[langlord]

I have just done this install and I am very happy with the results. I fitted it myself and it took roughly 4 hours which I was quite happy about.

I am however now tempted to change the subs under the seats as at high volume they are what seem to struggle slightly.

both jbl and kicker do one that I am guessing will be direct fit.

[T335i]

I will order and install the alpine set in the next few weeks, do you guys thing that its wise to upgrade the subs (to sws8)at the same time? (I should have the standard 6,5" now) Or should I wait for the result of the alpine kit first? In other words, are the standard subs good enough for the alpine amp?

Thanks

[_Si_]

Hi All

Had a go at the install today. Ive come to a standstill with the wiring. Im really struggling to find where the original wires are spliced!
Does anyone have any pictures of what im looking for?
Ive got 2 bundles of wires, one quite large and a smaller one with a couple of green fibres.
I have a 2009 E90 Saloon if that makes any difference!

Many Thanks

Si..

[richd]

Originally Posted by _Si_

Hi All

Had a go at the install today. Ive come to a standstill with the wiring. Im really struggling to find where the original wires are spliced!
Does anyone have any pictures of what im looking for?
Ive got 2 bundles of wires, one quite large and a smaller one with a couple of green fibres.
I have a 2009 E90 Saloon if that makes any difference!

Many Thanks

Si..

There are pics in an earlier page in the thread. Having just done an E90 I can empathise. The splices themselves have been wrapped in the cable wrap you see all looms wrapped in. The only way I found them was to run my hand along each of the looms until I found an area about 7cm long that was thicker than the rest of the loom. Cutting the wrap at this point exposed the splices.

Driver side they are pretty much half way along the door opening, whilst passenger side, they are only an inch or so further back from the hinge point.

[_Si_]

Thanks Rich that helps. The earlier pics showed the splices already exposed. I'll give it a go in the morning. Upto this point I was surprised how easy this was, even for someone like me

Just had to pop out and have a look and I went straight to them!! Sometimes you really can't see the wood for the trees... or the splices in the loom

[_Si_]

Originally Posted by _Si_

Thanks Rich that helps. The earlier pics showed the splices already exposed. I'll give it a go in the morning. Upto this point I was surprised how easy this was, even for someone like me

Just had to pop out and have a look and I went straight to them!! Sometimes you really can't see the wood for the trees... or the splices in the loom

Well I thought I found them.
Still no joy at all. Ive got every piece of tape off the loom now across the entire width of the passenger door and there's nothing there!
Could they be as far forward as the foot well?
Alternatively can you tap into these wires by cutting them further up and not using the splices?
Also, on the left side of the car there is no sign of green and white wires.

[richd]

Originally Posted by _Si_

Well I thought I found them.
Still no joy at all. Ive got every piece of tape off the loom now across the entire width of the passenger door and there's nothing there!
Could they be as far forward as the foot well?

Just making sure, but you do have the standard system in your car? Not the Hi-Fi upgrade? They certainly aren't in front of the door hinges in my car, but they may have well changed this for the LCI models (which I guess yours may be?).

Have you found the driver side? They are much easier to find due to their location.

Originally Posted by _Si_

Alternatively can you tap into these wires by cutting them further up and not using the splices?

Unfortunately not. The splice point is the point where the front channel splits to the sub and the mid/tweeters in the door. If you cut them further up you won't be able to feed the subs with a different channel to the mids/tweeters.

The amp is a 4 channel, with two channels driving the subs and two channels driving the door pairs.

Rich

[_Si_]

Yeah I have the standard system with professional radio (no sat nav).

Do you mean the facelift model when you say LCI ? (sorry if thats a dumb question!) if so then yeah its the facelift model.

Ive had a quick look at the drivers side and I can't feel any thicker points in the loom.
Maybe this could have been changed after the facelift!

[richd]

Originally Posted by _Si_

Do you mean the facelift model when you say LCI ? (sorry if thats a dumb question!) if so then yeah its the facelift model.

Yep, LCI (Life Cycle Impulse) is BMW's name for the mid life facelift. I don't know if they have changed anything here, maybe another LCI E90 owner can comment?

Rich

[Dr Dave]

As a cost saving, I'll bet this splice has gone.....

[_Si_]

Originally Posted by Dr Dave

As a cost saving, I'll bet this splice has gone.....

That would suck. They must be somewhere in there!!

[Dr Dave]

The wire you are tracing to splice into - where does it go to? Door speaker?

[_Si_]

Originally Posted by Dr Dave

The wire you are tracing to splice into - where does it go to? Door speaker?

The splice point is the point where the front channel splits to the sub and the mid/tweeters in the door. (quoting richd)

[_Si_]

Found something!
Deep in the footwell. There's 2 lots of spliced wires. Blue and White, also Yellow and White. Could this be what im looking for??

[T335i]

Hello again,

I do have the radio professional. I will install the Apline HiFi upgrade. If I get new subs, the SWS-8's do I need the 2ohm or 4ohm version? I know it has been asked before, but still confused.....

Thanks

[Dr Dave]

Originally Posted by _Si_

Found something!
Deep in the footwell. There's 2 lots of spliced wires. Blue and White, also Yellow and White. Could this be what im looking for??

Only way to be sure is to do a continuity test with a multimeter.

[MIKEYBMW1]

Hi Guys

can I fit this upgrade kit in my M3?

thanks

michael.

[_Si_]

Well im about to give up. Ill give it another quick tomorrow and if no joy I could have an amplifier and wiring for sale!

[MIKEYBMW1]

i'll have it off you if you have no joy fitting it .

[richd]

Originally Posted by _Si_

Found something!
Deep in the footwell. There's 2 lots of spliced wires. Blue and White, also Yellow and White. Could this be what im looking for??

In my E90 I had a pair of splices, one for ground and one for the signal. Three cables went into each splice, a thick cable which was the feed from the stereo, a thick cable which i could trace to the sub and a thinner cable which I could trace to the doors...

I didn't notice anything else joining down there, so they could be what your looking for.

[_Si_]

Originally Posted by richd

In my E90 I had a pair of splices, one for ground and one for the signal. Three cables went into each splice, a thick cable which was the feed from the stereo, a thick cable which i could trace to the sub and a thinner cable which I could trace to the doors...

I didn't notice anything else joining down there, so they could be what your looking for.

All these are thin wires. Also on the drivers side there is no sign at all of any splices. There seems to be a blue/black and blue/brown cable twisted together and running independantly of the loom. It comes from the back, plugs under the seat and goes off behind the dash.

Maybe its time to admit defeat, at least until someone with more knowledge and an LCI model can shed some light onto this.

[nmf69]

Don't give up!
At the LCI models they changed the way the subwoofers and the mids in the doors are connected: there are no splices anymore but a 4 wire connector which goes directly into the subwoofer encloser - 2 thicker wires coming from the HU and 2 thinner which go to the mids in the doors. I hope it helps, I will make some pictures one of these days - still waiting for my new Audio Systems subwoofers...