Shankrabbit's Claire

BEFORE YOU THINK OF READING ANY FURTHER, PLEASE KNOW THAT I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY DAMAGE YOU MAY DO TO YOUR MINI. I'M AN IDIOT AND THOUGHT I WOULD HAVE FUN, KNOWING FULL WELL THAT IF I SCREWED UP I WOULD HAVE TO PAY FOR IT. IF YOU WANT TO BE AN IDIOT JUST LIKE ME, THEN DON'T GET PISSED IF SOMETHING GOES WRONG. YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR WHAT YOU DO TO YOUR BABY. IF YOU DON'T WANT TO CHANCE IT, THEN STICK WITH THE STOCK SOUND SYSTEM. DON'T FRY YOUR H/K AMP AND TRY TO BLAME ME CAUSE YOU CROSSED WIRES.

I know there is a lot of personal and opinionated debate on just how good the Harmon/Kardon sound system offered in the MINI is. It is my opinion that the way the H/K amp handles the sound out of the six speakers is absolutely amazing. My only complaint was that there was not enough bass below the 150hz range. Because of that, I knew from the first week of owning Claire that someday I would want to install an aftermarket amp with a nice sub to make up for what the H/K didn't have.

After doing research and looking around I found out that the head unit did not come with a line out for an amp, and that the HU actually only sends digital signals to the H/K amp in the back. I knew I was going to have to tap into the output from the H/K amp to the rear speakers, and run that into an amp. I was NOT excited about having to splice into any wires anywhere, so I made it a goal to not cut any of the stock wires. I also didn't want to tear apart half of the car just to get to the H/K amp.

1. Wire cutter/stripper (RadioShack - $6)
2. Screwdriver with...
3. Assortment of philips head bits
4. Multi-meter (Sears - $30)
5. Cell Phone (in case of injury or death)
6. Twisted pair Tsunami RCA male-to-male cable (Circuit City - $25.00)
7. Needle-nose pliers
8. Line Converter (Circuit City - $19)
9. 8 gauge ground cable
10. The amp
11. Fuse Holder
12. Fuse and Wire strips
13. Remote wire
14. Power Cable
15. GBMINI's H/K Pin Configuration (link) (not shown)
16. Foot-long screw driver. (not shown)
(Power, ground, fuse, fuse holder, and remote wire all came in a kit. Circuit City - $30)

Start by cutting a 8in - 1ft piece of power cable and attach it to the fuse holder. It is best to keep the fuse a maximum of 1ft away from your battery.

Take as much wire as you think you will need from the other end of the fuse holder and then attach to your amp. Also attach the spool of remote wire and the ground wire as well.

Attach the audio cables to the other side. Your amp may or may not look like mine. I have a two channel amp with possible cross over. I started with 2 8in. subs and moved to a 12in. So when I did this I wanted to use both channels.

From here on out I will be referring to the driver's side of the car as the d-side, and the passenger side as the p-side.

First, drop down the p-side back panel using the two tabs and inside of it you will see the H/K amp. Wouldn't it have been nice if BMW put the connector on this side? But they didn't.

The H/K bracket is attached to the frame by 2 screws and one nut. Through the p-side panel hole you will be able to see one screw and the nut. When you are taking these off, make sure you have a firm hold on them - don't let them drop to where you can't get them.

The second screw is located at the top left corner of the amp. At first I thought I would have to take the whole side panel off after all.

After looking around for a bit, I noticed that you can access the third screw by popping out the rear lamp and using a foot-long screw driver, you can get that pesky final screw. (not in the picture, but believe me, it's back there)

Pull the H/K amp towards the rear of the car and eventually you will see the connector into the amp.

After you remove the jack out of the H/K amp, you will be able to slide the top two pieces out of the holster. Everything is wonderfully labeled telling you which PIN is the #1 PIN. You are only going to need to worry about PINs 1-4. At the bottom of each of those PINs you will notice a little clip which will allow you to pull the wire/PIN out.

This isn't the actual wire, but similar design. If you notice those two arms wrapped around the original wire, this is what you are going to want to pry apart. By doing this, you are not going to have to cut into any of the wires to attach the line converter.

Once you pry them apart, slip the line converter wire between the two arms, then clamp the arms around the line converter wire tightly with still trying to maintain its circle shape. I put a small piece of electrical tape around the whole thing for added security. Then just slip the PIN back into the holder, and repeat for the other three wires.

After that is done, reverse the process of taking the plug out of the H/K amp, by clamping it back in. DO NOT screw the H/K amp back in yet... you still need to test.

If you take off the d-side panel and look slightly towards the front of the car, you will see a screw with a plate and multiple brown wires coming from it. Brown seems to be the universal color for the "ground" wire in the MINI. Attach the aftermarket amp's ground wire to this screw or plate.

To attach the remote power, there conveniently is a cigarette lighter/accessory plug. You can pop the plug out with a screw driver (careful not to scratch any plastic) and can then attach the remote wire to the middle jack/wire. Since the accessory plug is only on when the car is on, and since it is a 12v connection, it makes a perfect place to attach the remote wire.

Finally, disconnect the negative connection on the battery. Please don't forget to do this... it will hurt if you don't. Once it is disconnected you can attach the power cable right next to the positive battery terminal.. almost as if MINI wanted us to attach something there. :)

Once you are confident that is connected, re-connect the negative connection on the battery.

- Turn the car on
- Turn the radio on
- Make sure it is all working properly, including the rear speakers.

If everything is working, then you can re-attach the H/K amp brace to the body of the car. Hide all the wires where ever you want. Re-attach both side panels. And, voila! you now have an aftermarket amp attached.