When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
I just noticed that my cowl (I believe that's what it is called?) is starting to crack and fall off. It appears that I have to replace the whole piece, and not just the rubber section. Any suggestions on where to purchase a replacement? And maybe a DIY on replacing it. I'm guessing it a pretty straight forward project.
Mine is completely broken off. It is much worse than yours. It is up to you but I will not be replacing my entire cowl over that rubber piece. That's dropping a dime right there.
I replaced mine. The parts aren't terribly expensive. I would suggest ECS Tuning for where to buy. It takes about 30 minutes to change them out. I thought it was an easy fix to sharpen up the look & I expect they'll last another 10 years or so.
I just trimmed off the old one and bought the trim on Ebay for $3 and then glued on the new one with clear window sealant (the aquarium kind). It will now last forever. If you buy a new one, it will be of the same poor material quality as the original. The Ebay trim is heavy duty and is not going anywhere for the rest of the life of the car.
I just trimmed off the old one and bought the trim on Ebay for $3 and then glued on the new one with clear window sealant (the aquarium kind). It will now last forever. If you buy a new one, it will be of the same poor material quality as the original. The Ebay trim is heavy duty and is not going anywhere for the rest of the life of the car.
Same here except now they are about $9. Not sure why the price jump.
Same here except now they are about $9. Not sure why the price jump.
If you search for it as a "replacement for a mini cooper S", you get the $9 version. If you then take the words and search for a generic rubber strip that is similar, you see the same material sold without respect to the Mini, and sells for a lot less. You have to buy the stuff from China as well and it takes a month to get here.
It's a good question, it seems to me the water that goes underneath this strip just goes behind the engine, in front of the firewall onto the ground.
Not so much the rain as keeping the stuff (like leaves, twigs, etc.) that falls down on the windshield from getting into the cowl area, under the plastic. Unless you want to remove the plastic (which requires wiper arm removal) and clean underneath frequently.
Not so much the rain as keeping the stuff (like leaves, twigs, etc.) that falls down on the windshield from getting into the cowl area, under the plastic. Unless you want to remove the plastic (which requires wiper arm removal) and clean underneath frequently.
I ended up fixing mine which stopped the water leak into the passenger footwell.
So I bought the replacement cowl pieces. It seemed like a simple project to replace them so I went out to do it this morning. I had a problem right off the bat. My wiper arms are stuck! I tried wiggling them but not luck. I'll go out later and pick up some penetrating oil and see if that helps. Anyone have any other suggestions on how to remove the arms?
So I bought the replacement cowl pieces. It seemed like a simple project to replace them so I went out to do it this morning. I had a problem right off the bat. My wiper arms are stuck! I tried wiggling them but not luck. I'll go out later and pick up some penetrating oil and see if that helps. Anyone have any other suggestions on how to remove the arms?
My wiper arms were "stuck" when I first tried to remove them too. I might have it wrong, but they released fine when I pulled them fully up. I tried testing it out, and when the arms were flat on the glass, they would not come up. When they were pulled fully up (so bent as much as the hinge would allow), they slid off easily.
A wiper arm puller did the trick!
This whole "quick" project has been a pain in the butt though. I can't get the new pieces to sit very flush with the windshield. The rubber piece that was glued along the bottom of the glass keeps sliding when I put the new cowl pieces on. I got it close...but not close enough for my liking. Anyone that's done this before know a trick for that? I messed with it for over an hour. I'll try it again tomorrow.
Thanks for the tips. I going to take it back apart today and make sure everything is lined up. I didn't replace that bottom strip but it seems fine...just a little sticky and gooey.
