I am taking delivery of an 05 MCS soon. I am planning on installing a Garmin 2650 GPS with internal gyro capable of dead reckoning. However it requires a speedometer and a backup light inputs. Has anyone successfully install the 2650 in a Mini? I can only find posts of folks installed 2610 and 2620, not the 2650.

I am wondering if Mini's speedo signal is compatible and also if there is relative easy access to this signal. I am not expecting Mini make any provisioning for this speedo interface and if it did (say for the factory GPS) is is obvious where.

Hmm! Just receive an email response from the vendor about installation. I will just ask him the question too and report back.

Thanks

 

I just installed a DVD-based GPS system. For the reverse signal, I used the signal from my reverse sensor as it's activated by the reverse light.

The speed sensor on the MINI is quite easy to access. It's located on the passenger side under the inner doorsill. As seen in the picture, it's the yellow wire connected to the black plastic tab on the right. Have fun! :smile:

 

Davecsumini,

Thanks for helping out. I read the post you wrote about wanting to put in aGarmin 2650 a while back. Did you decided on a head unit with DVD based GPS? Which one did you decided on?

 

I used Garmin 2610 in my MINI for about 4 months. It's an exceptional unit with many improvements over the previous model, Street Pilot III. The main difference between 2610 and 2650 is gyro capability, which will continue navigation in an event of satellite reception lost, like under the bridge or in a tunnel for an extended period of time. The gyro function and speed sensor will take over and continue to navigate.

Finally, Kenwood offers a line of in-dash monitor units with selectable display that will match the orange amber color of OEM illumination. Other DVD units like Alpine is typically green, while Pioneer is either green or blue. As particular as I am regarding my MINI, the head unit's color must match the interior decor of the MINI. Hence, I installed Kenwood KVT-815DVD head unit with monitor and KNA-DV4100 DVD navigation unit, which cost a lot more than the Pioneer AVIC-N1 that I like very much. For the price, the Pioneer is a good value with a lot more than features and functions than Kenwood or Alpine.

Kenwood KVt-815DVD

 

Dave,

[font=Arial][size=2]That is a nice looking head unit. I decided against the factory one because I don't want to give up the big center mount speedo - an important Cooper heritage.[/size][/font]
[font=Arial][size=2][/size][/font]
[font=Arial][size=2]Does the flip up screen obscure the center speedo?[/size][/font]
[font=Arial][size=2][/size][/font]
[font=Arial][size=2]I think the Garmin is for me because I already have a nice Sony Minidisc head unit and a Minidisc changer I save for the Mini. I plan to replace the factory speaker with MB Quart.[/size][/font]
[font=Arial][size=2][/size][/font]
[font=Arial][size=2]Cheers![/size][/font]

 

Unless you want to watch DVD or use the monitor for other purpose, Garmin will be perfect for you. It's packed with lots of features.

Your Sony setup with MB Quart will produce a nice sound. I personally love MB Quart speakers, the only brand I installed in my cars ever since the 80's. I'm using a 4-channel Alpine amp to drive all the MB Quart speakers. Will you be adding an amp to your system? :smile:

 

[size=2]Dave,

MB Quart is also my favorite mobile speaker. I have a nice setup in my VW Westfalia Camper were I have a 3-way driven also by Alpine amp in bridge mode and Alpine head unit/changer. I also have MB Quart on my tired Miata. On the Mini I plan to keep it simple and to keep weight down. The Sony Minidisc unit is pretty decent wattage wise by itself as long as you keep the volume to a reasonable level.
I checked out the Kenwood head and nav units. They are very nice.

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Wow!

Those are ugly posts I made from cut and paste from a text editor so I can spell check.