I have the HK stereo upgrade in my 2005 MCSc, and while the reception was NEVER that great, as of late, I also began experiencing a static sound that seemed to occur whenever I stepped on the throttle/increased RPMs.

Some posts alluded to the possibility that it could be due to a faulty ground wire, so I knew that I was stuck having to remove the radio. I wanted to check the connections at the back and make sure that there were no loose wires, etc. I had read several how-to's on this, and when I began to read about removing the cups and center console, I did not look forward to the task.

GBMini had posted a how-to on this, and it was a MUCH easier method, so I opted for that one. Keep in mind that this is for the Generation 1 Minis - I cannot speak for the Gen 2's...


IT WAS WAY EASIER THAN I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE


WHAT YOU WILL NEED:

1) A socket screwdriver, with size #20 and 30 Torx bits.

2) Your two hands.


STEP ONE:

Disconnect the negative terminal of the battery, just in case. The battery is located in the boot (trunk) of the car.


STEP TWO:

You are going to remove the two downtubes, so that you can access the four screws that hold the head unit into place. In order to remove the downtubes, first open the glove box. Then, pull down on the knee bolster on the driver's side. To do this, you simply grab the plastic with both hands, in the opening right below the steering column. Give a firm yank downwards, and the bolster will swing down. It is scary at first, because you have to pull kind of hard, but it's OK to do!! YOU WILL NEED TO BE CAREFUL IF YOU HAVE DRIVING LAMPS INSTALLED - when the bolster swings down, it may pull the wires leading to the switch for the driving lamps - so be careful!

This is a photo of the driver's side, with the knee bolster pulled down and out of the way:




Here is a photo of the passenger side downtube, with the glove box door open:






STEP THREE:

Now, you will need to loosen the BOTTOM part of the fascia trim in the center of the dash - the part that goes around the speedometer (or in my case, chronometer). This is very similar to the knee bolster, in that you have to give the trim a firm tug outwards. It will pop away at the bottom, and come out about an inch or so from the dash. There is gummy stuff at the edges of the fascia, which is visible in the photo below. Don't touch this - it will disappear when you push the fascia back into place.




Once the fascia trim is away from the dash, you can easily pull the top part of the downtube out towards you, and then lift it up. You will see that the bottom part of the downtube rests on a foamy-plastic sort of block.


STEP FOUR:

Now that you have removed the downtubes, the rest is easy! Simply remove the four # 20 Torx screws that hold the radio head unit into place,
and pull out the radio.






You will see all the wiring at the back, and also the black ground plug.
Most of the colored wires simply plug into the back of the radio.






Since my aim was to try and remove any source of static, I checked all the connections and made sure that they were all pushed in, and pushed the black ground wire firmly into the plastic connector plug. I then disconnected-reconnected the ground wire plug.

I hooked up the negative battery terminal, and tested the radio - no static. I replaced in the dash, screwed it back into place, and tested it again - still no static.

After everything was replaced, I took the car out for a spin - no more static. Time will tell if I have definitively cured the problem!


STEP FIVE:

Replace the radio, being careful not to compress the wires at the back. Replace the four #20 Torx screws. Replace the downtubes by first placing the bottom end over the plastic block, then push the top edge under the fascia. Replace the downtube screws (why there are # 30 Torx screws on the driver's side, and # 20 Torx screws on the passenger side, I have no idea )

REMEMBER TO REPLACE THE CUP HOLDER ON THE PASSENGER SIDE BEFORE REPLACING THE SCREWS!

Now, just give the fascia a good push and it will snap back into place. Replace the knee bolster (you have to bend/twist it a bit in order to line up the three slots correctly!) - and you are done!!!

 

Thank you for this excellent guide.

My problem is the heater (temp) control **** is stiff to turn and I was wondering if removing the stereo gives any access to the cables that connect to the rear of the heater control panel to allow lubricating them.

(I have an '03 Cooper with manual A/C and can almost see what I need to get at in your last picture)

Cheers

mark.

 

This is great. I just have one question: I don't see the antenna jack or recepticle in the picture of the radio back. Is the antenna connection the normal stand-alone plug in type?

 

hi Gerldoc
would you tell me that the cup holder on the passenger side down tube is originally comes with the car or you added it on? if you but it from somewhere, please give me the link for it. i've been looking for something like this for weeks but haven't found one i like
thanks

edit: i found where to buy it here in the forum. thanks anyway

 

I looked at doing this "EZ" way, however I found it was actually more work than needed altogether. The cup holder tube, and drivers side tube actually slide down after the torque screws are taken off.

This video will actually teach you how easy it is to replace your head unit. Add an Auxillary input, or even do an ipod kit (keep in mind new ipods come out every other year, so regular ipod wont work on ipad etc etc etc)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0cCoQgWc-vA Enjoy.

 

The part they left out is you are screwed on re-installing the head unit because of the security code that locks your head unit, AL.