New member, first post and question

[Jkoya]

Greetings everyone !!

New member here with a Mini Cooper SE Iconic on order (currently on the Atlas Leader) on its way to Port Hueneme. The Cooper SE will be our 6th plug in car.

My question - Does anyone know if removing the side wing mirrors will cause or flag any kind of error that would need a Mini Service department to clear or recalibrate ? I'm asking because the Xpel PPF installer wants to remove the wing mirrors to get a cleaner looking install.

Thanks in advance to any replies !

 

[chrunck]

I'm not an expert, but I've never seen anything like that on MINI forums in 18 years of ownership. AFAIK, it's just the seats and airbags that will cause trouble.

 

[insightman]

Greetings everyone !!

New member here with a Mini Cooper SE Iconic on order (currently on the Atlas Leader) on its way to Port Hueneme. The Cooper SE will be our 6th plug in car.

My question - Does anyone know if removing the side wing mirrors will cause or flag any kind of error that would need a Mini Service department to clear or recalibrate ? I'm asking because the Xpel PPF installer wants to remove the wing mirrors to get a cleaner looking install.

Thanks in advance to any replies !

Welcome to this great InsideEVs MINI Electric forum! You'll find no shortage of opinions here.

Hopefully, your installer knows all about MINI's wires for the mirror-adjustment motors, the mirror heating elements, and the driver's-side, MINI-logo puddle-light.

 

[Tommm]

Welcome to this great InsideEVs MINI Electric forum! You'll find no shortage of opinions here.

Hopefully, your installer knows all about MINI's wires for the mirror-adjustment motors, the mirror heating elements, and the driver's-side, MINI-logo puddle-light.

Thats easy. It is one big clip. I just replaced the passenger mirror on the Volvo sedan. take off the few screws that hold the door panel on, gently pop the panel off, then find one screw for the mirror behind the tweeter, and the other probably under the weatherstrip, unclip the wire, and viola. It took me about 20 minutes start to finish with my wife holding the door panel while I took off the mirror. The only tricky part is releasing the wire for the latch from the door panel. Having her hold it for 5 minutes saved me having to do that.

 

[Jkoya]

Thanks for everyones replies - much appreciated !!

We ordered the Cooper SE without having seen one in person and have not even physically visited the dealer yet. Everything has been done online. Our other EV required a camera calibration after the wing mirrors were removed, so was curious about the Cooper SE.

@insightman - are you the same Insightman that had a first generation Honda Insight in blue maybe ? I used to read the posts from that Insightman back in the day and I think there may have been a pic of you holding a rear fender or something like that...

 

[insightman]

Thanks for everyones replies - much appreciated !!

We ordered the Cooper SE without having seen one in person and have not even physically visited the dealer yet. Everything has been done online. Our other EV required a camera calibration after the wing mirrors were removed, so was curious about the Cooper SE.

@insightman - are you the same Insightman that had a first generation Honda Insight in blue maybe ? I used to read the posts from that Insightman back in the day and I think there may have been a pic of you holding a rear fender or something like that...

I, too, ordered my MINI Cooper SE, sight-unseen, in 2019. Minutes ago, I just wrote a long email to the MA who sold it to me and then left town for Denver long before it arrived. I told him it's the best and most fun car I've ever owned. It replaced the 2006 Insight I sold in 2019, leaving me Insightless for the first time in 20 years.

Yes, I assumed the identity of Insightman in 1999, when I created insightman.com (still around, but no longer updated) to blab about Honda's amazing all-aluminum (built alongside the NSX), 70-mpg (I could get 85 mpg), as-quick-as-my-1973-Porsche-914 wonder. My 2000 Insight (first in the midwest) was silver and my 2006 Insight (last gen-1 Insight sold in Michigan) was red. Now I have eminiman.com, which is a 10-second slide-show protesting the SE's fake hood scoop (which I had removed from my SE). Electric cars don't deserve to be saddled with skeuomorphic fake hood scoops.

 

[teslarati97]

The plastic mirror caps can be replaced (OEM part #51169881534 right and 51169881533 left), so it's really up to you if you want a custom PPF or a kit. I think there's 4 clips holding it in place.

If you are looking to do the entire car in PPF, that's a different story.

 

[Jkoya]

I, too, ordered my MINI Cooper SE, sight-unseen, in 2019. Minutes ago, I just wrote a long email to the MA who sold it to me and then left town for Denver long before it arrived. I told him it's the best and most fun car I've ever owned. It replaced the 2006 Insight I sold in 2019, leaving me Insightless for the first time in 20 years.

Yes, I assumed the identity of Insightman in 1999, when I created insightman.com (still around, but no longer updated) to blab about Honda's amazing all-aluminum (built alongside the NSX), 70-mpg (I could get 85 mpg), as-quick-as-my-1973-Porsche-914 wonder. My 2000 Insight (first in the midwest) was silver and my 2006 Insight (last gen-1 Insight sold in Michigan) was red. Now I have eminiman.com, which is a 10-second slide-show protesting the SE's fake hood scoop (which I had removed from my SE). Electric cars don't deserve to be saddled with skeuomorphic fake hood scoops.

Cool - I used to follow your stories about the Insight. I was always looking for one in Citrus Yellow since I had a 1997 Acura NSX in Spa Yellow Metallic. Had a chance to buy one in the SF Bay Area, but it sold before I saw the ad.

The plastic mirror caps can be replaced (OEM part #51169881534 right and 51169881533 left), so it's really up to you if you want a custom PPF or a kit. I think there's 4 clips holding it in place.

If you are looking to do the entire car in PPF, that's a different story.

Yes - I'm getting a full exterior wrap with Xpel Ultimate Plus PPF.

 

[Rexsio]

Greetings everyone !!

New member here with a Mini Cooper SE Iconic on order (currently on the Atlas Leader) on its way to Port Hueneme. The Cooper SE will be our 6th plug in car.

My question - Does anyone know if removing the side wing mirrors will cause or flag any kind of error that would need a Mini Service department to clear or recalibrate ? I'm asking because the Xpel PPF installer wants to remove the wing mirrors to get a cleaner looking install.

Thanks in advance to any replies !

Tell him to work around that really removing mirrors is not going to make a job any cleaner just take of a caps and do a job.

As I look around an X pel wrap can go as little as $500 to apply it on few parts to as much as $4000 to coat entire car but your Mini Cooper SE after 10 years still can have good finish if you take care of it .As 37 years old crab a Porsche looks as well like 2014 I 3 if the SE paint is as good as old cars . You don’t have to wrap a car to waist $$$ .You wrap this Baby GT2 RS which is about $500000 to keep spotless and storage in your bedroom to not be scratched!!!!!