New Protege 5...got a few Questions

[scaumster]

Hey All,

New to this forum and a proud owner of a 2002 P5 (Automatic/Black) Has 39, 000 and picked it up for $12,000 CDN...not bad. Can anybody answer the questions or make some suggestinos with regards to the following:

-Should I use a car bra for the non-winter seasons (I heard this rusts out the front)?

-Not a huge audiophile but would like to upgrade my stock stereo (deck,main speakers ie 5 1/4's) any suggestions with $500 to play with. Oh and yes I have an Ebay account ;-)

-Tints, how much do they cost and what can someone suggest I look for when getting a tint job done

Cheers and thanks for the help. I love this board and it seems to be full of really helpful drivers.

Scaumster

 

[Kansei]

Hey All,

New to this forum and a proud owner of a 2002 P5 (Automatic/Black) Has 39, 000 and picked it up for $12,000 CDN...not bad. Can anybody answer the questions or make some suggestinos with regards to the following:

-Should I use a car bra for the non-winter seasons (I heard this rusts out the front)?

-Not a huge audiophile but would like to upgrade my stock stereo (deck,main speakers ie 5 1/4's) any suggestions with $500 to play with. Oh and yes I have an Ebay account ;-)

-Tints, how much do they cost and what can someone suggest I look for when getting a tint job done

Cheers and thanks for the help. I love this board and it seems to be full of really helpful drivers.

Scaumster

I definitely wouldn't use the bra for non winter seasons. It looks bad and will trap dirt and scratch the hell out of your paint. I wish I had a bra for winter though, but I think I'll just get my whole front end repainted instead.

500 dollars for car audio.. hmm. I think I'd go for an Infinity Basslink subwoofer (about 200 dollars shipped new on eBay), and either new front speakers or probably just an Alpine head unit and then new front speakers later. Right now I'm running an Alpine CD-7894 (that I had before my protege5) with all the door speakers from the Mazdaspeed Protege (Kenwood Excelon, don't know what model) and an Infinity Basslink. I wasn't too impressed with the Kenwood door speakers but after I relieved them of needing to produce bass with the HPF and LPF of the Alpine, they sound pretty decent. I paid 400 for the Head unit (it was normally like 500 but I went eBay on it), 200 for the basslink on eBay, and I got the speakers for 50 shipped from a member of this forum. I would look around on the for sale forum here, I'm sure there's someone selling some decent speakers for a nice price.

And about tint. I paid 199USD, but I got a special deal because we got all the cars in the driveway done at the same time. Most places charge based on how many pieces of glass the car has, so a P5 with a moonroof is sorta screwed in that respect. I don't know what the tint laws are like where you are so I can't help with that. You should make sure the tint place uses a decent tint film, they call it metallized or something as opposed to dyed tint. My car has the 3M metallized tint and it looks great. I got 30% film (so just under 30% measured with a light meter) on all the doors, and 20% on the moonroof and hatch window. It's not legal in CT but it's close enough that it's not a problem.

How do you like the Protege5 so far? I am so in love with mine that I'm looking to buy another one soon, one with less miles and the ABS and side airbags that weren't standard in the states. They are just such perfect cars

 

[Robot Romeo]

you could easily get a nice deck and speakers for $500. but instead of 5 1/4, i would get bigger ones. i have 6x8 excelons in the front and 6 1/2 excelon's in the back. just running off the 20-something watts from my kenwood head unit they sound great.

as for tint, to do the back windows, the side hatch windows, and the rear, you'll probably pay around $175-$225. just make sure you get a warranty with the tint (no cracking, peeling, bubbling, or turning purple).

don't know about the bra, don't live in a snow area, but someone should know.

anywyas, welcome.

[EDIT: whoops posted to slow]

 

[Breeegz]

welcome to the forums...

1. personally I'd stay away from a bra... after a while you paint will fade, but the paint under the bra will not.. Try the clear bra. I think the vendor "Rockblocker" sells them

2. for the stereo -- I've only added a 10inch sub/amp, and headunit. I really like my setup but I have the factory tweeters, I'm not sure if you do. That would make a difference to me anyway. Since you are driving the hatchback, you get to play with different rules than those guys with a trunk.

2.5. When you get what you want, i HIGHLY suggest you install it yourself, you'll save yourself a bunch of money, and you'll know exactly how it is done if you have any problems. It's pretty easy to install a headunit/speakers just a little time consuming

2.75. Subwoofer amplifier-- I run MTX 225 HO :: stable down to 1 ohm mono @ 700 watts, you can pick these up on ebay for $100US just make sure that they work before you bid.. they will take a hell of a beating though and I've had mine for 5 years, and only had the thermal shutdown once (Hot summer day)
Headunit -- Panasonic has always seemed to me to be a good HU for the price
-- I have a Kenwood, it's giving me issues reading cd's you might want to take that into consideration
-- when you shop for a HU keep in mind that if you want to add an sub/amp later, the higher voltage preouts will sound better IMO
-- The headunit should be the first step, it'll make a world of difference
Speakers -- mine are stock, and I don't plan on upgrading for a while, but when you start shopping, listen to them and choose ones that sound good to you.
-- Coaxials (midbass and tweeter are mounted together) these should work fine for a budget, keep in mind the higher end coaxials will have a crossover built in, not a cheap filter right behind the tweets
-- Components (midbass and tweeter are mounted separately) these are a bit more expensive than coaxials, but have a superior sound. I highly recommend these if you plan on using an amplifier to power the mids and highs. I don't think you will get the full potential of components if you power them from the HU.

3. In Omaha, Nebraska I got all my windows tinted for $200us. I was told they figure 20 dollars per window. I'd start checking locally for price quotes

 

[WheelManATX]

Welcome to the forum...

Here you go :

 

[Johnnybass]

i don't think your post ^^^^ was detailed enough...haha

 

[Breeegz]

Welcome to the forum...

(rofl)
nice pic!!

 

[i12drivemyMP5]

OK here's my deal with the bra...Garaged on both ends ( work & home) so no paint fade. I make sure trash is not building up to scratch/stain on regular basis. I live in a metro area with many 18 wheelers so chips from rocks/debris is much bigger threat than paint fade or stuff trapped inside damaging paint with the amount of highway driving done. All my driving is basically highway & the highways aren't exactly kept squeaky clean around here so I run with the ugly ass executioner mask up front. Actually have 2 so 1 is always clean to go back on dry after washing car & dirty one. Other thing is both costed me less than the clear stuff for hood & lights would.......WELCOME