Fixing a speaker (really!) on my Mini R50 & putting an original radio back

Last time we saw my 2001 early R50 Mini we took the radio out, found a broken speaker and had the door card off, today we fix all that
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[@nick2203]

As you’re probably aware there are usually two live feeds to the radio, one is permanently live to keep stored radio stations and security code, the other live feed is via ignition accessory position. If that is the system used on the Mini, then probably all you need to do is wire the Bluetooth dongle into the ignition feed and that way it will power off when you remove ignition key.

[@Simon-ui6db]

Yep it will be, same wiring block as on Rover 75 and they do have a switched ignition so highly likely the bluetooth power is on the permanent live.

[@shanefarrell2780]

Totally agree, the Bluetooth probably has a live feed and I'm guessing you connected it to the Red wire (normally permanent live) if so swop it to the yellow wire (usually ignition live) or on some radios it's the otherwise round. A man of your calibre will soon sort it with your multi metre.

[@mattcook2985]

Fully agree with both these answers. It's an Easy job to find the permanent live and the ignition live. Any issues feel free to message me I'm not far from you and happy to have a look. Matt Cook Cookoncars Ps I have some rover coupe and convertible bits I'm getting rid of if you'd like them?

[@titchness8487]

Waxoiling the doors is one of the best thing you can do. Good man! Great Blackadder quote in there too 😂

[@jonnygigs21]

Use a bit of WD-40 to remove that sticky stuff from the speaker grill!! 🙌🏼

[@jasonlocke2142]

In relation to your blue tooth thingy. Car stereos normally have a Always On 12V and a Ignition on 12V power leads. The blue tooth could be wired to the Always On therefore always powered up and looking for a signal. I had this issue when I retro fitted a stereo into a 2000 Polo.

[@derekchapman5167]

As above, it's wired to always on (which the stereo needs for the clock, presets etc.).

[@furiousdriving]

Its a plug in rather than hack and wire so drawing power from the radio, which suggests the radio is getting power all the time, despite going off with the key

[@jasonlocke2142]

@@furiousdriving The stereo has a constant feed to maintain clock, presets and settings which only draw a small amount of power but a switched 12v to actually power the stereo to play which uses more. I think the BT plug is wired incorrectly for its 12v supply. I know when I retro fitted a stereo I matched to wire colours but kept losing settings. I had to use a meter to get the supply correct and ended up switching two wires. I think they were red and yellow for memory. It could be that the power wires going to your radio are incorrect.

[@ayrproductions]

@@jasonlocke2142 yeah constant is usually red and yellow while the ignition feed is solid red.

[@frimleyfrodo]

I fitted a new radio into a friend’s Pug 107 and had to swap the yellow and red wires over (I cut, soldered and heat shrunk them - but some adaptors have mini plugs to make the swap easier). My guess, as others have said, is that the + connection for your Bluetooth module is currently on the permanent feed rather than the ignition switched feed. An £8 multi meter from Screwfix will be your friend!

[@planestrainsdogsncars4336]

Always a good idea to take a photo of wiring connections with the phone.

[@furiousdriving]

it had an aftermarket Sony when I bought it so I never saw it original

[@paultaylor9652]

Your enthusiasm knows no bounds, great to see.

[@Cavalier_Steve]

I know I have said it before, you are so lucky to have Greatest Hits radio on FM around your area!

[@spirosfoufoutos6241]

I think the thing around the speaker is called suspension. To properly repair it I think one needs to remove the old rubber completely first because otherwise it will probably vibrate internally and cause noise.

[@mrcogginsgarage7062]

Matt The Bluetooth unit is taking its power from the memory feed to the set which is a constant live feed, reconnect it to the switch feed and bobs your fathers brother.good luck and happy listening.

[@RichieRouge206]

That green connector is called ‘Fakra’ lol 😂 very much loved by German car manufacturers over the standard aerial plug. Glad you got it sorted! The dongle will be getting power from the battery live which keeps the memory for the stations, etc. That rubber ring is known as the ‘Suspension Surround’ lol. End of Encyclopaedia mode 🤣

[@furiousdriving]

lol now can I swap the yellow and red on the dongle to stop the power draw

[@ayrproductions]

@@furiousdriving you should be able to do that, unless for some reason it requires constant power. Might pay to look that up either in a manual if one was supplied or online if there wasn't one. Either way, the draw should be pretty small for it.

[@frimleyfrodo]

I think the Fakra started because of the need to inject 12v from the head unit into the aerial feed to supply voltage to the remote signal amplifier on the heated rear window, shark’s fin and door mirror aerials beloved of VW and BMW.

[@arthurfarrow]

One of those 'conveniences' that remain powered up drawing a small but debilitating current from the battery, thus draining it so that starting becomes problematic!

[@rimmersbryggeri]

Classic problem with extraneous stereo stuff is crossing the ACC and 12V permanent wires. It's been like that on every aftermarket steering wheel control or usb cd changer adapter I have ever installed.

[@scottishcarenthusiastsandtrain]

Great little tinkering video and good to see the R50 getting some love.

[@doktoruzo]

Woo...a Furious tinkering video at last! Love these tinkering vids Matt. Not as many as usual. I know you have been busy with holidays and work etc.

[@KJM.72]

Good vlog as always Matt the door card replacement looks much better looking forward to the next update on the black p6 all the best 👍

[@furiousdriving]

yes, need to get onto that soon!

[@skodakatie7341]

Great video, the Mini is looking good now❤️.

[@grayfool]

The Mini is getting better every time. Nice. Have you tried unpairing the Bluetooth before switching everything off? Maybe it stays awake while it's got an active connection.

[@furiousdriving]

yes, you can see the blue light flashing regardless, I think the switched live is always active

[@nickedney1272]

Great entertainment as usual, nice one Matt. Making a mobile phone call from your car in the drive via the stereo in the house....ha ha I love it.

[@billgriffiths1685]

What a great carpark Matt.

[@mikemidulster]

As Spiros Foufoutos has said below: the rubbers are the suspension of the speaker cone, In this case the outer suspension AKA 'the rubber surround. The original was foam which disintegrates after a few years. Some speakers have doped paper surrounds similar to the cone material. To fit the new surround properly you are supposed to lay the speaker horizontally with the front of the cone facing upwards. Remove the centre cap and place the little spacers (which should have come with the kit) in between the pole piece and the coil former. This ensures that the cone is centred properly, so that the coil won't rub when you assemble the new surround. You were lucky it worked without doing it this way :)

[@furiousdriving]

its such a small speaker theres not a lot of weight to pull it down, and keeping on rolling your fingers around the edge keeps it centred as the glue goes off quite rapidly

[@leeopenshaw9302]

Hi nice mini I’ve had quite a few now lol ,make 100% sure that the coolant fan works on both speeds hope it helps 👍👍keep up the good work

[@stevenjones19-m8i]

Hi Matt, brilliant video, Bluetooth radio how awesome.the other door card does look better after a clean.my has Bluetooth but I switch it off when not in use.

[@smoothmicra]

If the bluetooth thing proves to be too troublesome you can get one to plug in the 12V power socket which works well in my old Skoda. It has two USB charging points in it which is also handy. Think I only paid around 20 quid for it. You just pop it out of the socket when you park up.

[@lukebull8012]

Just a note with the original mini production, for the first year BMW used flat mirror glass for the wing mirrors, this swiftly moved over to convex due to customer complaint. The rear view difference will be huge by replacing to convex glass, if you send me the mirror glass still affixed to its backing plate I will replace with the correct convex radius which is still used in the most current mini. FOC. Love you channel! Luke Just to add you can double check you have flat glass by placing a credit card on the mirror, if there is no rock you have flat glass which gives only a 1:1 rear view

[@furiousdriving]

Thanks, but as this is such an early car Im keeping all the oddities as original as possible, the bluetooth is the only change while I put an original radio back in it

[@isogamerz]

Look into bluebus for this car! It's a purpose made bluetooth module for BMW family cars. It displays song info on the radio and everything. It has a bunch of great featues.

[@furiousdriving]

Thanks! Just looking at that now - it might be US only but Ill email them

[@coops206]

I have the same model of Bluetooth adapter in my Cmax. The thick black lead plugs into the head unit and the smaller black/red leads to a switchable live. I notice that yours doesn't have a separate mic. Had to upgrade mine as the original one i had worked audio only. So when making calls you could hear the caller but they couldn't hear you.

[@philtaylor9038]

Matt the irony of the waxoyl tin being rusty on both ends is funny. Great to see you near the end of a second project so soon after Quentin. You will be tinkering on the car in the garage soon ie winter project

[@furiousdriving]

But this is a long term keeper so Im sure there will be more to fix in the future on this!

[@Kenny_P_abz]

De-Solvit Sticky stuff remover would clean the speaker grill in seconds. I discovered it a couple of years ago and it’s excellent.

[@furiousdriving]

good tip!

[@Sorted7]

Swap the red and yellow wires on the back of the radio. Bmw stuff sometimes has the switchable 12v and the constant 12v the other way round to aftermarket plugs

[@krissjacobsen9434]

This also applies for both Mazdas I've owned. And probably a lot of other cars as well.

[@vspencer9764]

That also a VW thing.

[@robertsedgwick1629]

and vauxhall!

[@nigelbryant5932]

Great job Matt. You can buy door pull covers. Car is in reality good condition. 👍

[@MylesHSG]

Think you must have wired the Bluetooth to the always on instead of the ignition on. Most car stereos have both coming in. Always on for things like the clock and radio presets.

[@furiousdriving]

This is a plug into the block connector so no DIY wiring, it draws power from the radio itself rather than the loom

[@vspencer9764]

If the speaker cover is damaged you can get the old ones off by grinding the plastic pins away with a sharp screwdriver on the back of the door panel Matt and get another. I had to fit some new front speakers and a cover to my brothers R50 the other week and welded the new speaker cover back on with a soldering iron and melted the plastic back together and you would never of known.

[@simonburleigh1872]

Matt you can get a spray called sticky stuff remover which I have found to work well on glue residues without damaging plastic.

[@Ratty_Rex]

Sounds like the Bluetooth is connected to the permanent live, rather than ignition/ accessory live. Not sure on the wire colours...... and I'm sure this has been suggested already...... Great update on a very rare mini. 😀

[@jonricketts2408]

Nice progress with the Mini, to remove the sticky bits of the speaker dab a bit of near petrol on a cloth and it will remove said gummy bit. Then just use interior cleaner to remove an6 residue and smell. The radio looks like it’s picking up a permanent supply fo4 the blue tooth. Check your connections to make sure you haven’t anything fouled in the connections.

[@markonmotoring]

I've never seen those speaker repair kits before. Could have used this on the 24 year old factory speakers in my Mégane had I known as that was the sane part that had broken down leaving a sticky mess.

[@JannoG4]

Sounds like the Bluetooth Module is connected to terminal 30 (steady plus) instead of terminal 15 (ignition plus)? The radio needs terminal 30 to maintain all the settings (like the clock). I would fiddle with the adapter of the Bluetooth module and connect it to terminal 15.

[@jusb1066]

The Bluetooth module need to have its power swapped from a permanent live to an auxiliary switched live feed

[@drdanphd]

He does remind me of Jason Bradbury from the gadget show

[@Oh-Jay52]

@furiousdriving I would think like any coded radio , it needs a low amp/volatge permanent supply to store the code + the pairing may be still enabled if you havn't disconnected safely / securely from your head unit , Plus use your Mrs's hair dryer to warm up and remove the sticky pad on speaker surround : )

[@kevinnye5132]

That has to be a first Matt 🤔, a video that basically went to plan and schedule 😂, everything in its place and working , make the most of it 😁, it won’t last 👍🏻.

[@davidvickers4228]

Lovely car 👍😎

[@Rich-on6fe]

Limonene is good for removing sticker gunk, but beware: it sometimes just melts plastic things that you don't expect it to - which is unexpected since it is just the oil out of orange peel.

[@paulfinney]

If the harness you have is aftermarket or had had an aftermarket head unit in it before, there's a chance that you need to switch the ignition and live around in the main harness that goes into the head unit. I had the same issue on an e36 BMW when I swapped the headunit and it left the head unit live all the time amd drained the battery. Try swapping them over and it should fix your problem

[@Strike86]

Matt, this reminds me that I have an R50 1.6 Cooper on the driveway right now that I'm breaking for spares (accident damage). If you need any parts please let me know, I'd be happy to send them along for postage cost.

[@furiousdriving]

Thanks, can you email your contact details? [e-mail] as I cant search comments and loose track of where they were

[@Strike86]

@@furiousdriving Done 👍

[@peteb1051]

Any chance of contact details please. Needing some bits for my 03 cooper passenger window.

[@brianiswrong]

Saab's also had the radio and cd changer " paired" to the car via tec 2. It uses the cars chassis code and to swap you need to divorce the unit from the car and then marry the unit to the new car.

[@ash7990]

The material of that door card is very later Rover 25 like, and the locking pin looks the same too.

[@ian6985]

My 2005 R50 Mini original radio doesn't need a separate code to make it work after a depower (I was worried that I didn't get a code when I bought the car) but if as you say the head units are matched to the ECU I guess it doesn't need one

[@DANO2015]

Goo gone is great stuff for removing any stickers etc 👍🏻

[@johnroberts2905]

Did the radio power wires get swapped around so it's a permanent live instead of switched? Some aftermarket radios (like the previous Sony) need them swapping. Red and Yellow wires IIRC.

[@jkk244]

So BMW/MINI got some free samples of door cards and decided to save some money by using them on the early cars?! Crazy. And very cool too.

[@furiousdriving]

no, these are pre production cars so all the parts are test panels which were hand fitted to make sure they fitted before the parts were mass produced, these early cars were not built to be sold to the public. All component suppliers do sample runs before big production runs as its better to do a couple of hundred with errors that are sorted than 100,000 that are all wrong

[@jkk244]

@@furiousdriving Thanks for the explanation. I can see why the Y reg cars are so highly prized and unique.

[@LOTPOR0402]

Lot of modern cars do not need cavity wax ,they are galvanised reason why it was not done at the factory.Repaired a pair of Hifi speakers in the past with a pair of new diaphrams

[@furiousdriving]

I spent last summer welding galvanised floors on 2 cars, its done but after 20 years it needs help!

[@LOTPOR0402]

@@furiousdriving The Alfa ,The doors on that mini would of been rotten as a pair by now .It's twice as old as the average 70s car would last ,which probably would of been rotten in 5 years A lot of modern cars it's the fixtures and fitting that corrode not so much the body shell ( lots of plastics anyway).Brackets nut bolts suspension components etc are what tend to rust

[@darthvirago]

To remove sticky goo, I use a bit of petrol on a rag.

[@dancool27]

ISO to Fakra aerial adaptor. On my Seat Ibiza the Yellow and Red on the aftermarket ISO block connector had to be swapped or radio would still be powered

[@brianiswrong]

At 4:55 I thought Blimey that's a hole for a big speaker 😲 for a moment.

[@jamesthomson3025]

Love the Blackadder reference lol. Do you happen to know if the code issue is the same for all car stereos these days? I run a Peugeot 207 and the cd player has stopped working but the radio part works. I don't want to buy a direct replacement only to find it won't work because it's from a different car

[@furiousdriving]

no, every one is different, but you can get the code off the internet with the serial number

[@ayrproductions]

Bluetooth will be wired up to the constant wire instead of the ignition one. One way around it would be to change that wire to the one for the ignition positive or to wire the power for it up to the cigarette lighter.

[@DashCamSerbia]

LOL, mister sandpaper hands. :D

[@neilhopkins8673]

I had to swap red and yellow wires round when fitting an aftermarket stereo to my son’s Peugeot 107

[@d.c.Jones70]

Try a hairdryer on the sticky stuff should work a treat

[@david1976aful]

What was that audible book series you recommended? Thanks, in advance. 👍

[@furiousdriving]

Last Smile in Sunder City, Im onto the sequel now!

[@tafman73]

Servisol Label Remover is brilliant for removing anything sticky. Don't get the brillo pads out!

[@nigelrudd670]

Catching up work work 🚛🤓

[@Elvis_TheKing]

Furniture polish will get that grease off the speaker surround, Furious.

[@gosportjamie]

With the Bluetooth dongle not powering off, it could be because it was still detecting your paired phone being nearby, but it could also be because you had left the radio switched on when you turned the car off. which could be allowing the dongle to stay powered on using the current fed to the radio to maintain the built-in memory for radio stations and the security code. Try turning the radio off before turning the ignition off and see if that makes a difference, and also try disconnecting your phone from the dongle before turning the car off. One of these may make a difference and it costs nothing to give it a try...

[@pizzalover3]

If one speaker surround has deteriorated then the other probably has too. If you can see just a slight crack in the foam rubber then a coating with latex rubber glue will save it for a bit. Or alternatively why not upgrade to the higher spec Harman Kardon premium speakers?

[@furiousdriving]

I had the other card off last year and it was fine. I think the plastic mounts are different on the very early cars so keeping original

[@FNUKSTER1366]

Matt , that Bluetooth unit is probably being powered by the permanent live , change it to the ignition live

[@lesklower7281]

The thing with radios that if there is a clock even with your mini turned of the radio is still powered up so you do not have to reset the clock or the radio stations

[@RaJa-pn7ts]

Does your radio work without having the key in? Mine doesn't and I need to twist the key to position 1. Maybe your radio works without the key being in position 1 so there is constant power to it.

[@furiousdriving]

yes, it does - it should go off with the key but be usable for about 20 minutes after switching off, but this seems to stay on permanently

[@RaJa-pn7ts]

@@furiousdriving Oh didn't know it was just for 20 minutes, sounds reasonable. Wish I had that feature. I have the older cassette player unit, maybe why.

[@GentilsGarage]

For the sticker glue removal you can use Vodka (but it's a bit of a waste) or rubbing alcohol (which I don't recommend drinking)

[@furiousdriving]

we have some novelty vodka (horrible) from a gift pack, that can be sacrificed!

[@GentilsGarage]

@@furiousdriving nice one. If that doesn’t work, get rubbing alcohol. Works for me every time when I remove glue from plastics and glass.

[@peteb1051]

I love me gen 1 cooper apart from the fact it is starting to have issues. Lol

[@robc5955]

Nice Blackadder reference, the Bluetooth device must be connected to a permanent live perhaps for the radio memory rather than a switched live, but I guess you know that?

[@furiousdriving]

Im thinking that, need some test meter time

[@craigstaggs8597]

I'm an audio professional and re foaming speakers takes skill and understanding because if the voicecoil is not centered it will rub on the magnet and sound terrible .....

[@furiousdriving]

running your fingers around it repeatedly works well at centring on the cone

[@andrewbarnes1295]

Perhaps some WD40 on that sticky stuff on the speaker surround to get it off?

[@RaJa-pn7ts]

Or lighter fluid. Takes them off in 1 sec.

[@paulrb894]

Hope you don't get a flat battery in next few weeks , keep eye on that Bluetooth dongle

[@wobbler6372]

Is only the yellow and red wire are the wrong way round . Thought you would know that . Power the blue tooth on the blue wire

[@marklittler784]

Don't you stick a plastic sheet to the door first before refitting the panel ?

[@furiousdriving]

normally yes, but there wasnt one when this came off and I think it was for the first time

[@hmuggins7042]

Hand sanitizer will remove sticky stuff

[@leed2883]

Wired to 12v permanent live instead of 12v switched

[@furiousdriving]

The bluetooth plugs a part of the block connector rather than any DIY wiring but it must hook into permanent live

[@dandandan389]

Listen to/read the Rivers of London series by Ben Aaronovitch!

[@furiousdriving]

That keeps showing up in my recommended list, been meaning to listen to or read that

[@dandandan389]

@@furiousdriving you won't be disappointed! There is a few books in the series and they just get better and better.

[@stephensomersify]

Utterly bizarre mixed up video!

[@maverick4177]

Just disconnect the phone from the car Bluetooth

[@furiousdriving]

Its still on an searching whether a phone is connected or not

[@louisjames1062]

Just wire the dongle to ignition live instead of permanent

[@sammydingdong4540]

I have had three of these mini cars and one had a duff gearbox and the other two had power steering faults ,coasting many many hard earned cash fixing them ,shame really and more fool me buying three of them ,never again.

[@bmwman1981]

The build quality on the minis is awful most people buy one then wish they hadn’t ever owned one

[@trabali5168]

speaker repair kit?!!......

[@furiousdriving]

who knew

[@markonmotoring]

Like yourself Matt I like to saturate the panel with am APC but I work it in with a soft detailing brush, then wipe dry with a clean microfiber cloth.

[@bmwman1981]

I’d of thrown the factory speakers in the bin and fitted some better quality aftermarket speakers

[@furiousdriving]

They are moulded into those plastic mounts and you cant get them exactly right for the very early Minis, I was going to if Id not found this fix

[@billgriffiths1685]

Yipee I'm 1st

[@ronmccullock1407]

Would it not be better to take your Mini to the your Mini dealership and have them fix the radio ?

[@furiousdriving]

Not if its the ebay bluetooth thats messing up

[@ronmccullock1407]

@@furiousdriving I understand, thanks for pointing it out

[@pablojones5613]

*notices Stephen Fry on Spotify screen. Unsubscribes* 🤣🤣🤣