Clubman Accessory Review

[Dr. J]

I thought I would put in a couple cents on some aftermarket accessories (they can be OEM even).

"Boot Mat" - well the rubber one at least, does not fit the boot area very well. It's a bit oversized, so it climbs up the walls of the boot a bit. Would be good if you carry lots of wet stuff. Not sure if the cloth/fabric one has the same issue.

"Boot Sill Protection" - I actually installed this myself. It's about a $45 upgrade (OEM part from the dealer) and is essentially a piece of TPU (clear bra), just like what is offered for the front of the vehicle. It comes with the plastic, a packet of "#1" (an alcohol prep wipe), a packet of "#2" (mild soap), and a plastic squeegee. The instructions were not included but can be found online - unfortunately there are only pictograms, no text, but it's not hard to decipher it. First came the prep - a good wash, dry, and clean with the #1 pad. The instructions say to put 1/2 the soap packet in 1 L of water in a spray bottle - easy enough. If you've ever put an "invisible shield" on a cell phone or mp3 player, the process is essentially the same but larger. Be sure you HOSE DOWN the bumper and both sides of the plastic as well as your hands. Also be sure to handle the plastic as little as possible as the DOWN side is slightly adhesive and fingerprints WILL show (and cannot be removed). Although the part was OEM - I bought it from MiniMania and it says that it fits a Clubman - it is NOT notched for the door latch! It fits the contour of the sill well but I had to use a pair of scissors to notch out the plastic. The catch to keeping the back of the plastic down (where it trails down the bumper) is to dry the soap solution off the bumper as your squeegee it out, otherwise the film will pop up again. Now that I have it installed, I feel a bit better about letting my dogs jump in and out of the boot