Hi all. I live in Richmond, IN, which is roughly equidistant from Dayton, OH, Cincinnati, OH & Indianapolis, IN. Does anyone know of a car stereo dealer anywhere near one of these cities who is experienced with working on MINIs? I have a 2008 MCS with the HK stereo & I think I'm going to pull the trigger on the Integral Audio sub package but I am not competent to install it myself - trust me . I asked the Cincinnati MINI dealer for a quote, which came back an estimated $600 - 700. Is that unreasonable for this type of job?

 

I think the price is a little high. IIRC the install should take 4 hours, my dealership is $112 and hour X 4 hrs = $448. A stereo shop that is reputable can follow the instructions and could do it for say under or around $300.

 

4 hours? You really are kidding...

I just installed it myself. ANYBODY can do it. There isn't anything hard about it. The hardest parts were removing the battery, and routing the BIG RCA cable under the lower drivers side cover.

EVERYTHING else is a matter of popping out clips and panels. If you own some metric sockets (1/4"), and wrenches, some screwdrivers, a drill... Well heck, just read the installation instructions in the PDF.

But, 4 hours? No way in hell... Especially if they aren't familiar with Mini's. More like 8.

It's a great way to get to know your car. ;-)


OBTW, just bite the bullet and take the front seats out. It will make it much easier to get the sills out. I mean, you have already disconnected the battery.

 

jgcorn,

I am happy to help you vet potential installers, which we've done successfully for others. With a couple questions I can tell with good confidence whether or not a shop is a good candidate for the job. The installation is not difficult at all, and the most important thing is whether or not the shop in question can follow directions (rather than thinking they know better and wanting to do it their own way). One good thing to look for in a shop is MECP certified installers, preferably Advanced level with a decent amount of experience.

I can tell you that installation prices at local shops have ranged from $275-$375, and average about 3.5 hours. Obviously, times and prices depend on the shop, shop rates, contentiousness of the shop, etc.

If you are installing yourself I recommend allowing yourself a weekend day so that you are not rushed and can take time to enjoy the process - as richardsperry mentions you really will learn a lot about your MINI, along with the added benefit that no one will care for your car the way that you will.

 

Kevin, when is the full system coming out?

 

It is my primary area of focus right now. Trust me, no one wants to have it ready more than I do! But I am a perfectionist and refuse to release anything until it meets my standards! We're currently working on production issues for installation hardware and other bits for the kit.

I'm hesitant to give a ready-date since I'm already way past my initial guidance of a summer release (due to two complete re-designs). So don't hold me to this, but it looks like it will be end-of-the-year timeframe for a release to the general public.

For anyone willing to drive to the NYC metro area I have a limited number of the Soundstage kits that Albiecrazy and onefish2 have. These kits are only available for installation by us here at our R&D lab in Brooklyn. If you in or near the area and are interested, please PM me for details rather than responding here.

 

Maybe going on a Christmas/Birthday list for me (Jan is my B-day so one big present to me...fingers crossed). I will wait, somewhat patiently to see this full system.

 

Wicked Whips – 937) 833-2223 – 7525 Pleasant Plain Rd

This guy is great with audio!

 

The Cincinnati Mini store is not pleasant to deal with....JMO

 

Rocky at California Custom Sounds in Dayton is a very good installer. 937-294-2254. I don't know how much specific Mini experience he has, but it is really not needed for that install.

 

Lafayette, IN. Installed pro for a few years before getting out of the business. Do some installs on the side still. Mainly do corvettes but have done full system in a Mini before. PM me if interested and I can do it for pretty damn cheap

 

i'm in indy....might hit you up some day

 

sounds good. let me know any questions etc