i always seem to break stuff before finding out how to do stuff the right way. It's sad I know lol

That is one reason I use K-Y Jelly instead of soapy water or oil when installing window glass and lock strips.

Or worse still the paint especially if it is fresh.

Ugh.. mine turned yellow after using WD-40. Use soapy water. Be careful not to slip. Might hurt yourself or hurt the rubber. 

The locking strip is used on all mini's front and rear and should be fitted no matter how tight it seems without! in the event of a shunt you could end up wearing the glass!! As to the string method, back in the 60's and 70's this was the prefered method but back then the rubbers were a lot softer and pliable, these days with the current crop of rubber being hard and unyielding the best method is fit the rubber and squeeze the glass in using a nice plastic trim tool and plenty of lube!! The locking strips are a doddle to fit with the correct tool Their not expensive to buy certainly less than the cost of a buggered seal or lockstrip anyway..........................

And sadly... what may have been a good source for the non-browning lock strips 7 years ago may not get those parts from the same supplier today.  It really is the luck of the draw.

Just a crapshoot Brian they fade fast here in Florida even when garaged unless of course you can remember where you got the front one :-)

Related question: Has anyone found a reliable supplier/brand or a way to tell whether a chrome locking strip will turn yellow? Is it just a crap shoot? I replaced my rear one about two years ago, and it's just about turned brown. The front one has been there for more than 7 years and it's still nice and shiny. 

MIne was all faded and starting to crack so I replaced it with a new chrome locking strip. Local windshield/glass shop removed the old one and installed the new one for $25. Took about 15 minutes and an expert did it using the special tool. Problem solved.

I was around these little buggers when they were new and every one had a seal on the front and rear. I will say on an old sun drenched seal the black filler strip as apposed to the chrome one is easier to work with as it seems slightly smaller. Some of the new seals are not 100% correctly sized (like a lot of the other Mini seals) and they sometimes do require a lot of time lubrication and patience to install the filler strip without damaging it. The tool that comes with the roller attached works easier and a T handle would save the palm of your hand.

But that is under the "24 Rear quarter glass (Saloon models) - removal and refitting" section for the rear side windows and only for the fixed type, not the hinged type.

It is NOT under the "22 Rear window (Saloon and Pick-up models) - removal and refitting" section.

That section, the one I believe we are discussing, only reads "The removal and refitting procedure for the rear window and its sealing rubber is the same as described in section 21 for the windscreen."

And Section 21 reads both "carefully ease up one end of the finishing strip" as well as "pressing the finishing strip into place".

As a corroborating source (offered simply because lots of people say that the Haynes sometimes contains errant information -in fact, right on the same page Haynes advocates using the string method to get the rubber into the window aperture before sealing it with the finishing strip - a variation of a method NOT recommended in this thread), I offer..

Lindsay Porter's Guide to Purchase & DIY Restoration of the Mini - All Models, page 68, which reads "Both front and rear screens are held in rubbers which are 'spread' tight with chrome finish plastic strips"

All that said, it seems to me that if your rear window is not leaking and seems snugly in, jwakil, and there's no vibration or flex in and out when you press on it, then just leave it be!

You likely have other priorities than getting a locking strip into an older, sun-baked, no longer supple seal...

But if the rubber is still flexible, then by all means install the locking strip as was originally designed and intended.

Which Haynes manual and where in the manual?

I imagine if you are careful with the string method and not use some super sharp wire, you shouldn't damage the headliner.  Thats the recommended method for my porsche.  Anyway, I find it quite a coincident that my mini has no rear locking strip and the Haynes manual says don't use the strip on the back window.  The rubber seal is quite old and seems to be original to the car, so I don't think anyone replaced it per Haynes instructions.   It has never leaked, where as the front one with the locking strip is leaking at the corners.

The cord method is the usual way to do it with the seal on the glass first but it has a good chance of damaging the headliner on cars with the headliners overlapping the apertures.

The description of the gaskets on most major suppliers sites clearly state not to use the string method as it will damage the seal as well as the headliner.

I did mine WITH the tool, from the outside, so no danger to the headliner.

I only stumbled on the cord method afterward in a YouTube video and thought "Wow! That could have saved me loads of time!".

Obviously NOT a timesaver if you end up having to replace the headliner as well!

I have learned my lesson: only post methods I have successfully used myself! :-(

+1 for that.  I tried the string method on my Mk1 before I knew to fit the rubber to the body first.  I almost ruined the C-pillar covers.

As for WD-40... it will indeed work.  However, K-Y Jelley works well, is a bit more slippery, and can be washed away with soap and water.

//www.minimania.com/part/18G468/Windshield-Windscreen-Fillet-Tool

If you use WD-40 and lubricate the channel well the locking strip will go right in very easily with the tool. The WD-40 will not hurt anything.

You were lucky not to tear or distort the headliner that way. The factory way is to install the seal on the car and fit the windscreen into it. Yes they do require a locking strip.