So recently a made a costly mistake and lost my only key with remote unlocking (luckily I had the valet key, so at least I didn't have to pay for someone to come to my car). While replacing it at a specialized car key shop, unfortunately there is no easy way to get a replacement for the remote part: the guy tried to put the incomplete barcode I reverse-engineered from the previous key six-digit code (I later found a site to have the complete barcode ... oh well) with no guarantee, but unfortunately it doesn't seem to pair (I tried 2 procedures around 5 times each with no luck).

My quest is now to find a way to have remote locking/unlocking again, because it's nice to have, and more importantly because the barrel isn't really designed for continued key use and I don't want to be without option to unlock the car because something broke inside.

I could try to go to the dealership, but even there it's not a guarantee they'll be able to provide a working key with remote, and it would probably cost way too much. That option is way down my list for now. I'll probably try next year if I can't figure it out until then (I have a car key insurance with a yearly cap I have already almost reached).

I did research the subject a bit, and pre-facelift 1st gens have a horrible system for the remote that's needlessly complicated and pretty much no one wants to touch it. Someone spent way too much time on it and compiled informations here: https://sites.google.com/site/minian...emotekeys/home

What he found is a way to take a used car key, and code that into the BCM (body control module). It requires to connect a computer to the car (so some cables I don't have to buy) and what seems to be a very complicated setup I'm not even sure I'll be able to do. And of course sourcing a used car key (more $). That's my plan B so far, but I'd rather not, because of complexity, cost, and lack of guarantees


What the car key shop guy suggested instead is to buy an aftermarking remote unlocking module and wire it to the car. Those are cheaper than I thought, so that's my plan A for now. I took this one: https://www.amazon.fr/dp/B09BVR1GXK
Of course, instructions are very unhelpful, because every car is different (and it's bargain basement level). So here is my main question: how the hell do I wire that without frying or interfering with the BCM, and while keeping the barrel opening functional?
I'd like to have a concrete plan before starting to strip the wires and put T taps everywhere.

I had a look at the BCM documentation, but it's not super helpful. http://wtxmc.org/MiniCooperDocs/BODY...L%20MODULE.pdf About the only useful info I found is that the receiver for the remote just forward the signal, which is interpreted by the BCM.

I've poked into the car (2002 r50) a bit to explore the possibilities:

1. replace the existing receiver? It's above the headliner clock, very easy to access. Unfortunately, the receiver just forward the signal to the BCM for decoding. Which means the aftermarket unit cannot possibly send the proper signal.
2. wire it near the EWS? It's under the wheel. The trim is a bit of a pain to remove due to a hard-to-see clip, but the real issue is that there are tons of wires going through there, and only limited room to work. Not a great option, especially considering the EWS does not command locking/unlocking directly
3. wire it near the BCM? It's on the right side of the right footwell. From a video, it doesn't seem hard to remove, but since the BCM and its 182 wires is there, it seems a PITA to work on as well, and I'm not even sure you can backprobe on those bulky connectors
4. inside the driver door, near the actuator? That's actually my best lead so far. There are 6 wires going from the assembly to the BCM, it's very likely the signal from the barrel goes from there to the BCM. If my aftermarket unit can emulate that signal, I'm golden. Those wires are easily accessible, there is room to drop the aftermarket unit there. The only downside is backprobing the connector is going to require some hand squeezing, but I think I might manage.
5. instead of trying to emulate the signal from the key to the BCM, I could bypass the BCM and try to emulate the signal from the BCM to the locking motors. I don't like that as much since it might interfere with the BCM and cause some issues, but that's a possibility ...

So before I start slowly loosing my sanity, some quick questions to you, the community:

1. Is this aftermarket unit thing a really really terrible idea, for reasons I've not yet learned about? (So far it just seems a "not so great" idea to me)
2. Is the plan of (A) trying to emulate the key to BCM signal or (B) trying to emulate the BCM to motors signal a good plan? Or is there a better one?
3. what's the voltage on those signals? The aftermarket unit I got is 12V, so I don't want to risk frying the BCM if it expects a 5V or even 3.3V signal.
4. what are the signals supposed to be? Rising edge? Falling edge? Something else?

Thanks !

 

I just bought two new keys from the dealership, they need to be coded to the car after at the dealership for first gen mini's. The second gen ones can be done easy in car by just clicking the buttons on the remote. unfortunately the dealer has the software to program the key to the car and the new key fobs from the dealer are cut the vin number and they need proof of ownership before ordering. It took them an hour to this and I had to drive an hour to a MINI dealer because the local bmw wont touch first gen mini's here. All and all was 200$ per key to have done, and I have two different mini's that needed a new key.

 

Update: I got it wired up in the driver door.

The most important information is that the key being turned in the barrel sends a "grounded" signal. Armed with that knowledge, disassemble the driver door panel to access this connector:



There are 7 wires on it. There are 8 pins, but pin 2 is not connected to anything.
With common electrical knowledge, you can assume the black wire is ground. That's pin 4.
Now you only need to temporarily connect each pin to pin 4 and see what happens. It's fast enough:
Pin 1 locks the car.
Pin 3 unlocks the car.
I didn't test the others so no clue what they do.

Now it's only a matter of connecting that to your aftermarket keyless entry system and run a 12V cable to power it.

Cost:
22€ for the keyless entry system
30€ for a T-tap set and crimping tool if you didn't have it already.
I personally had the rest of the tools I used for the project (multimeter to test things, stripper pliers to get the T-tap on properly, a 12V supply to test things without using the car battery, screwdriver to get the door panel out ...)