Had to have Percy's windshield replaced yesterday. A small rock left a chip which became a 4 inch crack in about 5 minutes.
Anyway, the repair fellow did the job in our driveway and I got to watch. He asked if the window had been replaced before and I told him it hadn't. He pointed out that the mounting tabs for the "A" pillar trim were snapped, but screwed in place. It's the shiny black exterior trim between the driver's window and the windshield.
The trim mounts with I think 3 screws and 4 snaps. The screws are under the window seal rubber. It hasn't appeared loose, so, I am not over worried. The other side was intact. Looks like it was over torqued. ????

 

I went through 4 windshields on my 2003. Hopefully my new 2007 does better.

 

We got hit really hard with a spray of stones today, but no chips or breaks. I really expected some, and would have expected it with any windshield, so maybe they have improved the soft glass they were using.

 

I asked the glass guy about why the MINI windshields seem somewhat fragil. In his opinion it was the amount of curve it had.
There is alot of bend to it.

 

It's also upright, and catches stuff that would fly over other cars.