# 2005 BMW 545i - rebuild (two 18" subs ported, I'm nuts, plus Soundstream)



## Merzbow (May 31, 2010)

Heya. So about five years ago I bought a 2005 BMW 545i with the intention of perhaps doing a small install. I can't say I was much into car audio at that point. Well, one thing led to another and this happened:

http://www.cardomain.com/ride/2312439










For a complete novice I think I did a decent job. So far nothing broke down nor burned up so I at least overengineered the wiring properly. Well, now I've got the itch to do it all again, from scratch. The years have revealed limitations of the original install that I really can't fix without doing so (I'll go into more detail in later posts).

I'm still a car audio novice - haven't done anything car audio related since 2005 - so I intend for this build log to have a strong educational component since I will be doing many things for the first time (like glassing). My goal for the install is clean but not insane, and I have plenty of time, so I will redo things if I don't get them right at first. However, I'm not shooting for competition-level anything. My goal is excellent SQ with plenty of headroom, and enormous bass, using brands that I like and have experience with.

If I was doing things all over again I would have bought another car more suited for car audio, but it is what it is. Having evolved into somewhat of a basshead I am resigned to tossing the rear seats (yes, that's how I'm fitting two 18" subs into a sedan).

(BTW I used to participate now and then on elitecaraudio.com way back. It's a shame that disappeared, so much information lost! Luckily this forum seems to contain the same quantity of great advice.)

*
Equipment list
*

*Source - Apple iPod Classic (160 GB)*









*Head unit - Kenwood KDC-X994*









*Front-stage comps - Soundstream RF-60C (two full sets!)*
















*Front-stage amps - Soundstream REF2.640 (two!)*
















*Subs - Elemental Designs 19Ov.2 (ported, two!)*
















*Sub amp - Soundstream Rubicon 2500D*


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## Salad Fingers (Jun 14, 2009)

Why not this guy? Then you'd have album art and pull video as well... I'm just saying...


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## MTopper (Nov 4, 2009)

let us know how you like the soundstream components. those look really good to me but at $200 they aren't something i could buy to tryout


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## Merzbow (May 31, 2010)

Salad Fingers said:


> Why not this guy? Then you'd have album art and pull video as well... I'm just saying...


Good question. I considered this at first but then my research revealed that it uses yesterday's technology for iPod connectivity. I'll quote an earlier post I made on the subject in a different thread:



Merzbow said:


> Be careful here. I was about to order the KIV-BT900 over the KDC-X994 until I delved into the manuals in more detail. IPod performance is pretty much paramount for me. It turns out the BT900 does NOT bypass the IPod's internal DAC (see the cable being used), while the KDC-X994 does. Crutchfield's hands-on pages for these units confirms this. So if SQ is a consideration, the BT900 is at a disadvantage. (This limitation is really inexcusable for a brand-new unit for this price these days, IMHO.)


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## Merzbow (May 31, 2010)

OK so where do I begin... Officially started the build on Thursday. Had a lot of time these past few days so I got to play around a fair amount. Let's summarize my adventures in fiberglassing. In order to learn the craft, I decided to experiment with making a fake kick panel. (Even though in my car I'm going to put the comps on the door not in a kick panel.) This will include making a "back" that molds off the corner of a plastic box I have, then gluing on dowels and a speaker ring, then covering it with fleece, glass, and bondo. Yes, a bigass waste of money for a throwaway piece, but better I screw up a test piece than a car door.

Here's some glassing supplies I bought from TAP:


















The two smaller rolls I had from a few years ago and never used. I forget why I was recommended them. One is some type of glossy lightweight woven fiberglass, the other is a weird perforated material that doesn't even feel like fiberglass. As you'll see, it will turn out that I probably should have gotten some thicker, standard type of map. The larger roll is an assload of fleece I picked up at Jo-Ann Fabrics. Stretchy stretchy! (Yes, I was the only straight male in Jo-Ann Fabrics. The little old ladies in line had a blast asking me what the hell I was doing.) It's really an interesting shop, I noticed some incredible suede material that I'm thinking I will use to eventually cover my install. But that's for the future.

So I take an old plastic box I have laying around and tape up the corner. I then cut up a bunch of pieces of the lightweight mat and begin mixing the glass:










I then lightly resin up the tape, and start layering glass and tapping in resin. Eventually I end up with this:










I didn't pay as much attention to getting out the air bubbles as I should have. Part of the reason is that my protective glasses fogged up and I really couldn't see ****. Next time, I will watch out for this.

I leave this out to dry for about 6 hours and come back. It seems reasonably dry, but worrying flexible:










I thought a few layers of glass and resin were enough to make something strong enough that you could ****ing stand on it? I then try to remove the mold. Uh-oh, it won't come off of the tape! I am eventually able to yank it out, tape and all, but fail to remove the tape from the mold:










I decide to discard this first attempt and try again. My mistakes were legion:



Don't lay this crap out right on tape. All of the tutorials on the net have you putting foil down between the tape and the mold for easy removal. Lesson learned.
I think I used the wrong type of mat. It was extremely lightweight, with a loose weave. Even several layers did not seem substantial. Looking at tutorials, it seems people use heavier mat with random fibers. That's what I will buy next.
I may not have used enough hardener. It should have cured much sooner given the high air temperature. The ratio of MEKP to resin listed on the instructions is extremely small, and I did not have a pipette or container accurate enough to measure out the tiny amount of MEKP I needed, so I wung it. I will have to find such a container (probably at TAP).

See, I told you this would be educational...


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## Merzbow (May 31, 2010)

Hmm still lots more to cover this weekend. How about some UPS porn. What could these be:


















Yup, my comps and comp amps are in! I got these brand-new for absolutely insane prices from the usual Google Shopping suspects. (While I empathize with the plight of authorized dealers at local shops, it is impossible to justify spending 50% more for the promise of a warranty.) Why did I go with these comps in particular? High power handling (180 RMS), good reviews on other forums, easy availability.

Let's take out the comps:


























Sexy. Look at the size of those crossovers! Remember, one whole set is going in each (front) door. With my previous install, I had issues with distortion and vibration when pushing my old comps to high volumes. This time, I am ensuring I have more than enough cone area (and power) for the volume I want. Vibration will be solved with copious amounts of custom fiberglass in the door panel.

Now let's see the amps:


























My old sub amp was a Soundstream Picasso that has proven essentially unkillable. My old comp amps were Arc Audio and were also unkillable, but unfortunately were a hodgepodge of models and can't provide the power output combinations I need for the new setup. So I figured I'd go new and all-Soundstream, which are far more reasonably priced. I'm in the camp of those who believe that once you overcome certain minimum specs and a level of reliability, amps basically sound the same - or SHOULD sound the same - and the Soundstream Reference series certainly does that, and also has glowing reviews.

Well enough of that, back in the boxes they go:


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## kizz (Jun 22, 2009)

x2 on the soundstream comps. let us know how they sound!


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## Salad Fingers (Jun 14, 2009)

WTF is with all the Soundstream?!??!!!!??!?????!?!!?!!?!?!!??!!?1


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## chithead (Mar 19, 2008)

I like the Soundstream


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## Merzbow (May 31, 2010)

Salad Fingers said:


> WTF is with all the Soundstream?!??!!!!??!?????!?!!?!!?!?!!??!!?1


Why not? Their stuff is reliable, sounds great, at a great price, available easily. They do have too many lines of products but so does everybody else (Arc I'm looking at you.)


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## dohcser (May 25, 2010)

Old school SS was great, not sure of the new stuff, don't have much experience in the new eqpt. Let me know how this works out for you


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## Salad Fingers (Jun 14, 2009)

Merzbow said:


> Why not? Their stuff is reliable, sounds great, at a great price, available easily. They do have too many lines of products but so does everybody else (Arc I'm looking at you.)


Oops... sorry I don't even remember writing that. Had some friends over last night and got really drunk, then somehow stayed up until 3 after they left watching the recorded Laker game. I guess that's when I wrote that. So sorry again... But I guess I'm younger and I wasn't around during the "glory days" of Sounstream, and just see them as an Audiobahn type company with all the chrome and spiders... just seems like cheesy stuff, and is distributed by a company that anyone with a tax ID can buy... but I have literally no experience with it so what the hell do I know. If you like it, that's all that matters!!!!!!!!!!!


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## mattyjman (Aug 6, 2009)

your gonna want to play around quite a bit more with glass before you undertake glassing pods ON a door. making the initial mold is easy, but aiming, covering, sealing, blending, sanding, bondoing, etc are all very in depth processes. are they by no means hard, but rather time taxing and not very forgiving either. 

i don't want to discourage you, as this is exactly how i learned as well, but glassing a few layers in a tuberware box isn't really going to give you the full effect. be patient, and read a ton. if you are serious about what your doing, spend a ton of time on fiberglassforums.com. tons of tips and great ideas that will make your life easier. 

good luck with the build


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## blazron22z (Jun 15, 2009)

/aint ur trunk kind of small for 2 18's


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## chithead (Mar 19, 2008)

blazron22z said:


> /aint ur trunk kind of small for 2 18's


Hope you got a big trunk, cause there's gonna be two 18's in it


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## Merzbow (May 31, 2010)

So people are wondering where the two 18" subs will be going... here's the answer:



















Yup, the back seats are OUT. The cardboard box is something I threw together to be the same size as the box Elemental Designs is building for me to hold the subs. Now there are actually some sort of car electronics under the rear seat, so I have to plan on being able to take the box out if I need to for service. This excludes a wall or some fancy fiberglass thing that I won't be able to take out. So my plan is to use a simple box. I'll construct some support on the seats with wood, the box will slide on top of that. For cosmetics, I might make fiberglass wings or something that will cover up the gaps on all sides. Then I plan on covering everything in suede. Amps might go in this area also instead of in the trunk. I don't know yet, none of this area will happen until July probably.

The EDs really are quite amazing drivers. When I first saw that they recommend only 3.5 cf each tuned to 30hz for best performance, I was skeptical. Yet I fired up WinISD and the frequency response appeared remarkably flat for vented:










The yellow line is the EDs. The red line is my existing sealed RE XXX 15. (We're going to get quite a bit louder, no?) Also note that I plan on giving the EDs only 1500 watts max, as opposed to the 2000 going to the RE XXX 15, in order to reduce strain on the BMW's alt. The alt is 180 amps, which is great for stock, but I get voltage drops when I currently push my current system all-out.

Also, the drivers came in. Here are pics:





































I have two of ED's A450s home theater subs, which basically use the same driver, and love them. So I've got personal experience with how well they perform.


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## Merzbow (May 31, 2010)

Yeah, the Brembos are gone, I put the stock brakes back on (with painted calipers). The Brembos developed a horrible wobble after a few years. When I took it to a local performance shop, they said it had been installed incorrectly originally, and some mounting holes had become wobbly. Repairing would involve replacing most of the assemblies, so I gave up. One of the biggest wastes of money in my life, I never track this car anyways, what possessed me to buy these?










Let's go into the front doors now, where the comps will go. Right now the doors hold three-ways. The tweeter and mid are in stock locations, and the woofer is just screwed into the panel. With the power going to the woofer I get horrible vibration in the panel (despite deadening). Hence my plans to go with fiberglass pods.










Note the paint peeling off here. As part of the build I will be addressing all existing cosmetic issues in the vehicle, like this. Spray paint is the plan here...

Now, as Jay-Z would say, "take that off":














































(Note: NEVER use those male-female connectors in an effort to make it easy to connect/disconnect wires. They tend to meld to each other over time, meaning you'll just have to cut them off anyways. Sigh.) Luckily the task of running high-quality speaker wire into the doors was done during the first build. If I put the crossovers in the door as expected I won't have to run anything more.

Currently what appears to be the locking CPU with its moronic security screws is preventing me from completely removing the weather lining. (Hopefully I won't have to.) But you can see what I'm dealing with here. Some people like to attach their custom pods to the door sheet metal itself, but that doesn't seem possible in this case, since the holes in the inner sheet metal are gigantic, and right under that is where the window comes down.

So that leaves attaching the pod to the panel itself. My current plan is to do something like what Steve Meade did with Chicken's Caddy:

2002 Caddy (8) Fi Btl 18's (2) Rockford T15k - SMD Forum - Page 7









Difference here is that I would only want to be modifying the lower-half of the door, below the armrest. The idea is to cut out most of the bottom half, then make a one-piece MDF backing, with holes, that fits there. Somehow I'll attach that MDF to the frame. Then I will glue on speaker rings, properly angled, as per Steve's pic. Then I will wrap the bottom half in fleece, glass, and go from there. This will obviously be the most delicate and error-prone aspect of the entire build. I'll take mattyjman's advice and go very slowly, with lots of research. I have no time limit here. I WILL get it right.


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## Merzbow (May 31, 2010)

Last weekend I also decided to build flushed-in speaker rings for the Soundstream 6.5s. These are rings with a full-height outside circle, and a half-height inside circle on which the speaker edge sits. I could do this pretty much independently of anything else so I just decided to knock it out. Steve Meade has a great thread on how to do these:

How To Make Flushed In Trim Rings - SMD Forum

(Basic tools needed are a Jasper circle jig, router, MDF, saw horses.) I immediately saw that I could improve on this method by using a sacrificial piece of MDF under the main workpiece so that I wouldn't have to worry about having something to secure the pin on. So I own two routers, a big Bosch plunge router, and a small Bosch palm router with a fixed base. On my first attempt, I decided to use the palm router because I incorrectly concluded that some of the circles I wanted to make were too small for the big router. Since there were no existing screw holes on the jig that fit the palm router, I had to make them:










The problem with using this router became apparent quickly:










Because it's fixed-base, not plunge, it's tricky and error-prone making the first entry with the bit. Basically you end up with moon-shaped holes on the side of the circle you were trying to make. Not good. So I scrapped this approach after figuring out how to use the large router properly. My original concern was that the jig hole for some of the smaller circles I needed to make would be blocked by the large base of the big router. But they are only blocked on the top of the jig, not the bottom. It turns out that the pin only needs to go in a little bit to provide a secure pivot for the jig, so in reality this doesn't matter.

Anyways, I put the jig back on the big Bosch and went to town:





































The third image illustrates one mistake I made: I cut out the inner circle before cutting out the half-height area. The problem with doing it this way is that the last cut of the half-height area has to remove a very thin circle of MDF. This could easily have caused cracking or splitting of the inner edge of the ring, but luckily it didn't in my case. The correct order to use is this (of course this assumes you've got a sacrificial piece of MDF to secure the pin properly):


Cut the half-height area first.
Cut the inner circle out second.
Cut the outer circle out last.

Anyways the rings turned out great:


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## Merzbow (May 31, 2010)

Yay, my Kenwood Excelon KDC-X994 arrived today:










From years ago I have a desktop 120v AC to 13.6v DC 10 amp converter that I can use to bench-test equipment like this without having to plug it into a car. So I dug that out of storage and hooked it up:










Playing a CD worked fine (I routed the RCA front L/R outputs to my headphone amp):










I was most anxious to see how the iPod integration worked. Luckily it went without a hitch. The iPod controls on the head unit were very quick and very easy to use. My iPod is 160GB and completely full, so this was reassuring:










I also tried plugging in a USB hard drive. Complete failure, the HU could not generate enough power on the USB line to spin-up the drive:










A shame, but not a deal-breaker since I was planning to use the iPod integration from the get-go. Also it does not appear there is a HU in existence that can both power a 2.5" laptop hard drive, quickly scan 100s of gigs of music files, and access them all without annoying limitations on folder/file numbers. In my first build I used a carputer to bypass all this, but given the size of iPods these days and the fact that native digital iPod integration works so great on HUs like these, I'm fine with just the HU and the iPod.


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## chithead (Mar 19, 2008)

Excellent job on the mounting rings.

How do you like that head unit so far? Looks like a pretty nice piece.


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## Merzbow (May 31, 2010)

chithead said:


> Excellent job on the mounting rings.
> 
> How do you like that head unit so far? Looks like a pretty nice piece.


Thanks, I now need to do the same thing for the tweets. The Kenwood looks stunning that's for sure. I forgot to test the Bluetooth, but with the iPod working fine that's all I really wanted to verify. I think I'm going to do all the front-dash electrical work next before I do the doors and anything in the back. This means throwing in the HU, replacing some dash trim that needs fixing, and also I'm planning to install a small Garmin or the like for navigation (didn't want a flip-up HU with Nav that would block the AC controls, and none available had all the features I wanted anyways). Then I'll put the amps on a temporary piece of MDF and hook that up so I have a way to actually drive speakers, which I'll need if I want to test-aim the components properly.

I can't see this being done completely before late August/September, lol... I need to get some surfing time in also now that my torn muscle is healed...


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## Merzbow (May 31, 2010)

Just put that door panel back on last night so I could ride my car again today. That panel is an absolute ***** to get on or off, there are like 20 clips of different types that have to line up, about 5 plugin wires that are invariably too short that have to clip in somewhere, the idiotic airbag screw, etc.

I'm seriously toying with just lopping off the lower half of the panel, below the armrest (there are no electronics down there) and coming up with a solution that doesn't involve hanging 25 more pounds of **** off an already half-assed door panel. Doing so would rule out IB most likely because whatever bottom-half I come up with is not going to attach leak-proof to the top-half (which really isn't that leak-proof to begin with). I'm going to email Soundstream and see if a sealed enclosure for the mid-bass drivers is possible.


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## karazu (Apr 12, 2010)

chithead said:


> Excellent job on the mounting rings.
> 
> How do you like that head unit so far? Looks like a pretty nice piece.





Merzbow said:


> Thanks, I now need to do the same thing for the tweets. The Kenwood looks stunning that's for sure. I forgot to test the Bluetooth, but with the iPod working fine that's all I really wanted to verify. I think I'm going to do all the front-dash electrical work next before I do the doors and anything in the back. This means throwing in the HU, replacing some dash trim that needs fixing, and also I'm planning to install a small Garmin or the like for navigation (didn't want a flip-up HU with Nav that would block the AC controls, and none available had all the features I wanted anyways). Then I'll put the amps on a temporary piece of MDF and hook that up so I have a way to actually drive speakers, which I'll need if I want to test-aim the components properly.
> 
> I can't see this being done completely before late August/September, lol... I need to get some surfing time in also now that my torn muscle is healed...


Hello! looking very good your car...

Well.. I quote you two... cause I buy a X774 from EUA (sory my bad english too... im from brazil).
Right now... Im enjoying very much this HU... Its the same as your x994 just what changes is the color that you can change... and mine is just white...
The bluethoot works fine... Im sad because i could not play a 2.5" HDD with the usb... =(... right now im using a PenDrive to my musics...

Take more pics from the HU whem you can... and when you finish your install... let us know the parameters you use on the settings =)

K.


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## Merzbow (May 31, 2010)

I'm continuing to practice fiberglassing in-between doing other things:



















My second attempt at a test fiberglass project is going much better than the first. No matter how many tutorials you read, folks, practice is essential. It will teach you the correct mats/cloth to use, how much time you have to work with the resin, how the components interact, etc. Anyways I think I've got enough of a handle on it now to feel confident I can succeed at the door pods when I attempt them, if I go slowly.

Recent arrival:





































This sucker is BIG and heavy! The styling is very similar to the Reference amps I got for the front stage. I will probably only be using at most 1500-1700 of the Rubicon's 2500 watts, which is fine with me.










Some JL Audio RCAs that will go from the HU to the amps. I think the 4-channel model is discontinued, it's no longer on their web site and I got it for a great price new from an eBay seller. The blue here also jives with the blue on the Soundstream amps I bought.


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## Merzbow (May 31, 2010)

So I decided to tackle the front-cabin electrical. This means throwing in the new HU (and the GPS unit I'm going to buy tomorrow), ripping out all of the old wiring related to the old carputer and HU, and running the new RCAs to the back. First, out with the carputer and screen:










As unreliable as it was, it did have its charm, and I will kinda miss it. But my alt won't miss those 50-100 watts it was pulling, that's for sure. Next I took out about five billion trim panels on the dash and on the sides of the car all the way to the back:




























Gotta love the secret ****ing screw hiding behind a piece of retractable carpet. Do auto engineers do this sort of thing just to mess with our minds?


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## Merzbow (May 31, 2010)

OK, time to test-fit the new Kenwood. I imagine it's not going to fit into the old Alpine's metal glove, but I had to see nonetheless:



















Nope, it slides in but doesn't "click", it just keeps sliding back. I now have to hack out the Alpine metal glove and hack in the Kenwood metal glove. I remember it being quite a ***** getting that thing in there because this dash was not designed to hold standard DIN HUs. Attaching the glove is not easy since you can't have anything sticking out too much inside because then the HU won't slide in. Let's see how I did it with the Alpine:



















Wow, that's hardcore ghetto. I threw some small screws up from the glove, and sort of stuck them into the inner dash piece with epoxy patch. I then ground down the screw heads (not shown here) with a Dremel so the HU could slide in and out. Nonetheless, it was rock solid reliable, it took quite a bit of Dremel work to drill out the patch so I could get this out.

So. How should I get the new glove in? I have an epiphany and realize that rather than dicking around with screws, I can use zip ties. Don't laugh. They are super-strong and won't cause issues with the HU sliding in and out. So I proceed:



















Amazingly enough it's centered, level, and in there pretty darn solid.


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## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

Just a heads up on your window switch. Don't bother painting any pieces that are peeling. It's not paint, but the rubberized coating coming off. A **** ton of MkIV and B5/B5.5 VWs had that same problem. Owners and dealers all tried sanding and painting them and it NEVER worked. The best thing really is to just swap the parts.


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## Merzbow (May 31, 2010)

quality_sound said:


> Just a heads up on your window switch. Don't bother painting any pieces that are peeling. It's not paint, but the rubberized coating coming off. A **** ton of MkIV and B5/B5.5 VWs had that same problem. Owners and dealers all tried sanding and painting them and it NEVER worked. The best thing really is to just swap the parts.


Crap. Unfortunately the two parts in question - the plastic trim around the window controls and the plastic trim behind the door grab - are bolted into the door panel with those annoying deformable plastic lugs and can't be removed. SOMETHING will stick to it. If I have to throw on a layer of Bondo, I will.


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## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

Body filler won't stick, it's plastic. Slam the door a couple of times and it'll pop right off.  There has to be a replacement part you can get for it. You can _try_ painting them, and possibly have better luck than I've seen, but I'd replace the whole door panel if I had to.


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## Kenny_Cox (Sep 9, 2007)

a friend of mine mentioned ripping out his back seats in his 01 528. i shall show him this thread as you proceed. have fun


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## Merzbow (May 31, 2010)

quality_sound said:


> Body filler won't stick, it's plastic. Slam the door a couple of times and it'll pop right off.  There has to be a replacement part you can get for it. You can _try_ painting them, and possibly have better luck than I've seen, but I'd replace the whole door panel if I had to.


OK, but if I just scrape the rest of the rubber coating off, the bare plastic is exposed, and I know that can be painted. I've used special plastic-only spray paint in the past that stuck to plastic trim pieces that other (allegedly multi-surface) paints wouldn't.


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## Merzbow (May 31, 2010)

Pictures got broken on some of my earlier updates and I'm not allowed to edit them anymore (not a wise move on build threads DIYMA mods, please change this.) Quoting with fixed pictures.



Merzbow said:


> Hmm still lots more to cover this weekend. How about some UPS porn. What could these be:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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## beerdrnkr (Apr 18, 2007)

Looks like you've really stepped up your game since the first build...lol...Looking good man, can't wait to see how those 18's end up fitting in there.


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## bkjay (Jul 7, 2009)

Can't wait for review of your install. Those comps. from what I see look well built.


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## Merzbow (May 31, 2010)

Picked up a Garmin. Plan is for this to be placed next to the iDrive window, angled towards the driver. It should be easily removable, yet not be visually intrusive. As for power, this is the cable:










I decided not to chop off the cig lighter bulb. Instead I'll solder pos and neg wires to them, then hide the bulb behind the fuse compartment, where there's plenty of room now that the car PC is gone. I also decided to extent the thin wire between the plug and the rectangular block, leaving one end of the extension unsoldered for now to make it easier to run the wire in the car.


























d










Now to temporarily connect the unsoldered end so I can test my work with the DC generator:



















I now went and drilled a hole in the dash where I wanted the plug to come up out of, and threaded it in.


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## Merzbow (May 31, 2010)

Last weekend I decided to finish the front-cabin wiring for the HU and the Garmin. This would allow me to throw most of those trim pieces back on so I can drive the car again. Some of the trims will have to come off again in the future for minor cosmetic work, but hopefully those will prove to be isolated instances.

So I first decide to rip out all of the old HU and carputer related wiring. This includes power cables, Alpine AINet cables, optical cables, and so on.





































(Some of these are still good, so I stored them away.) Now I decide to wire the HU and the Garmin. Pos will run to the fuse box, neg will run to that area also where I have a ground drilled already. RCAs and turn-on wire will run down the left side of the cabin. Ignition wires will run to the cig lighter underneath the fuse box. I'm also testing fitment of center trim pieces (which will of course be undergoing cosmetic work; most obviously, when the face of the HU flips down, the volume knob bumps up against it). USB cable for the iPod will poke out into the glovebox.


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## Merzbow (May 31, 2010)

(Yeah, I know it's still ugly to see that bundle at the back, but I'm buying new covers for the fuse box so it will all be hidden away. Also the wiring is 10x less complicated than with the carputer, 10x fewer things to go wrong and freak out the car.)




























Although I don't have pictures yet, the way I secure the Garmin is pretty clever. I hacked up the ball-mount included with the unit. The ball itself I screwed into the vertical trim behind where the Garmin sits, and the socket plate I glued onto the back of the Garmin (after first scraping off the rubber coating, exposing the plastic). It's VERY solid.





































Surprisingly enough it all works, nothing is fried. iDrive is reporting a passenger restraint systems failure, but seems unlikely to be due to what I did. Probably a failure of the passenger seat mat, which is always breaking on these cars. I'll get it fixed when the install is done.


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## Merzbow (May 31, 2010)

Front-cabin wiring is done, but there are immense amounts of cosmetic work to complete there. (Hint - I'm going to carbon-fiber the wood pieces because I'm sick of paying BMW $500-$800 each to replace them as they get scratched/hacked up.) Can't do a huge amount while I wait for mail-order parts to arrive, so I focus my attention on the back. I decide to take out the old amps and sub box.



















The sub box is connected to bolts I ran down from the rear deck of the car. They are very strong. I'm pondering hanging the Rubicon from them, perhaps.




























The sub was stuck in the box - the T-Nuts had stripped. I threw in the towel and just hacked it out for ease of disposal. Kind of sad, really, it did its job without complaint for years, only to die an ignoble death. Oh well. Got to love the Sawzall though... **** rips through two layers of MDF like butter.


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## Kenny_Cox (Sep 9, 2007)

OH EM GEE. you killed the XXX


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## chad (Jun 30, 2005)

Dude... WTF


Another install of no brainz and wasted money.


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## Merzbow (May 31, 2010)

The ignore list is a great thing, isn't it? Some people's IQs are inversely proportional to their post count on any given forum, unfortunately...


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## chad (Jun 30, 2005)

Backing out a stripped T-nut is child's play, especially if you are gonna cut the enclosure in half to destroy the sub  

Done it a million times before the good stuff was introduced.. Imagine me commenting to my my boss on me destroying every JBL2241 and 2242 that has a stripped nut that some dumbass replaced in the field... boy, that would be fun.

You could have cut around the sub like butter as you said, pulled the nut, given it away on the for free thread and MADE SOMEONE'S DAY, gained rep, been a good cat. But you had to be a douchebag because the concept of simple tools bewilders you.

Have fun with that, do your research sledgehammer boy.

Yes the ignore function is cool, never used it.. I'll be here a while


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## Kenny_Cox (Sep 9, 2007)

it just hurts my feelings. I would've given good money for that beast lol. I am sending you a PM.


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## yermolovd (Oct 10, 2005)

Retarded Animal Alert!

I repeat,
Retarded Animal Alert!

err err err


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## Merzbow (May 31, 2010)

Kenny_Cox said:


> it just hurts my feelings. I would've given good money for that beast lol. I am sending you a PM.


There was no way I was going to ship that monster, and I wasn't going to spend an extra hour drilling and sawing it carefully out of the box to sell it cheaply locally to a stranger. However at some point I will be selling the Alpine HU (actually I have two of them, both working) and the H701, and likely some of the Arcs, once I have time to dig up their boxes and accessories.


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## chad (Jun 30, 2005)

Merzbow said:


> There was no way I was going to ship that monster, and I wasn't going to spend an extra hour drilling and sawing it carefully out of the box to sell it cheaply locally to a stranger.


It's not rocket appliance.


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## Knobby Digital (Aug 17, 2008)




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## Merzbow (May 31, 2010)

chad said:


> Backing out a stripped T-nut is child's play, especially if you are gonna cut the enclosure in half to destroy the sub
> 
> Done it a million times before the good stuff was introduced.. Imagine me commenting to my my boss on me destroying every JBL2241 and 2242 that has a stripped nut that some dumbass replaced in the field... boy, that would be fun.
> 
> ...


Funny man. Well, if you insist and staying and crapping on the thread, somebody's got to clean up the monkey poo... The bottom line is it's my equipment and I can dispose of it however the heck I want. I don't need the money and I don't have the time or the back muscles to ship it and I don't let broke-ass strangers looking for free electronics in my house. (Apologies in advance if you fall into that category... )


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## DaveRulz (Jun 22, 2006)

Apparently too good to drop it off at goodwill too. You could have left it in the box. It would have saved the speaker, and the time it took to destroy the speaker, as well as letting a perfectly good piece of high end equipment continue to serve someone else. It's really disappointing that you would rather destroy something than let someone else enjoy it. I mean...you don't have any friends that would have liked to use that?


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## chad (Jun 30, 2005)

Merzbow said:


> Funny man. Well, if you insist and staying and crapping on the thread, somebody's got to clean up the monkey poo... The bottom line is it's my equipment and I can dispose of it however the heck I want. I don't need the money and I don't have the time or the back muscles to ship it and I don't let broke-ass strangers looking for free electronics in my house. (Apologies in advance if you fall into that category... )


That ignore function is working well for you.


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## xcoldricex (Apr 28, 2007)

uh, why did you destroy the sub and cut it out? you destroyed the box and the sub. you could have at least done one or the other if you had no knowledge of ez-outs or any other tool that would get out a stripped nut. wtf?!


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## perfecxionx (Sep 4, 2009)

i would also like to express my disapointment at the destruction of a very nice and increasingly rare sub


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## sinister mob (Jan 11, 2010)

I equate this to clubbing baby seals.


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## Merzbow (May 31, 2010)

Holy crap, who gives a ****? It's a ****ing SPEAKER. They even have factories and stuff where they make new ones ALL THE TIME. I think some people seriously need to gain some perspective on life. Go rescue a stray kitten or something...


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## Kenny_Cox (Sep 9, 2007)

did you trash it yet? I would take the motor and basket and make a new sub out of it. I'll even pay shipping! haha.


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## Knobby Digital (Aug 17, 2008)

Yeah, generally I take one bite out of a hamburger and throw the rest away because I can afford another one.


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## chad (Jun 30, 2005)

Kenny_Cox said:


> did you trash it yet? I would take the motor and basket and make a new sub out of it. I'll even pay shipping! haha.


He has a weak back, unable to lift it to ship it.


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## sinistr (Feb 17, 2007)

Merzbow said:


> OK, but if I just scrape the rest of the rubber coating off, the bare plastic is exposed, and I know that can be painted. I've used special plastic-only spray paint in the past that stuck to plastic trim pieces that other (allegedly multi-surface) paints wouldn't.


if that won't work go talk to a local autobody shop in your area. They have a plastic adhesian promotoer that can be added to paints they mix. Worst case they have to sand and paint it.


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## DaveRulz (Jun 22, 2006)

There are factories that make all sorts of new things, that doesn't mean that the old things no longer hold any value. Waste of any sort is upsetting, I don't see how this means we need a better perspective on life.


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## xcoldricex (Apr 28, 2007)

Merzbow said:


> Holy crap, who gives a ****? It's a ****ing SPEAKER. They even have factories and stuff where they make new ones ALL THE TIME. I think some people seriously need to gain some perspective on life. Go rescue a stray kitten or something...


time to sledgehammer your car. since they have factories where they make new ones all the time. probably would look better than what you've done/will be doing to it.


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## pankrok (Jan 1, 2010)

is no coincidence that many people made similar comment on such an "accomplishment".
it is not about skills nor "****ing speaker"
it is the way some people live their life.
what everybody tried to express is that they found completely unreasonable to waste things just "because I own them".
seriously you could crash some bricks with the sledge if you want to feel better and just give away the ****ing speaker to somebody who would appreciate more.


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## Merzbow (May 31, 2010)

chad said:


> He has a weak back, unable to lift it to ship it.


But that's not what your mom said to me last night, Chad... :laugh:


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## chad (Jun 30, 2005)

Merzbow said:


> But that's not what your mom said to me last night, Chad... :laugh:


She's a strong German woman eh?


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## el_chupo_ (May 27, 2007)

You guys just aren't baller enough to have a 545 and a junk sub.

Losers.

Besides, he will have 14 speakers in each door, who cares about one busted one?


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## Knobby Digital (Aug 17, 2008)

Ate like a king for lunch.

20 bites of chicken, 1 seasoned fry, and 1 sporkfull of Cajun rice. Well, 2 sporkfulls of Cajun rice - it was too delicious. Total cost: $25. I had a coupon that I brought with me just to tear up at the counter.

Also, I bought a case of beer. 24 sips should be enough to get a buzz. Of course, I'll have to seal up the trashcan tonight so that none of those pesky homeless ****s come by my house looking for recyclables.


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## kizz (Jun 22, 2009)

Its sad to see no appreciation for things. I, along with a lot of people I know, dont have the money to just trash something that is perfectly good. I typically have to sell something to get something new. We work hard for something, and take care of it, when we are done with it, we either store it away nicely in case we ever use it again or we sell it or give it to someone not fortunate enough to have the money to buy it. Hell, for softball im still using my 12 year old mitt, because i didn't trash it because factories make new ones. 

But, to each his own i guess, one man's garbage is another man's treasure.


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## sinister mob (Jan 11, 2010)

I think the OP officially replaces the guy with the van who was putting in subs using Home Depot expanding foam insulation, plywood and was wrapping wires with duct tape.

Only difference is he is using the car his parents bought him. He obviously doesn't know the value of a dollar. :laugh:


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## kizz (Jun 22, 2009)

sinister mob said:


> He obviously doesn't know the value of a dollar. :laugh:


Right on sinister


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## TREETOP (Feb 11, 2009)

I saw those pics of the ruined sub on another forum today, and i said to myself "What kind of complete moron would do that?".
Now I find out it's someone from DIYMA and I'm embarrassed.
A simple inspection hole in the box big enough to reach a hand into would've sufficed to get the T-nut out. 
****ing disgraceful.


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## Merzbow (May 31, 2010)

Holy crap, I've never met a bigger collection of jealous deadbeats in my life. All I can suggest at this point is get a college degree, a steady job, and stock options, and you'll be able to grasp the concept of valuing a couple hours of your time more than the $100 an old-ass piece of electronics would sell for. I'm outta here.


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## Knobby Digital (Aug 17, 2008)

Yeah, you got us all pegged.

Got any pics of the install from the C-Class BTW?



edit: 1,000 POSTS!!!

This calls for a big

*FUCK YOU
*
roy G. biv in tha house.*
 

*


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## DaveRulz (Jun 22, 2006)

Another case of more money than brains. Just because you can afford to throw perfectly good things out and buy whatever you want does not make you better/smarter than anyone else, or give you the right to tell us we need adjust our priorities. The RICHEST people in the world are often the CHEAPEST BASTARDS ALIVE. Just because you can go throwing your money around does not mean that will always be the case for you. Good luck further hacking what was originally a very nice car.


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## mattyjman (Aug 6, 2009)

Knobby Digital said:


> roy G. biv in tha house.


^^ i know this has nothing to do with this kid destroying his sub, but i laughed so hard when i saw this... i don't know why, but it was effing hilarious..

for what it's worth, notoriety and being #1 forum on caruadiomag.com has it's pluses and minuses... idiots who stick a perfectly good sub and stick the leads into a wall socket or using sledgehammers to get subs out of boxes would be one of those things that I could do without on here. and then comes the slam that none of us have gone to college or have a good job... uh huh... right  Because all people with degrees know that money grows on trees


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## negativegain (Oct 6, 2009)

this thread furthers the stereotype that bmw drivers are complete douchebags:laugh:


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## arrivalanche (Jun 27, 2008)

If he has all of this money to spend, he should have paid someone with a brain in their head to install his **** the right way. You sir are ****ing retarded.


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## capnxtreme (Feb 5, 2008)

Merzbow said:


> Holy crap, who gives a ****? It's a ****ing SPEAKER. They even have factories and stuff where they make new ones ALL THE TIME.* I think some people seriously need to gain some perspective on life.* Go rescue a stray kitten or something...


Wow, no kidding buddy. :mean:


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## Kenny_Cox (Sep 9, 2007)

haha I love when calling people poor comes into play. it's not the poor factor that has anything to do with this, and BTW, a mint RE XXX would fetch a lot more than $100, plain and simple. All it really boils down to is that you're an idiot. This build would get much more feedback on SMD, stick to that.


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## hornedfrog2000 (Aug 31, 2006)

Hi. If you have so much money why waste your oh so valuable time trying to cobble some half ass install together yourself?


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## sinister mob (Jan 11, 2010)

Merzbow said:


> Holy crap, I've never met a bigger collection of jealous deadbeats in my life. *All I can suggest at this point is get a college degree, a steady job, and stock options, and you'll be able to grasp the concept of valuing a couple hours of your time more than the $100 an old-ass piece of electronics would sell for.* I'm outta here.


I have 2 college degrees, a steady job in my field and stock options. I still would not destroy a sub because I can afford it. Another snotty, douchebag rich kid with sense of entitlement.




hornedfrog2000 said:


> Hi. If you have so much money why waste your oh so valuable time trying to cobble some half ass install together yourself?


Exactamundo. Why not drop all your extra flowing cash to have it installed instead of hacking it? That way you can brag to your other asshat friends that you paid to have it done.


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## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

Who gives a ****? It's his gear, let him do with it as he pleases.


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## hornedfrog2000 (Aug 31, 2006)

As a smart investor he should have known a $300 sub sale being put into an IRA would have been the smarter investment. I guess bashing things mindlessly can be worth the money too?


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## Hertz5400LincolnLS (Mar 29, 2010)

I saw this on another forum and I logged on just to see if there was any rational explanation for destroying a perfectly good 05 RE XXX. After reading I have concluded that there is NO rational explanation.

This thread, regardless of your new install, will go down as one all time epic failure...so epic I can't even find an image on google to relate to the level of failure you have achieved.

This is the only thing I can think to compare it to --> YouTube - Pakistani man runs through automatic glass door!!

Good luck with your install.


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## bafukie (Nov 23, 2007)

lmao.. getting the attention for all the wrong reason!


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## Skip01 (Mar 14, 2009)

If time was such a precious commodity, why mess with that sub and box anyways?


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## wenn_du_weinst (Jan 2, 2010)

the motor alone will pull 350, my favorite sub. oh well it's your stuff to do what you want. I would be going about it differently but I also don't care for all out loud


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## DAT (Oct 8, 2006)

Merzbow said:


> Holy crap, I've never met a bigger collection of jealous deadbeats in my life. All I can suggest at this point is get a college degree, a steady job, and stock options, and you'll be able to grasp the concept of valuing a couple hours of your time more than the *$100 an old-ass piece of electronics would sell for. I'm outta here.*


I can't believe you destroyed the speaker, the old RE Audio XxX subs are 10x better than the new stuff.



> $100 an old-ass piece of electronics would sell for. I'm outta here.


You must be crazy the XxX working or not is worth maybe $200 for the motor and double if used and working.

Your taking a very nice car and installing junk **** in it. Screw the ED subs they suck compared to the XxX. 

It's like buying a 5 Series BMW and replacing the engine with a SmartCar Engine. Just plain dumb. If you have some much money why not get someone that can install car audio do it for you because obviously you suck at all aspects.


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## hornedfrog2000 (Aug 31, 2006)

On june 16th the OP contracted the HIV virus. June 17th he was diagnosed with AIDS. Today the op died of aids, and by doing so set a new world record for fastest HIV to death rate ever!!!

Yeah, I said it.


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## beerdrnkr (Apr 18, 2007)

hornedfrog2000 said:


> On june 16th the OP contracted the HIV virus. June 17th he was diagnosed with AIDS. Today the op died of aids, and by doing so set a new world record for fastest HIV to death rate ever!!!
> 
> Yeah, I said it.


Wow, from trying to make a build log and destroying a speaker to contracting AIDS and dying. This build log sure has turned for the worst. Yeah sucks to see him demolish a XXX but meh, everyone's acting like it's their gear he destroyed.


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## Knobby Digital (Aug 17, 2008)

On top of his plans being retarded (and I'm sure many tongues were being bitten), after the gorilee posted his idiocy on the internet and got called on it, he played it the worst possible way by calling people jealous and broke. There's a sawzall sitting on the enclosure with the sub in perfect condition.


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## beerdrnkr (Apr 18, 2007)

Knobby Digital said:


> On top of his plans being retarded (and I'm sure many tongues were being bitten), after the gorilee posted his idiocy on the internet and got called on it, he played it the worst possible way by calling people jealous and broke. There's a sawzall sitting on the enclosure with the sub in perfect condition.


Well what's retarded to you may not be retarded to somebody else. Was the install horrible? Yes, it was and I wouldn't have cut up that car but it's his install. He was jumped on pretty bad and if I was called retarded or an idiot I'd be pretty pissed too and respond. I get pissed off during installs and I wanna just take a sledge hammer to it all sometimes as well, only difference is that I don't have the money to replace it all and he obviously does or he just doesn't care ...lol


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## Knobby Digital (Aug 17, 2008)

And lemme just explain why it's ****ing egregious to call people jealous when you get called for having deep pockets and shallow brains because I know there's at least one more cocksmoker who likes to do that **** on this site.
*
It doesn't resonate well w/ thinking people.*


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## Knobby Digital (Aug 17, 2008)

beerdrnkr said:


> Well what's retarded to you may not be retarded to somebody else. Was the install horrible? Yes, it was and I wouldn't have cut up that car but it's his install. He was jumped on pretty bad and if I was called retarded or an idiot I'd be pretty pissed too and respond. I get pissed off during installs and I wanna just take a sledge hammer to it all sometimes as well, only difference is that I don't have the money to replace it all and he obviously does or he just doesn't care ...lol


Well, he posted it on the internets for all to see, he can take the flack when he gets called on it.

Like I said, no one called his install retarded until he destroyed a sought-after sub w/ a sledge.


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## Blister64 (Jun 13, 2010)

negativegain said:


> this thread furthers the stereotype that bmw drivers are complete douchebags:laugh:


Hey now... I completely agree with this guys install being a hack job, as well as him being a douche with sledging the sub, but this? I just sold my BMW. Bought it after it rolled, fixed it to look better than new. And to be honest, I don't see myself as a douchebag! :nice:

Just sayin...


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## chad (Jun 30, 2005)

Knobby Digital said:


> There's a sawzall sitting on the enclosure with the sub in perfect condition.


I'd sent a shipping container and a cutout for it paid it both ways, THEN given it away or used it for the shop, or had ideas on usingit for the shop then given it away.



Blister64 said:


> Hey now... I completely agree with this guys install being a hack job, as well as him being a douche with sledging the sub, but this? I just sold my BMW. Bought it after it rolled, fixed it to look better than new. And to be honest, I don't see myself as a douchebag! :nice:
> 
> Just sayin...


Did you buy it for less than 100 dollars?

And did you buy it for having a BMW?


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## Blister64 (Jun 13, 2010)

chad said:


> Did you buy it for less than 100 dollars?
> 
> And did you buy it for having a BMW?


Ha nope, it was a little more than $100. And I bought it as an upgrade from a civic. not "just to have a BMW." It was just a nice car available at the right price to fix up and make money after driving it a while. I like BMW's, but don't see myself getting another one soon. 

Just messin' with ya though, thought I'd let you know not ALL BMW guys are douchebags!


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## negativegain (Oct 6, 2009)

Blister64 said:


> Just messin' with ya though, thought I'd let you know not ALL BMW guys are douchebags!


i'm an audi fanboy, so i'm gonna have to go ahead and disagree with you.


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## chad (Jun 30, 2005)

Blister64 said:


> Ha nope, it was a little more than $100. And I bought it as an upgrade from a civic. not "just to have a BMW." It was just a nice car available at the right price to fix up and make money after driving it a while. I like BMW's, but don't see myself getting another one soon.
> 
> Just messin' with ya though, thought I'd let you know not ALL BMW guys are douchebags!


All clear.... I bought 2 ramblers when I was a kid for 45 dollars.. Then we (friends of mine) made 1 out of 2. It ran for 15 more years before the motor finally gave out.

It was as straight and clean as an arrow.... old school thickass paint.


Did you know the front seat of a rambler folds down into the back seat? Stabbin cabin!


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## timmay77 (Jun 21, 2010)

Blister64 said:


> Just messin' with ya though, thought I'd let you know not ALL BMW guys are douchebags!


+1, BMW E39 M5 here..... This guy is a TOOL, that poor car......

I recycle all of my equipment when doing an install, for the simple fact that I rarely buy new myself.


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## aV8ter (Sep 4, 2009)

I am loling at this thread. But all seriousness semi-intact, **** you for killing that XXX lol. Have fun with those EDs.... Only advantage you will have is cone area. Motor force.... nope.


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