Hi Darren
I thought the Dension might temp you.
Here's my honest opinion of the Dension.
It's not for everyone. The navigation is a little fiddly. On my previous MP3-capable CD player I had folder up and down buttons as well as the usual previous and next track buttons and have found the Dension a backward step.
The manual is absolutely dreadful. It is one of those manuals that is only useful if you already know how it works.
The volume level is a bit low on mine and I know I'm not the only one who's made this observation.
However, it's still a brilliantly clever piece of kit. The support guys responded to my questions over a weekend when I had an issue with the optional Bluetooth phone bit and sent me new firmware.
Mikey at
NewMINIStuff.com is definitely the place to get this stuff from. It's where I bought mine from and he'll make sure you get the right bits for your car and will upload the correct configuration for you (well he did for me, anyway). I would also check with Mikey whether you'll get scrolling text with the head unit you have, otherwise navigating the songs is going to be a pain.
It will work with your existing head unit and will work through the MFSW. As for mounting the USB socket, I found the best plan was to take the cable through the grille that is just below the toggle-switch bank. That way it's out of sight and you don't need to damage the fascia by drilling a hole.
Personally, I took the opportunity to buy the oddments tray retrofit kit from my dealer (it was only about £5) as you'll be dismantling that bit of the dashboard anyway to fit a new stereo or the Dension unit. I'd definitely recommend doing this as you have a pre-facelift car and the oddments tray is a nice extra.
RealOEM.COM * BMW R50 One 1.6i RETROFIT F ODDMENTS TRAY CENTER CONSOLE
Losing the CD changer would not be a problem. As you say, the extra boot space would probably be more use!
Cheers
Oli
