A couple weeks ago Starbucks spilled into my radio and messed it up The radio turns on all by itself, whether we are driving or it is sitting in the garage.
MAG quoted me a price of $800.00 to put a new radio in
Does anyone know of a reputable company to put a radio in that doesn't cost 800. I asked MAG if there was a fuse I could pull to stop the radio and I really didn't get a straight yes answer.

 

there will be a fuse, or you can pull the connector out of the back of the head unit. Get the check from Starbucks, and buy a head unit from the marketplace or eBay and pocket some change.

what's the year of you car?

Matt

 

My car is a 2006 Cooper S and I don't know anything about fixing cars or tools.

 

what you want is called a "Boost Radio" head unit. Check the marketplace. You're looking at less than $150 for one of them. I just checked and saw three there, some as low as $50. Keep in mind that at 05, I think, the CD would play MP3 CDs, and before that they wouldn't. If you never play MP3 CDs, any years will work (for a first gen MINI, the 2nd Gen MINIS have a very different radio set up.) Also, the fuse for the radio is probably down by the driver footwell, behind the plastic panel. There are graphics on a sticker to show you what fuse goes to what system. Thing is that the fuse for the radio may be shared.

If you read the install instructions for the Auto Up circuit here, it will tell you how to take the downtubes off, then you could undo a couple T20 screws and pull the head unit forward and just unplug it from the back. If you don't want to do it yourself, check with people in your local MINI club, or some audio place will do that for cheap.

Anyway, even if your head unit is shot, it shouldn't be too bad or expensive to get you up and running again.

Matt

 

Jan Matt is right, snag one from the market here. I told Ben how to change out the radio last time I saw him. Easy job for sure.

 

Lucky it's not an R56. You'd have to take the whole dash apart to get to the radio. Interesting design.

 

I think that is why they removed the hugenormas cup holder on the R56 MINI's.

I love my hugenormas cupholder, but use a safety cup.

 

You mean the super-sized-sippy?

 

Yep seems that I need my coffee 16 ounces at a time.