Does anyone know what the second harness is about on the stock hu? I've got a pioneer and wired it to an adapter harness but, there's no mention of this other group of wires. All of the pics in this thread are broken so, I cant seem to find a decent wiring diagram. Anyone have a diagram they care to repost, or know the function of the other group of wires that attach to the stock hu?

 

I apologize if this has been answered - I looked but didnt see it - can I do a simple 6x9 replacement for my stock rear speakers? (I have a 2006 Cooper S with Navigation, but no Harmon Kardon.) When I put some 6x9s in my basket on Crutchfield I got a warning that I would need to replace the head unit and bypass the factory amp in order to use new speakers because the factory amp sends treble and bass separately to the speakers.

I have not seen anything about this for non HK systems in the forum. If this is so, is there a upgraded direct replacement speaker I can use without replacing the HU, factory amp, and potentially rewiring a new speaker wire?

Thanks!

 

I have not heard that - not that it is not true...

However, IMO what you suggest is not worth doing. Factory speakers are very efficient: crappy sounding but efficient. Consequently the factory deck is low power (and poor sounding as well). Aftermarket speakers are usually not as efficient so you will not get as much volume (or make the most of the better sound) using the factory deck.

Either replace the deck AND speakers (at least the front components) or live with the factory system.

 

Yes, you should be able to replace the stock speakers with aftermarket. I did it up front (my door woofers were bad) and it sounds just fine. However, I would caution you to get speakers with a higher sensitivity specification (over 90dB) and a lower RMS rating. Ignore the maximum wattage rating as that is just for marketing. RMS stands for Root Mean Squared, and is the sustainable wattage input the speakers can take or the amp can output. (Yes, I know there is more to it, but this is a basic forum post, not a dissertation on the matter targeted at EE's.) I would try to find something that can handle around 50 watts RMS as that will let you run an aftermarket head unit with them in the future if you so choose.

 

06 Cooper S was told if I swap out my stock head unit for another stock head unit it would have to be reprogrammed. I didn't think this was the case on Gen 1 minis. My current one turns on by itself and none of the buttons work. Still haven't nailed down thru posts if the make a plug for android phones to the back of the stock HU. Mine now has that factory big plug for like iPhone 2😂🤷*♂️

 

Gen 1 you can replace the stock head unit without reprogramming. Just look for something that has the connectors that you need.

One note though, the depth behind the center console can be limiting to some longer optical drive equipped (ie CD/DVD) head units. Back when I upgraded mine I chose a shorter 'multimedia' style unit w/o optical since CDs were dead to me. It made connections in the back much easier.

 

Thank you . That's what I needed to know✌

 

Looking for any advice on installing a double DIN size head unit (HU) in my R53. I've seen it done a few different ways, one with the HU set towards the bottom of the center stack (HVAC and switches moved up) but mostly with the HVAC and switches moved down to accommodate the HU at the top. The problem with this configuration is that there's a motor and geartrain tacking up space on the left side, perhaps only 3" from the front (mounting) face of stack.

The poster below mentions the problem but not how he overcame it, let alone posting pics of the solution.
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ouble-din.html

You can see the motor (black) and geartrain (white) in the pics below. Before I go about re-inventing the wheel I'm asking how others solved this. I'd PM the OP in the above but the last time he logged in was over 3 years ago.


Radio, HVAC, switches and tach removed.



Center stack w/o radio, etc and HVAC motor and geartrain circled.

My present plan is to install a Kenwood 7706S which has a shorter (less deep) chassis than the typical double DIN HU. Still I doubt it would install at the top of the stack w/o bumping into the aforementioned motor, etc.

 

Seems like it's time for a new plan. I would urge all 1'st gen MINI owners to have a look at this thread.

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...installed.html

The OP there-in installed a modular Pioneer unit, whose display only needs 1" of depth to mount. IIRC there's a tad over 2" available, constrained by the motor and geartrain above. Given the Pioneer he used also has a 3-way active crossover and Android Auto, I see no practical reason not to use it vs the Kenwood above. Sure seem like a lot less effort and cutting and fab'ing.

Will post pics (if anyone cares) when done. Don't hold your breath though, the car is presently in it's heated garage and I've got to tear apart the dash to replace the AC evap first.