astarte Posted March 26, 2014 Report Posted March 26, 2014 Hey All, My Vinyl stripes have faded anywhere where a line drawn tangent to the curve on the car is nearly horizontal, where the stripes are vertical they're fine. For a 2012 MINI this seems more than a bit fast (especially since I first noticed it a year ago) Talking to Alexandria MINI I have been informed that Never Before in the ENTIRE history of MINI has this occurred, and therefore it must be user damage. (Considering that Alex MINI has been the one doing all of the car washing I'm a bit confused, maybe there was a chemical attack on one of the DoD sites I work on that we never knew about?!?) Since my every experience with Alex MINI has been horrific (the car is back in the shop Yet Again, where it lives a minimum of a few times a quarter) I am having serious trouble believing them. Could you let me know if your vehicle (or someone you know's vehicle) has had this issue? Right now the best offer is that they pay for the stripes and I pay $240 for the reinstall. My stripes are silver & blue since I have a blue & silver coupe. -l.
JAB 67 Posted March 26, 2014 Report Posted March 26, 2014 A picture would be helpful . . . JAB 67 Fairfax, VA 2004 MCS, PW/B
astarte Posted March 26, 2014 Author Report Posted March 26, 2014 car is at dealership getting all of its coils/spark plugs replaced again (maybe the FOURTH time will be the charm?) so i don't have her here...
cmcveay Posted March 26, 2014 Report Posted March 26, 2014 That does sound awfully fast for fading but there are things to consider. The horizontal surfaces will fade the fastest as they are in the sun and exposed to more environmental issues for longer periods of time - they take the brunt of the rain, snow, sun, bird poop etc., etc... If the car has only been washed at the dealership (as mentioned in the OP), they aren't waxing it or applying anything to help protect/seal the paint, stripes or other vinyl/plastic. If I'm not mistaken, their car wash is also the type that has the big dangling "rags" that knock the dirt/grime around as it washes it away? Without wax, sealant or other kinds of protection, the vinyl is going to take a beating and it's going to fade faster if the car spends a majority of it's time parked in direct sunlight. Sorry to hear about the recurring problems though! Hopefully, the situation will be worked out (for the stripes and other issues) in a beneficial way. 2014 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon "Homer" 2012 MB/CR JCW R55 "Merlin" Sold 2009 LB/LB R56 "Archie" Sold
RDG_RCR Posted March 26, 2014 Report Posted March 26, 2014 Hey All, My Vinyl stripes have faded anywhere where a line drawn tangent to the curve on the car is nearly horizontal, where the stripes are vertical they're fine. For a 2012 MINI this seems more than a bit fast (especially since I first noticed it a year ago) Talking to Alexandria MINI I have been informed that Never Before in the ENTIRE history of MINI has this occurred, and therefore it must be user damage. (Considering that Alex MINI has been the one doing all of the car washing I'm a bit confused, maybe there was a chemical attack on one of the DoD sites I work on that we never knew about?!?) Since my every experience with Alex MINI has been horrific (the car is back in the shop Yet Again, where it lives a minimum of a few times a quarter) I am having serious trouble believing them. Could you let me know if your vehicle (or someone you know's vehicle) has had this issue? Right now the best offer is that they pay for the stripes and I pay $240 for the reinstall. My stripes are silver & blue since I have a blue & silver coupe. -l. Hard to tell without pics, Sara has a 2012 and her stripes are fading as well, but I'm not sure how much worse yours might be. As Craig posted, alot of factors can contribute, if you car spends alot of time in direct sunlight (no garage/parking garage) or if you haven't waxed/coated them it can accelerate the fading process... or ALIENS!!!
cmcveay Posted March 26, 2014 Report Posted March 26, 2014 I forgot the aliens! Good catch. 2014 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon "Homer" 2012 MB/CR JCW R55 "Merlin" Sold 2009 LB/LB R56 "Archie" Sold
maacodale Posted March 27, 2014 Report Posted March 27, 2014 The biggest question I'd have concerns the stripes themselves. Are they factory stripes or aftermarket stripes. There is a major variance in the quality of vinyl. Cheaper vinyl can indeed fade within a year. We only use 3M or Universal vinyl here at the shop. Factory stripes, while I'm not a fan of the boring colors, do tend to hold up pretty well.
