Mini Cooper S install? Need help b4 I buy one!

someday I might get the hang of onehanded typing...

Lets hope you don't have to!

Hang in there, Michael, you have a lot of friends in this community, and we're all rooting for you!

tanstaafl.

I also have a Mini but have not installed it because I don't know if I want the empeg as my only head unit and there is no room for two. I thought I found a mini to sony remote adaaptor I will see if I can find it again but I haven't tried it.

I'm picking up my Mini Cooper S Convertible tomorrow, with the Harman Kardon sound system. I plan to bring it to the local car audio specialist within days to install an Empeg sled in it while they install the alarm (not included on U.S. models). I do not plan to use my Empeg tuner; I'm going to keep it in my classic Cooper and use my new Mini's tuner, with the Empeg hooked up to the aux input of the Mini/HK system.

I see from searching that the P.A.C. SWI-X interface allows you to use factory steering-wheel controls with the Empeg by converting them to IR. I also see, from their website, that the SWI-X is compatible with the Mini's steering wheel controls, and, as near as I can tell, the Kenwood units. Finally, I see that the Empeg accepts the signal from a Kenwood remote without requiring one to hack a kernel. This is good news because the last time I tried to hack a kernel I had no luck getting it to work. (I am not a complete idiot - I do have Hijack running - but apparantly I am more of an idiot than I think.) So my thought is that if I get the Pacific unit, I can make it transmit the Kenwood signal, and thereby get my factory steering-wheel control to work with the Empeg without having to mess with the config.ini file. Most importantly, I want to be able to enter the MP3 menu (genre, artist, song) from the steering wheel. Will this work? Please help me, as I am extremely excited to get my Empeg installed in my first-ever brand new car, and will run out and buy this Pacific unit as soon as humanly possible if it will do what I need!

Thank you in advance for all your help.

The SWI-X works simply by "learning" remote commands from your existing remote. You don't even need a special kernel, and you don't even specifically need the Kenwood commands. Just make it learn the Rio Remote commands. (You can make it learn the kenwood commands if you want, or if you don't have a Rio remote.)

Where are you mounting the empeg ?

Yep, the swi-x will do exactly what you want. One thing you may not realize though. You will have to cut the wires from your steering wheel controls to enable the swi-x. So, your controls will no longer work for your mini's factory headunit.

If that's not a problem, then you're all set.

This is the one I eluded to earlier. Link

He says to get the "boost" one if you have the HK system.

> Where are you mounting the empeg ?

I want to keep the Mini/Harman Kardon indash for the use of its tuner and CD player. (Which I suppose rules out the use of the PAC steering wheel control adapter, since as someone noted I can't use both the PAC and the factory controls - although a hidden A/B pushbutton switch behind the steering wheel might be an option?) My hope is to install the Empeg at the bottom of the dash console section (below the heater controls etc.) There is enough height there for the Empeg, but the console section seems to taper inward toward the bottom, so it's slightly narrower than the Empeg sled. My hope is to slightly trim the posts where they fit inside the bottom tray, allowing them to sit just a tad further apart, thereby providing enough width for the Empeg. I may also have to trim the Empeg sled so that it does't stick out quite as far. Meanwhile, the stock 2005 Mini cup holder happens to be the right size to hold a Sony XM radio tuner. So if it works out I'll have the stock H/K AM/FM/CD, with the Empeg plugged into its aux input, and the Sony XM radio plugged into the Empeg's aux input. Or so I hope. With this combination I cannot possibly lack for music! Wish me luck!

I thought about doing that but I decided there wasn't enough room after ripping the tubes out and holding the empeg under there.

The other thing I thought of doing was getting the parcel shelf that goes in place of the glove box and putting the empeg there. I couldn't find anywhere to buy one for a left hand drive though.

I finally just gave up and am ripping out the factory stuff and the empeg is going in tomorrow.

I just got mine back from the installer and it's awesome. The empeg fits into the dash very well since it's all black and the factory radio is only slightly larger so there is only a little of the trim plate showing.

I haven't done anything yet but I am planning on getting one of these .

I also have a swix laying around I could use too but I would rather use the wired one.

I will probably order the newministuff one in a couple of weeks (just spent 1000 on install ) it will cost about 100 dollars after exchange from pounds to dollars and shipping.

I figured it would be nice at least to have volume and track up/down

Got a picture ?