Well I took my Mini out for it's first official "joy ride" this afternoon (no particular place to go.) I was motoring down the road when from out of nowhere ahead a rock come flyin' and hits the windshield about 2 inches above the wiper leaving a dime sized chip. Ahhrrrrguuuh!

There is a tiny pit on the front surface of the glass and nothing on the inside surface but the glass has a dime sized imperfection that must be inside the safety glass.

Anyone ever had any experience with those glass repair places? Is this something that would be a candidate? If not, what can I expect to pay for a new windshield? Would you go to the Mini dealer or get one from a glass place?

Any advice, comments, sympathy would be appreciated.

 

Go with the flow. MINI windshields are easily chipped/ broken. Wait until something drastic happens before replacing.

 

Does your insurance cover things like that? Here in Florida, insurance companies are required to replace windshields for free.

 

It's all part of the joys of owning a MINI...go with the flow.
Most of the MINI's in our club have chipped or cracked windshields, some say it has soft glass. I think it's the upright windshield design. Get it filled in by a local glass shop. Our '05 has two filled in windshield "windscreen" chips, not perfect but a fix. Your insurance may pay for the repair to prevent it from cracking.

 

3cocinas has some good advice. Wait for a couple more before you have it replaced. Get it repaired in the meantime.

 

Thanks all. Guess I will investigate a repair. Just for my information anyone have any experience with the pricing of a chip repair vs a windshield replacement?

Thanks in advance for any info,

 

I had a chip repaired in my Audi a month ago for fifty bucks.

 

Call www.safelite.com

Those folks can easily repair your chipped windshield in about 30 minutes while you wait at home or work.

Chip repairs are usually in the $45-$65 range and are HIGHLY recommended to preserve the original windshield factory seal intact (There are strong safety reasons behind this).

The majority of insurance companies will be happy to pay for chip repair versus windshield replacement. It is a heck of a lot cheaper!

 

Doubtful this could provide a quick fix for a dime-sized hit, but the first rule of motoring is to go to AutoZone Checker PB whatever and get an emergency windshield repair kit for about $8 and keep it in your boot. They really come in handy for a quick on-the-road emergency repair (cover the paint closeby because it is acidic and will eat thru clear coat) when you don't want the crack or chip to spread. I took a rock in my first 1,000 miles, picked up two kits, used one to fix it on the spot, and put the other in my boot box. It worked very well on this half-inch star crack, and stayed fine for 11k until the dealership blew out the windshield to repair a serious dash rattle. Jimbo

 

Yeah, I've got a few chips too... never fails. Hang in there.

 

Thanks to all for the input. Got it repaired today, cost 60 bucks. Not perfect (sigh) but tolerable. Fortunately the damage was just above the windshield wiper at rest so not too noticeable. Hopefully that will be my last for a while.

 

hate to bring up any painful memories but any pictures of the before and after of it?