[Must_Go_FASTER]

I'll try to be in-depth, without going too far down a rabbit hole, as I'm wont to do when explaining things!

Disclaimer: I am not, nor have I ever been, a car audio expert/installer, please be kind

To start, I have the Harmon Kardon system, which I've always felt a bit underwhelmed with. Especially the BASS. If you find yourself on the fence about it, I would highly recommend you start with researching EQ settings for the HK system and get yourself setup with Bimmercode to access the Bowers & Wilkins audio settings. This is a great product for playing with your vehicles settings, as well as being relatively inexpensive. After setting up the EQ and the B&W settings, I really could have been satisfied with the audio... but........ that's just NO FUN!!

Now, I know about the Bavsound replacement woofers ($600 for the pair) and I know a lot of people are happy with that upgrade, but ultimately when you see the price breakdown below, there's a good reason I decided it wasn't the option for me.

I've never fully installed any car audio myself, and it's been about 15 years since the last time I fooled with it at all. I know my limitations but also wanted to tackle this installation myself. I wanted it to be nearly all plug-n-play (I go cross-eyed when reading about splicing wires and all that) and easily removable for cargo access. So here's what I ordered:


- Rockford Fosgate P500-12P - $489 shipped:https://www.crutchfield.com/S-CTBSS2...AaAi9OEALw_wcB

- Rockford Fosgate wiring kit - $75 shipped on Amazon: https://www.crutchfield.com/p_575RFK...ate-RFK8i.html

- TechnicPnP harness with LOC - $145 shipped: https://technicpnp.com/product/hk-op...oster-systems/

And that's everything you'll need! Grand total of $709. Compared to $600 for the Bavsound pair. If you want bass, get the damn bass and don't fool around with a speaker upgrade. That's my viewpoint, and to each their own lol.

There are a few things I must mention:

- The Rockford Fosgate system has very good reviews, and they aren't wrong. This is a very good system period, let alone for a powered combo. It has a very sleek but subdued look to it. The outside is a hard, textured vinyl, and it's not a terribly heavy unit. You're still left with a lot of cargo room, and the kicker for me was the wiring. It comes with a plug-in style adapter that you wire into and a 4-pin plug for the RCA cables (low output). You can unplug two things and pull the whole system out. I haven't tested it yet, but I would bet you could set it on the floor behind the passengers side seat with relative ease. And it stays put with the included velcro attachments, very impressed. If you're wondering about the mesh grille protecting the subwoofer, DON'T. That thing is solid and doesn't have any play at all.

- The RF wiring it is a wiring kit, nothing special. Cables are all way too long for what you'll need except for the damn ground wire... that sucker is short. Where I grounded it, I had to use a less than optimal route for the cables, but I'll touch on that more later.

- The Technic PnP harness with the Wavtech link2 LOC... what an absolute treat! I wanted to make sure that the aforementioned items would work with their kit and also to ensure I had the proper kit for my BMW. I sent them and e-mail, and within in hour received a detailed explanation WITH a diagram. Not only that, they looked up the specs on the RF sub/amp and explained how the voltage works with the HK RAM. Top-notch service, and this thing is literally a no brainer. What they sent me in the first e-mail was enough, and there aren't any instructions for their harness, but it's so simple, they're not needed... trust me.

ON TO THE INSTALL!

This won't be quite as detailed as I'd like, because I kinda started installing when I hadn't planned on installing it. The last item showed up and it was 50 degrees out the evening before it was supposed to start dumping sleet and snow for 24 hours straight, so I carpe'd the diem and got to work.

1. Pull off all the crap that's in the way in the cargo area. Put the seats down and remove the two pull off panels first. The other side panel on the passenger side needs to go too. It has two pushpins on the top and has wiring connected to the outlet, pull the pins first, then pull the top edge away to unhook the wiring. The floorboard is held by two hex bolts near the seats, under the plastic panels. Underneath that is the sub-flooring as I call it, think there's two push pins and pull it out. Next remove the right metal rail (passenger side) which has 3 more hex bolts. Now, you can remove the plastic trim piece that runs along the lip of the hatch on the bottom, or you can leave it. Depends on what you want to do. It also makes it a little easier to get the metal rail out, but you can wiggle it without removal. I also removed the little cargo tray on the right side, but it's pretty handy for throwing all those bolts and push-pins in, so keep it handy. That's all you really need to remove. You probably should unhook the battery... you can guess what I did, or didn't, do.

2. I started with the RAM module and the TechnicPnP harness (left side of vehicle, behind the pulloff panel):


20220202_165938 by RD, on Flickr


The RAM (red square) on the MY21 M40i is behind this metal bracket attached by 4 bolts (circled blue). A metric ratchet set knocks this out quickly. It also has small metal pieces that sorta hold it on, so it shouldn't just fall off after you loosen the last bolt. Pull the close edge towards the middle of the vehicle and you have access to the ram. No need to unplug any of the wiring that leads to the front of the car.


20220202_170127 by RD, on Flickr


The set of wires with the wrap that disappear into the front of the car is what is plugged into the top rear of the RAM. Unplug that (push down on the nub that's by the lever, then push the lever down and it should slide out with a little tug). The TechnicPnP harness (blue outline) does have 3 various wiring setups which I won't go into, but it's super easy and they send you the information needed for your application. The harness comes with an identical plug to the one you just removed, plug that in, then the stock wiring plugs into the other adapter on the PnP harness. That's pretty much it. That wiring that goes off the right side of the picture divides into two adapters that plug into the LOC. You can bolt the metal frame back in (or leave it loose), and get ready to hookup the LOC.

3. Plugging in the LOC and mounting:


20220202_120014 by RD, on Flickr

You can't see it, but the LOC comes with two brackets that have screwholes on them. My initial plan was to use some velco strips to attach it, but the stuff I had wasn't nearly good enough to hold much of anything. The holes matchup almost perfectly with the holes in the metal frame and I looped some zipties to mount it. Think the wiring kit came with the zipties, so no need to get your own. I mounted it in this configuration so I could see the LEDs on the top side. One indicates power is being received, the other singals when clipping is occurring, or about to occur. Google it, if you'd like an explanation. The cliff notes version is: clipping is bad for your subwoofer. Setup your system so you're just under where clipping will occur.

I'll explain this now, as it has to go somewhere. The amp on the RF system can either get Hi-Fi signal up to 12 volts (wired directly to the speak wire) or it can get Low output (thus the need for a LOC - Low Output Converter) via the RCA cables. For the HK RAM setup, you must run a Low Output Converter with RCA cables. This is because the RF system can run Hi-Fi up to 12 volts, and the crackhead RAM unit puts out upward of 26 volts. WAY TOO MUCH. So even if you don't end up getting the LOC option from TechnicPNP, you'll need to get some sort of other powered LOC that can handle that extra voltage. They'll also require a LOT more wiring, so you've been warned. The way I did it was so simple, even a caveman could do it. Be like caveman.

The included LOC also has a gain knob built into it, which is the preferred way to set the gain, not the amp. Mounting it here, in this configuration, gives me easy access with only having to remove the one carpet panel and boom, I can make adjustments as needed. It also comes with the Remote out wire that will run to the amp and tell it to turn on (blue wire on the top).


20220202_170243 by RD, on Flickr

There's a space under the left rail to run the wires across, pictured above.


4. Getting the POWER...


20220204_173624 by RD, on Flickr


20220204_171624 by RD, on Flickr


Ok, so here you'll get what to do and what NOT to do... learn from my mistake lol. It's nearly impossible to use the main battery terminal with the condom it's wearing, so don't bother. The first two pictures (above) show the best area to wire into. Don't wire in where the RED X is shown, instead, take off the plastic protection on the GREEN CIRCLED area and wire it as shown. The plastic molding is kinda tricky, use something to pry it up with and some light force, it'll come off. I initially connected the wiring to the area shown below, DO NOT DO THAT. While it most likely won't mess up anything you can't fix, it did disable my Comfort Access feature (door handle touch to unlock/lock). I had to go back and wire it as shown above and unhook the battery to reset it. Ya live and ya learn.


20220202_121508 by RD, on Flickr


Here's a rough diagram of where I installed the ground wire:


20220202_170501 by RD, on Flickr


Blue arrow points to the ground cable and the circle is approximately where there is a stock negative terminal hookup. It's underneath the carpet and kind of behind the cargo bowl. Just unscrew the nut, attach the cable, and tighten the nut.

Instead of cutting and splicing and (eyes are going cross-eyed) stuff with the extra 14' of RCA wiring, I just bundled it up, used some twist-ties and shoved it in the styrofoam molding. So sue me.


20220202_121600 by RD, on Flickr

5. Running the wires and hooking them up. So, my inexperience started to show here. Also, it became glaringly obvious that my ground wire wasn't sufficient length to do with it what I'd prefer. Thus, I made it work. Perhaps I go back and fix it one day, but I'm not sure it's gonna bother me so whatever.

Here's the outcome/rat's nest of wires:


20220202_133859 by RD, on Flickr


I ran all of the cables along the bottom, behind the rail, and up against the carpet. The side panel next is a bit troublesome, as it's a very tight fit, and leaves almost no room for the cables. Optimally, if the ground wire was longer, I would have run it all the way up and out where the seats meet the cargo floor. There's enough room there, but I didn't have enough cable. My first thought was to cut a hole through the side panel, but my common sense kicked in (luckily) and instead I cut a "flap" of sorts. I used a razor to make two parallel incisions about a half inch apart at the bottom of the panel so I could bend the flap backwards and allow enough room to push the wiring through. It was still tight, but it worked. This way, if you need to revert to stock, it would be virtually imperceptible after bending the flap back to it's original position and not look hacked up.

6. [SIZE="4"]We have liftoff!!![/SIZE]


20220202_133801 by RD, on Flickr


20220202_133848 by RD, on Flickr


And that's that! I wouldn't say I'm "done" with the system yet. I'll definitely be wrapping up those wires leading to the box and investigating my disabled touch-to-unlock feature, but I don't think I'll need to buy anymore audio upgrades! Also haven't decided if I'll run the remote gain adjustment to the fron tof the car...

I've established a pretty good baseline of amp/EQ settings, which I'll be tweaking those for days (probably weeks) to come. I'll also take some more detailed pictures of how those wires plug into the box, but it's dark right now, snowing, and I'm worn out from all the install fun.

This system hits pretty damn good, I'm absolutely thrilled with it! Shout out to spta97 for his write-up and much CLEANER install than my own! Here's a link for you all, the thread certainly helped me with my install:

https://x3.xbimmers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1738593

Finally, don't hesitate to reach out with any questions, whether you reply here or my PM. I'm happy to help! Hope y'all enjoyed.

[M Z]

Thanks for the detailed article, but the images aren't showing up. Try uploading them to the site again?

[Must_Go_FASTER]

Originally Posted by M Z

Thanks for the detailed article, but the images aren't showing up. Try uploading them to the site again?

Hmmmm, I'm seeing them when I view the page while not logged in. Anyone else having the same issue? I tried linking them from my Google Photos, but I also have Flickr. I'm getting old (36 hahaha) and I'm not real savvy with uploading on forums.

[M Z]

I'm pretty sure you wrote this article in a Google doc then copied it to here. So unless we have your Google login or access to that doc we won't see the pics.

Am I right?

[Must_Go_FASTER]

Originally Posted by M Z

I'm pretty sure you wrote this article in a Google doc then copied it to here. So unless we have your Google login or access to that doc we won't see the pics.

Am I right?

No, I wrote the whole thing on here, then used the Image button to copy/paste the URL from the photo location.

[M Z]

Originally Posted by rdougherty85

No, I wrote the whole thing on here, then used the Image button to copy past the URL from the photo location.

Oh well, that's weird. I still don't see them. Try accessing this from a phone or tablet other than this current device?

[Must_Go_FASTER]

Originally Posted by M Z

Oh well, that's weird. I still don't see them. Try accessing this from a phone or tablet other than this current device?

It worked on my computer and on my phone. Logged in, not logged in, and both ways with my VPN... not sure.

[Want the thrill]

Yep, no pics showing

[JC210]

I see from pic #3 onwards.
Just missing the first two.

[Shaun170]

No pics for me.

[Must_Go_FASTER]

Sorry for the delay, pictures are live lol

[TJay74]

If it works for you then it is all that matters. I couldnt do this to our SUV, I personally dont like the looks of a big ole clunky sub sitting out in the open and the fact it takes away from cargo room and can be come a projectile if you are hit hard enough.

I much prefer the stealth look of a hidden sub.

[Must_Go_FASTER]

Originally Posted by TJay74

If it works for you then it is all that matters. I couldnt do this to our SUV, I personally dont like the looks of a big ole clunky sub sitting out in the open and the fact it takes away from cargo room and can be come a projectile if you are hit hard enough.

I much prefer the stealth look of a hidden sub.

Not sure what your situation is (if you have or don't have a hidden one), but there are posts on here of people installing a hidden sub in the cargo area where the spare should be. They do offer powered setups in even slimmer models that would probably fit in that area, although most of the ones I've seen are just a sub/box in that spot, and an amp installed near the factory amp in the side. I was worried about proper airflow for the system in regards to a stealth enclosure.

I had some reservations towards the aesthetics/cargo area as well, but like I mentioned, this system is meant for ease of use. It can be repositioned and moved in 30 seconds, and can fit behind your front seat on the floor or even in front of the front seat (I tested it).

Also kinda feels like the "projectile" scenario is exaggerated, even borderline urban myth. People talk about it, but it's just talk. I've never heard of a subwoofer box actually seriously injuring someone or killing them. If you think about it, front and rear collisions are an unlikely issue because... physics (front it's not going anywhere because it is against the seat, rear it would actually fly backwards). A side impact in certain angles COULD plausibly cause an issue (think a hit and spin situation). The biggest risk would be a rollover situation, that could really cause an issue then. I thought about drilling anchors into the back of the box and using some sort of heavy duty strap with a quick release that you could utilize the child harness anchors on the back of the seats. Might fiddle around with that a bit at some point. But I mean, do you always secure everything you ever put in that cargo space??

You must spend a lot more time looking at your cargo area that I do! I'm in the driver seat with my head bobbing a lot more now with this in there than I was before.

[spta97]

Originally Posted by rdougherty85

Not sure what your situation is (if you have or don't have a hidden one), but there are posts on here of people installing a hidden sub in the cargo area where the spare should be. They do offer powered setups in even slimmer models that would probably fit in that area, although most of the ones I've seen are just a sub/box in that spot, and an amp installed near the factory amp in the side. I was worried about proper airflow for the system in regards to a stealth enclosure.

I had some reservations towards the aesthetics/cargo area as well, but like I mentioned, this system is meant for ease of use. It can be repositioned and moved in 30 seconds, and can fit behind your front seat on the floor or even in front of the front seat (I tested it).

Also kinda feels like the "projectile" scenario is exaggerated, even borderline urban myth. People talk about it, but it's just talk. I've never heard of a subwoofer box actually seriously injuring someone or killing them. If you think about it, front and rear collisions are an unlikely issue because... physics (front it's not going anywhere because it is against the seat, rear it would actually fly backwards). A side impact in certain angles COULD plausibly cause an issue (think a hit and spin situation). The biggest risk would be a rollover situation, that could really cause an issue then. I thought about drilling anchors into the back of the box and using some sort of heavy duty strap with a quick release that you could utilize the child harness anchors on the back of the seats. Might fiddle around with that a bit at some point. But I mean, do you always secure everything you ever put in that cargo space??

You must spend a lot more time looking at your cargo area that I do! I'm in the driver seat with my head bobbing a lot more now with this in there than I was before.

Thanks for the shout out! Glad my thread helped!

My box is much, much, MUCH larger and would upset TJay74 even more so my apologies.

This install is also a great option for those who have a spare tire and do not want to lose it/do not have the ability to do stealth.

My box can only shift backwards (and it has moved a few times) so I put a strap on it to the rear seats. That keeps it in place.

I've completely blown away any storage I have in the back of mine so this install by rdougherty85 is a good option for removability. When I need to haul stuff I use my truck.

But this is the option I would have went with had I not had an alternate hauler. I can remove my box but it also requires a trip to the chiropractor

[Must_Go_FASTER]

Originally Posted by spta97

Thanks for the shout out! Glad my thread helped!

My box is much, much, MUCH larger and would upset TJay74 even more so my apologies.

This install is also a great option for those who have a spare tire and do not want to lose it/do not have the ability to do stealth.

My box can only shift backwards (and it has moved a few times) so I put a strap on it to the rear seats. That keeps it in place.

I've completely blown away any storage I have in the back of mine so this install by rdougherty85 is a good option for removability. When I need to haul stuff I use my truck.

But this is the option I would have went with had I not had an alternate hauler. I can remove my box but it also requires a trip to the chiropractor

It helped a lot, and I just used it AGAIN today to fix a problem I made lol.

It appeared that the plastic molding where you wired it was a bit difficult to remove (I didn't remove the battery), so I saw the terminals to the right and that plastic was easy to pop off and also easy to attach the wire. Apparently where I wired into was also the terminal that controls the Comfort Access doorhandle lock/unlock. It disabled that function completely, and I figured that was why. Just went back out and wired it the same way you did, reset the battery, and all is well.

I was brainstorming more on anchoring the box, but haven't quite come up with a fix. The RF came with some heavy duty velcro strips to attach to the bottom to keep it from sliding. They work so well that I have to exert a fair amount of force with both hands, while also holding down the cargo flooring cover so it doesn't want to pull up. The velcro attaches to the carpet SO well, that it actually ripped the adhesive from the box half off.

Would the velcro work in event of a major accident? Probably not, so I'm brainstorming something with drilling some anchors into the back of the box, using braided steel cables, and a high strength carabiner to attach it to the seat anchors.

More work than is most likely necessary, and it will add in more work to remove, but peace of mind is nice, too.

[spta97]

Originally Posted by rdougherty85

It helped a lot, and I just used it AGAIN today to fix a problem I made lol.

It appeared that the plastic molding where you wired it was a bit difficult to remove (I didn't remove the battery), so I saw the terminals to the right and that plastic was easy to pop off and also easy to attach the wire. Apparently where I wired into was also the terminal that controls the Comfort Access doorhandle lock/unlock. It disabled that function completely, and I figured that was why. Just went back out and wired it the same way you did, reset the battery, and all is well.

I was brainstorming more on anchoring the box, but haven't quite come up with a fix. The RF came with some heavy duty velcro strips to attach to the bottom to keep it from sliding. They work so well that I have to exert a fair amount of force with both hands, while also holding down the cargo flooring cover so it doesn't want to pull up. The velcro attaches to the carpet SO well, that it actually ripped the adhesive from the box half off.

Would the velcro work in event of a major accident? Probably not, so I'm brainstorming something with drilling some anchors into the back of the box, using braided steel cables, and a high strength carabiner to attach it to the seat anchors.

More work than is most likely necessary, and it will add in more work to remove, but peace of mind is nice, too.

Awesome! I was worried something got messed up on your X3.

Those plastic covers were a pain but they do allow more room than the zero space on the battery.

For securing the box, before you go crazy drilling take a look at the pic. I just used a strap with a buckle on it and ran it through the anchor on the back of the seat.


Not too pretty but does the job. My box is like 100 lbs but it moved little by little on the weather tech mat and my 500 hp

[Mslau]

Originally Posted by rdougherty85

I'll try to be in-depth, without going too far down a rabbit hole, as I'm wont to do when explaining things!

Disclaimer: I am not, nor have I ever been, a car audio expert/installer, please be kind

To start, I have the Harmon Kardon system, which I've always felt a bit underwhelmed with. Especially the BASS. If you find yourself on the fence about it, I would highly recommend you start with researching EQ settings for the HK system and get yourself setup with Bimmercode to access the Bowers & Wilkins audio settings. This is a great product for playing with your vehicles settings, as well as being relatively inexpensive. After setting up the EQ and the B&W settings, I really could have been satisfied with the audio... but........ that's just NO FUN!!

Now, I know about the Bavsound replacement woofers ($600 for the pair) and I know a lot of people are happy with that upgrade, but ultimately when you see the price breakdown below, there's a good reason I decided it wasn't the option for me.

I've never fully installed any car audio myself, and it's been about 15 years since the last time I fooled with it at all. I know my limitations but also wanted to tackle this installation myself. I wanted it to be nearly all plug-n-play (I go cross-eyed when reading about splicing wires and all that) and easily removable for cargo access. So here's what I ordered:


- Rockford Fosgate P500-12P - $489 shipped:https://www.crutchfield.com/S-CTBSS2...AaAi9OEALw_wcB

- Rockford Fosgate wiring kit - $75 shipped on Amazon: https://www.crutchfield.com/p_575RFK...ate-RFK8i.html

- TechnicPnP harness with LOC - $145 shipped: https://technicpnp.com/product/hk-op...oster-systems/

And that's everything you'll need! Grand total of $709. Compared to $600 for the Bavsound pair. If you want bass, get the damn bass and don't fool around with a speaker upgrade. That's my viewpoint, and to each their own lol.

There are a few things I must mention:

- The Rockford Fosgate system has very good reviews, and they aren't wrong. This is a very good system period, let alone for a powered combo. It has a very sleek but subdued look to it. The outside is a hard, textured vinyl, and it's not a terribly heavy unit. You're still left with a lot of cargo room, and the kicker for me was the wiring. It comes with a plug-in style adapter that you wire into and a 4-pin plug for the RCA cables (low output). You can unplug two things and pull the whole system out. I haven't tested it yet, but I would bet you could set it on the floor behind the passengers side seat with relative ease. And it stays put with the included velcro attachments, very impressed. If you're wondering about the mesh grille protecting the subwoofer, DON'T. That thing is solid and doesn't have any play at all.

- The RF wiring it is a wiring kit, nothing special. Cables are all way too long for what you'll need except for the damn ground wire... that sucker is short. Where I grounded it, I had to use a less than optimal route for the cables, but I'll touch on that more later.

- The Technic PnP harness with the Wavtech link2 LOC... what an absolute treat! I wanted to make sure that the aforementioned items would work with their kit and also to ensure I had the proper kit for my BMW. I sent them and e-mail, and within in hour received a detailed explanation WITH a diagram. Not only that, they looked up the specs on the RF sub/amp and explained how the voltage works with the HK RAM. Top-notch service, and this thing is literally a no brainer. What they sent me in the first e-mail was enough, and there aren't any instructions for their harness, but it's so simple, they're not needed... trust me.

ON TO THE INSTALL!

This won't be quite as detailed as I'd like, because I kinda started installing when I hadn't planned on installing it. The last item showed up and it was 50 degrees out the evening before it was supposed to start dumping sleet and snow for 24 hours straight, so I carpe'd the diem and got to work.

1. Pull off all the crap that's in the way in the cargo area. Put the seats down and remove the two pull off panels first. The other side panel on the passenger side needs to go too. It has two pushpins on the top and has wiring connected to the outlet, pull the pins first, then pull the top edge away to unhook the wiring. The floorboard is held by two hex bolts near the seats, under the plastic panels. Underneath that is the sub-flooring as I call it, think there's two push pins and pull it out. Next remove the right metal rail (passenger side) which has 3 more hex bolts. Now, you can remove the plastic trim piece that runs along the lip of the hatch on the bottom, or you can leave it. Depends on what you want to do. It also makes it a little easier to get the metal rail out, but you can wiggle it without removal. I also removed the little cargo tray on the right side, but it's pretty handy for throwing all those bolts and push-pins in, so keep it handy. That's all you really need to remove. You probably should unhook the battery... you can guess what I did, or didn't, do.

2. I started with the RAM module and the TechnicPnP harness (left side of vehicle, behind the pulloff panel):


20220202_165938 by RD, on Flickr


The RAM (red square) on the MY21 M40i is behind this metal bracket attached by 4 bolts (circled blue). A metric ratchet set knocks this out quickly. It also has small metal pieces that sorta hold it on, so it shouldn't just fall off after you loosen the last bolt. Pull the close edge towards the middle of the vehicle and you have access to the ram. No need to unplug any of the wiring that leads to the front of the car.


20220202_170127 by RD, on Flickr


The set of wires with the wrap that disappear into the front of the car is what is plugged into the top rear of the RAM. Unplug that (push down on the nub that's by the lever, then push the lever down and it should slide out with a little tug). The TechnicPnP harness (blue outline) does have 3 various wiring setups which I won't go into, but it's super easy and they send you the information needed for your application. The harness comes with an identical plug to the one you just removed, plug that in, then the stock wiring plugs into the other adapter on the PnP harness. That's pretty much it. That wiring that goes off the right side of the picture divides into two adapters that plug into the LOC. You can bolt the metal frame back in (or leave it loose), and get ready to hookup the LOC.

3. Plugging in the LOC and mounting:


20220202_120014 by RD, on Flickr

You can't see it, but the LOC comes with two brackets that have screwholes on them. My initial plan was to use some velco strips to attach it, but the stuff I had wasn't nearly good enough to hold much of anything. The holes matchup almost perfectly with the holes in the metal frame and I looped some zipties to mount it. Think the wiring kit came with the zipties, so no need to get your own. I mounted it in this configuration so I could see the LEDs on the top side. One indicates power is being received, the other singals when clipping is occurring, or about to occur. Google it, if you'd like an explanation. The cliff notes version is: clipping is bad for your subwoofer. Setup your system so you're just under where clipping will occur.

I'll explain this now, as it has to go somewhere. The amp on the RF system can either get Hi-Fi signal up to 12 volts (wired directly to the speak wire) or it can get Low output (thus the need for a LOC - Low Output Converter) via the RCA cables. For the HK RAM setup, you must run a Low Output Converter with RCA cables. This is because the RF system can run Hi-Fi up to 12 volts, and the crackhead RAM unit puts out upward of 26 volts. WAY TOO MUCH. So even if you don't end up getting the LOC option from TechnicPNP, you'll need to get some sort of other powered LOC that can handle that extra voltage. They'll also require a LOT more wiring, so you've been warned. The way I did it was so simple, even a caveman could do it. Be like caveman.

The included LOC also has a gain knob built into it, which is the preferred way to set the gain, not the amp. Mounting it here, in this configuration, gives me easy access with only having to remove the one carpet panel and boom, I can make adjustments as needed. It also comes with the Remote out wire that will run to the amp and tell it to turn on (blue wire on the top).


20220202_170243 by RD, on Flickr

There's a space under the left rail to run the wires across, pictured above.


4. Getting the POWER...


20220204_173624 by RD, on Flickr


20220204_171624 by RD, on Flickr


Ok, so here you'll get what to do and what NOT to do... learn from my mistake lol. It's nearly impossible to use the main battery terminal with the condom it's wearing, so don't bother. The first two pictures (above) show the best area to wire into. Don't wire in where the RED X is shown, instead, take off the plastic protection on the GREEN CIRCLED area and wire it as shown. The plastic molding is kinda tricky, use something to pry it up with and some light force, it'll come off. I initially connected the wiring to the area shown below, DO NOT DO THAT. While it most likely won't mess up anything you can't fix, it did disable my Comfort Access feature (door handle touch to unlock/lock). I had to go back and wire it as shown above and unhook the battery to reset it. Ya live and ya learn.


20220202_121508 by RD, on Flickr


Here's a rough diagram of where I installed the ground wire:


20220202_170501 by RD, on Flickr


Blue arrow points to the ground cable and the circle is approximately where there is a stock negative terminal hookup. It's underneath the carpet and kind of behind the cargo bowl. Just unscrew the nut, attach the cable, and tighten the nut.

Instead of cutting and splicing and (eyes are going cross-eyed) stuff with the extra 14' of RCA wiring, I just bundled it up, used some twist-ties and shoved it in the styrofoam molding. So sue me.


20220202_121600 by RD, on Flickr

5. Running the wires and hooking them up. So, my inexperience started to show here. Also, it became glaringly obvious that my ground wire wasn't sufficient length to do with it what I'd prefer. Thus, I made it work. Perhaps I go back and fix it one day, but I'm not sure it's gonna bother me so whatever.

Here's the outcome/rat's nest of wires:


20220202_133859 by RD, on Flickr


I ran all of the cables along the bottom, behind the rail, and up against the carpet. The side panel next is a bit troublesome, as it's a very tight fit, and leaves almost no room for the cables. Optimally, if the ground wire was longer, I would have run it all the way up and out where the seats meet the cargo floor. There's enough room there, but I didn't have enough cable. My first thought was to cut a hole through the side panel, but my common sense kicked in (luckily) and instead I cut a "flap" of sorts. I used a razor to make two parallel incisions about a half inch apart at the bottom of the panel so I could bend the flap backwards and allow enough room to push the wiring through. It was still tight, but it worked. This way, if you need to revert to stock, it would be virtually imperceptible after bending the flap back to it's original position and not look hacked up.

6. [SIZE="4"]We have liftoff!!![/SIZE]


20220202_133801 by RD, on Flickr


20220202_133848 by RD, on Flickr


And that's that! I wouldn't say I'm "done" with the system yet. I'll definitely be wrapping up those wires leading to the box and investigating my disabled touch-to-unlock feature, but I don't think I'll need to buy anymore audio upgrades! Also haven't decided if I'll run the remote gain adjustment to the fron tof the car...

I've established a pretty good baseline of amp/EQ settings, which I'll be tweaking those for days (probably weeks) to come. I'll also take some more detailed pictures of how those wires plug into the box, but it's dark right now, snowing, and I'm worn out from all the install fun.

This system hits pretty damn good, I'm absolutely thrilled with it! Shout out to spta97 for his write-up and much CLEANER install than my own! Here's a link for you all, the thread certainly helped me with my install:

https://x3.xbimmers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1738593

Finally, don't hesitate to reach out with any questions, whether you reply here or my PM. I'm happy to help! Hope y'all enjoyed.

Does the Technic PnP harness keep or delete the under seat woofers? Or are you now running under seat OEM woofers and sub?

[Must_Go_FASTER]

Originally Posted by Mslau

Does the Technic PnP harness keep or delete the under seat woofers? Or are you now running under seat OEM woofers and sub?

The Technic PnP harness keeps the under seat woofers. And I believe it can also be used to add an amp to run to underseat woofers if you wanted to upgrade those and supply power from an aftermarket amp.

[JamesinIT]

Just wanted to say, for anyone who makes the same mistake I did; the PNP Technic harness for those of us with the RAM module, will actually plug into the receiver...and power up the LOC and the amp remote, but you will just not get a good clear sound out of your sub. Moving this cable over to the amplifier and boom, night and day, solid bass!

[theleg]

Is there another option to the TechnicPnP harness with LOC as it's very expensive to ship to the UK

[Prof. Oak]

Originally Posted by rdougherty85

- The Technic PnP harness with the Wavtech link2 LOC... what an absolute treat! I wanted to make sure that the aforementioned items would work with their kit and also to ensure I had the proper kit for my BMW. I sent them and e-mail, and within in hour received a detailed explanation WITH a diagram. Not only that, they looked up the specs on the RF sub/amp and explained how the voltage works with the HK RAM. Top-notch service, and this thing is literally a no brainer. What they sent me in the first e-mail was enough, and there aren't any instructions for their harness, but it's so simple, they're not needed... trust me.

I know this is a year old but i do have some questions for you, im not exactly doing the same build you are but i am doing something similar, but with a custom 10" enclosure for the side of the trunk. My main question is with the PNP harness.

I have a 22' with the harmon kardon and BAV sound ghost subs for reference

Plan is to add a non powered 10" shallow mount to the trunk, likely a pioneer or similar which i installed on a previous vehicle. Im unsure if i will need to run a dedicated amp for the pioneer or will be able to get away with powering the sub from the factory harmon kardon amp. My gut tells me no and that it would likely be underdriven using only the factory amp but im not sure, any input on that would be great. I'm looking at something in the 400 RMS range in the pioneers.

Im unsure if i need to select a PNP harness with RAM option or without, any help on figuring out which one i need?

Ohms, do i need to shop only in a specific range to be compatible with the BMW systems?

Thanks in advance.

[Burr001]

Originally Posted by Prof. Oak

I know this is a year old but i do have some questions for you, im not exactly doing the same build you are but i am doing something similar, but with a custom 10" enclosure for the side of the trunk. My main question is with the PNP harness.

I have a 22' with the harmon kardon and BAV sound ghost subs for reference

Plan is to add a non powered 10" shallow mount to the trunk, likely a pioneer or similar which i installed on a previous vehicle. Im unsure if i will need to run a dedicated amp for the pioneer or will be able to get away with powering the sub from the factory harmon kardon amp. My gut tells me no and that it would likely be underdriven using only the factory amp but im not sure, any input on that would be great. I'm looking at something in the 400 RMS range in the pioneers.

Im unsure if i need to select a PNP harness with RAM option or without, any help on figuring out which one i need?

Ohms, do i need to shop only in a specific range to be compatible with the BMW systems?

Thanks in advance.

You would prob need an amp as the factory HK amp will not be enough to push the 10 inch. Since the battery is located right there in the back it would be easy to pull power using an inline fuse and use the factory ground point for the aftermarket amp. Only thing left is to add signal source.

For reference this is how I mounted my amp to save space in the cargo area. https://x3.xbimmers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1951854