Searching all over the place, and I am coming up short.

First, I am shocked that an alarm is not standard equipment today. I get why people don't think it's needed with the new key FOB technology, however if someone opens our car door at 3am I really would like to know. And yes, had an F-350 broken into at 7:30a in a busy garage, nothing was in kept in it, so nothing was taken, but it still does happen.

Back on subject, it looks like with the earlier generations there was a simple 'plug-n-play' retrofit kit. But for the F56 I am coming up absolutely short, and it looks like I am SOL.

Does anyone have additional information?

Thanks for help.

 

Cant do it, or at least try to find someone is impossible

I asked the same question at an install place and the installer said that the only car he wont touch is a Mini because of all the complex connections etc.. Ive gone to him for years and he is pretty respected (won install awards at SEMA etc) and flat out said no

 

1. Remove rear seats
2. Install giant dog bed
3. Install German Shepherd who likes to sleep in MINI

 

Thank you for the reply Mini_Vinnie, that's what I was afraid of. We got a really good deal on our new Mini, but I was naive to think all cars today came with them, next time I will have to pay closer attention and not assume.

SFMCS, we already have a Belgian Malinois, and if she had her way, she'd never leave the vehicle.

 

Cool. You may want to check out video cameras like the Garmin (have one). I believe that some models will start recording (with a beep) when the vehicle is jarred. At least you may identify who is messing with the car.

 

I am actually looking into the Garmin Dash Cams as well. Which model do you have? Do you have it wired with the Parking Mode Cable? Considering the Garmin Dash Cam Mini.

Interested to read you thoughts, if you want to PM me please feel free.

 

Count me among the excited buyers who did not notice there was no alarm, at time of purchase. I am surprised they didn’t try to sell me an aftermarket add-on, as some dealers do. I guess I won’t lose sleep over it, as I have good insurance. As for an aftermarket option, after the car purchase, I am not surprised that some shops won’t deal with a Mini, as the same is true of stereo installations, due to the complexity of the infotainment interface. Oh, well. Not that big a deal, IMHO.

Kat

 

Do what I did, get a manual. Nobody knows how to drive them anymore so its a great alarm ....

 

lol 😂

 

I am happy that my 2019 Mini does not have an alarm. They are so annoying.

 

Annoying how?

 

I do wish they came standard with an alarm (so annoying that it doesn't have one). I also wish they "locked when you walked away" like EVERY OTHER CAR ON THE PLANET which has the same style comfort access/'keyless' system (like, even econobox vehicles lock with the logic "Driver shut off vehicle. Driver got out of the vehicle. Key is no longer detected in the vicinity of the vehicle for 30 seconds. Auto-locking engaged."). Our Mazda and our Chevy both do it (and both automatically enable the alarm when you walk away), the Mini is the only car where you have to press the button on the door in order to lock the doors...a year after purchase and I still forget to do it, sometimes. Glad I live in a low-crime area, anyway...

 

The only thing they do is make an annoying noise. They don't stop a carjacking. They don't stop an illegal tow. They don't even stop a break in? So why bother with them?

 

Keep in mind that the factory alarm is composed of relatively few different components, chiefly: siren, blinks the clown nose on the bottom of the mirror, has a breakage sensor for the interior, and has a tilt/tow sensor. All of the cars come with an engine immobilizer, so without the key the car can't be started. So reality is, the alarm is good for letting you know that someone is breaking into your car, but it doesn't stop someone from doing so. That being said, I specified the factory alarm for my MINI. I'm fairly certain you can retrofit the factory alarm, just takes getting the proper modules and sensors and then coding the VO to include the alarm option code. It's a pretty popular BMW retrofit.

 

I understand what you are saying. They (the bad guys) are going to whatever they want in the long run, alarm or no alarm.

It's just that every vehicle we've owned since my '99 F-250 had some kind of door open without the key type of alarm. We have a new BMW that has an actual motion detector inside of it. That car is kept in the garage, the windows were down and the key FOB was inside, and after reaching in to get my sunglasses the alarm went off. To me, that's impressive, and somewhat expected in this day and age, given all the technology that's available.

Our Mini is going to be parked outside on the driveway, and where we live, there's been thieves in groups breaking into cars. If one decides to smash our window and open it up, I'd really like to know, and if an alarm starts sounding at 4am they'd most likely stop and leave our area.

I've also come accustomed to hearing some sort of audible lock alert, we had an '08 Infiniti, '09 MB, and now a BMW that have all done so. With our new Mini I am constantly guessing and second guessing, especially if you don't see the lights flash. I usually don't have this problem, but sometimes it's also good in a parking lot or garage to have the ability to 'chirp' your vehicle if you have a memory lapse.

Again, I respect your point, but I guess for me, I've just become too accustomed to having them, even if it is just a false sense of security.

 

My MINI doesn't Auto-unlock either. So, there is a sense of balance in the universe.

I would never, ever, want my vehicles to auto-lock, simply because I wander away. Auto-lock would be based solely on an assumption that I would want my MINI to be locked, and as with any decision based on an assumption instead of facts, it is mostly wrong.

 

For the alarm they never really made a factory retrofit for the Gen 3 MINIs. These are the parts i found but I have not looked in the F56 model enough to see if they are all pre wired. I think the alarm siren fits in the engine bay up near or under the cowl, if you can find the plug wire for the sensor then It possible its pre wired?

https://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/sho...99#65759306407

Talked about the key fob thing here also.

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ty-system.html