I have come across a potential problem today and I need some advice. On having my windscreen changed (damn pot holes!), it was pointed out to me that the roof colour underneath the windscreen trims was red whereas the top of my roof is black. There is also a weld half way down each front pillar where a new roof has clearly been attached to my car!! It isn't recorded in any of the cars history and due to the windscreen being poorly fitted there is also rust on the pillars. Should these welds be there? and more importantly, is it dangerous?
Is the main body of the car RED?
What year is the car?
If you know it definitely is a different roof to the original, are the door gaps and shut lines all even? if not the body might be distorted.
If you go onto the BMWminipart site it shows you the panels that make up the shell, Gen 1 and Gen 2 bodies are quite different, you should be able to see if theres a joint in the front screen pillars. they dont normally join pillars halfway down.
Photos would help us?
Many owners love modifying Mini's even when brand new, including adding/changing roof colours so more history on the cars ownership, model, etc would also help us comment.
Thanks for the replies! No body of the car is silver and has been since manufacture so the roof is definitely a different one. The car is a 2002 cooper.
Now you've mentioned it as well, one of the doors isn't quite straight, it seems to sit a bit lower than it should at one end :/ not looking good!
I'll try and get some pictures up once I'm in from work!
Theres nothing wrong with fitting a new roof panel provided the car was set up on a proper jig when its was done, otherwise as you can guess, removing the roof when the body is not adequately braced or supported will cause the body to flex and the main tell tale sign it doors that dont shut properly and varying panel gaps and shut lines.
It's quite hard to tell as they are quite inaccessible unless I start taking things apart...but on closer inspection it does look like the whole car might have once been red? Once I start unclipping water seals etc there is a lot of red paint showing through!
Interesting, so its not been silver since manufacture like you thought then?
Fingers crossed its all the same car then?
You can see part of the rear pillars with the hatch raised, where the rain channels are and the hatch seal fits.
One of the doors does looks to be sat a bit lower than it should be so the gap isn't consistent around it :/ and no, it appears I might be wrong about that, I assumed as the colour code under the bonnet is Pure Silver that the car had always been this colour but now I'm not so sure!
Yeah I hope it is one car! I best just hope to god that I'm told by the garage that it is unsafe so I can get my money back off the dealer
If it has had a new roof and a complete colour change, someones gone to a lot of effort to do it as it would really need a complete stripdown to spray all the inside too, to do a proper job, or at least attempt to.
The stamped in body/chassis/vin mumbers should also be checked for any tampering and matching up with the V5 logbook details. Was the car declared ok and HPI history checked (or similar) by the dealer?
Yeah its all HPI checked and VIN all look fine and match V5. Taken it into a garage this morning and they have cleared things up for me! It's been in a MAJOR accident at some point and is 2 cars welded together. The back of the car and the roof off a red mini and the front end from the silver one which I thought I'd bought! Must have been fairly early on in its life or the amount of work just wouldn't have been worth it. They said tbf the guy who has done it has done a brilliant job and they do think it is probably safe but either way I'm getting a refund from the dealer I bought it from time for a cooper S instead I think!! And I'll be checking this one over thoroughly before I buy it! Thanks for all the input, has been helpful
The AutoGuide.com network consists of the largest network of enthusiast-owned enthusiast-operated automotive communities.
AutoGuide.com provides the latest car reviews, auto show coverage, new car prices, and automotive news. The AutoGuide network operates more than 100 automotive forums where our users consult peers for shopping information and advice, and share opinions as a community.
also worth pointing out that I've only had the car for 2 months. 
