Ok, Boys and Girls. I have survived the odyssey of ordering the Bluetooth Comfort Option, finding a phone, synching it, and installing the cradle in my new Clubman.

Choosing a phone:
First off, the Bluetooth Compatibility Sticky at the head of this forum was my first stop. After considering my options, I played it safe and went with a phone that was "approved" by MINI. (www.wireless4mini.com). It's a very outdated list, but I chose the Motorola RAZR2 V9m from Verizon because a.) it was a fairly new phone, and b.) I could get it as an upgrade under my plan for $49.99. I also seriously considered the Blackberry Curve which I understand will work with the MINI, however, I passed since Verizon insists that you sign up for the "Blackberry Package" which costs an extra $30.00 per month. I also could not find out any info on whether the Curve had a Cradle for the MINI.

Syncing the Phone to the Car:
I got it home and, following the instructions in the MINI Bluetooth Manual, I was able to sync the RAZR2 on the first try. Be aware that the phone will require a 4 digit code that you will have to enter when asked both on the car's console and on the phone itself. (The MINI manual says one digit, but that is wrong) EVERYTHING sync-ed perfectly including the phonebook and voice commands (see below) However, be aware that the phonebook may initially take a few minutes to appear in the MINI, so be patient for about 3 -4 minutes after you successfully sync for the first time.

Voice Commands and the MINI Manual:
The supplemental MINI owner's manual, FULL PREPARATION PACKAGE MOBILE PHONE (it has to sound better in the original German) at page 16 explains the OPERATION BY VOICE details, however, there is an error at page 18 that drove me crazy. The proper command for "Storing an Entry" is not 'STORE NAME', but rather 'SAVE NAME'. After many attempts to record a voice command, I discovered this by accident after I said 'Help' and the system began reading out a list of commands.

One other note about Voice Commands: From now until the end of time, whenever you ask the system to "DIAL NAME" (not, Call or Phone. The command is 'Dial'), it is going to play a recording of your own sweet voice saying the name. If you hate the sound of your own recorded voice, as I do, you may want to use a German, Chinese or other accent of your choice. At least it will entertain others in the car in the future.

The MINI Cradle:
Although I chose a phone right off the MINI approved list, trying to determine whether there was a cradle available at my dealer was an ordeal. Apparently when I called the parts department, I interrupted the guy's daily 'Hour of Devotion'. It was obvious from his "No Can Do" attitude, that finding out any information was impossible. Not in stock, not available, not approved, doesn't know when available, etc.

So, I have learned that when I have a problem, I should come back to NAM for the info I need. I did that and in a prior thread, found the exact part number I needed for the cradle that matched my phone: BMW Part No: 84 21 0 442 784. I called my parts department back with the part number. His response was to question me as to how I got the part number, from who, etc. I asked him to just check the part number. He came back on and said it was a valid number, but that it was not approved for MINI and that if I wanted it I had to pay in advance, that it cost $140.00 and that he would not stand behind it because it wasn't a MINI part. At that point, I thought there's gotta be an easier way to spend my money. So back to NAM.

On NAM, I read that others had had success finding the cradle they needed by calling Classic MINI in Ohio. I called and spoke with Paul in the parts department. He is a very nice and helpful guy. I gave him the part no. and he checked, re-checked and checked again, and then told me that the BMW part was the correct part for my Clubman. He also told me that they had a sale going til the end of this month and that the NAM discounted price for the cradle was $76.76 plus tax and $7.80 shipping. I thought about it for a nano-second and said yes.

Today, I received the cradle. It is in a BMW box. No instructions, but since MINI does intend the owner to install the "snap-in" cradle, the installation instructions are in the above-mentioned supplemental owner's manual at page 20. And it did just snap in when it was inserted as directed (front first).

Installing the RAZR2 in the Cradle:
At first, I had some difficulty with the plastic power cover on my phone. The phone will not fit in the cradle with the cover attached. After thinking about just cutting it off, I pulled on it instead, and it just popped out. So I still have the cover if I ever needed to re-install it on the phone. The cradle works just fine, with no other installation needed. The phone is somewhat difficult to get in to and out of the cradle until you realize that you need to push the armrest cover all the way back, and then just a bit further. At that point, the front of the armrest cover will pivot up to give you room to get the phone in and out of the cradle. It made sense once I figured it out.

So, at this point, I have a new phone, am bluetoothed and cradled.
My life is complete.

Now, what about that chrome bonnet scoop.........I purchased it today from Classic MINI. Last day of their sale. List: $159.00, NAM price: $104.94!
Whoo-hoo! Life is good.

 

Great report rich! Glad to hear you are happily bluetoothed.

 

I wouldn't be surprised if the MINI only requires one, but in this case the phone requires four- lots of bluetooth bits don't have the option of a custom code at all, and everything I've ever seen like that assumes four too.

Were you able to use the voice dialing without recording a voice clip? I've been referring to the method you listed as 'Manual' voice dialing, but had the V9m as working without the need for a voice recording.[/quote]

Glad to hear that it worked out for you! I was missing this snap-in part number.

 

I think I understand what you are saying. Are you asking if the voice commands that have previously been recorded in the cell phone transfer to the MINI voice system?

If so, I don't know. I had voice commands in my old non-bluetooth phone but had not recorded any in the new RAZR2. I thought I had to enter them in the MINI manually.

The MINI manual says this about that (at page 17):

Voice phone book: Operation by voice command requires a personal voice phone book. Depending on the equipment, the entries are either transfered from the memory of your mobile phone or they must be entered independently. You cannot use voice commands to select numbers stored in the mobile phone, nor can you use voice commands to store numbers there.

So, it sounds like it might do what you ask. If so, it would save a lot of time for someone who already has these voice commands in the mobile phone. I'll put a couple of voice commands in my phone when I get the chance and see if they transfer to the MINI. I'll letchaknow.

Rich

 

Well, I tried to enter some voice commands in the RAZR2, but it appears that it doesn't work like my old non-bluetooth phone. With the old phone, I had to enter the voice commands in the mobile phone separately. With the new RAZR, it appears that the voice recognition software has been improved to the point that the phone is able to hear my command and translate it immediately to the mobile phone's phonebook to dial the command.

I made several voice command calls with the RAZR which worked perfectly, however, nothing transferred to the MINI. I think the system in the MINI operates more like my old phone, and would have transferred those recorded voice commands I entered in that phone. With the RAZR, however, I don't think there are any manually entered voice commands to transfer to the MINI.

All of the above makes the quantum mental leap that I actually know what I am talking about in discussing the concept of voice recognition. Another possibility is that the little man in the phone that remembers the commands is on strike or vacation this week.

 

Stike or vacation probably depends on the weather

Actually, what I had meant to ask was if the car's voice control worked without any voice recording setup at all, just using the information in the address book.

In compatible phone, the MINI can read the address book, and sounds out the names for itself (sometimes with amusing results )

For example, with our RAZR, we paired the phone and waited for the address book to transfer, then pressed the voice command button and said "Dial Rebecca" to call my wife's phone.

It ends up working in a similar way to how you first described it, but you get the MINI's sounded out name asking: "Did you want to call: REBECCA?" instead of the playback of your own voice clip.

 

No, as of yet I have not seen the MINI do that. I will mess with it a bit more and see if it can read the RAZR phonebook. Maybe its just my strong mid-atlantic accent