My 09 too. Got mini to wetsand my hood it was so bad.

 

I was able to remove the etching with some Nu Shine scratch remover. Looks good as new.

 

It's not overfilling, heat or anything else. It' a chronic issue. I have a 2 1/2 year old R56 and it's been doing this from day one and it still does it.

 

Morning all - add me to the list of driver side weepers.... I have been keeping an eye on the nozzles since reading this thread and have discovered my driver’s side will weep after use. It leaves a 4-5 inch stain on the bonnet/stripes.

Has anyone had a dealer fix it yet? If so, what did they do to fix it (replace nozzle/valve)? I ask because it seems most have posted that they are dealing with it by cleaning it up and not going back to the dealer. Just curious….

 

This is a known issue that requires the installation of two additional check valves (one for each sprayer). The dealers should already know about this, as it was a common occurrence with the R56 based models. My guess would be that the F56 uses the same sprayer nozzles...

 

So why the Sam Hill didn't they put the check valves in at the factory? Wouldn't that be cheaper--and more satisfactory to the customer--than doing it later AND replacing/repairing paint and stripes? That can't be a smart decision.

Sure hope my car doesn't do this when it arrives...

 

Sad to say, mine does this too. Picked it up this morning fully "cleaned" and ready for delivery. By the time I got it home, I had a trail of residue from the driver side nozzle.

 

I just noticed that in your picture bluvw69.

Otherwise your car looks like I hope mine does.

 

Oh? Twins! Since that first day, I've kept a bottle of spray detailer and a microfiber towel in the boot. Happy to report though, that this has not been an ongoing issue.

 

Has anyone seen this problem on a 2015? Wondering if MINI has corrected it already.

 

There is an interesting thread here that talks about weeping wiper ducts (scroll past stripes talk): https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...t-stripes.html

It seems to go way back and yet apparently still nothing done to correct it. Short version of reading through the thread is folks have had good results by flushing the MINI fluid. They think it is fluid related. Getting check valves installed of course fixes as well, but simply getting rid of MINI's fluid seemed to help too.

Would be interested to know if this "fix" still applies? (I don't have my car yet to try it.)

 

Bit of an update from me, it hasn't happened to me since after my first week. Could be because I haven't used the washer jets as much or because its been cooler outside, but no weeping in over a week!

 

Given that no one has a 2015 yet (first ones I know of finished production July 1), the answer is indeed no one has seen this problem on a 2015.

 

Anyone have an official response from their dealer? I just dropped mine off and before he agreed to look into it, he said to not be surprised if it turns out to not be a problem. Ruining paint and stripes is a HUGE problem to me.

 

I mentioned it to my MA and mentioned this thread, he said it was the first he'd heard of it though. He did say to take a look at the hose under the hood and see if it was loose, and said they take a look during my first service (which is.. 9K miles away!)

 

Don't you know that's dealerspeak?

You can have a lot of paint and stripe damage in 9,000 miles. I wouldn't wait. It's probably in the squirters themselves, just like it was in the R56.

 

I have the same problem with a weeping wiper jet (driver side only). It did it the first day I had the car and I asked about it. Unfortunately, it seems to have etched my paint and dissolved the pigment from my bonnet stripe. Plan to visit the dealer tomorrow.

 

Bring these with you:
Page 1 of TSB: http://workshop-manuals.com/mini/coo...ts/page_15559/
Page 2 of TSB: http://workshop-manuals.com/mini/coo...ts/page_15559/

Just got a call from the dealership:
(KRIS COLLINS, "SERVICE" MANAGER) Your car is ready.
(ME) Awesome, what was the fix?
(KRIS) There wasn't anything wrong.
(ME) What do you mean there isn't anything wrong?
(KRIS) You can't fix what's not broken, I've already explained to you how it happens. (When I dropped the car off, he explained about heat and fluid pressures)
(ME) This is a well documented problem with all Mini's and Mini itself put out a TSB.
(KRIS) There aren't any TSBs for the 2014.
(ME) I understand that but...
(KRIS) You need to stop talking and listen to me. I'm trying to explain ---
(ME) EXCUSE ME?
(KRIS) You need to stop talking and listen.
(Explains it all again)
(ME) Question: If this is common and normal behavior, why does it not happen on every other car in town?
(KRIS) You probably haven't been looking hard enough.

At that point I hung up.

 

Wow! My 11 year old Toyota Highlander has never weeped in its life. What phenomenally bad service. I had hoped MINI would be different from the other dealer service reputations - and not all would be this bad - but ---- Wow!

 

Sure hope you have other dealer options in your area.

In all fairness, it IS possible that they haven't seen this on a 2014 before. Not likely, but possible. In any event, it's happening to YOUR car, it's happened to OTHER cars, and it's been a MINI problem going way back. So, the real issue is, what will MINI do about it? I'd suggest going over your SA's pointy head and asking MINI USA what they will do about it before the NAM thread gets any longer!

Just hope that Oxford doesn't respond that it's American heat and air causing it...

 

I called Neillo in Sacramento and they are willing to at least try and fix it. Going to get a call tomorrow from them about what is the best course of action. One of the things they (Reno) cited in their explanation that it's not a problem is that every single one of their 2014s on their lot does it... I said that doesn't mean it's not a problem, it means it's a common issue.

I walked in and asked for the manager's email address. In an unlucky turn of events for the guy, the manager was there. I got some dealerspeak about how they have to get it approved through mini if they find a fix, but it seemed like they look my complaint seriously.

Doesn't matter though, I told them that I will never use their dealership again if that's how their customers that just dropped $25k on a car get treated. I'd rather drive the two hours each way to Sacramento than have to let them touch my Mini.

 

Gee, how moronic! If every one of the 2014s they put out on the road blows an engine, would that mean it's not a problem?

I didn't have this on my R56 during the warranty period. Naturally, my car waited until it was 5 1/2 years old and had 80,000 miles on the clock before developing it, but it did ruin the clear coat on the hood and boot. And that was on my nickel, of course. A whole bunch of nickels, in fact.

When the problem first surfaced in '07, MINI was very good about accepting responsibility for those cars, and replaced stripes right and left. That was, at the time, the chief complaint, probably because the fluid typically dribbled down the hood along the stripes and stained them. And then they set about installing check valves on affected cars. No hiding behind "we haven't seen it," or your SA's bizarre variation "they all do it, ergo it's not a problem." It's very disappointing that the check valves weren't part of the design in the first place. It's not like windshield washers are cutting-edge technology, after all...

 

took my car to San Francisco Mini and they installed a pressure damper in the front windshield wiper hose.

I have only had a very small leak since. Once I wash the car I will watch it closely.

 

Posted a tweet to @MiniUSA

I wonder if they will respond.

 

I'll ask about the issue and report on what the company has to say about it.