Jump to content
Ultimate Subaru Message Board

Recommended Posts

Hello All, I'm new here, just discovered this site. I'm the proud owner of a 2005 Subaru Impreza 2.5RS AT. You can see it on my cardomain and leave comments :). http://www.cardomain.com/id/andyman53 . Lemme Know how you like it.

 

Anyways. I have a couple questions. Some jerk took my car out (Dad) and pulled out with the E-Brake on, got out the driveway and down the block until he took it off. The brakes were horribly warped. Took it to the dealer and they sanded them, i lost a considerable amount of "juice" to the pedal and it still vibrates once they heat up and it takes more to stop the car. Whats the recommendation on that one?

 

Second of all, I have stock sound (not upgraded) ((80 WATTS!!!)) in, I want a system but its a lease. A custom place quoted me at $1000, but Its a lease, remember, i'd have to take it out and B) Its a thousand bucks. How good is the Subaru Factory Upgraded sound? Worth 500? On monday i'm finding out if that 500 goes towards the principal of the car since technically it does improve its value.

 

Thanks.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Welcome, congrats on the new car.

 

You'll find many answers to your questions via the search feature on this site, it's very helpful.

 

General Audio FAQ from nasioc:

http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=170844

 

'05 Specific instructions:

http://members.cox.net/~gilspics/stereo/radio_removal.html

 

Click second link for HU removal instructions... looks very easy, it's slightly different from my '03, but I just put a stereo in ours and it took 30 minutes or so. Seriously, very easy stuff. Get the proper wiring harnesses and you'll do no splicing, soldering, or cutting, and it will be very easy to revert back to stock should you need to. You'll have better sound for a heck of a lot less than $500 with just a good head unit and a little bit of time.

 

The speakers are a bit more involved as you have to remove door panels... but it could be done easily enough and left so that you could revert to stock. Having replaced the front speakers in our car, it's considerably more work than the HU, though not difficult by any means.

 

Steve

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Welcome, congrats on the new car.

 

You'll find many answers to your questions via the search feature on this site, it's very helpful.

 

General Audio FAQ from nasioc:

http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=170844

 

'05 Specific instructions:

http://members.cox.net/~gilspics/stereo/radio_removal.html

 

Click second link for HU removal instructions... looks very easy, it's slightly different from my '03, but I just put a stereo in ours and it took 30 minutes or so. Seriously, very easy stuff. Get the proper wiring harnesses and you'll do no splicing, soldering, or cutting, and it will be very easy to revert back to stock should you need to. You'll have better sound for a heck of a lot less than $500 with just a good head unit and a little bit of time.

 

The speakers are a bit more involved as you have to remove door panels... but it could be done easily enough and left so that you could revert to stock. Having replaced the front speakers in our car, it's considerably more work than the HU, though not difficult by any means.

 

Steve

 

Thanks. Yeah, some stereo dealer in the area quoted me !!! $1000!!! . I dunno about where he lives but money doesn't grow on trees around here. I can do it myself, i'm a computer technician. I'm good with wires, ESPECIALLY if i'm guided.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks. Yeah, some stereo dealer in the area quoted me !!! $1000!!! . I dunno about where he lives but money doesn't grow on trees around here. I can do it myself, i'm a computer technician. I'm good with wires, ESPECIALLY if i'm guided.

 

$1000 may not be a ripoff- what's the stereo shop going to do? I can take $1000 worth of stereo equipment and you can be sure it will sound better than $500 worth of stereo equipment.

 

upgrading a stereo is just a personal preference as far as if "its worth it." I once had an old Toyota Tercel, and I upgraded the stereo (went waaay overboard). It sounded great. But I'll probably never upgrade a stereo again (via aftermarket route). the tercel had a horible sounds system, and no cd player. Todays stereos sound fine to me. The aftermarket set up I had in the toyota sounded MUCH better than the factory setup I have in our forester and bmw- but now I don't care.... the sound quality is good enough for me to pass the time while I drive. (I should note, both cars have the "upgraded" factory stereo). If there was noticable distortion, or hissing or buzzing, that would be different. also I don't play my music obnoxiously loud anymore. Besides if you go aftermarket, you lose the integrated look and steering wheel functions, etc....

 

If your budget is $500, I wouldn't bother with changing the HU only. I doubt that will improve your sound at all. to get better sound, you need better speakers, a sub woofer, and an amp to drive it all in addition to a new HU. Now that $1000 quote from the stereo place looks more reasonable.

 

But if your happy with your stock stereo, and you want a little extra punch and finesse, just go with the subaru sub that fits under your seat, and an extra set of tweeters to mount up high. the advantage here is that this equipment is already compatible with the stock HU. also, if you go on ebay or online, you can pick up this stuff for half the price as the dealer. Don't bother upgrading your other speakers- it's just money down the drain unless you go the whole aftermarket route. and since it's subaru, everything integrates nicely (and you did it all for under $200)

 

Will the $1000 upgrade sound better? definately. will it sound 5 times better? probably not.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I recently had a new stereo put into my wife's car, we went to a high end shop but didn't go crazy with DVD and all that. A nice Mp3 head unit and 4 speakers was about $800 installed, and he will take it out and replace the old system at no charge if we ever sell the car, and then charge normal installation fees to install the system in our next car. Check out other places in your area and see if this a common service, I got 3 estimates and 2 out of 3 provided this.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

hi i have a 2005 baja turbo and just traded my 02 impreza RS with 102K on it and running strong. on my RS i had put drilled rotors on that i got on ebay for cheap aroun 130 for all 4 rotors they worked great and easy to put on. subaru rotors warp easy as i have found in my past of owning 6 subarus. i would just change them to solve your problem.

i as well have the factory radio in my 05 with 6cd changer. i am happy with it and will upgrade with the factory subwoofer eventually. but overall i installed a satellite radio and its all i listen to. i have kids so ear pounding power isnt needed. but changing the radio is easy and could range from 200 and up depending on what you put in. go to Best buy or Circuit city and get a cheaper deal.

i had a 3K dollar system in my 02 impreza with dvd and all and ill tell ya i never used the power i had. nice looking and once in awhile turn it up but overall never used it for the power. i think the 80 watts is enough for the family man.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sadly, 80 watts and no sub isn't enough for me. I just got this car 6 months ago, i got about 2 and a half years to go and I definetly wanna hook up the sound system. I wanna replace the head unit too because of XM or sirius radio. I'm good with wiring, not great, good. Not only do i know my way around a computer, but i'm a computer tech and work with them in every respect everyday. Is it something i'd want to take on myself? What kind of labor is reasonable for a job of putting in a head unit, 4 speakers, amp and sub and prob XM/sirius reciever?

 

Another thing is, where would all you recommend buying parts from? Crutchfield is a great resource, but a simple pricegrabber search can chew down the prices by at least 40/50. Any stores, should i work something out with a local dealer?

 

I'm looking to spend in the ballpark of 500-650 at most. Thats alot of cash for me. I don't even have it now. But I listen to music now more than ever and i definlety need to improve this. I find myself pushing the system now and then and constantly changing stations because of commercials.

 

Thanks in Advance.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

you should goto bestbuy or circuit city and get one installed for cheaper then 500 and still get a great head unit with sat radio. i saw them on sale this weekend in the sunday paper. they will install it as well. go to ebay for new rotors for around 130 for 4 rotors and they are drilled dont get slotted. the drilled will last longer stop you faster and save your pads while keeping brakes cool.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sadly, 80 watts and no sub isn't enough for me

I wanna replace the head unit too because of XM or sirius radio

What kind of labor is reasonable for a job of putting in a head unit, 4 speakers, amp and sub and prob XM/sirius reciever?

 

I'm looking to spend in the ballpark of 500-650 at most.

 

a budget of $650 for all the things you want is really tight for all the things you want listed above. Conceivably you could do this;

H/U w/xm compatibility (or aux input) and pream outs- $200

Front component speakers $100

small 4 way amp (4x30 or 4x40 bridgable) $200

small sub w/enclosure: $100

wiring, inline fuse- $25

 

dont replace the rear speakers. use the onboard amp to power the factory rears. use 2 channels of the amp to run the fronts, bridge the other 2 to run the sub. expect to spend a day tearing up your trim and installing everything if you've never done it before.

 

1. don't worry about power unless you like it loud. the factory power rating of 80 watts is a strech (more like 30-40 if you use comparable terms to these other amps)

2. forget rear speakers- they're only for rear seat passengers and they only provide "rear fill," not important. by cutting this step, you save on a pair of speakers and another amp ($250-300) and don't lose any sound quality in my opinion.

3. the most important sound comes from the front- get the compontents.

4. use the factory wiring for speakers- others will claim they're not thick enough- but they're fine- I had a 50w/ch going through factory wire and it was fine. use thicker wire for the sub.

5. changing the HU alone doesn't do anything- unless you don't have all the money upfront and plan to change things one step at a time.

 

although i have to re-iterate my last suggestion... it sounds like you're on a tight budget, and you're leasing the car, so you'll either have to pull everything out or return the car with your new equipment. just get a subaru sub woofer, a pair of tweeters for up high, and plug the XM into the CD changer input of your current H/U- much less cost- much less headache, and only a SMALL sacrifice in sound quaility compared to what I outlined above.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I agree w/ everything bjwirth said, except for one thing, #5. changing the HU alone doesn't do anything.

 

In my experience I noticed a worthwhile difference in stock vs. decent aftermarket HU (Pioneers in both cases) both with stock speakers and with aftermarket speakers. This was on a '97 and an '03. My $.02.

 

Steve

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The only thing i don't like about it, is that the subaru subwoofer is 250 i think, i think i quoted upgrading the speakers and adding a sub...it was 500. I remember that distinctly.

 

I'm not SET on getting a newer flashier h/u. I can budge on that. I KNOW I want a sub, and some more oomph, that might not be delivered by tweeters. There might be tweeters there, i'm not sure, next to the door handle?

 

I went to a local audio shop, they wanted 1000 dollars minimum. I don't have that kinda cash. Theres another one in my area i'll consider checking out. I'll try some of the superstores Circuit City, Best Buy etc. too. I just wish The Wiz was still around. :'( . lol

 

 

Thanks again people.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The only thing i don't like about it, is that the subaru subwoofer is 250 i think, i think i quoted upgrading the speakers and adding a sub...it was 500. I remember that distinctly.

 

I'm not SET on getting a newer flashier h/u. I can budge on that. I KNOW I want a sub, and some more oomph, that might not be delivered by tweeters. There might be tweeters there, i'm not sure, next to the door handle?

.

 

get the stuff off ebay, it's half the price. like I said before, add a subaru sub and a pair of tweeters, it'll costya <$200. w/o an amp, upgrading speakers doesn't do much. (think weakest link in a chain)

 

tweeters do nothing for the base punch as you said. I think it does A LOT for the music clarity. I personally find it more important than the base- but that's me. I only suggested them, because they're a cheap way to improve your sound. if you have them, they'll either be by the rearview mirrors or somewhere on the door.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

get the stuff off ebay, it's half the price. like I said before, add a subaru sub and a pair of tweeters, it'll costya <$200. w/o an amp, upgrading speakers doesn't do much. (think weakest link in a chain)

 

tweeters do nothing for the base punch as you said. I think it does A LOT for the music clarity. I personally find it more important than the base- but that's me. I only suggested them, because they're a cheap way to improve your sound. if you have them, they'll either be by the rearview mirrors or somewhere on the door.

 

do you recommend the subaru tweeters in addition to the standard factory setup? i've been debating upgrading my stereo as well, but nothing what this other guy wants to do. i listen to a lot of music that's pretty involved and has a lot of higher end sounds (long guitar and piano solos). and the factory speakers aren't good enough, but i don't even have $200 to spend on it. i found the subaru tweeter kit for $35 on http://www.subarugenuineparts.com and thought i'd purchase them if they bring out more sound. is it worth it?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

is it worth it?

 

that's a personal call. try going to a dealer and listening to 2 cars w/ and w/o the upgraded stereo (turn down the bass if you're only interested in adding tweeters). you may find it's not even worth the $35- or you may find it's money well spent.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Is the steering wheel vibrating/shaking when you brake, or does it feel like its coming from the seat?

 

Pedal vibrates to a certain extent and the wheel most certainly does NOT move when i brake even after much use. They supposedly sanded down the rotors at the dealership.

 

And as for the sound. Yeah, i'm DEFINETLY a treble kinda guy but i don't wanna keep pushing the low end through my speakers. I listen to a good amount of rap, it'll kill them and won't produce what I'd even want. So yeah, i'm looking at a h/u for xm (possibly, my h/u is really fine but might not put in what i want audio wise, i have no idea what the specs on it are), amp, sub, front speakers and/or tweeters and xm reciever. Its alot, i know, and i might consider trimming it down. I'll consider buying the subaru sub, but as far as i know its $250 from the dealer plus install. Not sure about the tweeters, might go aftermarket on those b/c of the spkrs.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...