All,
I was checking out the web and came across a page with a Mini Cooper double din mod for the R56 dash to replace the Mini Boost CD.
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Metra+-+...=1218270206078

Also just a few minutes ago I found this:
http://www.qualitymobilevideo.com/99-9306.aspx

The companies are both Metra and the double model number is 99-9309 and the single is 99-9306B. I wanted to share this with everyone, because I think it is a step to upgrading the R56 stereo to something a bit flashier.

I am currently looking for a replacement harness for the CAN interface for the R56, because the Stereo is tied to various parts of the car, and if I am reading this right, it part of the Engine computer. Now without ripping it apart and seeing it for myself, I cannot confirm that removing the Boost without a harness won't severly **** your Mini's computer off. I know the whole interface for the thing is CAN, but I have yet to find any harness or other supply for upgrading anything. I assume it would be a BMW part number, but just haven't found it yet.

Personally I plan to upgrade all my speakers to Rockford Fosgate, drop in a 1 Din head, and use the other din for a fold out VGA touchscreen and carputer. I have an OBD-II, so I wanted a carputer without modding the dash or anything that can't be put back on. I plan on also adding GPS, a few HD cameras (for secrity purposes), and a DC Relay board for turning lights and amps and such on and off. It will be a long road, but here is the break down.

Rockford Fosgate - Punch Series P132 3.5 inch Speakers
Rockford Fosgate - Punch Series P152 5.25 inch Speakers
Rockford Fosgate - Punch Series P1692 6x9 inch Speakers
Rockford Fosgate - Punch Series Amp P300-2 for P1692
Rockford Fosgate - Punch Series Subwoofer P2D48 8' Subwoofer
Rockford Fosgate - Punch Series Amp P400-1 for P2D48 Sub
Kenwood or Alpine amp to drive P132 and P152 and to run frontend audio (Rockford doesn't make head units )
Xenarc 700IDT 1 DIN 7 inch Fold out Touchscreen VGA + USB
Innocate Motorsports 3831 OT-2 WiFi/USB interface for PC and iPod/iPhone

That is what I have so far. I know I might get made fun of for going with Rockford, but they know their stuff. I had a 08 Lancer GTS with a Rockford system in it, and I have never heard better from Bose, JBL, or Harmon in a car stock. Anyway that is the plan. If anyone knows anything about what harness I need and interface adapters and such please post it. It is my goal to have a one stop thread for the R56 stereo upgrade at some point. Thanks,

EDIT: I also wanted to thank everyone for their input on the R56 speaker upgrade. That set of threads was a godsend!

 

I am very interested in this topic as well. I am just about to pull the trigger on a replacement single or double din head unit using the Metra kit and would love a thread to help out. Really interested to see how creative people get in trying to keep the stock display in the speedo even when removing the stereo and what other issues arise.

I will probably be buying everything in the next month or so and will add to this thread as I do.

BTW, I already have replaced my fronts with Focal 165 VR3s and an Alpine PDX 2.150. I have a BASS 600 which I will replace at some point.

 

I was thinking about the replacement process, and wanted to point something out. I do not believe that you can use the steering wheel controls if you remove the stereo. I believe that the Cruise Control is seperate, but many companies save money by routing wiring though the stereo to save on cable management and CAN interface nodes. Just wanted to post this just in case.

Also I think I am going to switch the 6x9s up to Power Series and change the Amp to 400 watts behind them. I also located a Rockford Fosgate Head RF9400, which has everything but a CD player, which I don't want. (USB, SD, iPod, remote control options). If I need to, I can try to convert the Rockford fosgate wired remove option to something that Steering wheel can use. This will take me 1-3 months though. I already bought the double DIN version and the 5.25 and 3.5 speakers. I will let you know how the panel matches up. I do not plan on installing it yet until I have a clear harness solution. I will let you know how it fits into the spot and try to get some pictures of the stereo and such.

 

Metra does make a steering wheel interface module, although I haven't heard of anyone who has used it. It shows up when searching for parts for the R56, http://www.metraonline.com/part/ASWC

Perhaps someone could let us know if it would work.

 

The parts you are telling us about have been discussed here since February and others have already used them in their installations.

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...n-install.html

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...dash-kits.html

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...-headunit.html

And Shotkits has been making one that at least one member here has used.

There are two other items that Metra makes that work in conjunction with the Dash Kit to make it work properly.

You can check them out on the Metra site or a host of other sites as well they are the Metra BMRC01 and the Metra BMRD01

BMRC01 is a Chime unit to keep the chimes from the car working with the new radio

BMRD01 is a Display Center Module that is supposed to retain the information such as distance to empty, ambient temp, clock etc.
But from everything I have been able to find out from Metra the BMRD01 is still not available.

 

Definately appreicate the information. It is looking more and more like changing the dash out is a bad idea. I might just make a gauge pod for a PC LCD and call it a day. It is winter, so I think I might just wait till summer to play around with the dash part. Hopefully by that time the BMRD01 will be done and on the shelves. So I here is the updated mod plan:

Change out Mini Speakers for Rockford Speakers. Add amp for 6x9s. Build Subwoofer box, and add amp for that. Add electrical wiring for Extra battery and future expansion.

I don't want to sacrifice my OBD for a LCD Screen. If someone wants to donate a CD and OBD to or sell me one, I might be able to come up with a walkthough on how to remove unnessasary parts of the unit to make room for aftermarket parts. My idea is to simply remove all the CD parts and plastic housings and make a enclosure for everything and walk around removing the whole assembly. This might take awhile, but I would be willing to buy one cheap off someone.

EDIT: Just found this on ebay for using the steering while controls with an aftermarket stereo.
http://cgi.ebay.com/CONNECTS2-BMW-MI...item25586742e2

 

Starting to look more and more like Double Din is just impossible. The kit in one of those forms is not fully developed for North American Mini's. I think it might just be worth it to custom fab, or wait for Metra.

 

You might find this thread interesting.
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...-upgrades.html

Taking parts out of the CD/head unit section (all one peice) will be about impossible as everything is so integrated into the one circuit board.

As for the Screen Display in the Speedo the Japanese have a ribbon cable and connector set that allows for the display to remain in place and the CD/Head Unit part to be moved to the Secret Compartment. But of course no one here has wanted to pony up the $700 plus to get the kit plus another couple hundred for shipping. Last time i checked it was going to cost over $1000 to get one here to the USA.

I would check with Mike at www.newministuf.com to find out if that harness actually works. If anyone has tried it he has and would know the answer.

 

I saw a SQ thread were someone made a ribbon cable for an aftermarket head unit. Was thinking of trying to make my own for the stock headunit so I could go the route of the Japanese option without the cost. Since I am thinking I will just get a single DIN unit, I am wondering if I can just take apart the stock head unit and cram it above or below the new one.

schatzy62, thanks so much for the info. I find that I have very bad luck with the search feature some times

 

The hard part will be to find the connectors needed to put on the end of the ribbon cable. But if you find them please let us all know where to get them.

That might be possible if you were to cut the volume control **** shaft off close to the face of the head unit. Below would allow for a single DIN plastics to be used. Above would then require the double DIN plastics most likely.

Most of the time I use Google Advanced Search and search just the 2nd Gen forums. Results are a lot more clear and accurate.

 

I have had tremendous success using and OEM signal processor. Have you tried one of those offered by JL, AudioControl, Rockford and now, the latest Alpine processor?

I have installed four of these now,, the JL, AudioControls version and two Rockford 360.2 although the latter is a bit more costly.

http://www.rockfordfosgate.com/produ...item_id=106187

http://mobile.jlaudio.com/products_c...hp?prod_id=369

http://www.crutchfield.com/S-VZVqZWB...-PXE-H650.html

http://www.audiocontrol.com/t34/1761...tegration.html



These processors "scrub" and adjust the factory head unit signal to flat and return signal to a low level out for outboard amp(s).

No cutting, replacing, integrating any of the OEM stuff which cif done incorrectly can cause several faults in the OBD due to the bus system in the car.

I replaced all speakers in my 2010 R56 and have kept all controls stock and working as intended. Only issues is if you have back up alarm, you would lose the low, >150Hz, without summing full range signal from fronts to all corners.

This unit has full 3rd octave processing as well as time delay to each corner, a sub out and variable aux input which can be placed anywhere in vehicle.

I used a JL 900/5 amp for my entire new system and placed 360.2 in right rear panel. Is small and easy fit. All adjustments are made thru your palm device or Smartphone via bluetooth. No opening/tearing out pieces to tune system.

Overall, I am very pleased with my new system/speakers/amp/sub & processor. I would recommend this audio upgrade to anyone who is NOT looking for a DVD interface in your mini.........

 

is there a way to use the processor and keep the back up sensors working properly?

Thanks

Mark

 

Mark,

You can use any of the processors mentioned earlier. You will need to feed from the rear speakers off the head into the processor. You can grab signal in the left front kick for all speakers from the X3991 (I think) connector. There are threads on this useful location for grabbing signal.

Keep in mind, the rears are cut around 125 HZ for some reason only known to BMW engineers. What does this mean?? You wont have bass response under 125 HZ coming from out of the rear. You will however still hear your back up alarm thru the rear speakers as designed.

Another option, there is lots of room in the rear speaker for a 6 x 9. I installed a 5" component set. I do not see why you could not tie up one of the factory speakers from the doors in this location using the rear output of the head unit.

Keeping the front (full range) outputs for feeding all amplified additional channels from the head. You can balance using gains on a 4 or five channel amp.

Dont like this method but it could be worth a try.......Good Luck

 

Hi all!

I have a question for those of you who successfully have added a new stereo to the R56. I have successfully swapped out my deck and kept the original deck behind the speedo, etc, etc. BUT haha. I am having a hell of a time trying to figure out the wiring of the constant 12v wire and the ignition switched wire.

I have the ignition switch wire going into the fuse box which seems to be working currently. It does power the deck on and off when i switch my ignition.

The downside is when my car is off, after 20 mins, the deck loses its constant power, resets to factory, and I have to reset the language, time, and shut off the demo EVERY time i get in my car which is becoming more than annoying.

What colored wire in the original harness did you tap into to provide constant 12v power for your aftermarket deck in a R56 2007 Mini???

blehhhh! stuck.

 

Pull the bulkhead mount by the battery and run yourself a fresh fused wire for it. Tapping the harness just leads to more problems. If you want constant, it is much easier to go to the battery and it is cleaner for the entire car too. Fresh ground and a fresh 12. For a deck I would recommend 14-10 gauge with a 30a fuse. Walmart has a kit for 24 bucks that will give you everything you need. I can assure you that by running a fresh line, you will save yourself hours of troubleshooting. That being said, wire your IGN to where your getting power from now, so you can run the deck with the car off like the OEM stereo.

Personally I scrapped the Aftermarket deck idea. To much of a pain in the *** for me. I went with a Rockford Fosgate PBR300x4, P142, and P1525 in the front wired up though High on the front channels, and a P200-2 with T1693s in the back. The front amp does NOT need a REM connection it is auto sensing, which is very nice for running it with the car off. The back is wired to the 12v plug, and the power comes from a 4 gauge drop. The whole thing punches extremely hard for having no sub. If you want subs in a cooper, then rethink it. Competition speakers and Tactile trasducers does the trick!

The most important thing to point out is that everything is 100% rewired and reversable. I used a Parrot harness from the aftermarket phone attachment that was shot. It let me tap into the stereo without cutting a single wire!

 

I looked at the hot or not thread in the electrical forum. Terminal 30 is constant power, so I used F3 for the battery line to my headunit. It is for the headlight washers which I don't have, just picked up an add a fuse at Advanced Auto, and hooked it up to there. I'm still trying to pick where and if I will pull the illumination wire from, so far I haven't cut or tapped any factory wires other than 2 add a fuses for my hot and switched power. I'm running line level outputs from the deck to the aux port on the factory deck. works great so far.

 

For illumination it's best to tap into the headlight switch harness.

 

Has anyone installed the Polk MM 6501 speakers in the front doors of a 2010 base Mini stereo as a replacement for the factory junk speakers ? If so, how does it sound ? Is there enough power to drive these speakers or is there too much of a load on the amp ? I don't want to replace the HU, but would prefer to just replace the speakers w/o risk of smoking the head unit. If anyone has used these speakers or can suggest some good sounding speakers that are efficient I would apppreciate your suggestions. Thanks in advance.

 

I'm pretty sure that's what TomFarin used in his cabrio (search for his thread). No aftermarket speakers are going to have the same volume as the OEM drivers. It's one of the tradeoffs for a speaker that sounds better and will handle more power. That's not to say they won't get louder than you but ultimately, the Polks will not play as loud as the OEMs.

 

With the help of everyone in the forums I was able to successfully put a double din deck in while retaining the original deck functions.

Thanks!

 

Grradams, that is magnificent. Where did you get the facia for the screen, and what kind of deck is that? I'm disappointed I can't get NAV in the GP I ordered and I would love to put in something like this, especially if it retains features from the original setup.

 

I bit the bullett and blanked the display off. There is a thread on here about it it takes a ribbon cable to relocate the cd part behind dash. Or you can do what alot of others have done and used the hidden compartment for your HU. I did that at first but its a major PIA to use the headunit over there.

 

Has installed one of these or heard any feedback?

http://www.aliexpress.com/item/High-...889764515.html

I am interested buy concerned about the maker and quality of the unit.

Thanks for your feedback!

 

That looks really cool! I don't know anything about it, though. Let us know if you go through with it.

 

This sounds like a pretty sweet setup. I have been wanting to upgrade my crappy stock stereo in my 07 but I'm not a fan of the aftermarket option and blanking out the display in the speedo. So you have the processor, amp and all new peakers? Are you able to take calls and play music via bluetooth or do you use just and AUX cable to connect?