This is really frustrating! I ordered my car with both Comfort Bluetooth and smartphone prep specifically so that I can play audio files from my iphone while it is charging in my armrest. My car came in and I had preordered the snap in adapter for the iphone. The iphone fits into it and it charges but NO AUDIO!!! There is nothing on my screen that is even saying that it recognizes that my iphone is plugged in. Also, I don't see any USB connection within the armrest or adapter? Am I missing something? IS there additional software that needs to be downloaded to the car? I also have the factory navigation so all of my music runs through there but I just cant seem to get the music from my iphone to play in the car while its in the armrest. It works fine through the regular ipod adapter above the cupholders but why did I spend an extra $600? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

From what I understood before buying my car, an 08 btw, is that the bluetooth package only supports phone calls and the bit in the armrest is just to charge the phone.

Though the iphone has other capabilities, playing audio through bluetooth I don't think is one of them. I believe this is called A2DP, correct me if I'm wrong, please.

From what you are saying everything is functioning as it should. Perhaps not as you think it should, but as MINI designed it to nonetheless.

 

I appreciate the response but on this you are wrong. The smartphone integration is a new option available on '09 models only and it is specifically integrated into the armrest for the sole purpose of being able to play your music files from an iphone or other approved smartphone device. The bluetooth is actually irrelevant in this process but you must have the comfort bluetooth option along with the smartphone prep option for it to work. What i am saying is that I know the music will not stream through bluetooth wirelessly, there is supposed to be a USB connection directly in the armrest. Anybody else?

 

I too have that same set up but with a 3G iPhone there was no cradle available as of yet. On pickup (about three weeks back) we tried to jam my 3g iPhone into the available iPhone cradle but it was too tight a fit. I was told and expect to be able to use the armrest cradle to work both the phone and iTunes.

 

On this subject there seems to be a problem with-in Mini on the ordering of this option. To get the USB portion to work with the car for music playing from the phone being installed in the arm rest there are TWO options that MUST be ordered

Options
6NF - Smart Phone Prep $100.00

6NE - Comfort Bluetooth with USB

Ordering Option 6NF should force 6NE to automatically be ordered an installed but it seems that may not be the case.

If Option 6NE is not installed there is no way for the USB or the Bluetooth to work.

There is another option, 6ND Bluetooth/iPod, that if ordered eliminates option 6NE as the car can not have both bluetooth systems as the same time.

So BigMiniAl can you confirm that you have the option 6NE installed in your car.

Also from what i am getting from Mini is that the iPhone/iPhone 3G and other smart phone will only work if the correct cradle is mounted in the armrest as all the connections are specific to each phone and the cradle distributes the proper signals to the proper pins in the phone connectors. You will not find a USB connector in the armrest as there MUST be a cradle to get this function to work thru the doc connector on the phone.

 

Yes I can positively confirm that I certainly ordered both of those options and my window sticker confirms it. In fact, the configurator does not even allow you to choose 6NF without 6NE. I say this because as an MA, recently I have seen several factory mistakes i.e. anthracite headliners missing, center armrests missing so I guess I cannot be 100% sure that these were both installed properly. What I can tell you is that I have a first gen Iphone and it fit into the snap in adapter perfectly as did the adapter into the armrest. The iphone did begin to charge but my radio in no way recognized that my iphone was present or installed. Now what?

 

Okay, Having both the options is a good start.

Not actually having seen a 09 with the smart phone option i have a couple of questions.

1. Do you have a USB port under the center radio stack as in an 08?

2. If you do can you hook up the phone to that USB with the "Y-cable" and see if the car recognizes it as an iPod?

3. Similar to #2 can you hook up an iPod with a "Y-Cable" and does it see car see it as an iPod.

Edit: Just reread your original post and it answers these questions. Sorry.

But i do have a question about why it was $600 extra, as the cradle shoudl have been about 150-170 and the smart pheno prep is only 100 that adds up to less than 300.

It sounds like either the smart phone prep is not installed properly or a connector is loose. But you did mention that you are an MA (if i read it correctly in your last post) so why not get the service department to look into the wiring diagrams and let us know what they find I.E. like is there really USB wiring to the arm rest. I would do it my self but i no longer have access to a current wiring diagram. I only have access the mid 08 and before

 

yes, yes and yes

 

I also have a 09 with Comfort Access/Bluetooth and Smartphone Prep. Haven't gotten a snap-in adapter yet, but I plan to use with my first gen iPhone.

BigAlMini: you mentioned you already have a snap in adapater: what's the part number on it? I'm read somewhere that the Smartphone prep added a usb cababilities to the armrest port for the snap in adapter, but I'm wondering if a new snap in adapter is needed to take advantage of it (the previous iPhone snap in was created before Smartphone prep was around).

Just a thought. I'm similarly hopping I didn't spend money on the Smartphone prep that I didn't need to.

 

The website says it will play the MP3's I thought that it was only going to boost the signal and only do voice call's in the armrest. I wouldn't want it since how can you text with it in there, lol

Just go to the dealer and let them figure it out :-)

 

I'm not sure I'd want to text while driving...

 

I wrote an email to Vinnie Kung who is a product specialist for MINIUSA and he said that the snap in adapter that is specifically made for the smartphone prep will not be available until sometime in December and even that is an estimated release date. So, the adapter I was using was just for iphones and comfort bluetooth which would explain its functionality.

 

Thanks BigMiniAl, that's good to know! I guess I need to wait for the new Smartphone snap-in adapter. Did your contact at Mini have an idea if there would be adapters for both iPhone (1st gen) and iPhone 3G (2nd gen), or just the iPhone 3G?

 

Thanks for that information BigMiniAl.

I've been very frustrated with my smartphone integration as no one at my dealership has a clue. I had thought the point of the integration was to play music through the armrest connection, get charging, and utilize Bluetooth capabilities for calling. My MA and the service guy didn't know.

I've purchased the old snap-in adaptor but will now return it. It would have been nice for the staff at the dealerships to have training on the new technological options.

 

There will be separate cradles for both Iphone 1G & 3G. I am off today with no access to my work email but I do have the part numbers in there and I will post them as soon as I can. I agree that it is ridiculous how uninformed most dealers are about new products that are available or in production. I think this is more the fault of MINIUSA for not properly communicating with the dealership's parts, service and sales department. As an MA, it would have been nice to know that people who are ordering smartphone integration will not be able to use it until they release the new smartphone cradles. We need to be able to properly manage our customer's expectations. I also think they should have at the least already had the iphone 1G cradle available at the time the first car with smartphone integration came off the line. Oh well.

 

I'm curious, the plug in the armrest, is it another USB port or some proprietary port for the cradle?

 

[quote=phi;2557364]I'm curious, the plug in the armrest, is it another USB port or some proprietary port for the cradle?[/quote}

port for the cradle, the usb wiill be implemented into the new cradles but you have to have the "smartphone integration" as an option on your car for those to work.

 

So basically, I have to pay the extra hundred bucks for the prep and whatever else for the cradle to have a USB port instead of the proprietary port?

I had just put my order in a few days ago and was iffy about getting it since I have the T-mobile G1 but then again I do have an old iPhone that would be nice to plug into the car if I am getting crappy reception. If i get 6NE I can still use the car's cellphone antenna right? I guess I don't like how vague the language is on Mini's website.

 

Yes, that is correct and I agree with you on the language. I am going make a separate thread with the part numbers for the soon to be released cradles for the smartphone integration.

 

i just got my mini today (YES!), and am suffering the same confusion over the Comfort Bluetooth with USB/iPod adapter. i think mini's build-your-own site is misleading in both description and imagery.

all i wanted was to be able to tuck my iphone into the armrest out of sight with no dangling cables. i thought the Comfort option took care of that. it's a bit weasely of Mini to describe the ipod access in the center console in the same breath as the power charger in the armrest. how many non-mini owners would understand that the center console is not the space within the armrest where the photograph clearly shows a phone tucked away, thus who WOULDN'T assume that the charger and the USB bits weren't sleeping together in the same place?

so it seems there are THREE laboriously expensive steps to get what i want and i foolishly thought it should be easier:

1a) Bluetooth with USB/iPod adapter. the USB/iPod adapter is an entirely separate entity that dangles cabling out of your CENTER CONSOLE. adds $500 to the proceedings
1b) Comfort Bluetooth with USB/iPod adapter. the "comfort" is the armrest and a whole lot of potential... that is, it's wired for power that you cannot access in any way without adding the Smartphone prep option. it gets you ready to get ready. adds $250 to the proceedings

2) Smartphone Prep with Comfort USB somehow gets you ready for a necessary snap-in adapter that you have to order separately. adds $100 to the proceedings

3) Smartphone Adapter Customized specifically to the phone of your choice. $125-$175?

a $1000 Rube Goldberg solution to integrated technology... thanks for your elegance, Mini.