Low Buck MINI Mods

JFS Mar 22nd, 2005 Link

I’d also suggest to wax the debadged area as the WD-40 will strip off previous wax coats.

I really like the E-Pass idea, I’ll try it out. Tx.

Gabe Mar 22nd, 2005 Link

Actually dental floss is a great idea. In the past I had always used fishing wire.

Waxing is probably a good idea after the initial wash. That little spot is usually pretty gross due to dirt getting trapped between the letters. If only MINI hadn’t kerned so much! :-)

glassintrepid Mar 22nd, 2005 Link

Ive had my eztag up on the sunroof for a year! It workes great and doesnt conflict with opening or closing.

shawn Mar 22nd, 2005 Link

Just out of curiousity, does anyone know if the ezpass trick will work with Illinois’ iPass? I’m assuming it’s pretty much the same, but if anyone has tried it, it’d be nice to know for sure.

revwillie Mar 22nd, 2005 Link

once you have the ezpass out of the way, try

http://www.lightinsight.com/

(recommended by a NAM member)

Luke Mar 22nd, 2005 Link

There is another trick to stealth an ez-pass. Take a strip of black felt the width of the pass and wrap it around it. Force it into the holder and it won’t rattle and it’ll be black. I stick mine infront of the rear view mirror.

Josh Wardell Mar 22nd, 2005 Link

I have my EZpass wrapped in black electrical tape, it looks much better and is much less noticable.

Yes shawn iPass uses the exact same hardware as EZpass (reminds me I’ve had one sitting in a drawer for years!)

I also highly recommend the lightinsight.

Other cheap mods I recommend:
-05 Utility Box
-Glove Box Organizer
-A nice car wash :)

Joe Stahl Mar 22nd, 2005 Link

I have my own mod I did with the EZPass. I found a picture of the MINI logo, put it on a black background, sized the logo so it fits between the 2 strips of velcro that holds the EZPass onto the window. I printed it out on photo quality paper, and cut out holes where the velcro goes. After a while it will fade from the sun, but mine lasted about a year before I had to reprint another one. You can really do it with any picture, the possibilities are endless.

Andrew Zimmerman Mar 22nd, 2005 Link

acetone works for the sun visor warning removal too.

Meg Mar 22nd, 2005 Link

Yes Luke, “stealthed” my ezpass with felt too, as I have a convert so no sunroof option for me.
The black looks so much less noticble then the ugly white thing that used to be there.

Steve Mar 22nd, 2005 Link

For easy cheap mods, I added weatherstripping around the hood wheel arches and velcro’ed my garage door opener underneath the center console switches

RocccosModernLife Mar 22nd, 2005 Link

I really want to get rid of the dashboard airbag sticker (I know, I know….I still haven’t taken it off :D), but have always been afraid of it leaving some stickiness behind if I just peel it off - will it?

Thanks for the list, Gabe!

RoccosModernLife Mar 22nd, 2005 Link

Ooops, I put Gabe instead of Lawrence ;)

Thanks for the list, Lawrence! :)

Gabe Mar 22nd, 2005 Link

I’ll second that - thanks for the list Lawrence!

morknmini Mar 23rd, 2005 Link

Excellent. I appreciate it when someone cares more about the appearance of the car than the factory that applied those awful stickers. Thanks.

scott Mar 23rd, 2005 Link

Another really cheap, 5 minute mod for 2002-2004 MINIS is the extra brakelight mod - http://motoringfile.com/howto/brakelight_mod.pdf

alex Mar 23rd, 2005 Link

just one question- i’m in NY and have a real EZPass as far as I know, but what is this ‘holder’ you are talking about? Mine is just a good sized white block that I stick to the windshield with double sided velcro tape…

Lee L Mar 23rd, 2005 Link

Peeling the sticker off the dash should not leave much if any residue. Just peel it off. If for some reason there is a little bit of gunk on there, use a product called Goo Gone to remove it. It is a citrus based product that won;t harm the finish on your dash like acetone, etc will. Plus it smells much better.

Lawrence Mar 23rd, 2005 Link

Alex - “Holders” are cheap plastic brackets with suction cups that hold your EZPass (et al) in a much more easily removable way - without using adhesive. You can pick one up at most auto parts stores for about $5, and are usually found in the impulse buy sections by the checkouts.

Steve - Totally forgot about the inner wheel arch mod! Good catch!

RocccosModernLife - Dashboard sticker removal usually leaves a bit of residue, but again, a little WD40 (or Goo Gone) and some elbow grease makes it go away!

Scott - I agree with the brakelight mod, but didn’t include it as Gabe had previously listed it in his Top 5 for Newbies.

Carl Mar 24th, 2005 Link

Is there any difference in removing the visor sticker with the antracite headliner. Since the visors are darker than normal I am wondering if this makes a difference in the final result.

John Dewey Mar 25th, 2005 Link

My Illinois I pass is mounted in the center of my rear sunroof. It works fine in the 55 MPH lane when doing 65.

I will have to look for that hiding place at the front of the rear sunroof.

RoccosModernLife Mar 25th, 2005 Link

Thanks for the advice on the sticker!

RoccosModernLife Mar 25th, 2005 Link

I just took off the sticker - no problems at all, and it looks so much better!
Thanks again!

Limey Mar 29th, 2005 Link

…I couldn’t (quickly) find the thread discussing the mod for adding the extra brakelight so have (lazily) posted a suggested update to the install instructions here:

Rather than remove the entire bulb assembly (as shown in Pic 2) it was much easier to just unplug the actual harness (shown connected to the assembly in Pic 3)from the assembly. In my 03 MCS it was a tight fit getting the assembly in/out and you run the risk of breaking a bulb

Since the harness only fits one way there is little risk of not plugging it back in the right way…It literally took half the time to do the second light after I discovered the harness can be unlpugged….Thanks for the info!

Ben Apr 23rd, 2005 Link

As great as new “beemer” minis are. The original, classic minis are best! dont forget!

happy modding

ben

allen Dec 8th, 2005 Link

Any advice for removing the screw covers on the visor? I’d much rather do this outside of the car, as I have read bad things about getting denatured alcohol on painted dashboards. Unfortunately I am far from handy, and am very reluctant to just start trying to force the covers off…

sallykat Jan 25th, 2006 Link

Has anyone had problems with the stealth mount EZpass with tinted sunroof? I’ve tried it, and it doesnt register when I drive through. I’ve had to take it off the window and hold it up to the front windshield everytime.

Im wondering if the tint is affecting it, or if I have a faulty transmiter.

If its the tint, my next thought was to cut a small window in the tint to allow it to function. Bad idea? Will it start to peel away if I do this?

RonniR Apr 1st, 2006 Link

Visor decal removal: The denatured alcohol procedure did absolutely nothing, when tried on my brand new (2006) Mini S. Perhaps they’re using a new, “improved” adhesive?

Michael Jul 10th, 2007 Link

I have the 2006 MCS too. The Denatured alcohol worked great. I almost gave up too soon, but was determined to get that sticker off. It took about 30 minutes of scrubbing for each visor, but is well worth it in the end.