My 2006 Mini seems to be cracking windshields every year. It is cracking in the middle at the bottom (winter months may be a culprit since defroster is in the middle). This seems to be a problem with the Mini and my dealer was great the first time but I haven't called today yet.

My educated (or is that uneducated) guess is that the car is flexing.

So it seems that my first thought was to fab up some subframe connectors. I don't think I can tie the left and right side togather ethier in an X and maybe not even with one bar across from side to side.

They sell strut tower braces (which would be less than 2 feet from the windshield) and rear braces that go right behind the rear seat.

Any further insight (esp from the master fabricator Blaine)?




The metal and welding would be cheaper for me than buying strut tower brace and rear brace, I'm tempted to try the cheap one and then go to spending on aftermarket goodies.

And for the record this car is driven by my wife (who thinks 55 in a 65 zone is speeding) and not me that I have been known to try getting it on 3 wheels . I also take great care when changing tires to jack up only one wheel at a time and not more than 1/2 inch or so to remove the tire and remove quickly, unlike the camaro when I jack up from the sub frame connector and do one side a mile in the air.

Also I know the lil dink box will probably be gone in 5 years but I still want to TRY to keep it for my lifetime.

A complete WAG, but I'd think that jacking 1 tire at a time is actually worse. The reason I say this is that, before adding a cage to my car, I could get the front tire about 12" off the ground, and still have the other 3 on the ground. That meant that the entire car was bending like a Pringle potato chip. However, since the cage install, the rear comes up with the front.

If you get 1 side in the air, the car is less likely to bend, I'd think.

I googled 'mini crack windshield' and yes, there is a problem ;-) I have a local customer who tracks a Mini with R rubber, I'll ask him if he has had/fixed this problem.

Have you checked the cost of zero deductible comphehensive coverage? It's not very expensive for me from State Farm.

Thanks for the comment on the jacking, I noticed before subframe connectors on my 2002 Z it twisted like a pretzal. Heck my 1977 ugly Malibu will twist jacking under the frame (full frame not boxed though). There is no place front or back(aka rear diff) to jack but could make jacking jig to get either front or back off the ground at once.

The mini forums talk about bling and chrome parking brake handle covers, so information is limited to bolt on stuff. This broken windshield has been talked about and boils down to unhappy customers complaigning to the dealers.

My car is still new enough to be covered and will be till 2010 (4 years) but Im a tinkerer and cant leave this alone. Honestly the poor car probably weights more than it should for the chassis and body. The mini also has a known problem with the strut towers bulging out (the aftermarket has stepped up and makes plates to sandwich the top of the strut mounting bolts).

My simple home grown subframe connectors is what I might try anyway to keep chassis/body flex down in hopes of keeping it forever.

My ins is a 250 deductable, I can change it but have way too many cars and adds up really bad. But if it does pop every year things will change.

All I got out of BMW and my dealer is what is in the service bull... which states the windshield typically cracks in the middle from being tight (windshield) when cornering.

Well again I cant leave it alone and already crafted a jacking plate (shaped like an H) to lift the front or rear in the air with a jack in the middle of the H, after driving up on some made ramps.

Now I discussed the subframe connector idea and the dealer liked the X subframe connector idea so it looks like Im game and just need to get metal and start designing.

He got back to me - He's on his 3rd one and he has no solution other than suggest the PPG brand windshield- it is supposed to be thicker than others. He has not tried any chassis reinforcement.

Are there any underhood braces that tie the fenders/strut towers back to the middle of the cowl? If so are they removable?

"Are there any underhood braces that tie the fenders/strut towers back to the middle of the cowl?"

No braces not even under the car like the fbodys lil sheet metal that could prevent a driveshaft from dropping (where most the aftermarket ds loops mount/replace).

My dealer has basically said the car is tight and is flexing and they like the idea of me X'ing the sub frames togather. As weight may be added I don't care as its a street car only.

Thanks for asking too.