Please help me with hooking up my amp to the stock bose system!

[vdubjetta2005]

Running power wire on this car is just plain retarded!! To run it through the passenger side is an ordeal and a half and you have to basically remover the whole wiper panel, truly unnessary. I just ran it through the driver side wheel well.

I ran my 0 gauge power wire right through the firewall on the passenger side. Removing anything on the inside of the engine compartment is not necessary. You just have to remove the fuse panel cover on the passenger side, and drop the fuse panel down. If you really want to, you could remove the glove box, (just a few screws), to make it easier on yourself. The moldings down the side of the car allow for plenty of room, so the 0 gauge power wire was not an issue.

I WOULD NOT use the wiring going to and from the factory bose amp. The only way i would use it is if you had a complete wiring diagram, even than the power wire, without even looking at it, im sure is too small. The subs you would potentially put in would put out more power than the factory sub woofer.

I will actually write up a how-to for an aftermarket system with the factory HU.

 

[meicalnissyen]

I ran my 0 gauge power wire right through the firewall on the passenger side. Removing anything on the inside of the engine compartment is not necessary. You just have to remove the fuse panel cover on the passenger side, and drop the fuse panel down. If you really want to, you could remove the glove box, (just a few screws), to make it easier on yourself. The moldings down the side of the car allow for plenty of room, so the 0 gauge power wire was not an issue.

I WOULD NOT use the wiring going to and from the factory bose amp. The only way i would use it is if you had a complete wiring diagram, even than the power wire, without even looking at it, im sure is too small. The subs you would potentially put in would put out more power than the factory sub woofer.

I will actually write up a how-to for an aftermarket system with the factory HU.

The Bose wiring has NO alternator whine
if it is to light, that would be noticed first on low freq peaks
this "MAY" be fixable with a cap


driver vs passenger ?
whichever fails to introduce whine wins as far as I am concerned
with some systems I installed it seeme the remote turn on was the worst offender

 

[LukeP]

Do you think it would be best to run power/remote lines on the passenger side and then speaker down the driver's side? That way the two are isolated from each other and hopefully that would insulate any alternator whine completely.

I'm also wondering how the heck anyone was able to reach the passenger-grommet (behind the glovebox) from the engine bay side. I found it the other day but it was deep in there. I could probably fumble a couple fingers to it but not enough to actually feed wires through or do anything that requires even the lighest amount of dextrousity.

If you're doing a writeup vdub, I would suggest adding the following things be put on it - and since I'm a video guy I can do a video demo of the install;

a) Possible firewall entries for power wire (wheel well, passenger grommet)

b) Panels that need to be popped off to run the wires

c) Carpet lifting locations to hide the wires

c) Cargo area carpet & panel

 

[Nuffflavor]

Read the entire thread

Do you think it would be best to run power/remote lines on the passenger side and then speaker down the driver's side? That way the two are isolated from each other and hopefully that would insulate any alternator whine completely.

I'm also wondering how the heck anyone was able to reach the passenger-grommet (behind the glovebox) from the engine bay side. I found it the other day but it was deep in there. I could probably fumble a couple fingers to it but not enough to actually feed wires through or do anything that requires even the lighest amount of dextrousity.

If you're doing a writeup vdub, I would suggest adding the following things be put on it - and since I'm a video guy I can do a video demo of the install;

a) Possible firewall entries for power wire (wheel well, passenger grommet)

b) Panels that need to be popped off to run the wires

c) Carpet lifting locations to hide the wires

c) Cargo area carpet & panel

Ahhhh.. LukeP? I guess you did not install yet. If you would have read a couple of post before yours, you would have seen my pictures on how to get pass (remove) the glove box / power install.

 

[LukeP]

No I saw your pics man and due props, I was just suggesting what to put on Dub's writeup. And no, I haven't done my install yet.

I saw how to get past the glovebox, and I think I know how to pop up the rocker panels with my fingers, and I think the seatbelt cover pops off as well. But I'm not sure how the carpet is fasened and such - if at all, and how to route it under the rear seats is still TBD for me, even though it may be totally obvious. I just haven't looked yet.

Also, I know how you can get access to the grommet from inside the car by popping off the glovebox (thoroughly documented) but from the engine bay side, reaching that thing looks like a mighty pain.

I was just mentioning these things as something to add to a writeup, as they would seem like common "I got suck doing x" moments. Like if I went to go take the B-pillar cover off and got stuck, etc.

I'm still wondering if isolating the alternator whine could be best done by running power and speaker cable on opposite sides of the car.

 

[ecniemann]

No I saw your pics man and due props, I was just suggesting what to put on Dub's writeup. And no, I haven't done my install yet.

I saw how to get past the glovebox, and I think I know how to pop up the rocker panels with my fingers, and I think the seatbelt cover pops off as well. But I'm not sure how the carpet is fasened and such - if at all, and how to route it under the rear seats is still TBD for me, even though it may be totally obvious. I just haven't looked yet.

Also, I know how you can get access to the grommet from inside the car by popping off the glovebox (thoroughly documented) but from the engine bay side, reaching that thing looks like a mighty pain.

I was just mentioning these things as something to add to a writeup, as they would seem like common "I got suck doing x" moments. Like if I went to go take the B-pillar cover off and got stuck, etc.

I'm still wondering if isolating the alternator whine could be best done by running power and speaker cable on opposite sides of the car.

There are 2 heat shields that need to removed in the engine bay. One is just to route the wire, that one is right behind the engine (looks like foil insulated foam). Nuffflavor is pointing to this one with the gray screw nuts. The second shield is right in front of that grommet, and is curved, and is easily removed with one nut attached at the L hand side (again, Nuffflavor is also pointing to that one in a pic).

Also, I routed my speaker/power wires just like you said, power down passenger, line level down driver to isolate them.

 

[LukeP]

ah, I take it you have no alternator whine then. Good stuff. Yeah I guess after removing the heat shields it wouldn't be that bad to reach it. That pretty much takes care of that.

 

[Nuffflavor]

No I saw your pics man and due props, I was just suggesting what to put on Dub's writeup. And no, I haven't done my install yet.

I saw how to get past the glovebox, and I think I know how to pop up the rocker panels with my fingers, and I think the seatbelt cover pops off as well. But I'm not sure how the carpet is fasened and such - if at all, and how to route it under the rear seats is still TBD for me, even though it may be totally obvious. I just haven't looked yet.

Also, I know how you can get access to the grommet from inside the car by popping off the glovebox (thoroughly documented) but from the engine bay side, reaching that thing looks like a mighty pain.

I was just mentioning these things as something to add to a writeup, as they would seem like common "I got suck doing x" moments. Like if I went to go take the B-pillar cover off and got stuck, etc.

I'm still wondering if isolating the alternator whine could be best done by running power and speaker cable on opposite sides of the car.

Ohhhhh Cool. R you doing a FULL remod? The carpet stuff is easy, but it is pain-taking to rip up yur own car, and a headache (sometimes) to go through the motions. When you start....since you are in P-Town?.... I could stop by for a few to help with pointing out some stuff to make things go quicker and such..... it just takes the initial HUMP to get the ball rolling.

Hell Yeah! I felt like I was catfish hunting stabbing blindly at that stupid gormment!

 

[LukeP]

I'm not doing a full remod yet, just complimenting the existing bose system. And I live in canadatown, so thats pretty far away!

 

[LukeP]

I can't get the glovebox out

I removed the two screws holding it in, but I can pull the whole car down the driveway IN GEAR by the glove box without having it budge.

UPDATE: And with a heave and a ho, powered by anger, the glove box popped free of its oppressive clips. Came out pretty easy after that.

 

[ecniemann]

I can't get the glovebox out

I removed the two screws holding it in, but I can pull the whole car down the driveway IN GEAR by the glove box without having it budge.

UPDATE: And with a heave and a ho, powered by anger, the glove box popped free of its oppressive clips. Came out pretty easy after that.

Nice! Yeah, the car is mostly held together by pressure clips. That is how the door trim will be also, if you are swapping out speakers too. I ran the amp wires unde the door sill trim panels, which surprise, are also pressure clipped in.

 

[LukeP]

Update on progress:

Breaking through the firewall; Here's how I did it! My folks still have my cam so I didn't get any video but I did get these photos of my trials and tribulations.

Okay, so all I have to do is get to the grommet behind here....sounds easy enough ...

With the heat shield nuts off I should be able to just sorta...umm looks like this aint gonna move far....lets see if I can get my hand in there even though I can't see.

No way, there just aint no WAY I'm going to do anything with that grommet from here. I have some small side cutters but all I'm going to do is drop them. Time to get at that thing from the inside....

With my pocket knife!

Time to fark some grommet. TAKE THIS YOU!

I see daylight!

I did it! With the help of some Silicon spray to lube the wire, it punched through and I was easily able to grab it from the other side.

 

[Nuffflavor]

LOL. Way to go LukeP! Another MS3 conquered by the Behind-the-GloveBox power route.... cool puncher technique too. Pretty easy uh?

See what ya started Ecniemann?

Hey LukeP keep the install pics rollin...just incase you do something I might want to / have not performed on my MS3.... You never know, I MIGHT want to further my modifications in the future <.

 

[LukeP]

I will do so. I looked up the stickied general install thread and it outlines using needle nose pliers to pull the grommet nub inside and cut it. That would have worked too, in retrospect.

I used welding ground cable as I have cheap as free access to it. I think its either 3 or 4 gauge, but seeing as how its used for welders with a 200 amp 100% duty cycle, I think it'll do the job. I could have used 0 gauge welding cable but I was told by my source the this cable would be better for lower amp jobs.