I recently purchased an aftermarket Bluetooth setup that works great. I bought the Parrot CK3000 Evolution, Parrot MULTICAN, and the Parrot ISO Wiring Harness. The complete setup does voice dialing, is controlled by the MFSW buttons, was easy to install and was only $330.

 

where did you buy your package and when you say easy to install,, can you elaborate on what that process was? Not all of us are mechanically or electrically inclined.
Thanks

 

The Parrot CK3000 Evolution and the Parrot MultiCAN can be purchased from www.parrotshopping.com or www.mobileplanet.com
The harness is not on the USA Parrot site yet so you have to purchase it directly from the manufacturer www.parrotkits.com

To install the kits, you need to be comfortable with basic hand tools. The mechanical parts are pretty simple: remove screws and panels. The electrical parts are also simple: connect harnesses into each other. There is only one wire without a harness that needs to be connected to the mini: the 12V acc wire that can be spliced into the cig plug.

I think its an easy install but it will take at least 1 hour to complete. If you aren't comfortable then just take it to the local stereo shop. For some, paying someone to do it right the first time is better than doing it yourself. Also, there are "hidden" costs to doing it yourself that people don't consider: labor, tools and small parts.

 

Our kits are turn plug & play - dont require any extra cables splicing into your cars electrics

 

Thanks for the responses;
does this kit allow use of the MFSW controls?

 

I just finished installing one of these kits - truly plug and play. It also comes with instructions to install, which was a huge help.

Best of all, the unit works perfectly!

 

Yes, it does.

 

If you buy a compatible Parrot Bluetooth module, the MultiCAN(enables MFSW control) and the ISO adapter, the whole setup is plug-n-play. The MultiCAN supplies the ignition/turn-on signal for the Bluetooth module.
If you buy only a compatible Parrot Bluetooth module and the ISO adapter, you need to swap the orange wire for the brown wire in the ISO connectors. PM me if you need help with it.

 

anybody got an idea on how does the parrot switch box affect the quality of the audio please ?

thanks

 

Does the sound come out over the radio speakers and where is the mic located? (on any of these sets - parrot or mikey's)

 

yes, it does come from the radio speakers - the Parrot adapter hijacks the speaker connections from the car radio when a call comes in. that's why I was asking if that affects the audio sound from the radio.

for the mic - you can put it wherever you like, I think the recommended location is the driver's visor.

 

No effect on the sound from the stereo.

 

You can buy them on ebay...that's what I did for my last Mini....The mike can go wherever it works best for you and you can hide the wire.The CK 3000 and 3100 work great.You'll definitely save money on ebay and they come new in the box...

 

I wanna purchase a bluetooth kit, I was on ebay looking at the ck3000, and is there anything I would need to buy to set it up? Or where else can i find a kit thats is not 350+ and has everything you need to install it. I also see that it comes with a display, does the OEM bluetooth have a seperate display like the parrots also? Or is it built into the speedometer?

 

Personally, I think you're better off getting the Parrot kits from a place like http://www.newministuff.com since they have them all pre-setup for you to be plug-n-play with your MINI (i.e. no wires to cut or run during the install).

I had their CK3000 kit as well as their color CK3200-LCD kit installed in our 1st gen MINIs and they work just fine (sound quality leaves a lot to be desired, but it's no different than that of our OEM BT kit that's installed in our 2nd gen MINI).

 

You can buy the kits for less than 150 dollars,I paid $139 for the 3100,I am not sure about the plug and play,but my last one cost me less than $200 to install at Al and Ed's.Unfortunately Ministuff is really expensive right now with our great dollar,I have bought fom Mike at Ministuff just recently and the JCW sidevents were over $100 due to the pound rate..The CK3100 has a display.the OEM option on the new car does display in the Speedometer,audio display..good luck

 

The only reason I favor the plug-n-play approach is so that you don't have to cut (or tap) into any wires in your MINI's factory wiring harness. I suppose that MINI could give you a hard time with your warranty if you did cut/tap into your car's harness and something went wrong with your radio, etc. I do understand not wanting to pay the high cost when faced with the crazy Pound to Dollar exchange rate though.

 

Hi everyone,
I was wondering if anyone can help me with a step by step explanation on how to remove the car stereo on a r56. It is the standard radio not HK. I'm trying to connect a 3000 parrot bluetooth and I need to acces the back of the radio to connect the harness. Thank you very much.

 

Can someone clarify it for me please? I've got this Parrot CK3100 kit that includes an LCD display with send and receive buttons, a mute box, a control unit, and a bunch of harnesses. Now, I'm hearing that not only do I have to buy an ISO adapter, if I want send and receive functions on the MFSW I have to add the Parrot MULTICAN (seems really unnecessary if that's all it does...).

Question 1: Does the phone numbers display on both the stock radio or the Parrot LCD display?

Question 2: Where is the best place to mount the Parrot LCD display?

 

Having just dealt with this, here is your answer:

1. on the LCD ONLY. Radio display's nothing even with the MULTICAN unit. All it does is tap into the wiring without cutting ....

2. where ever it is most comfortable for you and provides you the best and safe view. Some of the KUDA mounts can help in that area.

Hope that helps.

Cheers,
Roberto

 

Wow, thank you for the quick response Roberto!
So, it sounds like all I really need in addition to the CK3100 kit is the ISO adapter since I can't justify spending another $100 for just steering wheel control. I will have the LCD display as my only interface. When I have an incoming call or when I place a call the system will automatically mute the stereo. Am I correct?

Thanks very much!

 

Glad I could help. The multican adapter box does mute the stero and plays the phone call on the speakers plus steering wheel controls. I have that in my MINI (it really is nothing more than a set of relays that control things. The multican/parriot combination does not seem to work correctly with the Apple iPhone so beware, still trying to track down updated firmware for that). The ISO adapter I do not know since I do have one. I think the ISO adapter is strictly a cable adapter so you do not have to cut the wires. But again, not really sure. Sorry I can not provide more info on that part.

Cheers,
Roberto

 

mikeythemini,

can you give me the price and the link to the complete handsfree kit for a 2006 mini with the multifunction steering wheel?

Any chance for a group buy?

Thanks.

 

I was at CES and stopped in the Parrot booth to specifically ask about any new products that would work both with the MFSW and display on the radio.

I talked to 4 people. Know what they all said?

Impossible to do on a Mini. Even using their product with the MFSW.

So much for the brainiacs they send to the trade shows.

I have to do this also. I'm handy with tools. If anyone can post take apart picks that would be great. I'd love to buy from Mike but as the rest of you said unless we can do a group buy the dollar is just too weak.