HELP! Radio removal - dashboard built like Fort Knox!

[gazzaman28]

I know I\'m not really in the correct forum, but I\'m trying to grab the attention of the dealers amongst us to try and get me some advice. :?

I\'m trying to get my Wave radio out, and I\'ve basically taken all 4 screws out of the 2 vertical silver pieces which hold in the radio, heater and switch panel. This allows you to move the silver pieces around a bit, but you can\'t move them enough to undo the screws partially hidden behind them which hold the radio in place. I\'ve removed all the screws I can find on the dash, but the only thing I can do is pull the middle section of the dash about 1/2 an inch out - not enough for what I need. I am not confident about playing too much as a) I don\'t want to damage any of the plastics, and b) I\'d rather not have the passenger airbag explode in my face! :o

Can anyone get me some technical advice as to how to remove these silver pieces so I can get on with my ICE project...? I would really appreciate any info given. }>

Cheers guys (and gals!)

[baldie]

Get your dealer to do it.

Dave

[Ady]

hi gazzama
want another head to look i don\'t live too far from you, in Tamworth
glad too help if required

[gazzaman28]

Cheers for the offer R50, maybe if i\'m still stuck in a few weeks I\'ll recruit your help ;)

I went to my dealers today and asked them - noone had tried to remove the radio, and tried everything I had done. They said they would do it for me, but it would be an hours labour. I said I\'d get back to them on that, ie. I DON\'T THINK SO!!! I\'ll work it out myself, I consider it a challenge! B)

[Llama]

Yeah, they\'ll probably charge you an hours labour to remove it and then bugger up the whole dash worse than you could have done yourself with a blunt axe.. ;)

[Johnboy]

Gazza,
Did you read Iceman\'s post in ICE on removing the torx screws then sharply pulling down on the plastic sides?
If not, drop me an email / post here and i\'ll see if I can dig it out.

J.

PS: Great news - Delayed order may turn up at the dealer tonite - Means I take delivery in time for the W-E-E-K-E-N-D!!!..... Yippee... Then I too can rip my dash to pieces!

[gazzaman28]

I managed to dig that out on monday, but I couldn\'t get anywhere. The silver bits have got polystyrene under them to keep them in position and I couldn\'t get that out of the way. I\'m gonna have another play after work tomorrow, otherwise let me know how you got on. I\'m not really sure how to go about doing this now, as I don\'t really fancy pulling the dash to bits - my track record of taking stuff apart isn\'t good. Well, ok I can take stuff apart but it doesn\'t always get back together!!!

[gazzaman28]

Hurrah! At last I\'ve removed the radio! Check out the pics here

http://www.mini2.com/gallery/personal/index.php?gallery=gazzaman28

Can anyone confirm whether the wiring is standard BMW, so I can get an adapter easily?
The way the MINI stereo screws in is very dodgy, but I\'ve placed my Sony stereo\'s metal sleeve into the slot and I think with a bit of subtle padding to cover the 5mm gap, it should fit snugly, avoiding the need for a specially made DIN adapter plate. I will try and get some exact dimensions anyway over the weekend in case this is needed.

To remove the radio do the following:
1. Remove 4 bolts either side of the silver vertical pieces
2. Remove 2 screws in cupholders
3. Carefully pull out shiny rim surrounding gearstick
4. Put your hand under the mirror adjuster dongle and pop that up out of it\'s fitting
5. Remove screw(s) (sorry forgotten!) that are now visible
6. Lift up whole unit to reveal polystyrene pieces under each silver vertical piece, and carefully remove both of them
7. Silver pieces can now be moved out of the way
8. Remove 4 screws holding front of radio in place

I hope this helps!

[Silverstone]

Hey gazzaman - nice legs!!

Excellent job on the photos - will come in handy for my Alpine conversion in December 8D

[gazzaman28]

I thought someone might comment on the legs!!!

Anyway, good news! I now have a working Sony MD player in my Cooper ;-)

The wiring plug is a standard BMW 3-series type, so I got a ISO adapter for £12.99. The next thing to do was to fix the metal sleeve firmly in place - I padded the bottom of it with cardboard (about 3mm extra height did the trick), then pressed the metal clips out as you would in a normal stereo mounting, plus I taped the whole lot to the dash using black insulation tape - looks fine as that bit of the dash is black anyway. I\'m not sure how it would cope with a violent attempt to remove the stereo, but it will do for the moment until we can get a decent metal adapter made up.

Here\'s some pics to show you my stereo - it\'s so great being able to listen to my Minidiscs again :) (By the way Paul, I couldn\'t upload any pics to my gallery tonight - is there a problem or am I just full up?)







As far as sound quality, it sounds much better than the wave radio obviously, but it\'ll be interesting to compare it to a boost CD or MD player - we\'ll have to do that at Gaydon next month...
The front speakers are fantastic - best OEM standard fit speakers I\'ve ever heard. Bass is very good indeed and the tweeters bring out the treble well too. The rears are dissapointing in comparison, especially as they are 6x9\'s. I\'m used to hearing the best sound from the back of the car and setting the fader to about 30:70 front:rear ratio to get the best sound. In my MINI however, it sounds best at about 45:55 ratio - I still think more volume is needed from the rear than the front to get the best audio effect. Or maybe my ears are just shot to bits!!!

[gazzaman28]

D\'oh those pesky smilies get everywhere don\'t they?!!!

I meant to put in 30 : 70 ratio (front : rear) is my traditional car setup.

[Silverstone]

Looks a pretty neat job to me.

Glad to hear the front speakers are up to the job. I already have a set of Alpine 6\" + 1\" separate components I could use as an upgrade - can you tell what size the fronts are? Sounds like I don\'t have to worry too much if they don\'t.

Fortunately I have some JBL 6 x 9\'s ready and waiting for the rears.

Just need the bloomin\' car!!!!!!! Not expected now \'till early December.

[LMB]

You are a brave man, gazzaman28. I would not have nerve to take my mini (that is if I had one) to bits. Hat off to you mate, looks like you have done a pretty good job of it as well.

;)

[gazzaman28]

I\'ve got some spare JBL 6x9\'s from my old car, and I was thinking of trying them in the back sometime. Any idea how to get the back speakers out? No doubt I will find out eventually - it\'s not as urgent as getting the stereo fitted anyway!

I\'m also contemplating a CD changer, possibly under one of the front seats if there\'s enough room and I can make the wiring discrete enough. I\'ll avoid drilling holes or cutting up trim if it all possible, so I think some sort of foam covering around the changer should be good enough to keep it secure and stop it from skipping.

Needless to say, I\'ll keep you all updated on developments :)

[gazzaman28]

I\'m pretty sure fronts are 6\" and 1\" as well - i\'ve never heard a car audio system with tweeters before and it\'s very effective.