An old maxim states ‘necessity is the mother of invention.’ This statement sums up the MINI aftermarket succinctly. Once the first-generation cars were unleashed on an unsuspecting automotive industry, an enthusiast following appeared shortly thereafter. Once owners were given a chance to use their cars for longer periods of time, small niggling issues popped up [...] More... Source - MotoringFile
I have one on the tach of my R56. What a simple, inexpensive and terrific mod! I only wish they could come up with something for the speedo with factory nav. I'd buy it in a heartbeat
Unfortunately, I can't use the same technique for the nav speedo as I do for the other gauges. The anti-reflective material I use is flat, and can't be shaped to match the curves in the inner and outer part of the ring. Richard
Not trying to hijack the thread but I read several comments about scratched lens on the MF comments. I have a hardtop R56 so I am not seeing that much of a glare issue but I do note the scratches. Couple great products from Griot's does a really nice job which I believe MA sponsor Aaron of OutMotoring carries Plastic Cleaner and Polish - Interior Detailing - Car Care - Griot's Garage
I agree that scratches should not be considered a major issue with the factory gauge lenses. Scratches can be removed with plastic polishes. I wanted to reduce or eliminate reflections off the lens. Scratch resistance turned out to be an unexpected side benefit of InvisiLens but that wasn't my goal. The MotoringFile review didn't do a good job of describing or illustrating the reflection issue. Here's an in-car photo of a tach with a stock lens: This scene should look familiar to many MINI owners and they would hardly give this pic a second look. When you drive during the day, watch for reflections of your face, shirt, and hands appearing on the tach. That's a normal experience while driving a MINI and many people accept it as normal. However, my reaction was, "This isn't right" and I felt compelled to fix it. Now imagine if you could remove the reflections for a clear view of the gauge. This is a photo of the same tach 10 minutes later, with the factory lens swapped out for InvisiLens: It is the result I had achieved with InvisiLens. Here's a photo for direct comparison. This is not a Photoshop. I actually cut lenses in half and mounted the left side with stock and the right side with InvisiLens: Richard
Great product Richard..... I didn't realize you also developed the R56 Spedo lens (with the radio cut out slot).
Thanks. The R56 speedo was challenging and there were multiple obstacles to overcome. It was invaluable that I was able to do the development at TechShop, where I can operate a laser cutter myself. It enabled me to cut a lens, check the results, tweak measurements and repeat the cycle several times each session. It would have been painful to the same thing by submitting jobs at a shop.
That TechShop idea is a pretty slick concept, putting powerful tools in your hands at what I assume is a very reasonable price. I would find myself spending all my free time there.