HI all, I'll be getting an MCS in the near future. What I really want is for the mini to have both Climate Control, and Sat Nav. Unfortunately, it is really quite hard to find in australia, even if one pops up, they're either too expensive, or that the car is not the colour that I like. So getting a car with just a climate control is alot easier to find.

So here's the question. I would like to know if it would be possible to install a 2din screen (a pioneer avic HD3) at the position where the Stock headunit & climate control is. What I intend to do is Move the set of buttons and climate control face down to the very bottom of the dash, and hence I will have enough space for a 2 din.

I know that it might require some custom moulds to be made, and alot of rewiring might also be needed, but if it can be done, i really think its worth it as on a personal level, I hate flip out screens, so I like my cars to have a 2 din screen which looks as stock as possible. Besides, with the pioneer avic hd-3, I can add alot of functions onto it.

I know it's an idea where some will just shake their head, but considering that it's been done on some W140 mercedes before, I was thinking i might be able to be done in an r53 MCS as well

 

All I can tell you is that it has been done. I have seen it posted on NAM at some point. It looked really good. I am not sure how much trouble it was to install. I didn't want to do anything that could not be changed back to stock so I ended up going with the flip out screen from Kenwood. I would't even be able to tell you what to use for search words but maybe try "double din". Good luck, and let us know how it turns out.
Steve