I haven't installed it yet. Since I could not get it to slide under my passenger seat I was looking a different options. I would really like to put it under ther passenger seat so it will not get in the way of anything. It seems I have a bar on the bottom of the seat that is getting in the way.
Replaced JBL Sub/Added Amp: Install Pics/Info
- Thread starter ARK_SWAMP_RIDER
- Start date
S p a r k y
New member
I know this thread is a couple days old, but just wanted to share my good news. The Girl Friend was at my house this past weekend and apparently she was on Crutchfields website.
Tonight I hooked my printer back up to my laptop and all the sudden a receipt prints out with her name on it.
The receipt shows. "JL Audio J2 250.1" and "JL Audio 8W1v2" so what did i do for the rest of the evening. Install an 8 guage power line and fuse holder and get the ground ready.
Come on christmas ;-)
Well atleast I think they are for me, unless she is dating someone else that knows about these lol
Tonight I hooked my printer back up to my laptop and all the sudden a receipt prints out with her name on it.
The receipt shows. "JL Audio J2 250.1" and "JL Audio 8W1v2" so what did i do for the rest of the evening. Install an 8 guage power line and fuse holder and get the ground ready.
Come on christmas ;-)
Well atleast I think they are for me, unless she is dating someone else that knows about these lol
ARK_SWAMP_RIDER
New member
Haha that's great, let us know how it turns out!
S p a r k y
New member
Will do. Hopefully it wont take me too long, used to install car stereos at Circuit City for 3 years. Lets hope i didnt forget how to do it.
Thanks for the write up, looking forward to it.
ARK_SWAMP_RIDER
New member
The install wasn't the time consuming part, it was taking the whole rear cargo area apart to get to the sub. Good luck!
philromero215
New member
My JL 8w3v3 just came in the mail a few days ago. I was gonna get the JL 250/1 amp but at 4ohms its only 175/1 I went with a 2channel and I will bridge it and get 200watts rms at 4ohms. I was hoping the amp would fit onto the box like the stock amp does, but I guess it wont. Ill get some pics up of mine as well
ARK_SWAMP_RIDER
New member
You got the 8w3v3, right? That's a different sub than I used, not sure if it'll fit in the stock enclosure. The w3 series would be a better sub, I didn't think it'd fit though. I wanted to use the stock location, but I still use the factory amp to power the other speakers so couldn't do without it.
philromero215
New member
Yes... i think its JL's best one... I got a great deal. It will fit, I just have to shave the bottom of the box down like you did. Its like 4.25" mounting depth. Im doing it today.
ARK_SWAMP_RIDER
New member
Sweet, let us know how it turns out! I wish I would have known it would have fit, I would have went with it no doubt. The 8w1v2 is just under 4" depth, the 8w3v3 is 4 13/16". Either way, I'm pleased with the way mine turned out.
97BlackAckCL
Elite Member
Question for you guys that mounted the amp under the passenger seat, how did you secure it, or did you just leave it loose?
ARK_SWAMP_RIDER
New member
It probably should be secured, and I had intentions of doing that, but never did. The biggest thing people say is that you don't want it flying around if you have a wreck, but under the seat that shouldn't be a problem.
philromero215
New member
Left mine loose. The wires won't let it move back at all. No need to bolt it down imo
S p a r k y
New member
I ran the 4 screws that came with the amp through the carpet. Just snug them down, you don't want to ball the stuff under the carpet up. Also make sure wires are not near where your screwing ;-) This should snug the amp down enough to do the job, just remember snug and stop, don't keep twisting or you will have more issues.
thomaspuzio
New member
I ended up doing this exact thing, only I used the current version of the JL Audio amp. I was excited to get this done.
Dropped my car off with the amp (the installer was supplying the sub woofer) and printed pictures from this thread (he enjoyed them and having them made it much easier to explain what I wanted done).
Came back 6 hours later and the guy said to me, "Oh I thought you wanted the W3 JL sub and that one didn't fit. I didn't have the W1. So instead I put in a Kicker CVR 8" sub."
I was faced with the option of telling him to strip my car down again and put in the right sub (after waiting for it to be ordered and setting up another appointment day on which I'd have to lose more hours from work) OR just accept it and drive off.
I'm not sure why he didn't call me when he had my car half apart and realized he didn't have the sub I wanted. Well I guess he figured I would just accept it since he knows I know how much a pain it is to swap the sub out. In any event, off I went with the wrong sub. I'm sure I wouldn't be able to tell the difference anyway.
Only problem I have is that he didn't even give me the latest Kicker CVR 8" sub. He gave me the one from 2007
Here's a link to the sub I think he installed:
Kicker CVR8D4 Car Audio COMP CVR 8" Round Subwooofer
The customer support person said it's a version from 2007 but it's new. Only question I have is why would anyone buy this 2007 model when they sell the current model for the same price.
i'm assuming my installer used it because he had it sitting around and it fit in my car.
Dropped my car off with the amp (the installer was supplying the sub woofer) and printed pictures from this thread (he enjoyed them and having them made it much easier to explain what I wanted done).
Came back 6 hours later and the guy said to me, "Oh I thought you wanted the W3 JL sub and that one didn't fit. I didn't have the W1. So instead I put in a Kicker CVR 8" sub."
I was faced with the option of telling him to strip my car down again and put in the right sub (after waiting for it to be ordered and setting up another appointment day on which I'd have to lose more hours from work) OR just accept it and drive off.
I'm not sure why he didn't call me when he had my car half apart and realized he didn't have the sub I wanted. Well I guess he figured I would just accept it since he knows I know how much a pain it is to swap the sub out. In any event, off I went with the wrong sub. I'm sure I wouldn't be able to tell the difference anyway.
Only problem I have is that he didn't even give me the latest Kicker CVR 8" sub. He gave me the one from 2007
Here's a link to the sub I think he installed:
Kicker CVR8D4 Car Audio COMP CVR 8" Round Subwooofer
The customer support person said it's a version from 2007 but it's new. Only question I have is why would anyone buy this 2007 model when they sell the current model for the same price.
i'm assuming my installer used it because he had it sitting around and it fit in my car.
S p a r k y
New member
Did you get any kind of discount for all this? I would raise some hell or go to manager etc. You shouldnt have to pay full price for their mistakes..
philromero215
New member
The jl w3 is a way better speaker. I'm not a audio installer but I figured out how to make it fit. Just took s little customization. I would take it back. My w3 8" sounds like a 10" sub!!! I did everything myself. Where are u located? I can do it for you.
ARK_SWAMP_RIDER
New member
The w3 is definitely a better sub, I had no idea it'd fit or I would have went with it. Even the w1 sounds great though, for the money it's hard to beat. The CVR's get pretty loud but the quality isn't as good as the JL's IMO. If you paid full price for the 07 model, I'd definitely be headed back up there. It seems he knew what you wanted, and just failed to do it. I'd definitely have a talk with him and see if you can't get something worked out.
thomaspuzio
New member
The whole story
thanks for the offer to help me install a W3, but i'm in Chicago. Plus, I did this unbeknownst to my wife. and I don't think she'd take too kindly to me ripping apart the interior to fix what I should have probably not done in the first place (according to the saving for child's college fund plan).
Sadly, when the installer said it was the wrong sub, and I was trying to get home ASAP without the wife finding out, so I just accepted it.
LONG BACK STORY - READ AT YOUR OWN RISK
The wife "interest in my latest obsession" meter starts out at a mild "huh that's interesting" and quickly drops off to a "please don't even hint at mentioning that stupid thing again." I am also a new dad; a two-month old and our first. So the wife meter is skewed toward avoiding wasteful spending.
Here's the progression of events that resulted in this wrong sub install. This all started because I wanted to replace my dead cassette adapter for my ipod.
Stage 1: DIY Ipod Adapter
Wife Approval rating: Great, that's nice hun, she turns her attention back to watching True Blood
Bought an ipod adapter from an online retailer (think I paid $125) that I later found out doesn't accept refunds beyond 30 days (I found that out on day 30). It sat in the box for a while until I got around to seeing about installing it. I took a quick 15 minute assessment of the scope of work required to install it and decided that since I just got a Best Buy gift card for Christmas I'd just go there and pay them to do it for me. Had to sell the adapter on eBay and wound up with only one bid and sold it for $20.
Stage 2: Best Buy iSimple
Wife Approval rating: Um, I GUESS, but what was wrong with buying another cassette adapter?
When I got to best buy they said to install the DIY adapter they'd charge $125 or I could buy their iSimple at $175 installation included and I could return it if I didn't like it. Their adapter had more functionality with my ipod so I said yes. They installed it a couple days later. Got in the car and was instantly disappointed with the sound quality. It sounded like the ipod was on volume level 1 and the rest of the inputs were on level 25. Sure I could crank it up but then it sounded even worse and god forbid if I accidentally switched inputs!
Stage 3: Screw it, buy a whole new head unit
Wife Approval rating: You're pretty much on your own on this, I'm over it
Went back to Best Buy because I now had $190 credit into them and could exchange my iSimple for a new radio. I decided upon the JVC KW-XR810 dual-din CD receiver. It has everything I want at a good price. I had Best Buy install it a couple days later when it arrived. I was 90% happy with everything except two areas:
A) They didn't connect the dimmer wire so I couldn't use the auto dimming feature of the display
B) the bass was not as powerful as it seemed with the JBL unit when using surround sound mode
Stage 4: Do the JL Audio sub and amp swap
Wife Approval rating: Unknown, but definitely in the negative
Consulted with the dude. They had great reviews on Yelp.com. He seemed very knowledgeable. His shop was very professional. They fixed the dimmer wire issue, apparently the 4runner doesn't have one to connect to the radio and they had to do some splicing or something to make it work. Everything went great right up to that last 20 minutes before leaving when he casually mentioned I got a different sub than I wanted.
Stage 5: Dare I go any further?
Wife Approval rating: This thing started in mid-November, it's now almost February, I can't believe you are still dealing with this!!! Insert cold-shoulder technique for a minimum of 4 days
I have never crossed this stage before and I don't know if I have the stomach for it. The problem isn't dealing with the guy, I have no problems telling him he ripped me off and he needs to fix this situation. The problem I have is that I am going to be out the time and energy required to get the car to him (he's only open from 10am to 6pm) without my wife knowing. The only way that can happen is if I skip work again, and wander around for 5 hours while they strip the interior and put in the right sub. Ironically, I ordered the amp online and brought it to him because he couldn't beat the price I was quoting him. At the time I thought about buying the sub too, but I didn't want to raise anymore red flags on the home front with all these boxes being delivered (my wife is on maternity leave with our 2 month old).
Ultimately I don't know if further tinkering is even worth the time and energy I have to put into it. I have to keep the sub completely stealth and stock looking due to the wife meter. Would I hear enough of a difference to warrant the work?
thanks for the offer to help me install a W3, but i'm in Chicago. Plus, I did this unbeknownst to my wife. and I don't think she'd take too kindly to me ripping apart the interior to fix what I should have probably not done in the first place (according to the saving for child's college fund plan).
Sadly, when the installer said it was the wrong sub, and I was trying to get home ASAP without the wife finding out, so I just accepted it.
LONG BACK STORY - READ AT YOUR OWN RISK
The wife "interest in my latest obsession" meter starts out at a mild "huh that's interesting" and quickly drops off to a "please don't even hint at mentioning that stupid thing again." I am also a new dad; a two-month old and our first. So the wife meter is skewed toward avoiding wasteful spending.
Here's the progression of events that resulted in this wrong sub install. This all started because I wanted to replace my dead cassette adapter for my ipod.
Stage 1: DIY Ipod Adapter
Wife Approval rating: Great, that's nice hun, she turns her attention back to watching True Blood
Bought an ipod adapter from an online retailer (think I paid $125) that I later found out doesn't accept refunds beyond 30 days (I found that out on day 30). It sat in the box for a while until I got around to seeing about installing it. I took a quick 15 minute assessment of the scope of work required to install it and decided that since I just got a Best Buy gift card for Christmas I'd just go there and pay them to do it for me. Had to sell the adapter on eBay and wound up with only one bid and sold it for $20.
Stage 2: Best Buy iSimple
Wife Approval rating: Um, I GUESS, but what was wrong with buying another cassette adapter?
When I got to best buy they said to install the DIY adapter they'd charge $125 or I could buy their iSimple at $175 installation included and I could return it if I didn't like it. Their adapter had more functionality with my ipod so I said yes. They installed it a couple days later. Got in the car and was instantly disappointed with the sound quality. It sounded like the ipod was on volume level 1 and the rest of the inputs were on level 25. Sure I could crank it up but then it sounded even worse and god forbid if I accidentally switched inputs!
Stage 3: Screw it, buy a whole new head unit
Wife Approval rating: You're pretty much on your own on this, I'm over it
Went back to Best Buy because I now had $190 credit into them and could exchange my iSimple for a new radio. I decided upon the JVC KW-XR810 dual-din CD receiver. It has everything I want at a good price. I had Best Buy install it a couple days later when it arrived. I was 90% happy with everything except two areas:
A) They didn't connect the dimmer wire so I couldn't use the auto dimming feature of the display
B) the bass was not as powerful as it seemed with the JBL unit when using surround sound mode
Stage 4: Do the JL Audio sub and amp swap
Wife Approval rating: Unknown, but definitely in the negative
Consulted with the dude. They had great reviews on Yelp.com. He seemed very knowledgeable. His shop was very professional. They fixed the dimmer wire issue, apparently the 4runner doesn't have one to connect to the radio and they had to do some splicing or something to make it work. Everything went great right up to that last 20 minutes before leaving when he casually mentioned I got a different sub than I wanted.
Stage 5: Dare I go any further?
Wife Approval rating: This thing started in mid-November, it's now almost February, I can't believe you are still dealing with this!!! Insert cold-shoulder technique for a minimum of 4 days
I have never crossed this stage before and I don't know if I have the stomach for it. The problem isn't dealing with the guy, I have no problems telling him he ripped me off and he needs to fix this situation. The problem I have is that I am going to be out the time and energy required to get the car to him (he's only open from 10am to 6pm) without my wife knowing. The only way that can happen is if I skip work again, and wander around for 5 hours while they strip the interior and put in the right sub. Ironically, I ordered the amp online and brought it to him because he couldn't beat the price I was quoting him. At the time I thought about buying the sub too, but I didn't want to raise anymore red flags on the home front with all these boxes being delivered (my wife is on maternity leave with our 2 month old).
Ultimately I don't know if further tinkering is even worth the time and energy I have to put into it. I have to keep the sub completely stealth and stock looking due to the wife meter. Would I hear enough of a difference to warrant the work?
ARK_SWAMP_RIDER
New member
One thing: are you happy with the sound? Replacing the sub should take a max of two hours. I could do it in an hour pretty easy. The hard part for me was figuring out how everything came apart and then the wiring.
thomaspuzio
New member
Well i called the guy today and he explained the deal. Incidentally my rear window wiper no longer works and two of my AC unit light bulbs burnt out so I have to go back.
I never got an itemized receipt. When i dropped it off we just discussed the cost and he quoted me $300. he said, "$100 to install the amp, $100 for the sub, and $100 for the wiring."
when I spoke to him yesterday he clarified that he never charged me for the sub. The $100 for the sub was the labor charge for the install. So essentially he charged me $200 labor and $100 parts. If I wanted to get the JL sub put in he said he'd do it, but I'd just have to purchase the sub.
Sounds logical, but the only problem I have is that he never mentioned that when I was there during the installation. In other words, if he did happen to have the JL w1 sub in stock and put it in, when I came back to pick up the car the bill would have been $400 not $300. however, how can he quote me $300 and then say, oh i forgot the sub price so it's $400.
He asked if I wanted to swap it out and I just said forget it, just fix my wiper. The light bulbs I have because I had a few go out before. Damn those are delicate mofo's!
I never got an itemized receipt. When i dropped it off we just discussed the cost and he quoted me $300. he said, "$100 to install the amp, $100 for the sub, and $100 for the wiring."
when I spoke to him yesterday he clarified that he never charged me for the sub. The $100 for the sub was the labor charge for the install. So essentially he charged me $200 labor and $100 parts. If I wanted to get the JL sub put in he said he'd do it, but I'd just have to purchase the sub.
Sounds logical, but the only problem I have is that he never mentioned that when I was there during the installation. In other words, if he did happen to have the JL w1 sub in stock and put it in, when I came back to pick up the car the bill would have been $400 not $300. however, how can he quote me $300 and then say, oh i forgot the sub price so it's $400.
He asked if I wanted to swap it out and I just said forget it, just fix my wiper. The light bulbs I have because I had a few go out before. Damn those are delicate mofo's!
