After 3000 miles on my MINI, I noticed my front fog lights appear to be cracked from the inside as if it was cracked due to being hot and maybe cold water hitting causing it to crack. Does anyone have a problem with the fog lights cracking? Alost forgot to say that I always turn them on while driving. Thanks d^_^b Richii

 

I had the same problem...at least i thought....it looks like a really small pebble must have hit it but it looks like it cracked from the inside...

 

Ahh. =( This is my first new car so I guess it's time to start taking advantage of the warranty! Haha. I'll take it to the dealership and let you know if its a common thing for the fog lights to crack and why.

 

It's made of plastic and not glass. Heat won't crack it. Plastic stretches too fast. Your argument will not hold up. One of mine has a half inch long crack as well.

 

My left fog is cracked as well. Looks like a real PITA to replace the fog light assembly.

 

Had the same problem. The dealer replaced it under warranty.

 

Just to add another data point: the pax side fog cover cracked within 2 weeks of picking up my cooper. That one was deemed a stress-induced crack by the dealer's warranty rep. Then the driver's side cracked a week later after a roadtrip. That one was deemed a stone chip crack by the warranty rep. I had them both replaced at the same time and the dealer paid for part and labour on one of them and I paid for the other. They are not cheap to replace, as some of us have found out firsthand. I now have the fogs covered with a stoneguard.

Having said all this, I am suspicious that a lot of these R56 fog covers are cracking due to high stresses in the cover assembly. Would be interesting to see if a TSB comes out in future or if it is just one of those things that happens to most minis that experience torsional stresses from cornering hard.

I know that on an NB miata (second-gen cars), I can jump into any example and do the owner the favour of cracking their lower front windshield plastic trim at the pax side fastener in about 10 minutes of driving if they would like me to demonstrate this high stress point. Whether the windshield trim is cracked or not is essentially a litmus test of how much sport driving a miata is getting!

 

$69.35 for a new one from MINI. To change it, you remove the front bumper cover and then there are three screws to change the fog light assembly.
Changed mine along with a slew of other parts when my MINI was wrecked.

 

the Dealer here wanted $500 2 replace both of mine so i said 4get it and am leavin them cracked

 

I know this post was posted in 2007, but my fog lights are cracked too. The dealer is charging me almost $400 and the warranty will not cover it.

How easy or complicated is to remove the front bumper cover? How do you remove it without damaging the car?

I will be buying new fog lights and my hubby will be doing the dirty job.

I hope to hear from any of you - the experts!

Thanks in advance!!!

 

All the front plastic trim is either screwed and/or pop-connectors on. Buy some trim removal tools (Harbor freight tools ~ $5 for a set of 3) remove the fender trim and then you can see all the pop-outs/screws on the underside, that you have to remove to replace the light units. If you break any, (which you will) they are cheap from the auto store or dealer.

 

I've added the Foglights to my ClearBra package upon Delivery, hopefully this will cure the cracking.

 

Mine are cracked also 07 w/22,000 miles, dealer wanted over 400 dollars to replace, I laughed at him. You can remove the whole foglight assembly to work on by 1. removing the wheel. 2. remove a few of the push pins towards the front of the wheel well liner. 3. Pull the wheel liner away from the front of the wheel well, it will bend no problem. 4. Look with a light you will need a torx screwdriver to remove 3 screws and the foglight drops into your hand. It took me 15 minutes to figure out and remove and 5 minutes to reinstall ( i coated the inside w/ clear epoxy to seal the cracks from leaking). This means it might take a Mini Mechanic about 1/2 hr to do both. Hmm $ 450.00 that sounds about right for Mini....

 

11k miles and both are cracked!!!

I will try to get it under warranty, my other car had 75k and never broked the fog lights.

 

after reading this thread, Ill have mine covered when the cb is installed by the dealer

 

yep, that is the smart thing to do, except I'd go with an local clear bra dealer instead of having the dealership contract it out. If I'd went with the dealer clear bra package I would have paid roughly 35% more and only had a 5 year warranty instead of a lifetime warranty.

Always check cost and warranties before making the decision on which product to go with. Oh, if you have bonnet stripes, make sure they don't get covered with the clear bra. If they get covered you'll have a gaps around them that won't ever seal right, they'll collect dust and look terrible over time.

I had my bonnet stripes replaced under warranty a couple of months after I took delivery, my clear bra did not have to removed and a new one re-applied as my stripes were not covered. If they were, the probably would have cut the stripes and tried to match them up...

Just some things to keep in mind .