I took a rock over the weekend coming back from MUTA in Moab. I have the rain sensing wipers. Do you think a regular auto glass place can replace the ws or will I have to mess with the dealer (100 miles away)? I hear they are really expensive units.

 

I had mine replaced by A+ Autoglass, not the dealer. My insurance paid for it, I just paid the deductible.

 

You don't have to bother with the dealer. They would just sub out the work anyway. You do want to make sure you get good quality glass though. Do yourself a favor and pick a local mom & pop, independent glass shop to do the work. They will not be in such a hurry to slap it in. Make sure you follow their instructions as far as letting it sit and 'cure' before you drive it any great distance. Check with your insurance co. about glass replacement to see if you're covered. Good luck!

 

I picked my new MCS up on Friday ... got my first windshield rock chip with < 250 miles on the odo. I was quick to get it to a glass shop to get it filled. I asked the shop owner about the rain sensing wiper sensor. He said (I can not confirm nor deny this) that the sensor is only about $50, so only slightly increasing the cost of those replacements. He also said he can get quality PPG glass with the sensor for roughly $50 more than w/o the sensor. He claims to have installed numerous rain sensing windshields on BMWs an Minis - standard procedure.

Good luck. I can sympathize

-jeff

 

Sorry to hear about the rock. There was another thread here about this subject. You might want to check it out. There was lots of discussion about installers.

When I picked up my MCS I had just read the thread with people talking about the MINI being more prone to catching rocks with its windshield. So, I was an easy mark for the dealer added windshield coating and insurance. My windshield has taken a few rocks. Some made a very loud noise. So far, I just have some tiny pits. You have to look carefully to see them.

 

We took a good size rock right on the edge of the glass on the driver's side. It chipped and we wailed. A few hours later it was a 4 inch crack. So much for $50 chip repair. New glass to be installed soon.

 

Welcome to the land of MINI's and rock damage. I've had two replaced because of flying rocks. They apply a secret glaze at the factory that attract's rocks, at least that's my theory.

 

I think rocks are attracted to the MINI because it is so cute. They just can't stay away.

 

http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2...18/031787.html

 

Just dunk the entire car into a giant vat of some clear polymer and all of your various protection needs (paint, glass, etc) will be taken care of.

 

Octane Guy did a right up on windshield repair. I got my 1st crack about 2 weeks ago. I was quite skeptical about repairing the windshield but it was quite simple to do. The crack I recieved was about 1/2" long with 3 cracks around the chip. After the repair the crack is just barely visible and the chip is not visible at all. The crack has not spread any further since the repair either. The repair kit is made by permatex and they have video on thier site with the procedure. The repair kit only costs around $8.00 and can be completed in less than an hour.I now carry one of these repair kits in my glove compartments and will pull over and fix a crack immediately if it happens again. As you probably know a crack will spread the more you drive the car.

 

get a ppg windshield for replacement

 

I've heard the same--that PPG is much stronger than OEM. So far haven't had to test the theory (keeping my fingers crossed!).

 

I have the clear bra on my current car and it has done wonders. I would like the windshield protected for even just the small pock marks from small stones and sand. My windshield after 50k looks terrible under a street light.

 

Oh, I feel your pain. Why does BMW insist on using such soft glass? I bought a used BMW at a dealer and they used some sort of florescent window paint on the windshield. You could still see pink, orange, and green flecks stuck into all of the tiny pits for a good two years after I bought it. Now it just looks like someone shot it w/ a sandblaster.

 

My 07 Cooper S seems to be prone to spot cracking the windshield with the smallest stones hittingthe windscreen. 4,000 miles and three stones each causing enough of a crack to warrant repair. Seems like this is a combination of angle of the shield and the glass being used. My BMW(s) have never had this problem. I see some recommend a glass manufacturer as after market I will watch with interest on reports that they are in fact better than OEM.

I'm off to the insurance company again.

 

Have you tried chip repair, or is it more than that? Around here it's about $35 to $50, depending on the vendor.

I was very lucky the other day. Another car kicked up a cloud of stones, and I got 2 big dents in the silver molding under the windshield. Definitely would have broken the glass if it had hit.

Because I'd heard of all the soft-glass/windshield angle issues before my MINI arrived, I changed my glass deductible to $50 (I think). Knock on wood, so far I haven't had to use it, but if I do, I'll definitely go to PPG. Much better glass. I would NOT recommend OEM glass, plus it's ridiculously expensive compared to others.

 

Yes, thanks I am using repair for these chips. Reasonably invisible. Insurance covers repair at no cost at all. (Liberty Mutual). Not sure how many they will do before I get charged.

 

I, too, have Liberty Mutual, who ARE great to work with; they offered a resin-fix for free if small enough (it GREW) or replacement (which is against my deductible) ... BASIL took his first rock this weekend, and I appreciate the advice here to go with aftermarket glass vs. OEM: PPG is $288, while OEM is $375 and sounds like it's LESS-tolerant of future chipping --

 

350 miles + 12 days + 1 rock hit = 8" long crack. Amazing. Dive the same way for 8 years with 2 different BMW M3s…plenty of rocks hit the windshield - never even needed chip repair. This one - the whole windshield will have to go. On the plus side do even yet have the TX registration sticker on…I guess that is good news.

Is there any service recourse.

 

The MINI is a rock magnet indeed...I manage to get major rock damage (paint or windshield) almost every time I drive back from the dealer . A rock (not even that large) hit the windshield on the driver's side and caused a decent sized chip/bullseye. I used the Fix-A-Windshield kit and the chip is barely noticeable and holding up well. I had used this on my previous car also and the chips never grew any larger. You can pick up the product at target or walmart and it is only about $10 bucks. easy to use if you read the directions and get the chip early enough. there is a write up of the product and directions here: http://fix-a-windshield.com/

 

Having worked for a glass-shop for over 6 years, my advise is this.....Dealerships do sub out the work to glass-shops, but most dealers use reputible local glass shops. A "used car dealer" will use the cheapest glass company they can find. Higher end dealers (BMW, Mercedes, Range Rover, etc.) will use a "higher end" glass company. As far as a mom-n-pop shop goes, they will stick the cheapest windshield in your car, UNLESS, you ask for OEM, then comes the "special order" fees, also they add an addition 10% to the dealer MSRP of the windshield, plus the moldings com in a kit, again, you have to specify that you want the dealer mouldings because most aftermarket moulding kits don't fit right, and the next thing you know, your lunch money for the next few weeks is gone! Go with the dealer, they will use OEM parts installed by a reputable glass company.

 

I have heard that PPG glass holds up much better than the stock windshield from MINI. There is a thread about this over in MINI 2 under USA/northeast section.

 

PPG is a better fitting glass, most people have this notion that anything but the OEM glass will "devalue" the car. This is not true, having a cracked windshield will. Having been a former General Motors owner, they use mainly PPG glass in most of their models, I would rather spend my money on the same glass that came original on my car.

 

i hate rocks........