I just finished installing the newer version of the MINI iPod interface. A big "thank you" to the NAMer's that helped out with my questions before I started. I've uploaded pictures of the install steps in case anybody had questions/doubts about doing it yourself. Well worth saving the ($225, in my case) install costs.

The main (only?) difference between Gen1 and Gen2 is the wire terminations. With the Gen2 interface, there is no need to cut wires and attach new terminations; the iPod wires now simply slide into the radio harness. I used a toothpick (no short-circuits) to remove the wires from the radio's harness; there was no need to disconnect the battery.

Here are the newer Gen2 wires with the new terminations. Note that there are only three; the KL-R wire located in pin# 16 of the radio harness stays put.



This is the completed four-pin connector:



The toughest part of the install (at least for me) was stuffing the iPod interface and its wires back into the dashboard. Let me know if anybody has questions or needs help with this project.

 

Hey Goose,

I want to follow in your footsteps and do my own install of the oem iPod interface. Not sure which version I got, gen 1 or 2. Maybe gen I, since there are 4 wires, altho it looks like they have the same connect/termnations as shown in your photo. Any way, if you've any additional pearls of wisdom to bestow, I'd appreciate it.

Shelly

 

Never mind, it's installed! Pretty sure I ended up with the gen 1 interface, and I had to cut wires and crimp pins. It must be really easy to do with the gen 2 interface! I can't believe how much the dealers want to charge for this install.

Shelly

 

What new features other than installation is different from Gen1 and Gen2? Does Gen2 show id3 tags?

 

Sorry, I'm clueless as to the differences gen1 and gen2.

Shelly

 

Sorry, just re-read this thread. Hope you haven't been waiting long for a reply to your question.

The only real difference (as far as I can tell) between gen 1 & gen 2 is the supplimental harness included in the kit. With gen 1, the head unit wires needed to have new ends crimped on them to be fitted to the supplimental harness. Gen 2's supplimental harness has the same type of "slots" as the head unit's harness - just slide out the wires needed using a toothpick and stick 'em in the supplimental harness. Also, there were four wires involved with gen 1; gen 2 now only uses three of the four wires.

Functionality between gen 1 & gen 2 appears to be the same. No ID3 tags with gen 2.

 

Can someone give me instructions on how to remove the dash or other console items needed for the install?

 

Installation is pretty easy. I took a l-o-n-g time worrying about it, and the reality wasn't bad at all. The toughest parts of the iPod install are stuffing the new iPod iPod "silver box thingy" and the radio back into the dash & starting the screws on either side of the glovebox.

I put the pictures for the iPod install in my gallery to save others some stress. As you'll see in the pictures, my '05 MINI didn't have the screws in the dash that others have mentioned. This isn't a big deal, as only the down tubes need to be unscrewed/pulled down/pushed aside to get at the radio.

Others can add to this, but here's my (very verbose) set of instructions. Use in combination with my gallery pictures, and you should have no trouble:

1. Remove the glovebox. If I recall, there's two screws in the top, one at the back, and two at the sides (the side ones are the tough ones to get back in) that hold it in. Once the screws are undone, you'll need to pull the wire connector that feeds the glovebox lamp. The hose that cools the glovebox will pop off its fitting as the glovebox is removed.

2. Pull down the dash cover under the steering wheel. This part is scary, as the plastic will be bending and creaking under the strain. It's probably better to do this in a warm environment, as the plastic will be more flexible. The bottom of this cover is hinged, so it'll just hang once you've popped the little pin-thingies out.


3. Undo the four torx screws holding the down-tubes on either side of the radio/HVAC stack. Mine had a different size on each side - keep this in mind just to be sure when you're reassembling everything.

4. Pull the down-tubes straight down into floor - not out towards you. They'll drop clear of the dashboard facia allowing you to pull them away from the radio, exposing the radio's mounting screws. One thing; the driver's side down-tube doesn't quite clear the screws - simply pull it out of the way a little to get at the driver's side radio mounting screws.

5. Remove the radio mounting screws and carefully slide it out. I put a towel on top of the gearshift to rest the head unit on while I was working. Disconnecting the antenna allows you a little more slack.

6. The main radio harness is removed by lifting the little "basket handle" on the harness up. The "basket handle" is a lock to prevent the harness from coming undone unitentionally, so don't just yank on the harness!

7. The only tricky thing is removing the wires from the radio harness - and it's not too bad. Refer to the pictures in my gallery to give you a look at what's involved. By using a WOOD TOOTHPICK, you shouldn't need to disconnect the battery. Using anything metal will cause a short. I didn't disconnect the battery, as I was afraid I'd have to re-code something. Others may advise you to disconnect the battery just to be safe - your call.

8. It's simple once you've got the harness off the radio. Remove the blue safety catch from the harness and carefully remove the wires from the radio harness and install in the new iPod harness. I did each wire one-at-a-time, so as to further minimize the chance of a short or confusion with the positions.

9. I used one of those stepped drill bits designed specifically for plastic to drill the hole in the glovebox. Worked like a champ. I wish I left myself more wire in the glovebox.

10. Once everything is connected, test the operation of the iPod before reassembling everything, just to be sure.

11. Be careful of how the wires are routed when stuffing the radio back in the dash - there isn't much space back there, and you don't want to pinch anything and cause a short/loose connection.

12. Screw in radio, reposition/reattach down-tubes, reinstall the glovebox. Be sure that you've reattached the cold-air hose & the glovebox lamp wire. The two screws at the sides of teh glovebox are a pain - either use a magnetic screwdriver or something kinda sticky to fix the screws to the screwdriver to get them started.

13. Enjoy...

 

My HU died after this installation. I didn’t disconnect the battery and I had a problem using the toothpick to remove the wires, so I used a tine from a plastic fork which worked great. But, after I had everything connected and before I put the radio back into the dash I tried the setup and the radio won’t come on. I re-connected everything to the factory setup w/o the iPod connection and still no power on the HU and the fuse is good (checked with a DVM) any suggestions?