Ill get right to the point

I have an 04 MCS that has an Oct 2003 head unit. I am running the harman kardon set up and love it, but I would like to run my iPhone on it as well. I just want the basic plug in for aux and thats it. I tried it once and could not get my head unit to transfer to AUX mode. Is this because my headunit is too old and before the compatibility date/timeframe? What are my options to this/what should I do to achieve my goal? Thanks

 

I did that mod to my '02 R53, but I had to get a newer head unit first. I think I ended up getting an '05 Head Unit (not HK). It's pretty much plug 'n play after that...

 

Thats what I was considering doing. The HK unit is the same I think, its just made by Alpine. I just hope that like a 2006 unit will fit like the one I have..

 

An Oct 2003 HU should support Aux-in. I'm pretty sure my original HU was Aug 2003, and the Aux-in worked on that. Did you have the source plugged in to the cig lighter? There is a known issue that is solved with a GLI (Ground Loop Interrupt)
If you do decide to go to an '05+ head unit, it is the same form factor as an '02-04.
The HK HU is the same as the 'normal' HU. The HK consists of an amp, and different speakers (and associated wiring harness.)

 

I did not test it with while charging. I supposed I can give that a shot before I shell out 200 for a new headunit. Thanks for the tip. Now to buy another cable because I returned mine...

 

Could be it will not recognize the "AUX mode" in the head unit until the harness and socket is actually installed ? I have a March build 03' with HK and AUX.

 

Try GromAudio.com - I have this in my 05 MCS with H/K. Mine is plugged into the Amp. Works great.

 

If you had the AUX wiring connected, your iPhone was connected to the AUX IN cable, and you *weren't* charging your phone while you were testing it, that should have worked. The group loop problem mentioned earlier is that sometimes the AUX feature will become unavailable when you have the source powered from the cigarette lighter.

If you do decide to swap out the head unit, there were three different head units available in the U.S. for the first-gen MINI - two made by Alpine and one made by Siemens. They all use the same wiring harness and are interchangeable. The three versions are:

1) Small hard plastic volume **** - this was the earliest version and was made by Alpine. No text display capability and I don't think they all supported the AUX IN feature.

2) Slighter larger volume **** that's more "rubbery". This was the second Alpine deck and was introduced in 2005. This model supports text display, AUX IN, and CD CHANGER modes.

3) Large rubbery volume **** (about the size of a dime). This is the Siemens deck and was first introduced on the GP in the summer of 2006. Same features and capabilities as #2 above.

 

The other important deck feature would be in the '05 and later models (starting around August 2004 production), and this the capability to play MP3s, as well as support an MP3-capable CD changer.

 

Ooh, good point - I totally forgot about the MP3 capability because I never play discs. In fact, I hit the "eject" button on my radio by mistake last week, and out popped a disc that was the narration for a Christmas lights driving tour I took in 2008 or 2009!

 

Where exactly in the back of the Amp you guys plugging things into and what cables are you using? Also, does anyone have info on the wire channels for a mini so I can just feed extra wiring through that? Thanks

 

This is what I bought. Works perfectly and installed relatively easily. Just have to shove your hand behind the head unit and find the connection.

http://www.outmotoring.com/mini-coop...p3_hookup.html

 

Plus TMC.... If you are overseas, that radio can display traffic on the NAV. (pointless for us in the USA, but good info for folks overseas)

 

Not sure about the HK headunit, but in my 05 R50 i have to select the mode button on the stereo a couple of times until the radio switches to aux mode then I can play my iphone songs no problem.

 

That was the case with my '06: Toggling through modes (CD, Radio.) AUX would not show up until I had installed the wiring from the OutMotoring aux-in kit.