I have an 04 R53

I went to a MINI salvage yard and told the guy that my dash was cracked up by the window. He said he had what I needed and came out with a complete upper dash that looked just like mine but padded front to window instead of front to defrost vent. I buy it, go to install it and it isn't the same. My car only removes half the upper dash pad. The one I got was from an 05 according to the numbers on it.

Is there a schematic of the dash or does anyone know if the piece by the windshield (solar sensor area) can be removed on mine? I didn't dig into it, but it looks like one giant molded piece that ties in with the front (instrument cluster, vents, etc). It appears there are screw tabs, but I didn't notice any plugs to remove

 

Effective with the facelift (July 2004 builds) the dash was changed. You need to return the part they sold you and get the appropriate part.

RealOEM - R53 Dashboard Trim

 

Which would be the whole plastic assembly? That sucks. Wife will just have to live with it if that's the case.