I installed the MINI driving light kit myself over the weekend. In the course of this install the radio must be pulled to gain access to some wiring for taps, etc. When I removed the radio, the wiring to the dealer-installed iPod adapter came undone! What I mean is that the brown ground wire and the yellow-white wire (on the OE wiring side of the equasion) actually came out of the harness clip that connects the factory wiring to the iPod adapter wiring.

In my opinion, this install was done pretty poorly if the wiring came out of the bullet connector/harness clip so easily. It wasn't secure at all. This, I assume, is the wiring that needed to be removed from the factory connector and rerouted to the iPod adapter.

I did my best to repair this but couldn't remove the bullet connectors from the plastic harness clip. I reshaped/opened up the opening as best I could with a pick, cleaned up the wires and reinserted them, crimping the connectors around the wires using a thin pair of needle-nose pliers. Then I crossed my fingers as I knew this was not a very stable connection.

Upon reconnecting the battery (was disconnected for 2 days for the light install), the iPod adapter is acting strange. Still recognizes the iPod, and the iPod still goes to external control. The controls seem to work fine, but on three playlists it skips the first one, four or six songs before it acts normally. It just skips ahead, scrolling through track numbers. The iPod itself works fine when used independently.

SO. Question is, should I take this back to the dealer's attention since dealer-performed installs are under warranty? Can I get just the connector I need if I were to fix this *correctly* on my own? Anybody else experienced this kind of circumstance?

 

this has nothing to do with the Ipod... But its nice to see another 2002 owner on here! I've also got a '76, anthrazite, built suspension and motor...


Awesome


Ryan

 

Very cool indeed! Mine's probably going to be retired for the season in a couple weeks...whenever the first salt gets laid down anyway. They're great cars...lots of fun and oh so easy to work on.

I've got mine on H&Rs and Bilstein HDs (the springs were added since the pic in my sig was taken) with 19mm swaybars. I'm thinking about going back to stock springs and adding some bigger bars instead. I'd also like to add a 3.90 limited slip as it does tend to spin the inside rear on tight corner exits.

Have fun, keep it dry!

 

Let me try an remember everything i put it in it this summer:

Shrick 292 camshaft
Weber 40 DCOE (with Korman intake manifold)
Electric fuel pump
fuel regulator
Sway bars (19/22)
Bilstein shocks
sport springs
Stahl Header
Ansa center piece
Supersprint exhuast
Metric Mechanics Rebuilt/Re-enginered 4 speed Getrag 232....

and A WHOLE LOT OF TIME!

Its been a long summer of working on her, and she is going into the garage for the winter as soon as me and my Mechanic do a little more tunning on the carb.... Oh well, there is always ALL of next summer...

...Durring which i plan on installing a LSD, new brake lines, and maybe a new radiator....


The 2002 is the REAL adiction...


Ryan

 

I am always a fan of doing it yourself. Then you will know it's right. I have seen a lot of really bad work done by the dealerships. Get some new connectors and do your own repair. What ever the parts cost it will be worth it. If you take it back there is no telling what will happen or how they will fix it. The same guy who installed it poorly the first time might be who you get again. That's my opinion.

 

DIY also but there are way too many people that only "think" they're capable. There is nothing obvious that points to this individual being capable and there's just as much a chance that they screwed it up as the dealership. Just try and get some warranty issues taken care of when you DIY. Not gonna happen.

 

Gee thanks, I appreciate that!

I don't claim to be expert but I have been doing my own work on old and new cars alike for a number of years. I take my time, read the manuals and invest in the right supplies and tools. I learn from past experience and generally don't make the same mistake twice. While there's nothing to indicate that I'm particularly capable, there's nothing to indicate that I'm not, either.

Anyway. Spoke to the shop foreman at the MINI dealer yesterday and he agreed that the iPod install should not have come undone. He gave me replacement connectors and told me what tool I'd need to get to undo the previous job and redo it correctly. I didn't ask him to redo the work as I don't necessarily want them mucking around in there again, especially since I've now got the driving light kit wired up in there as well.

 

Example:
I went to the dealership to see how they were mounting the fuse box for the OEM driving lights on the 04s and up, since they removed the original place it was mounted. The trained techs at the dealership were zip-tying the fuse box to the brake line and leaving it to just loosely bounce around. That's real professional for $380.00. I did a way better job, saved money and had a good time doing it. I'm not saying I'm the only one that could do a good job but I know what I'm capable of doing. I also get to take my time. I'm not worried about a bunch of other cars I have to get done.

If the wires just slipped out of the connectors, the tech wasn't checking his work.

We're not talking about changing pistons here. It's only an iPod adapter. If the tech who installed it can't use the quick connectors any better than that, I would recommend doing it yourself. Take your time and do it right.

Another benefit is your car doesn't have to sit at the dealership all day.

 

Funny, I just installed the OEM driving lights too and was perplexed by the lack of an inertia switch and ground stud where they were supposed to be. How did you mount the fuse box? I talked to the dealer and he said they are using plastic body rivets in the pre-existing holes where the inertia switch used to be to hold the bracket on. They gave me some plastic rivets and I used them last night but I'm still not thrilled with it.