Does anyone have a picture of a new one showing the tabs? perhaps the tabs can be pushed in by credit cards and the piece removed cleanly

 

Lost it last nite comming on the hiway shiting in 5 gear ... very skary when
it hapen.. will oder an new parts today any sujestion to the
silicone or glue to use...

 

I've had my mini up over 110mph and not had this problem.

Is it possible yours got hit by a small rock?

 

I've had mine up there too and no problem. My passenger pillar was broken when the windscreen was replaced and the tech put it in the passenger seat and slammed the door on it!!

 

My windshield installer said the plastic clips under the pillar covers MUST be replaced as they are usually damaged when the windshield is removed. He won't do a glass replacement without installing new ones. Now I know why.

 

This happened to me after I had my first windshield replaced. It is the result of having a lame A-pillar cover instead of just an A-pillar like a normal car--just another little quirk to ensure the MINI's confinement to the category of fair weather car. Water can get under the plastic, freeze, and expand to help the cover remove itself at speed.

However, the idea that the MINI is "not designed to take higher speeds" seems incorrect given how stable it is at higher speeds.

 

+1

the same thing happened to me on the freeway at speed, 'cept the whole piece flew off. just as someone else said, the clips often break when people remove the trim piece to replace windshields (you literally have to just ply off the piece by force to remove), and a lot of the times the windshield installer would just use heavy duty double sided tape to tape it back on, when you're supposed to replace all the clips. if i remember correctly, there were about 4 or 5 white round plastic clips and they're a major pain in the *** to remove and reinstall, but properly in place it holds on to the trim pretty tightly. there's also a foam piece that sandwiches in. if you're gonna do it yourself, look up realoem.com and better order all the necessary pieces. it doesn't have to do w/ *car not designed for high speed.* the car is designed for high enough speeds but all the parts need to be properly installed, not just taped on

 

I was at about 120Mph when my driver side flew off. Replaced it when I got back to the dealer and have not had any issues since, (hitting 140-145mph with no problem.....

 

i lost mine when my 2nd windshield went in...

weirdly i didnt have the issue to my driver side, now that its been pryed off twice, just the passenger side flew off

 

This has been a minor problem since the cars were first on the road. It does seem to happen more frequently with those that have had windows replaced but it has happened to original install units as well .

 

I had one start to come loose, could see that it wasn't sitting flush, and the dealer replaced it for me under warranty. Never had the windshield replaced, it was just starting to come loose.

 

hit 140 on the track on three occasions and have never lost anything except my nerve to keep it there more than 15-20 seconds

 

I picked up a replacement passenger-side A pillar for a club member who lost his after a windshield replacement. I think that it happened to one of the White Roof Radio guys as well... Todd, I think.

 

This crap happened to me last night at 75 MPH, on my way to help a friend pick out a Cooper S. The Cooper S we test drove, I took it up to 90. It's pillar cover came off as well. Did it TWICE in a 24 hour period. Pretty scary sounding crap. Ordered the 3M taped ones on EBAY. Hope they don't suck too bad. Anyone have experiences with the "ebay" ones? You know, the 6 piece kit with chrome trim?

 

yes... those black pieces have to be replaced evertime the windshield is... if not... well everytime I have seen this not done the mini wouldnt get past the first on ramp with out loosing one if not both....

 

Hi Orbitup!
It will not do you any good to remove the door panel to adjust the window. It is done from the outside of the glass after removing the outer window trim with a special "spanner"

 

It happened to Gabe's MINI while his wife was driving as I recall. Todd had his sunroof explode while he was driving on the highway.

 

Why did his sunroof explode?

 

I don't remember if they ever figured out a reason for the sunroof failure. Fortunately, he had a vinyl graphic on top of it that kept the pieces of the fragmented glass together. I think it's on this episode:http://www.whiteroofradio.com/woofcast-52/

bonmot

 

I've never heard it put that way! Ill have to remember that one lol... I wonder if it works on cops?

 

i had a problem goin 100+ or so on the highway and the rubber piece separating the front window from the room kind of just unhooked and it was floopin around... but i just put it back on and didnt have that problem anymore

 

I'm beating a dead horse, but this is moderately common. I know of mutliple people this has happened to, all after a windscreen change. One happened in front of me at a fairly high rate of speed.

Mine (on my 03) began to come off without a windscreen change, but were replaced under warranty.

 

Here's my $0.02; it happened to on my '02. Had the windshield replaced, commuted on the Angeles Forrest Highway a few days later in some very gusty winds and it broke right off (drivers side). Called the guys who replaced my windshield under an insurance claim; they replaced it and added it to the insurance bill.

This was in 2003 and even then, the specs called for replacing the clips for the pillars.