Does anyone know where I can get a snap in adapter for the phone cradle in the armrest? I've tried to order it through a few dealerships and they are saying that they are backordered and possibly discontinued. I need the one for a Sony Ericsson T610/T616/T630/T637 (part number# 84 21 0 392 480).

I know this phone cradle is an archaic system. They seemed to be already archaic when they came out 2 years ago, let alone in the new Minis ... but I bought an new (used) Sony Ericsson T616 just so I could use the system, only to discover when the car was delivered that you need a snap in adapter that nobody (dealer included) knows anything about ...

Any help would be really appreciated.
Thanks!

 

Norm, I haven't heard from anyone who has one a cradle. I've resigned myself that I probably won't be able to find one for my phone. It seems they were a little misleading in not telling people they would need an adaptor and that the adaptors weren't available.

The bluetooth system works well enough, but one of the supposed advantages for having the cradle was to have better antenna signal strength.

 

I feel the same way you do, John. It's frustrating. Yes, the phone works great with the bluetooth, but the whole point of the cradle is to have it charged and to connect it to the external antenna for better reception. And it was part of a $1400 package, so it seems stupid to have 95% of the package and be missing such a small piece. Worse, nobody seems to know much about it. My MA is very knowledgeable on Mini things, but even she initially didn't know anything about it.

I don't even mind that I had to track down an older phone so that it would work in the cradle. I just need that stinking adapter! My MA is on the hunt for one too. She's pretty crafty, so my fingers are crossed. Will let you know.

The BMW snap in adapters seem so similar, it's too bad they can't be tweaked to work in the Mini too.

 

A couple of weeks ago I asked about the cradle availability and received this response:

We are working to develop cradles to use with the MINI system, and hope to have them available through the parts department of your MINI dealer in the near future. I would suggest staying in touch with the parts team at your MINI dealer for the latest updates.

Which made me think I shouldn't hold my breath.