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Clear oily substance leaking from rear view mirror
F55/F56/F57 Stock Problems/IssuesDiscussions related to warranty related issues and repairs, or other problems with the OEM parts and software for F55/F56 MINI Cooper AND Cooper S models.
Clear oily substance leaking from rear view mirror
Today I noticed a clear oily substance leaking from my rear view mirror. The substance is leaking down the windshield on the inside of the cabin. The rear view mirror is the one with the rain sensor. Has anybody else experienced this?
Sounds like it could be a small leak in the window sealer. I would definitely take it to the dealer and see what is up. That is not normal.
The oily substance seems like it's coming from the rear view mirror and not where the windshield meets the top rubber gasket. And one other thing, there was no rain or snow so this is not a water leak. Is there some kind of auto dimming oil inside the mirror?
Last edited by ColoradoF56; Nov 20, 2014 at 01:14 PM.
Sounds like some of the chemicals in auto-dimming mirrors. BMW has had leaky auto-dimming mirrors in the past. Just do a Google search for it. Definitely bring it into your dealer... no doubt it should be covered under warranty.
The dealer installed a new rain sensor and gel pack. It completely fixed the problem. They had to order the replacement parts from Germany so it took a while to get to Colorado.
I have the same stupid problem on my 2015 F56 with build date Sept. 2014.
They need to get a grip on fixing these things before these cars are sold. I mostly like the drive experience, except the small annoyances are piling up for the next visit. Green mode miles most times don't accumulate on the gauge (stuck at same number even though I'm coasting at least a mile), more rattles on the door panels and the front dash somewhere. I still don't like how the automatic gear behaves in stop and go traffic when releasing the brake from a complete stop. It's not a smooth start. Idle start stop is pretty harsh too so I keep it off most times.
If this is bad by design, it's going to happen again in the future. I can clearly see air bubbles in that sensor spot now that few drips of the gel has leaked out.
I replaced my rain sensor on my 2015 F56 for the fourth time now and I'm not even surprised that it's doing the same thing again. I drove maybe 100 miles since last replacement, and was parked in my garage that's around 20C all the time. It's the base mirror, not the automatic dimming mirror.
I even see that there's air inside the sensor gel pack area, where I think it should be completely filled with the gel and with no air.
Can anyone check if theirs is completely filled, packed with gel?
Attachments - Photo of the air pockets on the MINI, and a second photo of my 2014 Mazda CX-5 rain sensor with no problems.
I replaced my rain sensor on my 2015 F56 for the fourth time now and I'm not even surprised that it's doing the same thing again. I drove maybe 100 miles since last replacement, and was parked in my garage that's around 20C all the time. It's the base mirror, not the automatic dimming mirror.
I even see that there's air inside the sensor gel pack area, where I think it should be completely filled with the gel and with no air.
Can anyone check if theirs is completely filled, packed with gel?
Attachments - Photo of the air pockets on the MINI, and a second photo of my 2014 Mazda CX-5 rain sensor with no problems.
I will check for any bulletins about this and ask around at work to see if I can't scrounge up any information on this one. Are the auto wipers working normally? How about the automatic headlights? We had this on a loaner hardtop and we ended up replacing the whole mirror assembly because the auto lights/wipers weren't working.
I will check for any bulletins about this and ask around at work to see if I can't scrounge up any information on this one. Are the auto wipers working normally? How about the automatic headlights? We had this on a loaner hardtop and we ended up replacing the whole mirror assembly because the auto lights/wipers weren't working.
Auto wipers seems to work normally, but it's hard to tell if it's really normal or not. Headlights works fine.
Auto wipers seems to work normally, but it's hard to tell if it's really normal or not. Headlights works fine.
If you hit the auto button and you get the first wipe they should be working. The issue with this car is that nothing would happen in auto for either thing. I will dig into it and talk with a tech when I get in tomorrow and see if they don't know of anything.
I got mine replaced again with the same part number. They said there's no revised part for this. Perhaps MINI thinks it's cheaper to replace the parts with the same defective ones over and over again. The brand new loaner F55 that I had (less than 1k miles) also has some air bubbles so maybe the air gap is normal. Previously I did experience the wiper sometimes working erratically even in constant rain (such as wiping three times continuously and then going back to it's normal 3 second interval rhythm).
Another leak only after couple weeks or so. Didn't drive much, mostly parked in the garage. Scheduled another appointment. Thank god they have loaner cars.
I hope they find a solution, otherwise I'm going to keep sending them in for replacement.
That is really interesting... I haven't found anything out about this. I am now in a different department but my Service guys still keep me in the loop. Let us know if this keeps being a problem.
Took a look at my 2015 F56 and sure enough it's leaking too. Will take it into be replaced by MINI soon, but posting here just to confirm another documented case.
Hopefully they recall this item and make a quality replacement.
Hi guys! I started seeing this recently on my 2016 Cooper S model. Just wanted to find out if MINI came out with an update or a fix before I go to the dealer?
Hi guys! I started seeing this recently on my 2016 Cooper S model. Just wanted to find out if MINI came out with an update or a fix before I go to the dealer?
There’s no fix. Official answer was that this gel is only needed for avoiding damage to the sensor during installation. Whether you believe them or not is up to you.
After three years of wiping off the leak, it stopped leaking. Maybe it drained enough that it no longer comes out. Rain sensor seem to be working fine.
There’s no fix. Official answer was that this gel is only needed for avoiding damage to the sensor during installation. Whether you believe them or not is up to you.
After three years of wiping off the leak, it stopped leaking. Maybe it drained enough that it no longer comes out. Rain sensor seem to be working fine.
I will contact the dealership to see what they say, as the car is still under warranty in case it come in handy.
I started noticing this a week ago when we started to have a warmer weather after the winter. It isn't leaking too much, but I can see some of the gel. One of these warmer days, I adjusted position of my seat and need to re-adjust the rear view mirror as well. By doing this, I felt that mirror's movement is very fluid(had no friction) as if some type of lubricant was applied into the mirror's movement mechanism. I am thinking this could of caused some movement of the sensor's gel and it started leaking. Otherwise I don't remember seeing this gel before.
I will contact the dealership to see what they say, as the car is still under warranty in case it come in handy.
I started noticing this a week ago when we started to have a warmer weather after the winter. It isn't leaking too much, but I can see some of the gel. One of these warmer days, I adjusted position of my seat and need to re-adjust the rear view mirror as well. By doing this, I felt that mirror's movement is very fluid(had no friction) as if some type of lubricant was applied into the mirror's movement mechanism. I am thinking this could of caused some movement of the sensor's gel and it started leaking. Otherwise I don't remember seeing this gel before.
I probably had them replace the rain sensor gel pack replaced more than 5 times. They also swapped windshield. Eventually gave up. It leaks even if you park your car in a garage and not use it. Right before my warranty was up I checked one last time, they had a service bulletin saying gel leak is normal.
My mirror was also loose so they swapped out that. There’s lot of things that needs taken care of before the warranty runs out. I even feel sorry for those who don’t know of all these problems.
I probably had them replace the rain sensor gel pack replaced more than 5 times. They also swapped windshield. Eventually gave up. It leaks even if you park your car in a garage and not use it. Right before my warranty was up I checked one last time, they had a service bulletin saying gel leak is normal.
My mirror was also loose so they swapped out that. There’s lot of things that needs taken care of before the warranty runs out. I even feel sorry for those who don’t know of all these problems.
The mirror in my car feels loose only when I am trying to adjust it when it is warm/hot outside. If outside temp is not high, then it feels stiff when trying to adjust it. So the heat make the mirror ball joint seem fluid . I checked the rain sensor area from outside and that circle seems to be properly filled with gel. I hope that it is the excess gel is coming out and will stop. I started reading 3 or 4 year old threads where people were having this gel issue with hopes that MINI is working on a fix, but to this day, there seem to be no fix for it or as some point out "gel leaking is normal or gel isn't required".
If my mirror needs replacing, I will of course ask the dealer to do it, but if gel issue won't anyway get fixed, then "live with it" ?! :(
. I checked the rain sensor area from outside and that circle seems to be properly filled with gel. I hope that it is the excess gel is coming out and will stop. I started reading 3 or 4 year old threads where people were having this gel issue with hopes that MINI is working on a fix, but to this day, there seem to be no fix for it or as some point out "gel leaking is normal or gel isn't required".