'03 with 45+k, still the original 'shield. Ya cant half see through it from the sandblasting, but it's still whole.

 

110MPH? Is that you guys call over there "Hyper Space"?

 

Had my MCS 3 years - windshield was fine.

 

03 MCS 40k miles....lots of divots, no cracks

What you have is a classic case of when something goes wrong they kick,yell, scream and complain and those with no issues feel no need to state the obvious

 

That's kinda what I guessed: Groups like NAM focus experiences, good and bad, leading to a sense that something is statistically pervasive when it may not be. Now, I am not saying that there is not something up with the Mini's windshield but I am also not sure that we can say there is w/o knowing some real percentages.

 

It goes both ways, I've been on car forums where people lucky enough not to have problems scoff at those that do no matter that actually many people are having issues and it is not some groundless "whining" and it actually helps to gather the info on the issues. Being lucky doesn't nullify real problems others are having, and of course the majority of owners are not even on line to share their experiences (or benefit from others, I know I would not have had issues fixed in the past if I did not have the TSB info) so we don't really know what the numbers are.

Sadly we'll never know about any problems if the car companies have their way, https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ad.php?t=84946, and thus the dealers will have complete free reign to avoid covering things under warranty

And yes, as I've posted before the windshield on our 05 stress cracked in the standard way when brand new with only a few hundred miles on it, no rocks. I doubt there are even real numbers available considering the dealer did not even want to write up our instance or check in the car; if dealers avoid putting issues in the system there is no way to track it..

 

Both of our MINIs were delivered in June, 2006. Both have just over 9,000 miles on them.

Mine (Chili Red) took a rock about the size of a ping-pong ball to the windshield when it had just 2,000 miles on it. Left two tiny divots in the windshield and they haven't started to spider-web yet (knocking on wood). They are hardly noticeable unless you're looking for them (which I do, every day).

My fiances (Pepper White) has yet to take any major hits and is still in A-1 condition. She did, however, take a rock on the roof, just an inch above the windshield that left it's mark in the paint.

So... the MINI glass in our 2006s have proven to be worthy of the car, thus far (knocking on wood).

 

On the Autobahn, 110 MPH isn't called "HyperSpace". It's called "Keeping Up".

Seriously, the typical autobahn has slow traffic going around 70-80 mph. Driving 110 mph, you feel pretty safe in the center lane (most autobahns have at least 3 lines in the stretches where there is no speed restriction). If you're going to venture out into the far left lane, you had better be:

A. Doing about 140 mph
B. Checking your "6" constantly
C. Both

 

How many RPMs are you turning at that speed?

Must be fun...

 

I hear you. I love it when the government is so fair about stuff. On one hand we have the FCC making sure that there are just a handful of companies that own all the radio stations and on the other we have the NHTSA making sure that we can't figure out who is complaining about what. Very sad. I still do wonder about the stress crack issue: It must happen with all cars since you can search about the issue and find results from virtually any make and model, but it makes you wonder.

 

I was stationed in Germany twice. First time, I owned a 300ZX. Routinely cruised the autobahns at about 120 mph. Drove as fast as 160 mph. Still got passed by some 7-Series', Jags, and other Autobahn Cruisers. Nearly got killed on one occasion so the second time I got stationed there, I was older and wiser and drove an Acura Integra... never drove it over 110, but still had some fun.

RPMs ? IIRC, the 300ZX would turn somewhere in the neighborhood of 5200 RPMs at 120 mph.

 

Eight Months old with just shy of 12K on the clock and now on 3rd windscreen …

Damn them rock trucks!!! Last two pieces of glass were KO'ed in the same area of the North bound 405 (LA) prior to the 105 exit...

 

It seems to me that some people live in "asteroid belts" and seem to be worst in parts of the west...

 

Of course you got to look at the total population but go read in the OL ... endless number of posts on broken windshields. Try any of the other MINI boards ... you will get lots of responses

Its not a fluke ... its a flying brick. Upright ... crap hits it!

 

Me - '05 MCS with 25,500 miles on it. I have had some rock hits - I've heard them hit - and expected the worse. But no cracks or even pits ever materialized.

 

Lost mine today to some "sand"(gravel) they pour on the roads around here to keep the ice at bay. Stupid pickup trucks with giant tires then spray that "sand" up off of the road onto whoever is unforunate enough to be behind them. GRRR!

RIP Windshield #1
0-45 thousand miles
You had a good run.

 

The only time my windsheild cracked was when I rolled my MINI. It was replaced with factory glass and has gotten only one major chip in a year and a half, but it has the common sand blasted look from sevral road trips.

 

I'm not thinking it's a fluke at all. I just think that a good percentage of windshields get broken. Figure 36,000 Minis are brought in each year. Even if 360 lose their windshield in a year it's still only a 1% failure rate. If it goes to 1-3% the total numbers get up there fast.

As I said, over my last three cars I have lost 5 windshields. The cars were made by BMW, Honda and Mazda. Are the windshields in those cars stronger or weaker than the one in my Mini?

I'm not sure...

 

I think some ppl DO change to whatever its called, PPG glass? Not sure because the BMW (meaning mini) glass is to soft.

 

Two years in L.A. No cracks or chips

 

I don't know what it is...

I drive in one of the top 3-4 most populated areas of the U.S. I have 3 vehicles & in order to savor my favorite, my Mini is driven less than any of them. Best car I ever had & I absolutely love it.

My other car/truck are much older & have many, many more miles on them than the Mini. Their windshields are fine & always have been & they've been driven everywhere. My Mini is a little over 4 years old & has about 20K miles on it.

Maybe it's the volume of traffic & the attendant road hazards, maybe it's the shape/design of the Mini's windshield. Maybe, as I've read, the windshield really is 40% thinner for weight savings and / or there are metal tabs in the frame that enable stress cracks during operation; personally I don't have a clue.

But this is the first car I've owned that has had not one, but several, cracks in the glass regardless of very limited use. Two friends with Minis also have unexplained cracks in their windshields; they're in the exact same places as mine.

A previous poster used the term "whining" about this problem but I believe they're shooting from the hip on this. I think that, given the anecdotal info on this board alone, there's at least food for thought that there's an issue here.

Ok, I'm done whining

 

|I have a 2005 MCS original windshield with 14553 miles on the car.Minor chips,but no cracks.Q

 

It can't be a question of hard or soft glass. In fact, the most crack and shatter resistant glass products have a lower Moh's number.

The higher the Moh's number the greater the tendency to fracture or crack on impact.

Now, it may be that the glass is too thin or that shock from suspension or a-pillars causes the problem.

Again, I dunno...

 

'04 (10/2003 build), 47.5K miles, original windshield still looks good.

I must now sadly plan for it to break tomorrow having submitted this post...

 

Had an '03 with 32K miles- no problems w/glass. My '06, w/7100 miles, no problems, either!