Has anyone attempted the Sirius (MINI OEM) kit self-installation on an '05? If so, how difficult was it and how long did it take? My guess is that the antenna swapout may be the difficult part. Kit price seems to be fairly reasonable but the labor price for dealer installation seems high.

 

i just did it. took 20 minutes. i used the dealer installed AUX jack for audio input. and just so you know there is no antenna swap out. its just a small antenna that has a magnet on the bottom that must have a clear view to the sky. it was SIRIUSly easy as pie to do.

 

Hi - On father's day my kids gave me Sirius for my MCS cabrio -- if you're not driving a cabrio, much of the frustration will be gone and you probably won't need all these instructions.

First challenge is where to put the antenna -- good luck in finding a 12x12 hunk of metal 6 inches from a window as it doesn't exist unless you're going to mount it in the middle of the hood. As a matter of fact, there is very little area anywhere on the interior of the car that has enough metal for the magnet to stick to. What I did was put velcro (purchase at WalMart or any hobby shop...) on both the antenna and on the "U" between the roll bars in back. Even with the top down at 120 mph, there is no movement of the antenna (and everyone knows that the top must be up, along with the windows, at speeds exceeding 120, so the wind is no factor at any speed... ) If my description is not clear enough, let me know and I'll take a photo.

Secondly, where to put the Sirius unit itself: it fits perfectly in the lower cup holders between the front seats. Mount it on the stand and force the base of the stand into the holder -- mine's been in place for 1 1/2 months with absolutely no movement and I have nothing holding it in place -- it is removeable. I put it in the passenger-side cupholder and it does not interfere with shifting, though it can be slightly difficult to read in odd-numbered gears due to the heighth of the shifter.

If you do it this way, run the antenna cable behind the back seat into the trunk, in front of the cabrio top; go underneath the back seats, along side the shift console and around the bars surrounding the toggle switches backwards into the unit -- wires will stay out of the way and you can make them virtually (but not totally...) invisible.

Mounted in this manner I have very little interference with the signal -- only when the top is going up/down (for a few seconds...) or going under overpasses/big trees. Top up or down it works great -- very, very satisifed and happy with it versus the easily plugged-in XM units that I'll never again use.

Happy tunes without commercials! My MINI rocks!!!!!

 

No way that was the OEM kit. The OEM kit plugs into the HU directly and can't be routed through the Aux jack. It DOES require an antenna swap out to work...

I'm guessing you put in one of the PnP units which is a completely different animal..

 

My dealer installed mine when it finally came to market for the 05 model late last year. (BTW I love it! I like Alt Nation #21 and First Wave #22, and listen via web a lot too)

I don't know what kit you other guys who posted used, but there is a different antenna base for mine, and it does not connect via the aux port.
A big part of the reason I got Sirius is the seamless integration- it works via the SAT button on the head unit. The decoder box mounts in the passenger side hidden boot compartment (there is one on either side, in the boot area)

I think I paid $600 total for the parts & labor, and received 2 months free service. Activation takes only a phone call and the SSID number displayed in the readout of the oem head unit.

 

You are corect BartMack - I am only interested in the installation of the factory Sirius normally installed at the dealer. I like the functionality of the portable units but don't want anything extra in the console or overhead areas. I can live with the limited display available through the H/K HU.

 

Did they finally come out with an OEM kit for the cabrio's? Last I heard nothing was available...

 

Hi BidiMINI! I just put in the factory unit in my '05 MC-Astro Black-White top. I got the parts from our good friends at Classic MINI in Mentor, Ohio, where I bought my car-they're a NAM sponsor and give you 20% off on parts, which helps defray shipping costs. Originally I bought the "Sirius" receiver box, installatiopn kit, and the new antenna base. MAKE SURE YOU GET THE INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS! They're not in the boxes and must be printed up by the parts guru off a mystic BMW CD. Installationwise, (and remember, this is for a coupe, not a cabrio-don't know if there is an installation difference): On an '05, all you must do is drop the headliner, remove the old antenna, and install the new one. For the "Sirius" box, mine went behind a removable panel on the right side of the boot (trunque to some people). To do this install, you remove the nut holding the ground wires from the stud that is closer to the front of the car and rotate the clip 90 degrees. You can then put the "Sirius" receiver which is mounted to a mounting bracket (by you) on the two studs that stick out from the sheet metal, and install the nut you removed from the ground stud previously, along with a new flanged nut that goes on the stud that's toward the back of the car. Good news is that the nut that goes on the rearmost stud goes on easily with a 10 mm socket. The bad news is that the nut that goes on the furthestforward stud is about 1 inch forward of the access hole and is a real bear to get started and tightened. I finally used an extending magnet (like the one that clips into your pocket-sold by the register at parts and hardware stores). This allowed me to put the nut on the stud and start it by turning it with my finger. This made it easy. Once I started it, I used a 1/4" drive socket, universal and extension to tighten. I also had to plug the existing wires into the receiver, and connect the antenna wires as per directions. As far as the antenna replacement, I removed the weather stripping from the back, and this allowed me access to the headliner rear edge. There is a small "plastic interior stud"-the kind that pops in place-that I used a dandelion weed removing tool on. This tool is like a screwdriver with a vee at the front. A 22 mm (7/8" to Yankees) open end wrench to break the antenna attaching nut loose-remove by hand. Unplug wires, remove antenna, put new antenna in hole in roof, attach by tightening the new 22 mm hex nut supplied. Everything works through the buttons on the steering wheel-which was the point of using the factory set-up. Then you call "Sirius" to register and activate your unit. Side note: I used the existing antenna mast, but the radio would not function in "AM" mode. I didn't find this out till the next day, 'cause I don't listen to AM that much-but I still want to. I thought maybe because I didn't get the recommended new mast, that was the reason the AM didn't work so I bought the new improved antenna mast and there was no change. I'll limp along with 12 presets for FM statioons and 18 presets for "Sirius" stations until the weekend when I'll take stuff apart and check for loose connections or something. Maybe someone reading this knows what I should look for. Total job took about an hour and a half, including coffee breaks. Instructions talk about removing side panels, rear seats, headliner, etc. but this might be true only for earlier models which might not have the removableaccess panel. Anyway, hour and a half installation by someone who doesn't do this for a living. Sounds good to me! Any direct questions I can be reached at MIKEPREDINA@aol.com or by cell ohone # 216-469-0915. Thanks also to Vinny-BaldBikerGuy for his help on this.

"He who dies with the most toys is just as dead as any other dead guy" Mike Predina
'05 MC, AstroBlack/White, CVT, Premium, Black-n-Tan Leather, Sirius

 

Mike,

Good notes on the install. I'll be doing the same on my '05 after it arrives from Classic in a week or two. I've got NAV coming, so I'll have to use an aftermarket Sirius antenna and find a place to mount it.

One question..where do the electrical connections plug in?

 

Anyone know if the factory Sirius can be used in NAV-equipped cars?

 

Yes... but...

1) Your dealer will tell you otherwise and will not install it. This would strictly be a DIY install.

2) You need to either come up with a different antenna to use with the OEM tuner, or come up with a different GPS antenna to use with the NAV.

The official line from MINI is that it's impossible and can't be done. This is because the Sirius install requires replacing the antenna base with one that contains the Sirius antenna. On '05 and later MINIs that antenna base houses your GPS antenna. There is no base available from MINI that includes a GPS and a Siruis antenna, and if one was it would probably be big and fugly. This means that you would need to either come up with a seperate Sirius antenna or a seperate GPS antenna. Beyond the antenna issue there is no reason why you can't have Sirius and GPS in the same car.

On '04 and earlier cars the GPS antenna is located in the shark fin, but the problem is the same as in mentioned above.

There is somebody here on NAM who has installed the factory Sirius in a MINI with NAV, he relocted the GPS antenna to a new location, if you poke through the Navigation and Audio forum you'll probably be able to find his thread.

Finally, if anybody tells you that you can't have Sirius in a car with Nav because of interference issues, they're full of crap... Since both systems are passive recievers, meaning they don't transmit anything, they won't interfere with each other...

 

Thanks.

I'm not worried about what my dealer thinks. I'd probably buy from Classic anyway. I'm pretty experienced with making this stuff work, just like to do my research before I dive in (nothing worse that realizing it's late Sunday night and your Mini's still in pieces).

I think I remember seeing that thread but, at the time was unsure if it was the OEM Mini kit. That said, am I correct to assume that the connection to the OEM antenna is the same as one would find on an aftermarket Sirius antenna (I believe I've seen installs both under the top dash cover in the front window and stuck right behind the existing shark fin.

Another quesion to see if anyone can confirm. The OEM system has a "pass through cable" option to continue to use the OEM CD changer. I have an IceLink installed in place of the CD changer in my boot (with the boot install version that plugs into the existing changer cable behind the access panel). I would assume, since the IceLink simply tricks the headunit into thinking it's running the changer, that it would work just fine.

Can anyone confirm?

Steve

 

Yes it does, as this is what I'm doing. It's a BMW part and unfortunately I don't have the part number. However it is listed in the Dension installation instructions that came with my ICELink...

 

another thought if you are going to be installing it...

The OEM versions are primarily hard installed and the "non portable" versions. I have been checking out the portable units. They can be moved from car to car - even inside the house. It is especially interesting as sirius now is offering a "lifetime" membership for $500.

 

True, but if you don't want the extra pieces cluttering up the car then a hard install is the way to go...

I had an Audiovox Shuttle PnP unit in the Cooper, and now have the OEM version in the S... and I'm much more happier with the cleaner look of the OEM install. I have enough wires and stuff running around the car, I didn't want or need more stuff cluttering the cockpit...

 

Thanks for all of the replies, and install tips. I like the OEM integration for the lack of console area clutter. You pay a premium to get it but I've never been afraid to attempt installs. Based on your experiences I'll do this one myself, but for the cabrio I'll need another antenna (prolly on the dash or in the back near the roll bar). The pass-thru option in one of the reason's I'm going down this path. My iPod would get lonely. Just found out that one of our local group members has his IceLink working through the Sirius pass thru the way like I wanted. Cheers!

 

quick question, is it possible to "hard wire" the PnP units? Like the Antenna and power, then have a mount in the MINI (like the ipod)?

Then for me it would be the best of both worlds.

 

So I emailed Classic for prices on the Sirius pieces and they quoted me four parts:

MINI SIRIUS RECEIVER RETAIL
MINI SIRIUS INSTALL KIT RETAIL
MINI SIRIUS ANTENNA BASE RETAIL
MINI SIRIUS ANTENNA ROD RETAIL

I have NAV so I'll have to figure out an aftermarket antenna. So assume I won't need the last two parts, but does anyone know what the Install Kit is?

Also, Classic didn't know what the "pass-thru cable" was. I gave them the part number listed in my Ice>Link install manual, so hopefully they can identify it, but I haven't heard back yet.

Steve

 

MINI SIRIUS RECEIVER RETAIL
MINI SIRIUS INSTALL KIT RETAIL
MINI SIRIUS ANTENNA BASE RETAIL
MINI SIRIUS ANTENNA ROD RETAIL

I have NAV so I'll have to figure out an aftermarket antenna. So assume I won't need the last two parts, but does anyone know what the Install Kit is?

Hi guys! For MDReuben, the electrical plugs plug right into the receiver. In this case, the instructions are reelatively correct and easy to understand. Besides, they only go in one way.

For Supergimp-The install kit consists of a bracket that bolts to the Sirius receiver, four small machine screws that attach the bracket to the receiver, and one flanged machine hex nut that is used to attach the bracket to the mounting studs that are part of the body in the trunque-er, boot. This mounting area is accessed by removing the little access panel on the right side of the boot. (Harman-Kardon equipped cars mount the Sirius unit on the left side.)

Anyone trying this on a standard non-Nav, non-Harmon-Kardon equipped MINI shoould have no problems, except I don't know why the AM doesn't work.

"He who dies with the most toys is just as dead as any other dead guy." Mike Predina '05 MC, Astro BLack/White, CVT, Premium, Black-N-Tan leather, Sirus

 

Sure you could. But the thing is you still have the PnP unit itself cluttering up the cockpit. Plus there's no way to get the PnP unit to display any stream info on the display, can't control it with the MSFW, and the only way you can pipe the sound in is via the Aux jack or FM Modulator.

On the other hand you with the OEM system you can do all that plus you'll get better sound than when using the Aux jack.

As for the passthrough cable. It's a BMW part and not a MINI part, but with the part number that's in the Dension book they should be able to find it. MINI of Sterling found it for me....

 

Interesting. I have H/K and my IceLink adapter plugs into the same side (passenger) as my H/K electronics. That's where the CD-changer cable is too. I would imagine thet the Sirius (with passthrough) would have to go into the same place, no? How big is the module? Others have managed to fit aftermarket Sirius units into that space in spite of the H/K box, albeit maybe not in the factory manner. I don't see any cables in the left side compartment that would be appropriate.

Incidentally, Classic says the Installation kit consists of a mounting bracket, owner's manual and hardware for installation. They quote $75 (NAM price $60) for this. Seems a little steep for some hardware store parts, eh? Anyone willing to share the manual/instructions?

They have to order it, I guess, but after I gave them the pass thru part number, they quote the pass-thru cable at $12.50 (NAM 10 bucks!).

Now I just need to figure out the antenna solution that's right.

Thanks for the guidance.

Steve

 

Mine was installed by MINI of Towson, they ran the cable from the right side under the "floor" of the boot and over to the left where the Sirius tuner is mounted. I then plugged the BMW pass through cable into the top of the Sirius tuner and then the IceLink into that...

 

Yea, I see now, after some more research that there is an "H/K Extension Cable" part that probably facilitates this. I was trying to avoid the 75 bucks for the hardware kit, but it looks like the Mini OEM interface is larger than some aftermarket ones and I guess the bracket and hardware is a good idea.

 

Quote:
Anyone trying this on a standard non-Nav, non-Harmon-Kardon equipped MINI shoould have no problems, except I don't know why the AM doesn't work.

Update-I checked the connections and the plug on the maroon wire that comes out of the new antenna was not connected. I connected it to the plug (it had pulled off the plug) and plugged it into the wire going down to the Sirius unit and all is well with the world. I have to say that I really enjoy being able to go thru the Sirius channels by using the steering wheel controls. "Almost heaven!"

 

Just picked up my NAV equipped MCS and purchased the Sirius Receiver and Install Kit from Classic. I don't have the CD changer, but I do have HK.

Can anyone help me with instructions for the install? I am going to find a place for a Terk mini antenna and use that.

Thanks!