Iconic, the Mini will arrive with black exterior trim rather than the chrome that is displayed.
Click to expand...

You may want to triple-check on the chrome, if I put my iconic VIN in there the image does not show the chrome (as in my avatar image).
 
They all come with chrome belt line. The black is installed a the port (per posts on this site).

The TPMS caps are the caps on the tires. I have a set hanging in my garage. A friend gave me them for my milestone birthday. Hanging next to them is a Porsche set I won in a raffle. Shows how important those are.

I plan on installing the mud flaps shortly after I get the car. My dealer gets 500 for the ceramic window tint. A local club sponsor quoted me 450 for tint, so I am letting the dealer don't out of convenience. Six years ago I believe I paid about 300 for tint on my 1 series.

During lockdown I removed the 12" of clear bra from my 2007 sedan with 125k miles. I spent a good 10 hours. I used steam (want a deal on a barely used HF steamer) WD40, goo gone, pressure washer, 3M wheel, fingernails, patience, frustration and a plastic scraper. I now have microscratches in the clear coat, and a horizontal line across the hood where the expert who installed it in 2007 trimmed it. I will pass on the expel.

Everything you are asking about can be done after you take delivery. Buy the car and deal with the rest later.
 
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Yup. The hardest part of a paint coating is correction, but with a basic set of tools — a decent DA, quality pads, and the right products — near-professional results can be achieved (and often far surpassed) at a fraction of the cost. Horror stories notwithstanding, new car paint should be nearly perfect and need little correction.
 
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