MINI Cooper Audio & Entertainment System Questions

elanning

This may win the award for stupidest question ever posted, but I just got my cooper and i can only locate 8 of the speakers, i ordered the 10 speaker option and there are 2 speakers in each door, a tiny one on either side of the upper dashboard right under the windshield, and on on either side of the back-seat area for a total of 8. What am i missing?

Just want to make sure that i didnt get screwed and pay for the 10 speaker option but get stuck with the standard system. Are there any other visible differences that anyone can point out between the two audio package options so i can be sure i got what i paid for?

Thanks.

bardot

Hi All:
New to Mini Cooper S ownership. 2007 model with less than 500 miles on odometer - still working on first tank of gas.
Usually - can puzzle out with some common sense and liberal dose of manuals - how to.... operate the radio for example. Whimsy is good - and the off the wall styling is distinctive. But, could'nt there be specific steps to follow to ...should one be so bold as to want to go from am to fm. Is there anywhere on line where one can find instructions just a tad less succinct than that boost cd "press lightly" handout included with owners manual?
Regards to all> and the car is a blast. Oh - and where is the release catch so I can work some magic ...under the bonnet (yet).
Barry

bodble2

I would guess another one would be right on top of the dash in the middle. And probably a subwoofer in the back somewhere.

bodble2

"...where is the release catch..."

Under the dash on the driver's side.

wongkid

There are 3 speakers in each door (two are stacked closely together by the open door handle). I wasn't aware of any top-of-dash speakers, but if they exist, then you have 10 total. If top-of-dash speakers don't exist, then, note that the rear speakers are "dual voice coil", and if each voice coil is driven by a separate channel from the amp (the HK comes with a 10 channel amp - presumably one channel per speaker), then that could be considered "10 speakers". Also, here's a popular stereo-geek article on Mini stereos. http://www.in2guitar.com/minihkreview.html.

wongkid

Since you called it a bonnet, possibly you are in GB. Anyway, here in the states, I had to actually call the dealer to ask the same question. Basically, quirky engineering on my 2003 Cooper S left the hood release on the right side (passenger, not driver's side here in the US, on the far right "wall" just under the glove box. Good luck.

wongkid

Mine's fried and want to avoid paying full-retail-dealer price for the 10 channel Harmon Hardon amp. Anyone got a used one (anyone wreck a Mini recently - horrors), or know where I can get a new or used one at a discount (in the U.S.)? Thanks

jaar819

i just pruchased a 2009 clubman and debated about getting the 10 speaker, premium audio system, but in the end decided against - and now i am regretting it. could someone recommend the best way of improving the sound without spending much more than the $500 it would have cost originally? ideally, i guess, i would want to simply install a power amp and replace the speakers with better ones of the same size. would this be sufficient? thanks.

ltq

I've got a 2008 Clubman S and gritted my teeth, went for the 10 speaker setup. Sounds OK. Worth $500? Maybe, but ONLY because the std system is so BAD. If you sign up for, then look on the MINI owner's lounge, the factory guy describes what you get for 500 smackers.
From various readings, my estimate is that installing any after-market system will be an absolute nightmare, yet the factory version will cost you a fortune in labor at your dealership. So what to do? If you upgrade only your six speakers (6x9 's in the back, 5.25 in the front), that might be the only cost-effective way to improve your system.
Be careful when buying speakers - on the "Hi Fi" system I have, the speakers are a weird 2-ohm (maybe because the 8-channel amp is digital?). It might be hard to find the correct speakers......
FYI, the main speaker connector is in the left side of the drivers footwell for the Clubman - mine was loose upon delivery, so the mechanic showed me where it was.

ltq

In the Clubman at least, here are the 10 speakers: 2 tweeters in the A-pillar, 4 in the doors, and the rears are 6x9 (with far smaller grill) with tweeters visible in the upper front corner.

jaar819

thanks for the response. i am currently engaging mini about the malfeasance associated with putting a stereo of such low quality in a car like the mini. talk about hitting your head repeatedly against a wall (ouch). actually, all i really want from them, or anyone else who reads this, is a practical way of improving the sound within a $500 budget. the 6 speakers should be sufficient. the remedy could involve changing the speakers, the receiver, the amplifier or installing insulation inside the doors that serve as the speaker cavity.

wilemakeit

So is there a subwoofer in there cars? I just put in a new head unit and they took out my amp. Now I have no bump! Did they not hook it up or did the amp make the back speaker a sub sound?

yettenschwag

2008 Clubman S - I am unfortunately working on this very same concern myself due to an unbearable dissatisfaction with the OEM 10 speaker system. I went with the premium sound system because I didn't want to modify my brand new investment. Plus, I have access to Mitchell on demand and Alldata for all of my wiring diagrams and disassemble procedures in which there is absolutely no data for MINI.I'm kind of scared to death to attempt a simple speaker replacment in this car because ever project that I've attempted with the MINI this far has been assisted by Murphy's Law. I purchase a 2008 Altima with the Bose system, and hoped the MINI system would be at least slightly comparable to the Nissan's sound quality. Not even remotely close. If anyone has gotten any further in there quest for decent sound, please let me know. I'm going to attempt to add these 6x9 neo subwoofers to the rear first (negating the rear tweeter) and see how it sounds.

jaar819

i read in a post somewhere that the signal coming from the tuner/amp to the rear speakers has its low frequency components filtered out (if this is true i suspect it was a design defect. the only rational to filtering the low frequencies would be if the signal was used to drive the tweeter and not the base. however, the front and back designation probably got mixed up so mini decided to sacrifice sound quality to maintain the proper function of the fader, and blue tooth) the post recommended switching the signals between the front and the rear speakers. as soon as it warms up here in new england i plan to try it. also, a subwoofer with a built-in amp would also help. finally, thanks for your post. i am kicking myslef less for not getting the premium sound system.

yettenschwag

I'll be looking forward to hearing your results. Also, I'm pretty good at reverse engineering and disassembly, however I'm timid to attempt removing the front door panels without first knowing the procedure. It seems that BMW has installed Gremlins throughout the vehicle to put a damper on non factory trained personnel attempting repair or modifications. My local dealer is less than accommodating, so I don't really want to have to visit their parts department for miscellaneous panels / clips / etc that I've broken in disassembly attempts’. So, any info you have on the do's & don't of R&R will be greatly appreciated.

novyalby

First of all, don't kick yourself about not getting the upgraded stereo. It sucks. I wish I'd not spent the extra $500 and could've poured that into some after market solution. Though despite looking pretty hard, I'm not really finding one which doesn't involve ruining the car and eating up valuable cabin/storage space.
For a car in this price range, and a car which is supposed to be so much fun, MINI really dropped the ball on the stereo system. The Harmon Kardon system in my first Cooper was much better, even with the top down. Much better bass response.
Anyway, you mentioned something about an adjustment one can make which might improve the sound quality. Could you elaborate?

jaar819

the poor quality stereo really is a shame. I love the car but get hit with a pang of irritation every time I turn the radio on. i read somewhere that switching the rear and front speaker wires will improve the sound somewhat, due to the fact that the signal to the rear speakers, for some reason, is high pass filtered, meaning that the low frequencies are attenuated. the smaller, front speakers won’t generate the low frequiencies anyway due to their size. the best way to do this I am told is at the speaker harness located somewhere under the dash/front door (check with mini where it is). I am planning to try it at some point. let me know your results, and I’ll do the same when I get to it. thanks for the feedback.

antennariidae

To the person asking about improving the system for about the $500 is takes to get the (not-so) hi-fi upgrade, check out the upgrade kits at newministuff. There in the UK but will ship to the U.S. You will have to feel comfortable pulling the whole inside of the car apart but the sound quality is very nice. The kit I got contained a special harness that plugs into the back of the radio. The radio harness then plugs into the new harness. I got an amp (which goes under the passenger seat), two Kenwood 6x9s for the back and Clarion components to replace the door speakers. I chose the option to have them pre-mount the tweeters into new stock A-pillar trim pieces. It ended up costing me about $600 ish once customs duty was thrown in, but you could conceivable do better by sourcing some of the components in the U.S. The harness is the key piece as it makes everything more or less plug and play once the car is dis-assembled. Yes, it is true that the standard sound system is designed so that the bass is cut off from the big speakers in the back. The harness I got drives everything off the front two channels, and that solves the problem, though you lose fader control; but I figured a car this big really doesn't require a lot of fader control anyway! If you'd just prefer to try to swap around the channels yourself or just replace some of the speakers, check out the forum at northamericanmotoring -- there are instructions there.

jadenbroc

I have an 03 Mini Cooper S with the Harmon Kardon sound system. The problem I am having is that I have no sound. The stereo is on. I can change channels. The CD works. I just have no sound. I have checked all the fuses under the dash and they all seem fine. Could this be an amp problem? I have yet to pull the amp out and check it. Is this my next step?

uppi

Jadenbroc, I'm having the same problem in my 06 S. Was it a amp problem or a loose wire? Thanks.

fribble

Hi all,

Just thought I’d share my experience, I have a 04 cooper with the HK. The radio was still working but the HK settings were lost in the head unit and there was no sound coming out of the speakers so I concluded it was the amp.

I wrote to the Mini UK Customer Services manager, Simon Anderson (simon.anderson@bmw.co.uk), citing I believed the problem was inherent and that it should be replaced for free. He denied this and asked for me to take it to my dealer and once diagnosed ask for a goodwill gesture towards fixing it. I did, they diagnosed that it was the Amp and said that would be 700 quid to fix (160 diagnosis fee, 410 for the amp and 90 for fitting plus VAT). I then asked for goodwill and, after fighting to not to have to pay the diagnosis fee because I approached Simon knowing what the problem was, got it for 160 inc vat which was 20% of the price of the amp plus half an hour fitting. I also had to contact their customer service department a bunch because getting through to Simon direct was challenging. The BMW head office number is 01344 426565, ask for him and they will put you through. FYI the goodwill was, in part I was told, based on the fact that I’d had a ‘real’ bmw dealer service my car.

It still annoys me that I had to pay anything as there clearly is a problem but c’est la vie. If anyone has managed to get this for free from BMW I’d be interested to know.

Good luck

Regards

Ben

jlorfing

I'm getting conflicting messages from sound system dealers here. Two have told me they can install an underseat amplifier to my 2009 Clubman S with Hi Fi upgrade (the $500 package), and that my speakers can handle this increased load. A third dealer (Best Buy) stated that wasn't possible, because of the 2 ohm amp versus the 1.5 ohm speakers in the Mini (or something like that - I'm not very technical) - at any rate, they said that if an aftermarket amplifier was added, that my speakers would begin to go out in 2-3 months, and I was asking for real trouble there.

What to do? I want more and better volume.

Thanks!

randybey

I am one lucky dad. My daughter had an accident in her Mini Cooper. She had rear ended the car in front of her because two cars in front of her slammed on their brakes as did the car in front of her. Greatfull that it was a low speed impact and the car in front of her was not damaged. The bonnet (hood) of the Mini Cooper was bent and imediately the car burst into flames. The flames and smoke from the engine compartment filled the inside and luckly my daughter could get out of the car. Within minutes the car was totally in flames and the whole car a total lost. This site says that the safety of this car is good. Look at the safety tests on impact and there is none. No lawyer will touch this because there were no deaths or major injuries. How many people must die before Mini and BMW pull these death traps off the street. The transmissions, water pumps and electrical systems also cause fires to this car. Check to see how many recalls to the late model Mini Coopers there are. I just thank God that my daughter or no one else was injured or killed. If she had be stuck in the car for one minute more she would have died from the fames or smoke

iwgbtp2

wow that has absolutely nothing to with Mini cooper stereo systems or amplifiers. I mean sad story, but really?!

lenihan

I have a 2009 Mini Cooper S The audio selection no longer recognizes satelite radio, I-pod or auxillary. It was intermittant yesterday and is constant now. When the audio selection button is pressed, the "TUNER" icon is present however, the "SAT" and "USB" icons are not. The CD icon is present if a CD is inserted. Has anyone seen this and, if so, how can it be corrected?

new2mini

I am in the process of purchasing a mini and I noticed that my aux and usb port are not working. I am also having problems linking my phone to the bluetooth. The Phone button is there but when i press it nothing happens. Does anyone have any suggestions?

Kirstie_H

A reporter would like to speak to a new MINI owner. If you have purchased a MINI in the last 6 months and would like to share your story, please send your daytime contact info to pr@edmunds.com no later than Friday, Feb 8, 2013 at noon PT/3 p.m. ET.