OK, I've seen it done both ways by members here. Pros and cons of masking the hood vs. removing the OEM chrome grill for plastidipping? Oh and I'll do the chrome headlight rings too, so same question there. The headlights look easy to remove. Is that right?
Yes, the headlights on the first Gen MINI's are easy to remove. They are held in my 3 nuts. I think they are 8 mm's but I am not 100% sure. Just disconnect the wiring and undo the 3 nuts and the light will come out. If you have HID lights or headlight washers you have a few more connections but it still easy to remove them. Some people just loosen the lights and do not take them out so the can remove the snap on trim ring so they can paint it. The hard part is getting them back on without meshing up your paint work if you did not allow enough time to let it completely dry and cure. Also to clip them on can be a pain in the a$$ with the hood open and the light loose and a freshly painted trim ring.
Thanks. No washers, but does xenon=HID? (I'm sure you've picked up that I'm totally new. I feel like I should start a newbie thread with an acronym & slang definition list. Took me 'til yesterday to figure out what a "Justa" was!) I meant to spray some WD40 on the grill nuts before I left for work this morning.
I would just mask it off and do it on the car. The "nuts" attaching the grill are fasteners made from stamped sheet metal that are fragile and easily damaged (not meant to be reused). I believe you'll find a piece of the hood behind the slats that is Pepper White and will show through, and you should make that black as well. The lower single slat is attached by a strong double stick tape, and you can also just mask it off.
Does xenon=HID ? Yup you got it...(High-intensity discharge lamps (HID lamps) or non yellow halogen lamps.