Ok, I did do a bit of searching but certainly not extensive, so sorry if this is answered somewhere already.

I just bought a 2008 Cooper Clubman S. Being a used car, I don't have all the latest info on how to use things or fully know the options. However, it has bluetooth connection, aux-in, and USB inputs, steering wheel controls, and no NAV.

Questions:
1) For voice dialing, does it only work when I train it with voice tags and numbers? i.e. I can't use voice dialing for my sync'd address book?

2) Are there any firmware upgrades, or any mechanism for even getting firmware upgrades for the phone integration module?

3) What are my options for iPhone (4 with latest O/S) ipod/music integration (factory, not after-market products which I will research later if needed)? What is this Y-cable I see people talking about? I do have some y type cables (apple and OEM) for my iPhone4 with USB and video/audio phono plugs. Is that what I need, or is there some special cable from BMW/Mini?. Clearly I can just use the iPhone headphone output into aux-in, but is there some better solution that will give me control over my iPhone's music and track display, etc.

4) Is the USB input useful with my iPhone? I know how to use it with a USB stick as I experimented with that a bit, but just not sure if it has any use with my iPhone.

4) What about iPhone charging? What are these cradles/adapters mentioned? Is there something extra that I should be buying?

Thanks.

Again, sorry as these are newbie questions probably answered somewhere on the forum.

..Roger

 

Hey Roger!

Without the factory installed nav, you're limited to recording voice tags. There's a good run-down of voice commands available here from Schatzy62

All the firmware updates are VIN-specific; some people have reported that Bluetooth works better after a service that's included some computer work, but there's not anything specific to update phone integration.

There's the AUX in, USB port, Y-Cable (basically an iPhone specific combination of the USB port and AUX in), plus the armrest on cars that have the options installed.

You'll need the Y-cable to use the USB port with an iPhone- the MINIs USB port only uses the older serial protocol of the iPhones/iPods and the Y-Cable has a proprietary USB to serial converter built in to it.

You can use the USB/Mass Storage device side of an iPod to store music like a thumbdrive, but then it's inaccessible to the iPod side of things.

The Y-cable and armrest cradle can charge, with some caveats. The newer iPhones and iPods require more current than the first versions of the cable will allow. There's been a couple updated versions over a while. The armrest snap-ins or a dedicated charger are a more reliable bet for charging.

Hope that helps!

 

The Y-Cable that nicknbecka is speaking about it the OEM y-cable and that is the only one that will give full integration. As he has also stated it has proprietary electronics in it to make the iPhone/iPod work with the MINI electronics.

As for the arm rest cradle, the only thing it will do for you in a 2008 car is charging.

 

Oh you mean a y-cable that I buy from BMW or elsewhere but specifically for the Mini, as opposed to my Apple y-cable?

What will the y-cable do for me, compared to just using aux-in? Will I get some sort of control over the iPhone music from steering wheel controls, or any sort of song tag display on the radio?

How could I use an arm rest cradle (btw, I don't have an arm rest in my Clubman) for charging if my iPhone's connector is already tied into the USB and aux-in by a y-cable? Is this an either/or thing?

..Roger

 

If your car was ordered without the armrest, it doesn't have the wiring harnesses needed to charge using a snap-in, unfortunately. The phone would slide into the inside of the armrest.

Getting back to the cable, you'll need the BMW/MINI supplied cable in order for it to work with an iPhone. A normal USB cord will only work with devices that look like a USB drive, like thumbdrives or non-Apple cell phones.

With Apple stuff, the audio still goes through the AUX port, but the USB connection gives you the ability to control music playback through the steering wheel, and will display song and playlist info on the radio display.

 

Ok got it. Thanks. Ok I'll start by ordering a cheap BMW/Mini cable off of eBay and see what that does. I gather there are 2 different part numbers for the Mini cable and even with the latest cable, charging might not work unless I also buy the additional charging adapter.