MINI Cooper upgrades, generation by generation.

F56 cars from 2014 to 2024, mostly for CarPlay: coding on 2018-on NBT Evo cars, a box or our Android screen on 2014–2017 cars. R56 owners come in for a CarPlay box on Visual Boost, a screen in the dial or a reversing camera. F66 and J01 owners mostly want a dash cam, front sensors and ambient lighting.

It keeps the round housing. The unit sits inside the dial with a matching bezel; on the R56 it shows the speed where the central speedo was, and on the F56 the instruments are on the column anyway. The MINI controller, steering buttons and the Harman Kardon amplifier stay. It is a flat, bigger screen, so the look is more modern than original; if you want the car to stay factory, a CarPlay box or coding is the route.

Only on the power side. The F56 MINI Electric and the J01 have the same screens and CarPlay routes as the petrol cars of their year, and everything we fit runs from the 12-volt battery: dash cams, cameras, sensors and amplifiers are wired from the fuse panel with a low-voltage cut-off and never touch the high-voltage system.

R56 / R57 — 2006–2013 (R56 three-door hatch and R57 convertible (built to 2015)): Boost CD radio in the centre dial on most cars; Visual Boost with a 6.5-inch screen from 2010, or the MINI navigation system (CCC to 2009, CIC from 2010) in the same dial. F56 / F55 / F57 — 2014–2024 (F56 three-door, F55 five-door, F57 convertible, plus the MINI Electric): MINI Boost radio with a 6.5-inch screen, Visual Boost or MINI Navigation (NBT, 6.5 or 8.8-inch) on 2014–2017 cars; NBT Evo (ID5/ID6) with a touchscreen and optional wireless CarPlay from 2018; 8.8-inch touchscreen standard from the 2021 facelift. F66 / F65 / J01 — 2024 on (petrol F66 and F65, electric J01, F67 convertible): MINI Operating System 9 with the 9.4-inch round OLED display; wireless CarPlay and Android Auto from the factory. Not sure? Send the reg on WhatsApp and we tell you the generation and the route.

CarPlay: Box on R56 screens, coding on F56 NBT Evo, box on earlier F56 units, factory CarPlay on the F66 and J01. Reversing camera: Factory camera coded into NBT, NBT Evo and MINI OS 9; video interface or mirror monitor on older cars. Car radio: 9-inch Android screen in the centre dial on R56 and 2014–2017 F56 cars, MINI controller kept. Dash cam: Hardwired from the passenger-side fuse panel with a MINI-safe cut-off; 12-volt side only on electric cars. Parking sensors: PDC retrofit coded in on F56 and later cars, factory-style or colour-matched sensors on the R56. Speakers: Plug-in door speakers and tweeters; Harman Kardon cars keep the factory amplifier. Ambient lighting: Ambient LED kits on the R56, factory ambient light extended on F56 and later cars. Subwoofer: Under-seat or boot subwoofer on a DSP amplifier fed from the factory unit, boot space kept. Soundproofing: Doors and floor treated with butyl and foam, trim refitted without marks.

CarPlay: under an hour for activation, two to four hours for a box or a screen. Reversing camera: two to three hours. Car radio: two to three hours, usually the same day. Dash cam: one to two hours for a front camera, about two with a rear camera. Most Cooper owners wait at the workshop or drop the car in the morning and collect it the same day.

R56 / R57: the Boost CD radio in the centre dial on most cars; Visual Boost with a 6.5-inch screen from 2010, or the MINI navigation system (CCC to 2009, CIC from 2010) in the same dial stays and we add to it. F56 / F55 / F57: the MINI Boost radio with a 6.5-inch screen, Visual Boost or MINI Navigation (NBT, 6.5 or 8.8-inch) on 2014–2017 cars; NBT Evo (ID5/ID6) with a touchscreen and optional wireless CarPlay from 2018; 8.8-inch touchscreen standard from the 2021 facelift stays and we add to it. F66 / F65 / J01: the MINI Operating System 9 with the 9.4-inch round OLED display; wireless CarPlay and Android Auto from the factory stays and we add to it. Steering-wheel buttons, factory amplifiers and cameras are carried over on every route; the only route that changes what you see is an Android screen, and even then the controls are kept.

Send the reg or the year on WhatsApp or the form below and we confirm the generation, the route, the price and the next free slot. Every job carries a one-year warranty on the work, done at our workshop in Rosemount Business Park, Dublin 11, Monday to Saturday.