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1. A lot of times a stray bowling ball, a malicious friend, or just an accident will push in the dustcap of your new car audio speakers or subwoofers. Although it does not hamper the performance, it looks unsightly on the speakers you just dropped a lot of coin on. A shop vac can return the dented speaker to its original shape! Just place the vacuum on the damaged area for a second.
2. A lot of times people think buzzing speakers automatically mean a blown speaker. However, in today’s cars with speakers in the dashboard, coins or small crumbs can wind up on the cone. If you are lucky, a shop vac may be able to dislodge the stuff, but you may have to take the dashboard apart. Once you are there you’ll be able to tell if it is a bad speaker or just some car crud that landed in the wrong place. 3. Expensive test equipment for measuring the output of car audio amplifiers (such as Audio Precision) can cost tens of thousands of dollars. If you are getting noise out of your speakers (such as alternator whine or bad interference), expert test equipment only has to cost a couple of bucks. Just take two RCA cables and short them out – cut them open and connect the positive lead to the negative lead. Plug your homemade testers into the amp – if you still get any noise, then the amp needs to be serviced.
4. Want your car to sound like the singer is coming right out of the center of the dashboard? This is called “imaging”. If you have a simple system with two speakers in the front but the image is vague, try reversing the polarity on the passenger side speaker (just switch the positive and negative speaker leads). Although it does not work 100% of the time, when it does work it is one of the best free tweaks.
5. Have old iPods lying around? How about a RidePod – or an outdated iPod that just rots in your center console? Although you might not have the most current music on it, you’ll always have your go-to favorites on tap, and you will not be too concerned if it gets stolen or cooked by high vehicle interior temperatures.
6. The key fob that came with your new car may lock and unlock the doors, but is it offering your ride any protection? How about looking into a REAL security system – one that offers a real proximity sensor, starter kill and siren. Properly installed security systems give an extra piece of mind and, if installed properly, should not annoy the neighbors with a false alarm. The range will improve over the stock remote transmitters, and extra functions such as remote start can be easily added.
7. So, you really want a remote start but you have a key (such as from Lexus) with integrated buttons. Since you don’t want to carry another remote keyfob, a good installer can tap into the factory electronics with an aftermarket remote starter system. Your car will start by pressing the “LOCK” button two or three times. Look for an MECP-certified installer; if they are worth a salt, they will know the trick…
8. Can’t get your remote key fob to lock or unlock unless you are very close to the car? Indeed, it is probably a bad battery. However, touch the remote to your chin while pressing the button – your whole body will act as a transmitting antenna and extend the range of the remote until you pass by a RadioShack for a replacement battery.
9. Having a problem with bad static on your radio stations? Sometimes it’s your car; sometimes it’s a bum tuner. Here is where it pays to have friends. Plug the antenna from your friend’s quiet car into the noisy car – if it is still noisy, you’ll know the problem lies within your vehicle’s electrical system. Now plug the antenna from the noisy car into the quiet car’s radio – that’ll tell you if the problem lies in the radio itself.
10. Talking and driving just don’t mix. Bluetooth cell phones can be bought from the factory, but a better way to fly is a Bluetooth hands-free kit. Some of the slick ones from manufacturers such as Parrot feature a picture of the person on an incoming call. The voice even broadcasts over your stereo’s speakers.
11. Mobile video systems that come from the factory are sometimes consumer-friendly and leave an input for a game system so the kids can play in the backseat. But some dropdown monitors only have a DVD player. Luckily, most use an RGB-style wiring scheme, so a skilled installer can ‘hack in’ and install a receptacle for a game system so everyone in the backseat is happy.
12. Have a portable satellite radio receiver but don’t want to permanently mount it (or you want to use it in a rental car)? You do not have to mount the antenna on the exterior of the car. You can temporarily mount it in the corner of the dashboard or use a little double-stick tape to put it on the window. You’ll get more dropouts than doing it the correct way, but sometimes a full-on installation isn’t in the cards.
13. Replacing your radio but afraid to lose your steering wheel remote controls? Not a problem. There are manufacturers who make retrofit electronics so a new radio will work with your factory remote controls. Check out www.pac-audio.com
14. If your car is leased, you do not want to hand your vehicle back with any electronics in it. But you also can’t leave unsightly holes. Try a little colored silicon that matches your interior, available at a good paint store or home improvement store to fill the holes. If you have a textured dashboard, you can take a toothpick before the silicon cures to try and simulate the effect.
15. Mixing up cake mix is easy when you properly measure the amounts. So is dialing in the correct amount of power for a great-sounding car audio system. Most experts agree on the 1:4 rule. If you have 25 watts going to each of the speakers in a car, then give 100 watts to the subwoofer. 100 watts to each of the speakers yields 400 watts to the subs. This rule-of-thumb is a great way to mix up a tasty-sounding audio system.
16. If you walk into a car audio shop but are intimidated by the diving-board size car audio amplifiers on the soundboard, don’t worry. Today’s technology can give you plenty of power without sacrificing any trunk space. If space is at a premium in your ride, look for Class D amplifiers. They pack all the punch but take up half the space of their conventional Class AB counterparts. Side benefit: Since they run ultra-cool, they can even be mounted under the front seats!
17. The most realistic sounding car audio systems have one thing in common: Speaker placement. Instead of mounting the speakers in the doors, experts agree the kick panels (where your left foot would kick if you kicked the side of the car after using the brake) are a better location. If you are lucky, some cars (like BMWs) have these locations from the factory. But if you are truly going after the best, an installer can create custom kick panel pods for your ride to house the speakers.
18. Want your car to be louder with the same amplifiers and speakers you have now? Even better, how about a reassuring thud every time you slam the door? Check out sound deadening material. Made by several manufacturers, they help keep the sound in and unwanted buzzing out. Check out www.dynamat.com for an example.
19. We’ll always opt for a dedicated piece of mobile electronics kit over a portable unit, but sometimes portable does make more sense. But that does not mean you need piles of spaghetti wiring coming out of your cigarette lighters. Have a pro installer tap into your +12 volt wiring correctly, run the wire (or wires) direct, and you’ll just be left with a small wire adjacent to where you mount the portable (like the windshield for a suction-cup mount). Two benefits: You will be able to plug something into your cigarette lighter receptacle, and the units will power down when you turn off the ignition – you don’t have to manually turn them off!
20. There has been a lot of chatter about the Sirius/XM merger. But fans of Howard Stern need not be punished if they own a GM, and Opie & Anthony fans should not be persecuted for driving a Ford. A good mobile electronics dealer knows about the new ‘flip-flop’ converters (XM Direct or Sirius Connect line) to give you the choice of dashboard democracy!
21. When installing amplifiers in a car, a common place for noise and interference getting into the system is the RCA interconnect cables. Experts agree the best type of RCA cables to use in a car are called Unshielded (the shields can actually pick up noise in the car) Twisted Pair (UTP). If UTP is good enough for the phone company, then it will be good for your ride. But the guy at RadioShack has probably never heard of UTP – so stop by a car audio retailer where companies such as Monster and Stinger market them.
22. Looking to replace your radio in your Ford, GM, Chrysler or Toyota? The hole in the dashboard for a typical car audio radio is called ‘DIN’ sized. Some manufacturers use DIN-and-a-half or Double-DIN openings. So you take the radio out and there is a lot of extra space. This space is filled with a ‘Dash Kit.’ The thing is, most consumers don’t know they have a choice in dash kits. You can get a dash kit that puts the new radio right in the center of the hole for a sleek look, or you can get a dash kit with a handy odds-and-ends bin below your new radio. The choice is yours if you ask for the right kit!
23. Getting great bass in your car does not have to take up a lot of space. In fact, some subwoofer systems are nearly invisible. They camouflage to the interior so well. Two lines that give you all of the bass with none of the waste are JL Audio’s Stealthbox and MTX’s Thunderforms. These are fiberglass vehicle-specific enclosures in which the biggest variable for good sound in car has already been determined – the interior volume of the car itself!
24. Wondering what you might be able to do with the cassette player in your car besides being a cookie receptacle for your three-year-old? Try going to the library for ‘real’ books-on-tape. Sony and Amazon have Ebook readers, but what is better than hearing a great actor give you a story on an 8-hour ride? Big benefit: When you use a cassette tape, you are sure to pick up right where you left off, and rewinding without accidentally changing tracks isn’t a problem like it can be with CDs or MP3s.
25. So what is the most frequently asked question of car audio guys in 2008? It is ‘How can I get my iPod to sound good in my ride?’ If you are an iPodophile or Zunophobe, do yourself a favor and skip the FM Modulator units that broadcast on an FM station and go right to the good stuff – a dedicated OEM Integration unit for your PMP. You control the iPod through your factory radio buttons. Some of the best are engineered by Peripheral Electronics – www.peripheral.com. The Web site will quickly let you know if you can get song titles right up on the screen of your radio so there is no driver distraction.
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