I had the same issue... my pass mirror cracked. I've changed mirror caps before (on my R50) and never had an issue. These seem to be attached to the "puck" a bit better... Took a lot of work to get the drivers side off first and then it came off, although sounded like it was trying to break something... and then the pass one did the same and the mirror cracked.

I'd like to note that it is 60 degrees and the car had been in the sun and driven, so shouldn't be the temp.

Just be cautious, and it'll probably work... but if the mirror glass cracks, you're looking at $70-90 for the glass only (heated/powerfold).

 

I talked to the dealer today and they quoted me $130. I will take pictures of the inside of my mirror when the new one comes in and maybe you can see some differences. Maybe the newer models are a bit different.

 

Ok I finally was able to get some pictures so here are my Black Jack Covers installed.

 

Nice!

 

Hey #%O#$@!!!! I just cracked my passenger mirror too using this wonderful method, on my brand friggen new '09 Clubman.

Glad I started on the passenger side. I hardly even pulled, bottom edge, 4 fingers under it... I'm VERY disappointed. So then I used the plastic knife method, freeing the two lower tabs, then simply tugging the thing free. Took 3 minutes. Then I did the driver's side in another 3 minutes. Broke no tabs at all.

So the big questions -- where do I get a new mirror????

Oh, and I tried to pull it off even though cracked, and it just cracked more... do I just tear the friggen thing out now or what????

 

FYI, with gentle pulling the newest mirror caps will come off without using any of these methods mentioned in this thread.

 

Call around to dealerships (Morristown MINI in NJ has GREAT prices!!!) and tell them what happened. Unfortunately, this apparently happens 75% of the time... guess that's why they charge so much to install them!? My dealership tried to charge much more than what Morristown was, but when I informed them of the other price, they gave it to me for that cost. Still pricey though

As far as removeing the old one, I just put on some work gloves (just in case ) and then worked my fingers around the edges and worked it off. Careful of the wires if you have the heated mirrors though, don't want to snap them!

Good luck!

 

Thanks -- I'll check with your NJ Dealer.

 

That little design change that MINI slipped into the 2nd Gen side mirrors seems to be paying them dividends. Lots more replacement parts (the mirror glass) moving through the inventory...probably a good profit margin on 'em too...

 

Yeah my dealer charged me $130.
Just pull the cracked one off, to be safe put tape on the cracked mirror so if it breaks it won't go on the floor and use some work gloves like Carve suggested.
The two wires pull off pretty easily just make sure to put them back on the same way on the new one.
Definitely don't pay to have the dealer do it since there's no more damage you can possibly do.

 

should have read to the end of this thread. mine is a brand new MCS and the mirror broke when i followed the instructions. with nothing to lose i then pulled even harder but the thing remained stuck and i did not want to pull the whole mirror out of the door. i then took a plastic knife, pushed in the two bottom tabs only (which is very easy) and the cap came off very easily. took 30 seconds. i now have a mirror with a crack but i ordered a pair of multivex side view mirrors. they have great reviews, eliminate your blind spot and cost $80 for both sides at minimania. they install over your existing mirror so i'll just stick them over the cracked one and it'll be like it never happened.

 

There's no blind spot on a MINI (and most other cars for that matter). Anyone who believes that doesn't know how to adjust their mirrors.

 

that's what one of the guys on the lotus forum said, too (where i first read this). however, at the end of your link (step 4) it says: "end result? no huge blind spots" i prefer no blind spots over no huge blind spots.
hair splitting aside, unfortunately i am not the only driver in the household. going each time through this adjustment procedure and aligning everything just right is not all that practical and a pita.

 

The car talk guys mean in general: the R56 does not have any blind spots, big or small. My M3 didn't either. If someone can't be bothered to take 30 secs. to do a simple mirror adjustment, I really don't want them driving my car at all. How is it a PITA? Doesn't your car have a switch in the driver's door for mirror adjustment?

 

I was concerned about the later posts from '09 owners breaking their mirrors when trying to remove them so I followed the advice from others and I:

Removed my stock mirror caps by releasing the bottom 2 clips (using a plastic knife). You have to keep some outward pressure on the cap to keep the first clip from re-attaching. I then just pulled the cap out and up and the remaining 3 clips came off with no damage to the clips. Putting the new caps on was easy. Whole process took about 5 mins.

 

for the instructions on Page 1. Worked like a charm to replace the mirror that I cracked!

I should have read this post before embarking on replacing the mirror caps with my new "Mini United 50" ones . Live and learn.

 

Due to the number of people who seem to have cracked their mirrors on 2nd Gen MINIs, I edited the first post in this thread to carry this warning:

" AUTHORS NOTE: If you have a 2nd Generation MINI (2008+ for the hard top, 2009+ for the cabrio), THE MIRRORS SEEM TO BE DIFFERENT on that car and are prone to breaking if you use this technique. This post is in "1st Gen MINIs" for a reason! Some people have reported success in using this technique on 2nd Gen MINIs, but be warned tha tthe mirror glass seems to be attached with firmer clips on that model, and this technique may lead to broken glass. if you have a 1st Gen MINI (2002-2007 for hard top, 2008 for cabrio) then this is the thread for you!) "



Sorry, R56 guys - I'm not sure what they did different on your cars, and I'm sorry you damaged your parts with this technique.

I've done this replacement on at least a dozen or more 1st Gen MINIs and never broke a single mirror glass, but obviously something's different on your cars. Apologies...

 

It's alright,this post had the best info that I could find. In the end the replacement mirror was probably as much as the dealer would have charged me anyway. This was a learning experience and in the future others will learn from our mistakes so all is good.

 

Well, here I am, feeling like I dodged a huge bullet.
I bought Black Jack mirror covers on eBay from Prestige Mini.
The rear view mirror came with instructions and it was simple to install.
It took less than 5 minutes.

The side mirror covers had no instructions.
I forgot to consult NAM before trying to install them!
First I tried to place them over Little Wing's existing covers, as on the rear view mirror, and it took 2 seconds to realize that the existing covers needed to come off.
This really scared me.
Silly me, I should have come to NAM before proceeding!

So, I got an old screwdriver and began to pry, very carefully.
I started on the driver's side.
The original cover finally popped off.
Sadly though, I put of couple of dings in the mirror's surrounding ring.
It's nothing too bad and probably no one but me and other MINIacs would ever notice.
Still, Little Wing is a brand new car...
Then I slid the new Black Jack cover into place and it popped right on.
It seems that it could be a little bit tighter though.

I repeated the process on the passenger side, with better results.
The old cover came off easily, no dings on the mirror surround, and the new Black Jack cover went on perfectly.
The driver's side mirror cover seems to fit OK, just not as snugly as the passenger mirror cover.
It isn't flapping around or vibrating in the wind.

My son suggested that perhaps I broke a plastic clip.
We gave the floor a thorough search which turned up nothing.
The cover isn't really loose, but it seems like it could be a bit tighter.
I just wish that I had not inflicted any damage, no matter how small, on the mirror surround.
I have saved the original Pure Silver covers, in case I ever want to switch them out again.

Once I was finished, it occurred to me to read what posters on NAM had to say.
After reading this thread, I am feeling very fortunate not to have broken either side mirror!
The next time, before I try to modify anything on Little Wing, I will consult NAM first for tips and suggestions.

DH thinks the Black Jack mirror covers are tacky.
I take that as a good sign.
Maybe now he will stop taking off in my car and start driving his Avalon again.

In the end, I love the look of the new Black Jack covers!

PS - I just went out to take some pics of the new covers and the damage on the driver's side mirror to post here.
Tacky or no, DH has once again run off with my car.

Will try to post pics later.

 

Does anyone have pictures of really changing their cover on an '07 MCS? I'm reading a lot of different and scary things here.

 

Thanks ImagoX,
It's a 5 minute job with great results...
I must admit, it's a bit unnerving to pull that mirror glass off, but it DOES come off and the clips to secure it seem quite robust.
Thanks again...

 

Okay, thanks everybody for all for inputs on this post, which were extremely helpful. I found the finger-only removal of the mirror from its puck, followed by pushing out the cap's tabs, worked just fine for my 2008 Clubman S with powerfold mirrors.

It was a bit more difficult getting my fingers under the bottom edge (small clearances) than I anticipated, but since I was able to get thumb and first two fingers under the edge of the mirror at the inner point with the mirrors up and out to max range, I held my breath that the glass would not crack and kept working the edge outward from the puck til it loosened and then finally came free.

I found very little slack in the heating wires, so don't expect the mirror to dangle very far, but it was enough to see the cap clips clearly and spring them free. Just doing the top three was not enough, though, so I had to do the bottom two also and pull the cap straight forward to clear the frame.

Putting on the two checkered caps was problem free; just hold the mirror up to its original position and press the center of the mirror glass straight back onto each puck til it feels firmly in place - again, no definite "snick" of the tabs into place. I tested all the power functions of the mirrors, and all is in order. Total time about 25 minutes, for a complete novice on this sort of thing.

 

Thanks for the info. wish this was out last fall when I was replacing mine. Although I was able to do it only breaking one clip this certanly would have made life a lot easier and painless. But it's nice to know this post is out there...... Thanks And I Too Littlewing agree that the covers are not as snug as I thought they should be. any suggestions anyone on this Issue.

Reed

 

What is the interchangeability on the covers themselves?
Could I use an R56 cover on an R52?

I tried a quick search, but couldn't find any duplicate part numbers listed for both models...

Thanks

 

Nevermind - just found on realOEM.com that the part numbers are different.

But if anyone can post up some more detail about just what the differences are, it would be appreciated.

Thanks.