I was wondering if anyone has attemped this yet because i couldnt find any threads on it. I'm looking to buy a 1st Generation Mini without the OEM navi. I found pleanty of thread with aftermarkets above the cup holders but I want mine in the OEM Tach/Dash Navi slot.

If the OEM Tach is the one with engine temp, fuel level and boost; cant I just order the OEM Navi Tach wihout the navigation and hook the fuel level harness in, the boost in and the temp in?? would I need seperate boost gauge or temp gauge??

Please help me guys. Thanks in advance

 

oh yeah and i do realize that one of the pictures are 2nd gen

 

In the first-gen cars, I'm pretty sure the fuel level and engine temperature gauges are always in the center of the dash, whether you have the large traditional speedometer, the navigation system, or the Chrono Pack.

So, if you wanted to remove the center-mounted speedometer and use the space for an aftermarket nav setup, I think you'd need to get separate fuel and temp gauges, and you'd also need to buy the small speedometer that normally comes in cars that are equipped with the nav system or the chrono pack.

Actually getting all the wiring to work might be a pain, though. For instance, I don't know if the plug that goes into the back of the large speedometer will fit directly into the smaller speedometer that you'll need to get. I suspect it won't, because while the large speedometer is designed to display temperature and fuel level, the smaller one isn't, so they probably have different size/shape connectors. Plus, you'll probably need to lengthen the harnesses in any case, since you'll be moving your speedometer from the center of the dash to the top of the steering column.

Lastly, you might need some reprogramming, because the LED display in the tachometer reads out different things depending on whether you have the large center-mounted speedometer or not.

And if you want a boost indicator, you'll have to add a separate gauge regardless. None of the OEM configurations have a boost display.

 

I can't find the link to it right now, but I saw a 1st gen car that had the double gauges above the steering column. The owner had taken apart one side and mounted a Garmin (?) GPS inside one of them. He left off the gauge glass (assuming it was glass, might have been plastic) so the touch screen would still operate. It looked really good.

 

It would take a lot of work to do the necessary reverse engineering. Most (perhaps all) of MINI gauges are digital with values sent over the iBus, and the gauges you see are actually simulated to look like traditional analog dials.

 

Oh, I think I see what you're talking about now. You want to leave the center speedometer alone, but add a second gauge over the steering column, gutted to hold an aftermarket nav system? That would be easier to do, assuming you could get the GPS to fit. Of course, you might have to reach through the steering wheel to do anything with the GPS.

Here's a picture of the two-gauge setup on the steering column that you were probably thinking of. It's what you get when you order the Chrono Pack or factory navigation.

 

Here's an implementation by a vendor in Japan: http://www.a-tack.net/atack_demo_car/mini1/index.html
The center factory Nav was never offered in Japan. Their OEM Nav was a headunit with fold-out screen.

 

thanks for the replys guys.

isnt that the fuel level under the oem nav in the picture?

pretty i just want to know if i got a 1st gen mini (the 2nd picture) could i replace the center gauges (the big ring) with the Oem navi (big ring) and throw a aftermarket in that double din? wouldnt the fuel, temp etc harness right up and the navi would be a seperate harness set up?

 

The second picture shows a first-gen car with the Chrono pack - that's an option that most of the cars don't have.
And what "double-din" are you talking about? The center of the dash (where the big speedometer, factory nav, or Chrono Pack goes) isn't big enough for a single-DIN device, much less a double-DIN one.

That is the fuel-level gauge under the OEM nav in the first picture, but I don't think you can order just the large ring and the fuel gauge from the nav kit without getting the entire nav screen assembly.

 

Thanks Scott you answered my question. I have a x5 and the oem nav can be replaced with a double din. I thought the mini nav looked different but youre right, its not even wide enough for a single din. Thanks again Scott. You Rock

 

You're welcome. I really can't think of a way to put an aftermarket nav in any of the factory gauge locations (either the center of the dash or on the steering column) without losing some of the factory gauges/instrumentation.

The oen thing that might work would be to get a car with the large center speedometer and the tach on the steering column. Then, buy a small MINI speedometer or tach, gut the insides out of it, and install a Garmin Nuvi 350/360 in the gutted gauge. Then, get the steeering column mounting hardware that normally comes with the nav- or Chrono pack-equipped cars (the ones that have two gauges on the steering column), and mount the original tach and the new "gutted gauge" GPS on to the steering column.

This is assuming that a Garmin 350/360 will fit inside a small MINI speedo or tach enclosure. I have the 660, and it's way too wide, but the smaller Nuvi might work. You'd probably lose access to the SD card slot in the Nuvi, though.

 

Another option is to install an aftermarket headunit that has integrated Nav and motorised flip-out screen. There are models from Pioneer and Kenwood. They are expensive (over $1000) but you also get an upgraded stereo and a lot of capability. This system belongs to AprilWhine on MINI2 (click on the thumbnails).

 

Hey Rad One iam trying to do the same exact thing you are but instead of putting in a double din where the OEM nav is because of the space problem back there Iam lookin into these alpine units http://www.alpine-usa.com/US-en/prod...category=P-FIT.
I think this would be the best way. My 05 MCS has the chrono pack so iam also wondering if the chrono pack guage harness will work directly with the oem nav cluster.