I must have picked up a stone or piece of gravel somewhere. Anyhow, the lens on my front left turn signal indicator is cracked. In looking at the construction of the turn signal, I am wondering if I have to take the entire bumper off to replace the lens. Has anybody replaced one of these yet? I have a Cooper, not an S, if that makes any difference.

Thanks.

 

the bumper cover must come off. The turn signal is 1 unit rplaced completely not just the lens. As I recall it was around 20 bucks probably cheaper through I think its classic bmw mini parts. Look in the vendor section. About a half hor job. Need Torx set though
RAT

 

why not just take it to the dealer

 

>>why not just take it to the dealer

Because it's a 20 minute job and you save the hour+ you will be charged for labor plus the markup on the parts.

 

Thanks for the info RAT. I'll take a look at the bumper cover tonight and see how hard it will be to take off.

I thought about taking it to the dealer, but I don't think this would be covered under warranty since it isn't the manufacturer's fault. Plus, my nearest dealer is three hours away and it would take me the better part of a day to have it fixed.

Vince

 

are you already out of warrenty? its only been out two years... geez you must have done a lot of driving... You shouldn't have to pay a dime otherwise...

 

it's easy just keep looking for fasteners to undo. and put a blanket on the floor to lay the over on good luck not a bad job at all

 

>>are you already out of warrenty? its only been out two years... geez you must have done a lot of driving... You shouldn't have to pay a dime otherwise...
>>

warranty does not cover damage to the vehicle unlkess it was caused by a manufacturing defect

 

>>are you already out of warrenty? its only been out two years... geez you must have done a lot of driving... You shouldn't have to pay a dime otherwise...
>>

No, I'm not out of warranty. Since this wasn't a malfunction or manufacturer's defect, I can't really expect the dealer to fix it for free. But that's really beside the point. I just placed my order for the part and it will cost me $25.00 with shipping. I'd spend that much on gas alone to drive down to the dealer and back, not to mention that I'd have to take a day off from work -- or give up a Saturday. (And there's no way I'm doing that!)

 

The turn signal assembly would be easy to replace once you remove the bumper cover. It is held to the bumper cover with a couple screws.

Removing the bumper cover isn't very hard. You can find instructions on my site with pictures, one of which shows the turn signal lens assembly as installed in the bumper cover. You can clearly see it comes apart quite easily once you have the bumper cover off.

Good luck!

 

Thanks for the link to your site, Sean. A picture or two is always a great help.

Incidentally, the rubber cover on my shift **** mysteriously peeled off as well. I hope this isn't a recurring problem.

Vince

 

Turn signals!! AARRGGHH! Both of mine are cracked. Of course I'm also on my 2nd windshield! I'm sure my overly aggressive driving style has nothing to do with my gravel damage.... :smile:

....However... I have several colleagues with MINIs and they are also experiencing broken turn signals. It's turned into a little game to check the front turn signals on MINIs I find for damage. So far I'm batting around .500. Coincidence or design defect? You be the judge.

Anyway, the estimate I received from my dealer (Motor City MINI) was $35 to completely replace the turn signal (1 piece unit), plus $100 for the labor required to remove the bumper to get to the signal.

SJBARTNIK, the link to your site seems to be broken. Any chance for an update so I can decide if removing my bumper is within my level of skill?

Thanks.