Hey,

I am not normally a passenger but this weekend my partner was driving and i noticed excessive wind noise from the N/S , from what i can tell it was coming from round about the A pillar which was changed recently due to the other being broken.

So i decided to investigate myself by pulling the rubber door seal away and was shocked to notice that all apart from one of the plastic where the screw fits was broken! AND there was no gasket fitted!!

First question....

Is it normal for the plastic round the screws to break on its own? for example going over a bad bump in the road? or is it more likely far to much torq has been used when fitting it?

Second question....

Could the missing gasket be causing this excessive wind noise?

Got a new one ordered for tomorrow and will fit it myself this time!

Some links on A-Pillar fitting here:
A-Pillar Windscreen Trim Replacement - Forums (http://forum.minicooper.org/showthread.php?t=15083)

I would guess it was broken during fitting or removal but hard to prove......windscreen fitters often break them because of missing the hidden screws and then bodge 'glue' them back to save time/cost and a visit to a BMW spares department for new parts/clips!

They can also sometimes break when say hit by a flying object on the motorway, etc, or come loose and then wind gets underneath and tears/breaks them off. The lack of a seal and a tight fit could cause the wind noise.

Thanks for the link , i suspect improper fitting but as you say , hard to prove!
The wind noise is strange , its not like a window not closing proper and it is 100% on the outside, its as if the air is not passing over the car properly and by the way the A pillar is just now air could easily be passing through it.

Collect part tomorrow so will post back once fitted.

Well that's the new A pillar fitted with a gasket , wind noise is now reduced by 90% , can't ask for more than that! :)