# 2007 VW GTI MkV Stealth Install



## OmegaRed1723 (Oct 6, 2008)

Hi all! I've been lurking on here for a while now and now I finally have something to contribute to the community. Below is the build log for my MkV GTI. Bing was a great source of ideas for this install; this is my take on a similar theme. The goals were quite simple:

Upgrade factory head unit with in-dash navigation/bluetooth/Ipod control
Upgrade front soundstage utilizing factory speaker location
Add an SQ subwoofer in the rear hatch
Retain stock look and 100% functionality of hatch area


Here's the bill of goods going into the new system:

Head Unit: Pioneer AVIC-F90BT
Front Stage: Boston Acoustics Pro 6.53 three-way component speakers
Rear Stage: Eliminated
Subwoofer: JL Audio 13TW5-3
Front Stage Amplification: JL Audio 300/2 v2
Subwoofer Amplfication: JL Audio 500/1 v2
Sound Dampening: Cascade Audio (various products)


*Starting off in the front of the car.*

2AWG power cable & fuse holder. Using stock battery for now:​









Wiring speaker cable through te molex into the doors. Power wire was run on the driver's side of the car:​

















Sound deadening and speakers installed in/on doors:​

















Backside of door panel (deadening was installed here too):​









Picture of dash vent (pic borrowed from vwvortex.com):​









Dash vent removed for installation of GPS antenna. You can see the black antenna towards the center of the photo:​









Whole mess of PAC adapters for steering wheel control, etc:​









Bluetooth mic installed in factory location (sounds great):​


----------



## UCF52 (Nov 20, 2007)

Pics no worky...


----------



## OmegaRed1723 (Oct 6, 2008)

And finally, the deck permanently installed:​









*Now onto the rear of the car!*

Here's the hatch with everything removed. Notice the gigantic hump VW decided to put in the middle of the spare tire well. This had a large impact over what I ended up using for the sub.​









Creating the sub box, amp & crossover mounts, as well as the cover for all the equipment.​









All the mounting platforms & sub box installed.​









Pics of the mockup and installation of the components​

























Finished hatch with cover installed​

















And with the factory trunk liner on, it looks 100% stock!​









*Overall impressions/thoughts*

I had originally planned on using a JL 8W7 in the trunk, but size constraints forced me rethink things. Going with the JL 13TW5 ended up being a GREAT decision. It's installed in a .7cu/ft sealed enclosure with polyfill to make up the difference in volume to around .8cu/ft or so. My impression of the sub is very positive. It's crossed at 63hz and gives me just the right blend of SQ and thump.

We did the best we could as far as raising and centering the stage. Of course, there are limitations to what you can do using the original MkV speaker locations, but the end result is much better than factory. After living with this for a while I may consider adding a stand-alone DSP so I have more flexibility over crossover points, time alignment, etc.

I am pleased with the AVIC-F90BT head unit. It has everything I want in a head unit: navigation, bluetooth phone control, and very good iPod integration. The one thing that is lacking on this unit, however, is fantastic sound quality. It's serviceable to be sure, but not fantastic. Again, adding a DSP down the road may help things. 

On the whole I am extremely pleased with how things turned out. This was my first system in almost 7 years, and I think I struck the right balance of practicality and performance. Of course, now that I've been bitten by the audio bug again we'll see how long I go before there's a tear-out/rebuild!


----------



## LiquidClen (Dec 27, 2005)

looks good


----------



## UCF52 (Nov 20, 2007)

Oh, I don't think you posted them at the time. Looks great!


----------



## lashlee (Aug 16, 2007)

Looks great!!!


----------



## KARPE (Nov 9, 2008)

more pics of the F90bt!!!!!


----------



## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

Out of curiosity, why didn't you do some glass in the spare tire well? I'm thinking you could have saved a little height. I'm debating on if I want to lose the spare and do a floor build (assuming everything would even fit) or do side mounted sub(s) and an amp rack that lifts up to access the spare tire. 

I do love the stealth quality to yours though. Very nice.


----------



## InjunV18 (Jun 16, 2008)

Very well done, I'm sure Bing would be proud. Hey I have that same Craftsman worklight. Did the glue on the inside of yours melt?


----------



## OmegaRed1723 (Oct 6, 2008)

quality_sound said:


> Out of curiosity, why didn't you do some glass in the spare tire well? I'm thinking you could have saved a little height.


The reason for not glassing or partially glassing a box was because it really wouldn't have given me any additional height. The sub itself only requires 2.5" for mounting depth, and we gave it around another 1.25" underneath to allow the pole to breathe. So even using all MDF, we wound up with a box that was only 5-1/4" tall (for a 13.5" sub!!!). This rose the stock floor by _maybe_ 1" which was more than acceptable. Of course, both the outside and inside box were resined and undercoated to ensure the enclosure was airtight. The box also made for a nice level platform to set the false floor.

InjunV18: That light is old as dirt, but never had any problems with it. Helps a lot when the garage you're working in only has lights on one half of the room!


----------



## Trade-n-games (Nov 25, 2008)

How well did the mid speaker fit into the stock location? I have 08 R32 and need to work on my doors but I dont want to make a pod so a 3 way is what I really need to sound good i think since our stock speaker fires into our side.


----------



## simplicityinsound (Feb 2, 2007)

looks great  i like the hatch build, glad to be of any help 

i too decided to not do fiberglass on the build, as the subs i used , the slim exiles, dont need that much air space or height 

maybe its me, but i dont find much weigh saving for fibeglass boxes at all...how thick i build it, and then i usually dampen it even more, it ends up being maybe 10-15 percent less than a compabale mdf box...

of course, when you are talking about huge boxes or non stress bearing cosmetic panels, glass will save a lot more weight, but for a simple single subbox, to me, the weight savings part is not that great 

great job once again.

i would really try to move the midbass foward a bit more as your next goal


----------



## DaleCarter (Jan 3, 2008)

What are your impressionf ot the AVIC? I am thinking of upgrading from my AVIC-N2 and Parrot CK3100. I am most concerned with ease of use and the Bluetooth quality. I read on AVIC411.com that boot up can take a long time, but was improved with later firmware releases. Any concerns there?

What were they thinking when they put the mid in the back seat? haha


----------



## OmegaRed1723 (Oct 6, 2008)

My initial impressions of the F90 are pretty good. I'm not having any issues with bluetooth, address books and such.That being said, boot time is very slow (I have limited patience) and the interface isn't as accurate/responsive as the factory nav in my Acura TL-S was. Of course, part of the problem is switching from a system I used for years to a completely different interface. Also, it is NOT an audiophile deck. I was hoping the 4v preouts would help, but there's just something about the unit that is lacking SQ-wise. It's not disappointing by any means, but it's nowhere near the CDA-7990 I had back in the day. Like any deck there are drawbacks, but for the $500 I paid for the unit I think I'm getting all I could hope for. We'll see how long I keep this though, with the new Eclipse AVN726E coming out in the spring.

The mid speaker barely fit into the factory location. Width was fine, but mounting depth was an issue. We actually didn't have to use any additional spacers, but we also weren't able to put deflex pads behind those speakers; just V-Max deadening. The 6.5" midbass speakers fit with zero issues, and I too wish they were about 15" further forward. I may look for some spare door panels on vwvortex that I can modify like Bing did.

For those asking, here are a couple more pics of the AVIC screen:

Main Menu:









Map Screen:









DVD Screen:









iPod Interface Screen:









EQ Screen:









Phone Screen:


----------



## DaleCarter (Jan 3, 2008)

Thanks for the info on the AVIC. Seeign teh screens reminded me of another issue. Is the Ipod interface easy and fast? Does it "feel" like an Ipod ro is it glitchy? The interface for the N2 was an absolute joke.


----------



## DaleCarter (Jan 3, 2008)

Too bad you can't use the HU touch screen to control a 3Sixty.2 through Bluetooth. That would be a total deal maker for me. Oh well, can't have everything.....


----------



## OmegaRed1723 (Oct 6, 2008)

The iPod interface is pretty good and I think it's better executed than some of the other manufacturers out there. Nothing is as quick as the actual clickwheel on the iPod, but this is a nice substitute.


----------



## simplicityinsound (Feb 2, 2007)

i think it was a mistake for pioneer to subontract this nav to somneone else, mio iirc...so many problems that was fixed bit by bit via firmware updates. my biggest problem with this unit, is how slow it is overall, responding to comands and touches...

th gui is very nice, but the userability i think is not as good as the old straight forward pioneer ones...sq, wise, its about hte same as the other pioneer navs, whcih is to say, average...

b


----------



## AAAAAAA (Oct 5, 2007)

I find it funny that you can identify the "lack of SQ" to the deck. There are so many components in that install and you just "know" that the deck is the week link? hehe.

Anyway the install looks good, I really like the look of the shallow sub along with the see threw crossovers when you don't have the stock mat on, very nice.


----------



## OmegaRed1723 (Oct 6, 2008)

AAAAAAA said:


> I find it funny that you can identify the "lack of SQ" to the deck. There are so many components in that install and you just "know" that the deck is the week link? hehe.
> 
> Anyway the install looks good, I really like the look of the shallow sub along with the see threw crossovers when you don't have the stock mat on, very nice.


Of course there are a multitude of things that make up overall SQ, so it can be difficult identify deficincies. My speaker placement is less-than-ideal, so that certainly affects imaging, staging, etc. But I've used Boston Pros in the past and know what they 'can' sound like, even with mediocre placement. I've cited the head unit as the culprit based on using "reference" audio discs that I've used in the past to tune systems.

Thanks for the kudos though....it's so fun to be back into this!


----------



## KARPE (Nov 9, 2008)

If you do upgrade to the Eclipse and need a place to store that Premier... I'll have a hole in my dash waiting.


----------



## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

I wanted to revisit this as I picked up a 13TW5 today and had a few questions for you. Are the wings on the side of the enclosure supporting the sub, strictly there for crossover mounting, or both? 

Also, if you know off the top of your head, what are the dimensions of the enclosure? If I do the floor mine will be longer than yours because the DCs are long but not very wide. 

Thanks!
Paul


----------



## fit_tuner (Aug 14, 2006)

i like! clean and simple, great job!


----------



## OmegaRed1723 (Oct 6, 2008)

quality_sound said:


> I wanted to revisit this as I picked up a 13TW5 today and had a few questions for you. Are the wings on the side of the enclosure supporting the sub, strictly there for crossover mounting, or both?
> 
> Also, if you know off the top of your head, what are the dimensions of the enclosure? If I do the floor mine will be longer than yours because the DCs are long but not very wide.
> 
> ...


The "wings" are for mounting purposes only. The box is self supporting, if you will. Since there is a lot going on underneath the hump in the spare tire well the enclosure was secured using an epoxy. Off the top of my head, I believe the size of the box is 17-1/4 x 17-1/4 x 5-1/4.

Good luck on your install!


----------



## 03blueSI (Feb 5, 2006)

I have the same head unit and I can agree that the SQ is less than perfect. I swapped mine straight from an Alpine IVA-W205 to this with the flat setting and the SQ dropped a bit. It isn't huge, but it is noticeable.

We will see if I can improve the sound by going with a processor, hopefully the Bit One once the issues are fixed.

I am also hoping that someone figures out how to turn on the digital out from this HU for at least CD. Should sound pretty good going straight to the Bit One all digital.


----------



## thisistoto (Jan 22, 2009)

Looks great!


----------



## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

Quick question, how thick is the floor cover piece you made? I'm guessing it's 3/4" with the wood resting on the sub's frame? I'd love to do this with mine but 1) I don't have a router and 2) that's a lot more measuring than I really want to put into this. lol


----------



## OmegaRed1723 (Oct 6, 2008)

It is 3/4" MDF, and the underside was routed out for the tabs on the 13Tw5 sub. Without a router it would've been a huge pain in the ass. The end result has been great, as the false floor is really strong. In the past week I moved a futon, a dorm fridge, and a DLP tv with the car (not at the same time :tongue2 with no issues at all


----------



## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

Very nice. I'm still not sure how you were able to get that much air in the box though. Mine had to be quite a bit taller and longer to get to .8ft^3. But I'm going to scrap that box and do some glass into the spare tire well...and maybe run two 13TW5s...


----------



## NickoDaFsh (Mar 1, 2009)

I love those JL subs! My local shop has a "demo" model that comes completely apart so you can really check it out. it comes in a 12" also correct?? lol..

Nice stealth install left plenty of room for DLP's and such


----------



## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

Nope, it's a 13.


----------



## Niebur3 (Jul 11, 2008)

Very nice clean install. Hard to get it stolen if they can't see anything


----------



## Low_e_Red (Aug 23, 2008)

It does come in a 12. (SOON, we hope)


----------



## azbass (Aug 8, 2007)

looks great, I would have grounds both amps at the same spot through.


----------



## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

Low_e_Red said:


> It does come in a 12. (SOON, we hope)


In other words, nope, it's a 13.


----------



## OmegaRed1723 (Oct 6, 2008)

Yeah, I don't think they'll ever actually release the 12TW5....not enough delineation between it and the 13". 

After 3 months living with this install, I'm still really pleased with the performance of this sub. It gets as loud and low as I'm prepared to go without sacrificing the whole hatch area.


----------



## bfrance (Oct 6, 2005)

Congrats, the install looks great!

Quick question: Where did you get your fuse holder that is in the engine bay? I'm looking for something similar, to get a little more of an "OEM" look, but I haven't had any luck finding something like that yet.

Thanks

-Ben


----------



## SRim23 (May 24, 2007)

bfrance said:


> Congrats, the install looks great!
> 
> Quick question: Where did you get your fuse holder that is in the engine bay? I'm looking for something similar, to get a little more of an "OEM" look, but I haven't had any luck finding something like that yet.
> 
> ...


looks like its a jl piece to me. maybe one of their "master fuse blocks" i think, if you care 2 months later that is haha


----------



## rkb993 (Apr 10, 2009)

Nice work.


----------



## AdamTaylor (Sep 7, 2008)

wheres the mic placement on the f90?


----------



## placenta (Feb 2, 2008)

sweet build! you didnt touch too much on your front stage installation. Did all 3 pieces fit in factory locations, and did you have to make adapters for all 3 speakers?


----------



## sinister-kustoms (Jul 22, 2009)

Good work mate! I love a nice stealth install.


----------



## Maddman (Dec 20, 2008)

nice clean stealth installation, great job.


----------

