I noticed a crack on the passenger side of my windshield halfway up and coming out from the side then curving up. I was cleaning my window with fluid and wipers and then heard a noise. later saw the crack. the noise did sound like glass breaking if real hot water hit a....say very cold teapot and cracked the glass. could water do this and would that be covered since that is not something that is suppose to happen when you clean your window?

 

If the crack is coming from the edge of the window, and there is no "star" it is most likely a pressure crack and should be covered. The tempered glass of windshields are designed to tolerate extreme temperature changes, so, no that isn't supposed to happen. Otherwise, there'd be big problems for car washes on high heat days.

 

My 04 had a stress crack and was replaced under warranty, but not before a S/A on the phone said it would cost around $800.00 and wouldn't be under warranty. The car was three months old and I was pissed, but it all worked out when I took it in to the Dealer.

 

Depends on where you live but cracked windows are so common in our area, most insurance companies replace them without any out of pocket expense... you are a better driver when you can see. Sounds like you aren't sure you did it. Probably a rock of a gravel truck hit it....

 

put a piece of tape over it now. so you don't get a small stone chip in the crack.. here in Canada, they run a pen along the crack, if it pits.. NOT WARRANTY... the tape will protect it from any chips AFTER the fact... take it in, cross ur fingers...

 

Xiek, you beat me to the tape thing. Wonderful idea that may save you some $$.

YD

 

I've been through two windshields (2004 MCS), first was warranty, no questions asked. Second was clearly a chip and insurance covered it completely.

 

I'm replacing mine with a PPG, (not the china sh*t) it is same thickness and fitment as OEM. $180 installed, but that is with no rain sensor.
Mario

 

We used to talk about cracked windshields nearly every day here and on other forums. The earlier your MINI was made, the more likely it had a crack. There were a lot of stress fractures and lots of discussion about the dreaded ball-point pen test. Search the site using the keyword phrase "cracked windshields" and you'll get more than you ever wanted to know about it. The first post in this thread is one of my all time favorites - comes from back when MINI USA reps actually dared to visit the site.

I went through three in less than two years on my '02. The first had a tiny dimple (found by the pen) along the crack - therefore deemed to have started as a rock chip and therefore not covered by warranty. The second was covered by MINI only after three pen inspections failed to find a divot. The third time I saw the rock coming ... over to the insurance company again. The fourth factory windshield is now three years old and, though chipped in a few places, is still crack-less.

A friend of mine visited the DC auto show -- either the '03 or '04 iteration -- and asked a MINI USA PR rep about the windshield stress fracture issue. The guy told him they figured out the windshield was accounting for more structural rigidity than they realized, and that they had a fix to displace some of the stress elsewhere while toughening up the glass a bit. I don't know if he was just blowing smoke or actually knew what he was talking about, but the next OEM windshield they put in my car is still free of cracks.

There definitely are MINIs getting cracked windshields every day, but the noise has definitely died down a lot, so I assume the percentage is a lot less now than it was.

 

My 05 MCSa got the dreaded crack two weeks ago. Top to bottom right through.
Took it to the dealer who performed the pen test and deemed it a rock chip.
I challenged him on it and he said that "although I might think it is a stress crack I have to send the part to BMW and if they disagree the dealership has to swallow the cost".
As I am the only one who was driving it and I know it wasn't hit, and it wasn't there one night and the next morning it was I am quite confident it is a fault crack.
I asked him who at BMW I have to go see to challenge on his rock chip finding.
At hat point he called it in and said to BMW that "although he denies 98% of these claims he thought this one was really a stress crack".
It is booked in now for warranty replacement.
Persist and challenge and be prepared to take it to the next level and it may prove beneficial.

 

thanks for all the responses. I did go..as soon as the service guy say it he knew it was a stress crack. Its all replaced now.