I was driving on the freeway and I hear a something hitting the side of my car. My Side Marker/Scuttle is dangling from the wire hitting the side of the car. Nothing hit my car for it to come loose. I lost the whole scuttle on the freeway. Scratches on the side of my Mini and the plastic fender. I have 6000 miles on my car.

Has this ever happened to anyone. Is the scuttle clips that weak? Hopefully my warranty will cover this.

 

Did you have the OEM Scuttles (Flat Black) or Black Jack, British Flag, Chechered Flag...etc.??

I had the OEM Scuttles until Molly's 1st Birthday, then I bought her the British Flag Side Scuttles, Dealer installed them and no problems so far.

 

You are not alone!

The exact same thing happened to my car on a trip last month. I can't figure out how it can even come out given the way the light assy clips into the side panel and how close that is to the edge of the hood, but it did come out!

My dealer covered all my repairs. I was fortunate in that the Dr. Dent type folks got all the dings out; I have my A panels covered in vinyl (it's a look, what can I say? ) so they simply replaced that, otherwise they would have had to paint that panel. I have one chip in the paint on the door that they will touch up for me too...........

Take it to your dealer, if you haven't messed with it yourself, they should cover it.......

BTW, my dealer says they've seen several of these happen.

 

I have the OEM chrome S marker.

I'm glad to hear that I'm not alone on this. I am concerned that this might happen again. I might have to figure out how to more securely hold the piece down.

 

I'd think a small dab of silicone sealer on the tabs on the light assy the inside of the fender would keep it from being able to come out again.......

 

I just replaced my OEM "S" scuttles with British flag scuttles: on my car's first birthday like RJ did.

Those things snap in place using a couple of tabs that work in opposite directions. Mine are quite strong, but it's possible one of those tabs has been broken, which would cause the scuttle to be instantly loose and fall off.

If your's hasn't been fixed/replaced yet, I can take a picture of the backside of my original scuttles and mark where these tabs are. If one of the tabs is missing from your's, then that's the cause of your problem and you need to get a new one.

 

Ok so the dealer covered the side marker, fender, and touched up the paint.
The touch up paint looked darker than the rest of the paint but it is hard to see, so I just went with it. I will try the sealant when I get the chance to.

They also fixed the passenger side window sticking out a bit when the window is all the way down.

 

Bringing this thread back from the dead.....this happened to me last night on the interstate! I hear a viscous banging and i think tire blow out.

Then i realize steering is fine and i see the scuttle smashing the fender non stop. Before i could change lanes the scuttle blew off. Left alot of scuffs which came out, but left small ding and scratch on fender. Small scratch on door. Car is going to dealer for this. I will post results from dealer on friday.

 

I'm convinced. Time to hit the scuttle tabs with slicone sealer...

 

I noticed you can get the tabs good with silicone if you install the scuttle without the side marker in place. Hit the tabs with sealer and then slip the side marker in place.

 

ALSCRX and thirdraildesignlab: I was considering getting side scuttles for my MINI's first Christmas, but after reading this thread, I am not so sure. Would you guys advise people to stay away from the scuttle mods? I am afraid of losing it, or worse, the scuttle chipping my paint if it falls off.

Have either of you switched out your side view mirrors or door handles? Those mods would seem to be more stable, but that is just a guess by me.

I am trying to decide between either (1) switching the side scuttles, (2) switching the side view mirrors; or, (3) switching the door handles. Any thoughts and advice you have would be most appreciated!

thanks guys

 

I would def do the scuttle swap. Just put some sealant on all the tabs when installing to be safe!!!!!!!

Here is an update....got the car back from the dealer and they said mini would not cover it under warranty but the DEALER did a "GOOD WILL GESTURE" as stated on the invoice. SO they fixed the problem with new wire harness,plug,socket,light, and scuttle.
But they will not cover the 2 minor scratches on the door. I would have to pay for those.

I am going to install new JCW mesh scuttles again using the silicone and hot glue gun method!

I noticed from the BUMPY and HARSH roads in NY, that this is a reality of a scuttle coming loose from the tabs.

 

You know, I really think, as ALS said, it's worth doing. I didn't use sealant and mine are nice and tight. But I do plan on going back and adding some for good measure. Why not! But year, it's a nice touch and looks great!

 

thanks ALSCRX and thirdraildesignlab!

 

Anyone know where to get the scuttles cheap?
I found a complete set from a dealer for 130.

Has anyone found cheaper??