I have a 2003 MINI Cooper and I'm one of the many with a cracked windshield. Although I've talked with MINI customer service and the dealer service manager they won't cover the replacement under the warranty. I'm going to take some action to correct this situation. I'm trying to gather information from other owners that have experienced cracked windshields. Please contact me directly at pgoltz112@hotmail.com

 

miniport-- Go for it. I'd do the same.

God speed.

 

See this post it's an uphill climb as I know all too well (windshield #5 in my car now).

 

I am installing number three after this winter.

Dave :evil:

 

Along with several other threads, I have added my comments in the most current posting on this subject in the 'Beneath the Bonnet' section (too tired to paste the link now). I will also send you an email. On my '04 MINI I have already had one windshield replaced under warranty and the second is already badly chipped. Intersting how the paint on the bonnet is still in good shape but MINI can claim my windshield is obviously being bombarded by boulder size rocks to have caused the chips I have. These MINI windsheilds suck and I'm ready to join in a fight to make MINI (aka BMW) finally acknowledge this issue.

 

add me in. 04 MCS with the 3rd one.
first one leaks
second one crack over night(cold)
Thrid one,..... better be good!

 

The ongoning windshield saga is the one thing that makes me truly angry with MINI's customer service. They KNOW that their windshields are crap and yet they refuse to repair them under warranty.

I finally got sick of fighting with them and did the only thing I could do to make a statement against their crappy windshields and customer service. I had my windshield replaced with the superior aftermarket PPG brand glass. So far, no cracks and the PPG glass seems to be a bit better optically.

MINI-USA: I think you are real creeps not to own up to your design flaw and honor the warranties that came with our cars. I only pray that somehow my MINI will suffer a catastrophic engine and transmission failure before my warranty runs out so you will have to replace them, although I wonder if you honor the warranties at all?

 

I'm in there. '04 Cooper nearly 500 mi. and hello Mr. Crack! Could it be the dread
"stress crack"? Not according to the MINI SA, claims he’s seen many but only two were actually stress related and covered. Seems pointless to beat this policy to death.

Did some quick research with interesting results. OEM glass is reported as thin, soft and prone to micro chips or flaws that often spawn mystery cracks. Perhaps more temperature change related than jolts or A - pillar flex. Some dealers handle it as a warr. issue, most don’t. The aftermarket supplies two flavors. PPG who had the first replacement on the market. PPG provides a lifetime stress crack warr. The glass is thicker by almost 10% and proven more chip resistant then our stock friend. Safelite has the other choice even listing a rain sensor equiped replacement. There is little info on the newer Safelite’s. Both estimates ran $350-$375 installed.

I decided to go straight to the glass shop and bypass a possible series of factory windshield events. I’ll pay the $100 deductible for what I believe is the best short-term solution. I don’t need to see the multi windshield movie. The downside is once the PPG is in, there’s no hope for a free future improved MINI replacement.

One trick, make sure the installer is qualified. There are hidden A - pillar cover screws under the rain gutter. There is an adhesive mount kit to re-install the covers. The urethane seal needs to be MINI spec that takes several hours to cure. Shops normally use the quick 1-hour urethane that is electrolytic and not even to be used on MINI’s. The passenger airbag hits the windshield when deployed and 30% of the cars upper structural integrity comes from windshield strength. Do not compromise these points for a price break.

 

I can't believe all the emails and reply messages I'm getting on this issue. MINI USA has really missed the boat on this. Their customer service department misjudged the problem and now they'll have to deal with me. I cannot believe how short sighted they are. There is no question that their windshields have a problem. The facts and figures are flowing in and MINI will begin to see the anger this issue has raised. I'm seeing many reports of owners having to install up to 5 new windshields! That's indicative of a design flaw. This problem could very well end up as a national recall with MINI having to replace EVERY windshield, not just those that crack. Well, I gave them a chance and they turned everyone down. Thanks for all the feedback and please keep it coming. Where you're located, the year of your MINI, how many windshields cracked, especially those that crack without any evidence of impact. Please email me directly at pgoltz112@hotmail.com.

 

Good luck on your mission -- a class action suit should wake them up.

Has anyone filed a complaint with NHTSA? This could be considered a safety issue and force them to resolve this matter via a mandatory recall.

I used to be an admirer of BMW. But that was before I purchased my MCS and had to deal with BMW's crappy customer service. I don't care how good the car is, I refuse to put up with the arrogant attitude of BMW and its dealers. In particular, my experiences with BMW "customer service" have soured me on the brand and I will not be buying another BMW product.

 

Seems you are trying very hard to hype this issue - will you be well paid?

I have owned two MINIs. I have had ZERO replacement windshields. If your claim of a design defect was true, how does it not affect me?

Some people have had five windshields replaced - maybe they drive really close behind other cars on drity roads. I am not saying they do, but you need sensible evidence, not just National Enquirer hype.

Why were windshields replaced? Where the replacements properly installed?

How many cracked windshields have you had, miniport? Where is the crack? How long, starting/finishing where?

911 - sorry you had bad treatment with BMW. I have a MINI dealership to deal with (nothing to do with BMW - located a few miles away) and I have only praise for them. A bad dealership experience unfortunately can happen, but does not reflect on the brand. Also has nothing to do with miniports glass crusade.

 

iancull:

My comments are based on my experiences with 3 dealers and with BMW/MINI "customer service" at the corporate level. In my view, the problems at BMW are systemic. I suspect it comes down to lousy management.

I have owned lots of cars from lots of manufacturers over the years and BMW has proven to be the worst by far when it comes to customer satisfaction. BMW can learn a thing or two about the benefits of keeping customers happy from the likes of Toyota, Honda and even Porsche.

Be thankful you are near a decent dealer. Hopefully you'll never be faced with putting BMW's customer service to the test.

 

iancull - I would like to respond to each of your comments one at a time and I would really appreciate an honest response. I of course welcome any responses from others that would like to join in.

1) iancull - "Seems you are trying very hard to hype this issue."

Please feel free to run a search on NAM and see how many people have already joined in many discussions regarding their cracked or very well worn/pitted windshields. This is hardly the first thread on the issue and certianly not the most inflammatory or accousatory.

2) iancull - "I have owned two MINIs. I have had ZERO replacement windshields. If your claim of a design defect was true, how does it not affect me?"

First, great, glad to hear it. While your at it, I am sure you have never had the coolant bottle leak, yo-yo, stumble or any other number of problems others have reported. Please feel free to join in those discussions and let them know it is there own problem since you are trouble free!!! The fact is, like most recall issues, it may not affect everyone.

3) iancull - "Some people have had five windshields replaced - maybe they drive really close behind other cars on drity roads. I am not saying they do, but you need sensible evidence, not just National Enquirer hype"

I would welcome your inspection of my vehicle where you will find the paint on the bonnet in pretty close to perfect condition however my windshield is quickly deteriorating. If your logic held up, then I obviously would have many paint chips and dings across the front end. As well, many react to the many chips and pits in their windshield because they have never experienced this before. I do not believe it is because all these people with problems are suddenly racing around looking for gravel trucks to drive behind.

I have also heard a few comments on NAM that possibly spirited driving may cause a car to more susceptible to stress cracks. While this has not been mentioned in this post yet, I would like to note that MINI has advertised the car as having a go-cart like feel, as a car with the some of the best handling ever; it seems that it is hardly a stretch to expect the cars to be driven in such a manner and for MINI to have designed the car to handle these conditions.

P.S. Isn't this post an attempt to gather information and not go with the "National Enquirer hype"?

4) iancull - "Why were windshields replaced? Where the replacements properly installed?"

My first windshield was replaced under warranty. I would assume since MINI put in the first and second windshield I have the right to assume it was done properly. Furthermore, the installation method is not a factor in the excessive chipping and pitting.

5) iancull - "How many cracked windshields have you had, miniport? Where is the crack? How long, starting/finishing where?"

I can't speak for miniport, but mine appeared while my MINI sat in the garage for 12 hours. At 6 AM I had a 5 inch long crack that started out behind the A-pillar right about the area of the VIN number. The SAME place MANY others on NAM have reported their cracks starting from. Hmmmmmmm.

6) iancull - "911 - sorry you had bad treatment with BMW. I have a MINI dealership to deal with (nothing to do with BMW - located a few miles away) and I have only praise for them. A bad dealership experience unfortunately can happen, but does not reflect on the brand. Also has nothing to do with miniports glass crusade."

To a certain extent I will agree with this point, the quality of service at one dealership should not be a factor if we are going to seriously discuss the problems with the MINI windshields. However, I read into your response a certain 'attitude' that since you have had good service, nobody else should voice their opinions about the poor service they received.

Finally, I would like find out from everyone reading this post if, prior to becoming part of the MINI community, you or someone you know has had an experience of a windshield cracking while sitting in a driveway. While I am sure their has been the occasional occurrence, I can honestly say it hasn't happened to me or anyone I know.

_________________
'04 MCS, CR/W/W, HK, Sport#2, MFSW, JCW

 

How about we drill down to a common denominator. Having a good research effort on this subject my theory points to the OEM glass. I photo documented the "driveway crack", than read everything and made several calls.

The voodoo cracks do not have anything in common which should be relief to early build owners minus the A-pillar fix. Some factory installed or replaced shields have never had a crack issue, others see it reoccurring. Roof color, pillars, driving style, sunroof, rain sensor, car model/year, etc. have all been explored with nothing pointing to the problem.

So MINI releases a statement that they will enhance the A-pillars to address this as from racing experience this is the fix. Uh, sorry R&D you missed something here like they still crack. This is where all goes quiet on the corporate end and bulletins appear at the dealer instructing them to perform the dreaded pen test.

They clearly are embarrassed but my guess is they can't stop the glass factory from producing these soft or too thin units. Maybe a contract item where the glass factory disputes the issue and will not retool or modify the product until the contracted amount of 50 bazillion units is produced. Oxford may have 60,000 windshields in the back that BMW isn't real excited about chucking.

I chose to get a PPG now and dismiss the crusade. Guys that chime in here with comments that counter the cause annoy me. It's cool if you have a magic windshield but we don't care. As far as poking a stick at MINI/BMW we need to keep it up. This is something they will address (again), when is the question.

The weird thing is when I called local glass shops they had MINI shields in stock and two shops had experience with cars. This is Eastern Washington, there can only be 10 cars in the area! They also have the pen test down and to my surprise suggested the lower passenger mystery crack migrating from under the hood trim was deemed likely a rock hit. The logic sort of made sense and they agreed weak glass promotes the effect. Hearing the same story from two glass shops, with no bias, leads to the only current option - replace the glass with PPG or try another OEM shield. Maybe you’ll get a magic replacement. Driving around with that haunting crack on your otherwise killer ride is sad and perhaps not worth waiting out a result.

 

>>Finally, I would like find out from everyone reading this post if, prior to becoming part of the MINI community, you or someone you know has had an experience of a windshield cracking while sitting in a driveway. While I am sure their has been the occasional occurrence, I can honestly say it hasn't happened to me or anyone I know.

First, well said in your response White_Knuckles, I can add verry little.

In repy to your question posed above. I have never had a windshied crack! In almost 45 years of driving I have had serious rock strikes on the windhield and some large chips as a result, but never a crack. It is probably unnecessary to add, but I will do so, I never had a crack develop overnight because of a rock strike sometime in the past!

However, I'm talking windshields, and your talking widshields.

What were talking about with the MINI is a windscreen and I have only my MINI experience to go by for them.

 

Miniport:
Good luck with your data collection and possible action against MINIUSA. While I have not had the dreaded stress crack on my windscreen, I am afraid it may happen. It would be nice if you could share your data stats with us when you analyze them, so we can have an idea of the number of incidents, rate of occurences, models, etc.

 

For all the cracked windshields how many more have had chips???

I have been driving for 25 years and I have never had a vehicle with so many stone chips. I have only driven the car for 20,000 miles and I have 3 large chips. One was repaired the following day and it is now spidered! I did not even bother getting the other 2 fixed as I know I will have to replace the glass soon.

One of the chips was from a very small stone that bounce off the hood first! It did not chip the paint but it chipped the glass. I was only going about 30 mph at the time. None of the chips were caused by a true stone whack. I could bearly hear the impact.

The glass is defective! It is difficult for me to complain to Mini about my problem because it is only chips, but I did. They acted like there was no problem with the windshields and that I should talk to my dealer, which I did, and they acted like there was no problem.

Yes, I did file a complaint with the NHTSA. The rest of you should as well.

 

I am fixing to have my second windshield installed in about 2 weeks. I just had one replaced in August. The first time something must have hit it and the other day driving home a huge rock flew out of someones tire and hit the windshield. This one is real bad. It almost came through the glass and if it had I would probably not be sitting here today because it would have hit me dead in the eye or forhead. I have had rocks hit other windshields in other cars I have driven and only had one crack in all the car I have had. It will cost me $250 deductible but I have to pay BMW up front because they will not take payment from the insurance company. I am looking at $678. Why does it take Mini 2 days to put in a windshield when these other companies can do it in a parking lot in 2 hours? Make no sense execpt they want their $75 an hour labor to add up.

 

diverrick:


"Yes, I did file a complaint with the NHTSA. The rest of you should as well. "



I agree. If enough people contact NHTSA they will be forced to start an investigation and perhaps take remedial action.

The last thing BMW needs is for someone to get killed in an accident caused by a shattered windshield.

 

My windshield was cracked while driving on the xpwy, I heard an impact sound but couldn't tell what hit it. There were a lot of 16 wheelers rolling down the road in front of me. My second windshield has held up even after some pretty bad hits. My girlfriends has had the same problem on the same road with two different vehicles. She had a hyunday that suffered 2 broken windshields and on her new subaru it's happened once. Good luck to all.

 

[quote]Why does it take Mini 2 days to put in a windshield when these other companies can do it in a parking lot in 2 hours? Make no sense execpt they want their $75 an hour labor to add up. :smile: ) pits on it. I've had the car for 13 months and first noticed the extensive pitting over this past summer.

In the past 2 weeks I've met 2 seperate 2004 MCS owners who have exprienced stress cracks in the last month. One had his claim appoved, one denied although the two cracks were very similar.


_________________

 

Somebody here must know a lawyer who would be willing to start a class action lawsuit. The suit should force MiniUSA to replace all windshields and to refund the money to those individuals who have had there windshields replaced.

The stupid pen test that they conduct is a pain in the butt, and an easy way to deny everyone on a case-by-case basis. We need to attack this problem in force. The chip in my windshield is so small, I can barely see it. The fact that it caused the windshield to split all the way across is ridiculous. Other cars I have had, have been whacked by large stones with only small chips, and never a split. I think it is a safety issue, as well as a way for BMW to deny responsibility. I guarantee you that there is some committee looking into this problem at BMW and they are well aware of the problem, but are looking at ways to hide the issue and prevent payout.

If no one believes me look at the stumble and v36 software. They denied there were problems up until the week or so before release. If they had been working on it for 6-8months, you better believe that they were aware of the problem and indicated to customer reps and dealerships to not admit to anything.

Any lawyers out there?

 

How do you contact the NHTSA and what should we tell them. That the windshield in Minis suck and they should really do something about them. The more I look at mine I truley believe that if I had been any closer the rock would have come through the windshield and killed me or my 2 year old daughter. The hole is almost completely through the windshield. So much for saftey glass!

 

NHTSA Complaint web page
NHTSA Complaint Page click here

 

Thanks for the info. Just filed my complaint. How many other mini drivers have filed a complaint?