first off, hello everyone. must say that im starting to like this website very much.

ok now on to my question. I have an 06' 530i, and i think the car needs some more bass. The 530i is my first BMW, and i am coming from a couple of years with Honda's. i'll start off with the n00b question... Is installing subwoofers on a BMW 530i any different than installing subs on other cars? I was just kind of reluctant about taking my car to best buys or like circuit city, because my experience with them has proved to me that they sometimes dont know what they are talking about. I live in Southern California and was hoping that someone could recommend me a shop.

My questions:...
1) do you install subs just like you would on any other car?
2) anyone recommend a good local stereo shop?

 

where in socal are you?

 

Torrance.

 

i put subs in my ML320 and got it done in long beach at sound tech.. theyre on cherry and carson and they are good. i put in 2 crossfire 15" subs in the trunk cuhz all i wanted was bass and i love it. i wouldnt get any subs or anything from best buy or circuit city. i dont know about a bimmer though.. ive seen bimmers with subs and all but yeah dont really know about it. good luck though

 

Do you have Logic 7/Prem Sound Pack or the basic sound system?

 

all i have is the basic sound system

 

and goodluck on your project.

 

Do NOT take your car to Best Buy or Circuit City. Only a high-end audio shop, with experienced installers who have dealt with BMW before should be considered.

That said.... finding shops like that is not easy. Lucky for you, Torrance California is a hotbed of car audio industry. Many car stereo manufacturers are based there.... like Alpine. So the chances you can find a good shop are higher than most areas of the country.

My suggestion is that you begin by looking at some car stereo magazines. Try to find articles on custom installs, and see if anyone in the magazines used a stereo shop in your area. You can also tour a number of shops, and ask about some of their best custom systems. Ask if they have any clients who compete in shows. Typically, if you can find a shop that built an award winning system, you'll be home free.


Do you install subs the same as other cars?

No. The E60 is a difficult car for adding aftermarket audio. To begin with, the factory radio is integrated with the iDrive, making removal and replacement nearly impossible.

Secondly, the trunk of the E60 is extremely well engineered for stopping noise. So if you install a sub back there in just a normal box, you are not going to get great results. If you search this forum, you'll notice many people claiming that their subs in the trunk are hard to hear in the car.

It is possible to overcome the limitations of the E60 trunk.... but doing so will take a VERY experienced installer, and will be expensive. Basically, you have to find a way to vent the sub enclosure into the passenger cabin. This is tricky, and will involve custom subwoofer enclosure design.

 

if you have the basic system you should change all the speakers.
although i have the L7 system, I still added a subwoofer (one 12') b/c i like heavy bass to my music plus im young. . the sub is pounds hard inside the car and rattles the trunk, but you cant hear the bass outside. anyways i got my sub installed at a shop called Pro Auto Sound in Santa Ana, took them 3 hours to install. Look around on the net for high end speakers, then try shopping on ebay for them, they have some good deals.

Good luck

 

Torrance?
I`m in torrance too dude...
Lets meet and get the bimers rolling....