Mini Cooper 2009: Radio problems

Three weeks ago the radio in my 2009 Mini Cooper suddenly went dead. It was working when I parked the car in the evening and not working at all the next morning. The screen does not illuminate, nothing works. I have checked all the fuses and they seem fine. The radio is built into the back of the dash and requires the dash to be dismantled to access and inspect the radio. I have heard of BMW charging up to $1500 to do this. I am not sure what course of action to take. I think it is outrageous that the dash has to be dismantled just to access a radio, and I would have expected a radio to be one item that should not fail, particularly if it's totally enclosed within the dash. Can you advise me on how best to resolve this issue with BMW please? I do not want to pay out $1000-plus.