My beloved MINI is no longer pristine.


<b>Little MINI, Big Adventures!</b>

 

Join the large and growing club.

My experience was identical to yours. When you go to the dealer, they will run a ballpoint pen down the crack until they find a dent/pit, and then they will say, "Ah, it was a rock. SEE?!"

I hope you have a better experience.

Cheers,

 

When they blame it on a "." ask them why all the larger * in the glass didn't cause a crack.

 

>>Join the large and growing club.
>>
>>My experience was identical to yours. When you go to the dealer, they will run a ballpoint pen down the crack until they find a dent/pit, and then they will say, "Ah, it was a rock. SEE?!"
>>
>>I hope you have a better experience.
>>
>>Cheers,

Oh no! Did you ever get it sorted out, or did you end up paying for it yourself?

I certainly don't want to pay for this (who does)... Why have a warranty if they are not going to honor it?

I'll make a lot of noise if they give me any trouble, and I'll keep you guys updated.

Thanks!

 

JiminVirginia,

Awesome looking MINI, I must say. I love the wheels!

 

My auto insurance has a $500 deductible but window damage is under comprehensive--only $50. It may not be that bad.

 

^ Right, we have those in MA too ($0 deductable on the glass portion of comprehensive). BUT, make more than 2 claims over the span of a couple of years, and watch your insurance actually get canceled (yes, happened to someone I know), or the rates go up enough to have covered actually buying 2 windshields out of pocket (happened to me).

So, it's definitely worth doing everything possible to get MINI to replace these under warranty...and to fix the problem with stress cracks so that this doesn't keep happening once our warranties expire!

 

Is this a problem with all MINI's, or just the "S"??

 

I am under the impression that all MINIs are susceptible to this. Given that this has happened to many people, this problem is clearly related to a design defect. I did a search on "windshield crack," and it seems that the problem is most likely caused by too-thin glass. Or the windshield could have been installed incorrectly. The upright angle may also contribute to this? But it doesn't matter - windshields are not supposed to spontaneously crack in the middle of the night!

 

The fragility (is that a word?) of the MINI windshield has been well-documented in these forums. My stress crack appeared at the bottom of the passenger-side windshield at just 1500 miles. Motor City MINI fixed it in a day, free of charge. I came armed with reams of print-outs from MCO detailing the hordes of similar problems. It wouldn't hurt to do the same.
Good luck!
By the way, 6000 miles later and I'm still crack free!

 

Went to the dealer yesterday for an "L" shaped crack that started at the very top, middle, and came down around the rain sensor. They are covering this under warranty as a stress crack. They too used the ballpoint pen to check for stone chips. I noticed a couple of tiny marks along the crack but they said this was normal.

 

Hi! I took MAX to MINI of Towson yesterday.

Here's the short story:
MINI of Towson get two thumbs up!

And the long story:
The guy (Murray) took one look at the crack, felt it with his finger just to make sure, and then proclaimed, "Yup, it's a stress crack!" No ballpoint pens in sight! He even admitted that they had been seeing a lot of MINIs with this problem. So, he ordered the new windshield yesterday, and it can be installed any day next week. Friday is the only day that works for me, so I will have to live with the crack for another week...

So, you can add MINI of Towson to your list of dealers who DO honor the MINI warranty!

Keep motoring.

 

We still have the factory windshield in our '02 Cooper CVT. We haven't had any problems with it after 10,400+ miles and 11 months of service. Our Cooper has the standard suspension and 15" non-runflat tires and wheels. I wonder if the windshield stress cracks are more prominent in rougher riding MINIs equipped with SS+ supension and 16" or 17" runflat rubber??

 

>>So, you can add MINI of Towson to your list of dealers who DO honor the MINI warranty!

Same kind of crack on my DS / MCS too...Keeler in Latham, NY fixed mine ASAP. It happened in the morning too on a hot day followed by a warm night....wonder if the defects might be influenced by temperature?

 

MINI should address any windshield issues by means of the limited new car warranty. However it is also a very good idea to carry $0 deductible glass coverage from your insurance company.

 

>>MINI should address any windshield issues by means of the limited new car warranty. However it is also a very good idea to carry $0 deductible glass coverage from your insurance company.

Unfortunately in TX you can only get windshield coverage as part of a comprehensive with zero deductible, which makes it pricey. For example, I have a $500 deductible on the comprehensive. If the windshield receives a repairable chip, they will pay for repair. However, if it is cracked, it is covered by the comprehensive with the $500 deductible. To bring my deductible to zero would add another $2-300 per year. Still worth it probably if I need to replace the windshield once per year or more, but I really don't like this.
Hopefully MINI is looking into this and coming up with a solution soon!

 

MINIUSA: Any updates?..New "batch" of folks having problems with the windshields on the MINI?..Comments? :evil: