There's a rearview mirror ON the WINDSHIELD?

 

nope, it hangs from the headliner.

 

The rear view mirror is fine for me. I once noticed that the "stalk" of the rear view mirror is so wide I can't fit my normal parking pass on it to hang from the rear view. Personally I wish the side view mirrors were bigger.

 

I'm 6'4" and I almost sold the car back, the mirror was so bad. Finally I took it out, removed the plastic shell on the mount, cut about an inch out of the mount and bolted the two pieces back together from the inside, trimming the joining edges a little. It works much better (still too big). You can't use the trim shell again, but it's so close to the windshield you'll never know. Took about an hour.

 

That mirror bugs me, too. Two minutes into the first spirited drive and I said to myself, "That mirror is the first thing to go, if I take this automobile to the track." The second thing that made its presence known as something to defeat was the DSC.

 

Have you tried lowering the seat? I'm merely 6' but the mirror is well above my view of the road. My seat is not all the way down, so there should be some room there to improve your view.

 

I'm 5'10, but my usual driving position in the Mini seems to be more upright, farther forward, and slightly higher than some other people my height seem to prefer. (I have to duck my head a considerable amount to flip down the side visor thingy.) I can't say that I often find myself peering awkwardly around the mirror, which judging by some comments in this thread is fortunate, I guess.

I do often have to look through the sunroof (or contort my neck, or stick my head out the side window) to see traffic lights, though. Maybe I should look into getting one of the stick-on Fresnel lenses to help with that. I know it's a bit off topic, but does anyone have experience with these? Do they work as advertised?

 

I'm 5'9" I sit with the seat all the way down. The problem is not the mirror being so small it is the windshield not being large enough. But hey there are blind spots all over the car. Just look around them if you don't like it get a Mini van and be a goober.

 

What I need is a rearview camera up by the center brake light and a monitor up front in front of the driver so I dont have to move my eyes away from the road ahead too much to see what is behind

All modern cars should be done this way as the glass rear view mirror is outdated

 

You do have to make some adjustments to deal with this car. I also was used to a higher sitting position. I lowered the seat to avoid the mirror blind spot and am now comfortable with the new driving position. I still sit relatively high as I have trouble seeing the stoplight at an intersection. The stopping spot is too close for the Mini windshield and my driving position. I can deal with it though... small price to pay for the fun factor.

 

Yea, seemed like I was looking through the slit in a tank, compared to my Acura Integra. The high waist style doesn't lead to very good visibility, but it is safer against impacts from SUVs and Pickups.

My main blind spot complaint was with the side-view mirrors. I fixed that with MultiVex mirrors. Now I'm happy.

 

Same bug here... that auto-dimming mirror is huge!

I'm 6'2" and my seat is all the way down and about 3/4 back of the rail.

I also have to bend down to see when the red light changes as the roof/headliner is too long towards the front!

Yet, I still love my MINI.

 

At 6 feet 2 inches I notice the same problem as most have mentioned. I don't remember this as a problem with my R53 however has anyone found a solution?

 

During the test drive I noticed how far up the headliner is and really don't like it. Probably my only dislike during the test drive.

 

I have learned to deal with it however it still is a pain if you know what I mean.

 

I'm 5'8" and the first thing I noticed in the car was that giant mirror. From my point of view it seems to take up about 1/6 of the windshield. But I've been driving with it for about a year now and I really don't even notice it anymore.

 

5'11"
R56
Bothered me too when going through the mountains in N Ga. I've removed mine. Just use the side mirrors. Makes a world of difference! Only issue is when needing to lock up the car, as the sensor is in there for the key fob. So I just reconnect and let it hang when locking.

 

Does not work for everyone as I'm 6' 2" and only have a 32 inch inseam. All my height is from the waist up. Smaller mirror would be great in my opinion.

 

I really don't notice it. I am just glad that I can see completely out of the back window cause it would bother me if we couldn't.

 

I deal with it however the 2007 Cabrio is worst in that you have a mirror but you really don't have much of a view with the rear seats and roll bar.

 

I'm 6'4", have the seat all the way down and back about 2/3rds of the way.
That leaves about 2 inches of room over my head (no sunroof). Yes, I have long arms, but I telescope the wheel rearward. The mirror is a huge issue. As mentioned, right turns, especially right and elevating, can be downright dangerous. I read somewhere on this site that an owner dug the chip out of his mirror and pushed it up into the headliner, discarding the mirror, but retaining his keyless access. I would probably find a half-dome to place over the opening to clean it up. Beware - If you cut up the mirror and then decide you want it after all, a new mirror will run you over $400.00. If windowless vans can get by w/o a rearview, surely a little MINI can. I WILL eventually lose that mirror.......

 

I removed the mirror, dismantled and removed the electronic sensor for the Comfort access, reattached the sensor to the wiring and tucked it up behind the headliner - Viola! problem solved, remote works.

Twist the mirror off, and disconnect the wiring plug. Using a small flat blade screwdriver, CAREFULLY pry apart the mirror along the seam just aft of the mirror glass - there are 6 clips holding it. BE GENTLE. Once the frame pops, remove the glass. Dismantle the plug itself, removing the wires from the plug and noting how & where they inserted. Each terminal has a small "barb" holding it in, which must be depressed after un-clipping the plug halves. Pull the wires thru the mirror bracket and set the bracket aside. Remove the chip from the mirror housing by carefully unscrewing the cross-heads. Reassemble the plug and reconnect to the chip. Carefully tuck the chip into the headliner thru the mounting hole (remove the bracket cross-head if necessary). Welcome to the BIG VIEW. I may try to find a small glass-mount mirror and fix it VERY LOW on the windscreen. Maybe. My side mirrors do a good job seeing behind the car, though a convex glue-on might help a bit.


During my test drive (how huge the windshield appears!!) I heard my other problem - the wind noise again, which sounds like someone is blowing air over an empty bottle. Since the mirror is now gone, I easily placed my fingertips at the top center of the windshield and pressed. The whistle IMMEDIATELY stopped. It started again as soon as I removed the outward pressure. I was playing a 75 mph tune alternating pressure on the shield. It only took two months to pinpoint it. So suddenly I can SEE clearly in peace and QUIET at speed. I'll soon call the dealer to have the shield properly sealed. Suddenly, my two biggest thorns are cured and the car is now a keeper. I think........

 

Hahahah something els to complain of! Um im 6'1'' and i have my seat all the way down and all the way back. My mirror has never bothered me ever , i don't even notice it. i like the big old view it gives me. You guys make me laugh.

 

It's not a problem for me, I just have to duck my head down to see if the traffic light has changed

 

I have the same problem. I was in an 03' Cooper, now I'm in an 09'. The old mirror was great, perfect size, the new mirror, takes about half my field of vision, especially when turning right.