A few weeks back, I took the plunge and replaced my OEM radio with an Android Auto unit. In addition, I installed a back up camera since my Countryman did not have one. Here is my installation video:

 

Really nice video and you make it look pretty easy which I am sure it was not. For the backup camera I might suggest one that replaces one of the license plate lights such as the Navinio DH. There is one on Amazon for about $46 that might give you a better viewing angle. I used a similar model on my '06 Cayenne and it it works great still 2 years later. We have a 2014 Countryman that is prime for this upgrade. Where is the parts list for it? Thanks!

 

Thanks for the suggestion!I will check this camera out and see how well it performs!

 

Found a couple pics I took of the reversing camera.

 

I swapped out my license plate lights with LEDs. How well will it match a LED bulb and would the light spread be the same?

 

I did the same thing, just in reverse order. I ordered the LED plate lights because the original incandescent looked outdated next to the LED light of the backup camera. It is a near perfect match. I can upload a pic later on today to show them side by side.
Here are the pics as promised.

 

Do you have a part number or link for the camera, maybe I'm missing it on my phone.

 

@MReiland Please note that I have not personally ordered this model myself yet. I have only ordered and installed the one for the 2006 Cayenne. I am sharing pics from that one. With that said, I found the Mini Countryman version from the same company Navinio, on Amazon. If you search this term, you should find it: "Navinio B07N8PTRVF."

 

Thanks for posting the photo up cgrupp81. To be frank, I am very OCD and the brightness difference, would bother me. I know this might be overkill, but perhaps I could order two of them and only use the light in one of them so it truly balances out.

BTW, I see you're from the PNW. I lived up in Seattle for close to 25 years and sorely miss it.

 

Thanks for the great video with detailed instructions and tips! Wish me luck as I plan on tackling this in my gf's 2012 R60 but with a different manufacturer's android head unit. May I ask what cordless light you used in the video? I have two small rechargeable ones but they're not as bright as the one you used. It shows up at the 10:27 mark and looks foldable.

 

Thanks for checking out the video! The light you're asking about is made by Ryobi. It's one of the best lights I've purchased!

https://www.homedepot.com/p/RYOBI-18...P727/207017500

 

Thanks for the Ryobi link. I'm already heavily invested in the Ridgid cordless family so I'll check out their hybrid light to see if it'll work for me. The only other non-Ridgid tool I have is a cordless Milwaukee ratchet just like the one you have hanging on your wall!

 

I tackled this project Saturday and boy - what a project!! After connecting all the wires I decided to test the unit before installing it and reinstalling all the panels. Thank goodness I did this! I was not getting any sound regardless of the source (radio, CD player, Youtube, etc.). I sent the radio seller an email asking this and they believe the factory amp needs to be connected to the radio's amp trigger wire (blue wire). I know my gf's R60 has the Harmon Kardon amp and speakers but did you have to splice a amp on/off wire to the existing amp wire with your radio? There was also a pink wire (with sliding locking mechanism) connected to the OEM radio that I did not connect to the new radio. I assumed the black wire with similar locking cap was the antenna wire which I believe is correct as I was able to pick up and tune in FM stations with the new radio. Please let me know if you had to do any additional wiring for your Mini's amp?

 

Hey tat2boy, my countryman is the base model, so I did not have to trigger any amps to turn on/off. The pink wire, I left alone. The black wire is ground so I connected it to a solid grounding source. Double check that all your connections are fully seated. Did you purchase the unit from CarNaviPlayer?

 

Thanks for your reply zcspec! My gf's Countryman has the Harmen Kardon amp and speaker system so I'm guessing I need the amp remote wire to be connected. I triple checked all my connections and they're all good. I purchased the Android radio from Seicane as I previously bought one from them for my car and it installed much easier than the Mini. There's two blue wires that's labeled AMP-CON on the radio side and harness side (see pic below). The harness wire connects to pin13 which I believe is the amp's remote connection. My guess is this comes disconnected to accommodate Minis without an amp. So if I were to connect the two blue wires then the radio would be able to turn on the amp when it powers up (fingers crossed). I emailed Seicane and am waiting for their confirmation. If that solves the no audio issue then I'll be ready to install everything back the way it was and acquire several new busted knuckles and scratches!

 

Sorry for misunderstanding you as it's your GF's Mini with the HK system. Your take seems correct. What I would do is, test the lead to see if it powers on with the headunit. If so, definitely connect those two wires together and see if the app turns on. I would also scour the internet to see if you can find the diagram for the 13pin harness. Perhaps you'll decipher on the vehicle side, what that wire connects to.

 

I actually found another, older Android radio thread in the Navigation & Audio section here: https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...options-2.html. One of the posters posted an online spreadsheet in which he mapped out the pins on the harness, radio and amp: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets...32o/edit#gid=0. Based on his mapping pin A13 is the radio on wire which is connected to the AMP-CON blue wire coming from Seicane's harness adapter. If I don't hear back from Seicane tomorrow then I'll have to pull out the old multimeter and measure the radio AMP-CON wire to see if it sends power once the unit turns on.

 

That's a pretty comprehensive list. I think you'll be good to go!

 

Looks like the AMP-CON wire was the issue. I connected them and the HK amp turned on and the radio's audio works now! Next up is the backup camera. I went with a similar license plate light backup camera cgrupp81 suggested above. I tested it last night as well and know that it works so I'll be installing it later today. I'm sure I'll be adding to my busted, bloody knuckles collection tonight.

 

I would have gone with the same camera setup, but I am too OCD. The LED lights I use is brighter than the LED that is in the camera. Perhaps I could try different a LED bulb brightness.

 

I'm ok with the lights not matching in color/intensity especially since I'm not going to see it all the time. But I paused on my rear camera installation as I'm trying to avoid removal of the tail light and drilling a hole to pass the camera wire through. Have you seen any other opening or panel I can remove that may already have a small opening to the rear bumper? Based on your video and a few others on Youtube all show removal of the light and drilling. I was just hoping for a less invasive pathway for the wiring.

 

I don't recall seeing any other openings which would allow wiring to go through. You can try passing the wire from the side port, down into the "trunk" area. I didn't go that route as there are many other panels to remove.

 

Guess I'll have to pull out the drill and go through the tail light area then.

 

Is there a way to upgrade the OS?

 

I believe you can upgrade the User Interface and apps but unsure about the OS itself. You may want to check out this other Android radio related thread I've also been following. It sounds like some of those folks have upgraded their radios but I have not attempted to do so.
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...t-options.html