I need some HELP with Rear speaker kit
 

I dremeled and installed the rear speakers in the storage bin. I cannot understanding the wiring. Everyone said it was a really easy install, however I am struggling horribly with it. I cannot understand how to wire the darn thing. Can someone explain it to me in the 6th grade terms how to wire the darn thing. Also when the wire runs down from the storage bin on the passenger side, do I run the wires through the holes where the pocket size umbrella is suppose to sit? Or just run it along the side?

Just for everyones information, I have a 2004 boxster with cdr23 sound system.
Which end of the wire plugs into the actual headunit? Is it the brown one, or the loose ends? Where does the wire exactly go up and through to get to the radio? I read hacks from pelican and samars but there are no pictures of it. Where am I suppose to plug in the brown plug and what do I do with the other end?
Also, why wont the radio removal keys come out of the radio when reinstalled back in?

I am quite frustrated. I dont need another writeup, I want someone to help me who has done this already and could walk me through it.Thanks in advance

Frank

You're now doing the hardest part of the entire install. Having just done this a few weeks ago, I may be able to help. Here's a link to the instructions with pictures from the guy I bought my rear speaker kit from. It should answer most of your questions.

http://members.roadfly.com/a9dbl4/BOXSTER.pdf

Wrap the loose wires together with electrical tape, this makes feeding them through everything a little bit easier. Since you have a '04, the wires should feed all the way into the front trunk to install into the connector at the amp. The guy I bought my kit from would also be a good one to ask, as he has a kit for both styles (connect at the back of the radio vs. connect at the amp).

Here's his latest auction..

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=7976277374&catego ry=42612

You're going to have to take quite a bit of the interior panels on the passenger side loose and it's still going to be a real b**ch to feed the wires along the door opening, thru the metal guard for the airbag sensor and then up inside the front kick panel and behind the dash....and if your's connects at the amp rather than the radio, you then have to feed the wires thru the firewall and over to the amp. You might do a search for the CD changer retrofit for tips on feeding the wires thru the firewall.

It took me an entire afternoon to feed the wires on mine. I feel your pain....

sounds tough but worth it.

When the top is up I fade in the rear speakers (60-70)

When the top is down I use only the front speakers. I have the 'premium' sound package with the DSP thing on the dash, door speakers and dash speakers and tweeters and the four channel amp. With the top down going at 70+mph its as good as any convertible system I've ever heard. Having full wind deflection helps enourmously.

with the top up during winter not having the rear speakers was really irritating. The previous owner never had them wired! I bought the PNP kit from Harvey on Ebay needlessly,I had speakers back there all along.

the only problem with great sound in the Boxster is that I can't hear the engine!

p.s. the Wall Mart polyfill stuffing behind the rear speakers helps. Its like $3 for a large bag, more than enough.

You don't have to feed the wires to the front of the car's dash the way they tell you to do it if you don't want to.

I installed the rear speaker kit myself and just ran the wires under the carpet piece behind the passenger seat and along the passenger side of the center console by tucking them up under it until I got to the dash.

Completely invisible, looks fine and works fine too. I had no desire to unscrew the door sill and all those silly plates and things to do what was suggested online.

Concerning the wires themselves, I believe you will find that the brown connector fits perfectly in the back of your head unit and the bare wires go to the speakers in the back.

ok I got the speakers to work by just plugging it into the amplifier on the outside, without going through the firewalls. I guess I have to directly connect to my amplifier.

Now, does anyone know how to route the wires from the amplifier in the front trunk to wear the rear speaker socket near the roll bar?

Your system may be different, but I plugged my rear speakers directly into the back of the head unit, not the amp.

Yes, the 2003-2004 models require to be plugged into the amp. We dont have a radio code either.

Well, it looks like you're going to have to go through the firewall. Bummer.

I bet it's hard to find and do the first time and thereafter not nearly as hard... not like you'll ever do it again, but hey, I'm trying to be encouraging here!

On 2003/4 the rear speaker kit is wired to the amp, because the amp is 6 channels and 2 are for rear speakers.

Remove the battery clamp and slide the battery to the passenger side. Behind the battery you will see a large black rubber plug. Get an ice pick and stick it in the middle of the plug. Then look above your gas pedal for the end of the ice pick. You will see than an X has already been cut in the insulation for wires to be pulled through that plug.

Then pull back the carpet in the trunk where the cd changer is supposed to be. You will see another plug. Make a hole in the plug for the wires. You pull your wires through both plugs and over to the amp connector.

This is how we route wires from the interior of the car into the front trunk.

To go from the roll bar to gas pedal you have 2 choices. Route the wires down through the center console to near the radio head, or route them via the passenger door sill. We did it the second way and when we filmed the rear speaker intall that is the way Porsche says to do it.

Where is the cd changer suppose to be? Is it in front of the amp? And when you say make you holes, do I drill my own holes?

thanks in advance

an amp for the rears, hmm....

I wrote up the installation instructions that are posted on the Boxster hacks site. I included specific instructions/photos on routing the wires using the "along the door sill" method. If you're still working on this, take a look at the link above for some helpful photos and amplification to the Porsche instructions.

Good luck!

i finished it! Thanks for everyone with the help! The sound is clearly better but overall the sound still isnt great. I don't know if all this was worth the hassle

well if louder is what a Boxster owner is looking for, the rear speaker upgrade won't help. Its more of a surround sound effect type of enhancement which is lost when you lower the top.
But once you get used to having the rear speakers (for top up driving) you will not miss having only front speakers.
Not a cheap mod though..

IMO, so long as I adjust the fade to bias to the rear I get better sound with the kit - even with the top down. If not louder, the sound is at least closer to my ears... :rolleyes:

I agree with you Don. Great writeup BTW.