Hey fellas,
So I upgraded my 2003 MINI stereo (not HK) to Kenwood aftermarket and now decided to put back in the factory OEM radio.

After installing it back in the car, it is displaying "-DISABLED-" on it and does not permit me use of the stereo. It did not ask me to prompt a code, it just displays disabled. I called up my dealer and asked them and they said that I shouldn't need a code or anything (but the gentleman i spoke with probably doesn't know too much about the MINIs).

Any ideas on how to enable the thing And thanks in advance!

Cheers!

 

The radio is not seeing an ibus signal, was the original harness cut?

 

Yes, the harness was cut to route the steering wheel remote into the SWI-X infrared sensor and has not been spliced back together yet.

This is the only cut in the system; and I did not think it would disable the entire stereo! Guess I'll rewire it back to original again

 

So I hooked up the steering wheel remote control and the HU is working as normal.

Thanks for the info, tom!

I hope anyone who runs into a -DISABLED- radio, may find the post useful.

 

Thanks for following up!

 

I have a 06" MINI Chakemate and love the radio. I decided to buy a used one and install it in my 87' Carrera. I decided to "bench test it" before I installed it. I have a power suply that is built for radios (and I have used it before on other radios) I bought an after market harnes kit that I am sure is wired wrong. I do have the wireing diagram from the car/radio (Hanes manual) and it shows the positive lead goes to pin # 5. I hooked up the radio and it reads "DISABLED". I need a pin (function) diagram. The radio came out of a 05'MINI. The Model # is CD53 R50 and it was built: 05 MAY AP.

The pin config. is :

1 5 9 13
- - - -
- - - -
4 8 12 16

1----6 1----6
7----12 7----12

Any help would be greatly appreciated.Thank you

 

Just installed an aug 05 MINI radio in my 89 BMW 325ix - same problem :( What do I do? I bought it used off ebay, so I don't have any codes or anything...

 

Ian Cull (GBMINI) figured out how to defeat the lock: http://www.gbmini.net/wp/2007/12/min...eo_in_porsche/

 

I've read that probably 14 times now, and I still don't read how they figured it out??? Am I slow?

 

Here's the summary. Ian determined that the headunit checks that it is connected to an iBus. If the headunit doesn't detect an iBus, it disables itself. So to defeat the lock, make the headunit think it is connected to an iBus. Ian had previously created his HKEnabler, a mod that allows using an aftermarket headunit with the Harmon Kardon stereo upgrade. On an HK stereo system, the HK amp is connected to the iBus and controlled through iBus commands. The HKEnabler (a circuit board) has components for iBus communication. Ian connected its iBus to the headunit, and voila the headunit detects an iBus and unlocks itself. My suggestion is that you contact Ian about purchasing an HKEnabler that has been modded for this purpose.

 

ORRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

Take the CD player out of my MINI (12/02 build) that actually HAS the radio code/card, put that into code mode, swap it into my BMW, and reinitialize using that code....

...which is precisely what I did

Then I took the one I bought off ebay and stuffed it in my MINI - woo woo to the wooooo