How are everyone's windshields looking? I do a lot of hwy driving and noticed that the MINI being the flying brick that it is tends to get hit particularly hard on it's steep angled windshield. I have quite a few tiny chips all over...some no bigger than a tiny speck but in the sunlight the windshield looks horrible!
Does anyone have a solution to get these filled in or removed without having to replace the whole windshield?

 

new windshield.

Mine has 56K miles on it (many of them highway miles) and is a mess. I've been planning to replace it for 2 years and haven't gotten around to it. There is no practical solution for "polishing" or "filling" windshield glass for these zillions of tiny chips.

 

That's not a Mini issue, it is a highway thing. I've driven 30K miles a year for work for the last 15 years. You get used to it.

 

No but I have the same situation msport. I just cem back from a meet up 4 hours away fom home with various Minis which gather every year at the same time and when i got back home and washed him off. I came a cross the same situation as you. If you find out let me know too. I don't want to replace the windshield either, so that option is out the door for me.

 

I got a nasty hit the 2nd day o ownership. Sucks but when you do 40 miles of highway per day it is only a mater of time. That incident led me to buy the clear bra for my nose.

 

I keep seeing comercials for safelight (sp?) they fill the chips in and say it looks like new

 

they mean like big chips....and NO it doesnt look like new...had one done on the mustang i had...looked exactly the same lol.. "But it won't crack now..."

Im at 25K now and would like a new windshield on my Mini lol...lots of highway here

 

Yes call your insurance company they will send someone out to patch it. If that doesn't work they will replace it.

 

Again, as was said above, the "patches" and "repairs" you hear about are for individual *large* chips, bullseyes, etc. It's NOT a fix for the thousands of pinpoint sized chips that result from your windshield being sandblasted at highway speeds - the kind that you see when driving a car with a clean windshield into the sun.

 

New windshield is the only real fix. I've gotten some improvement by polishing the windshield with my random orbital and some Prima polishes. I was detailing my Mini and looked at the windshield and figured it couldn't hurt. It didn't eliminate them but there was a visible improvement.

 

I also do over 30 K a year of driving, and have had my Windshield replaced twice in the 18 or so months I have owned this car. I would say after 3 or 4 months the windsheild looks pretty chipped up after the last new one was put in with those small pin size marks that just kill you in the bright sun. I have replaced windsheilds before, but never 2 in 18 months, even my Chrysler 300 ( that was a Brick) I only did twice in 4 years.

 

I've got tons of tiny little pits in my windshield. Drives me nuts when I detail the car, but doesn't really affect vision at all. Got one little star crack down low a couple years ago, I figured it would either grow or not so I didn't try and get it fixed. IMO they either grow pretty quick or never change.

 

That is a shame. I had to buy an invisible bra kit online and installed it myself.....it is much cheaper but the whole job is extremely tedious with a hairdryer and a rubber blade. I think having an invisible bra is a good investment for everyone here who does a lot of highway driving...especially on a dark car.
I am going to investigate if the local windshield repair guys might be able to fill in the cracks...but I am not holding my breath!

 

Which Prima polish did you use? I'm in the middle of detailing and my windscreen can definitely use some help.

 

My windshield is a mess too. I am just happy to see those tiny chips did not grow into something more serious.

 

My sister and I took a hit in her windshield last Wednesday coming back from LA (MINI Cooper S 2008 Coop). We called from the road and went straight to the glass shop upon hitting the old home town. It took a hit twice from the same rock. The repair took about 20 minutes and the "spider" cracks are gone. It still looks like a small bug splat but fortunately it is not in the field of vision. It made us just sick but she plans to let it be as more than likely there will be other rock events driving the California freeways. With our State budget in the tank the roads around here are in total disrepair and we are sure that the rock vs windshield thing is only going to get worse. We should send the Governor the bill.

 

I just noticed the same on my 3 mths old with 5000km, it has hundreds of pin sized dings on the windshield. Looks terrible facing the sun... I can't imagine how it would look in 3 yrs... damn

 

I was wondering for those who have replaced their windshield before: did you get it done at the dealership or did you find someone in the phone book/internet and how much did it cost?

 

Three is at least one long thread here about replacing windshields. I don't recall the pros and cons. Something about rain sensor option, I think.

 

a) most dealerships are going to sub-contract the work to a glass company as this task is easy for one with experience and not for one without. (most dealerships don't even HAVE bodyshops)

b) expect to pay a 100% markup for dealer handled work.

c) my insurance company hands off all glass claims to SAFELITE and over the years I've had them replace front glass nearly a dozen times, including twice on my GEN1 MINI. I once had a problem with their work (not on the MINI) and they were back the next day with another piece of glass and did the job over - no questions asked. Believe it or not, I STILL wasn't happy and they did it a third time ... no questions. (I was getting a wind whistle at 55 mph or above and they changed the weatherstrip from 'factory' to another and the problem went away) BUT every SAFELITE site is independently owned so your experience could vary....however they are a nationwide company . . .

 

They wont, it's superficial. It's the big hits you have to take care of fast. I keep a $8.95 quickee windshield repair kit in my boot for such occasions.

Also, when I lived in New Mexico and Arizona, all that blowing dust and sand really did a number on windshields.

 

I have been considering Clearplex on my next windshield. I remember that it was about $150.00 installed.