Thanks for the feedback! A couple years in and this thing is still great! I love the performance but even more than that I love the intake sound and the way it improves the driving experience. I’d highly recommend this simple mod! And welcome to the E36 family!

@@fastcarseats5317 thank you next pay check I think I know what I want!

@@fastcarseats5317 also another question did you end up keeping the sock for the filter?

@@paulnaquin7728 yeah I did. It’s pretty thin and o doubt it restricts airflow much. And since the intake gets relocated pretty low to the ground, the sock helps prevent dust and dirt clogging the intake.

Good question. I wired each speaker directly to the amp. I didn’t use anything from the factory setup.

@@fastcarseats5317 how hard was it to get the wires from the rear speakers to the front ? I used the existing wires from the factory harness i cut and spliced them into the new amp . Do you see a problem with going that route ?

@@andrewcastro2522 it wasn’t hard at all. I ran the amp under the driver’s seat and there’s a pretty clear path to run the wires from the rear speakers, down the B pillars and under the driver and passenger seats to the amp location.

Becuase I’m having the most annoying static / scratchy sounds and i can’t figure it out lol all my speakers are new . Ive tried another amp and even bought a second double din . Lol all grounds are clean . I’m lost it sounds great when its loud

@@andrewcastro2522 And you said you're using the existing wires? I wonder if those speaker wires are running too close to the new amp power wire? Sometimes that can cause interference. Or it could just be that the factory speaker wire, which is significantly thinner than 12 or 14-gauge speaker wire, is not strong enough for the signal you're sending through the new amp.

Thanks so much for this feedback! I’m glad you found the video helpful.

I think I used 14 gauge. It was a roll of speaker wire I bought from doing my home audio install.

Thanks! It's a Megan Racing strut brace.

Nice! Hope this video helps!

For maximum performance? Yes, you’d want a tune as well as you’re now bringing in my air into the air-fuel mixture than previously.

Thanks for the feedback! And you’re right- I’m a total amateur at this and figuring it out on the fly. So I’m glad people watching are enjoying and learning! I also think I benefited from not having the ML system. I really didn’t have to customize the speakers to fit properly that much- just a little bit with the tweeters.

​@@fastcarseats5317 ML is a whole different sort of pain to upgrade.

I just used the crutchfield “what fits my car” tool and went with those sizes. Worked well for me, especially since I haven’t done a lot of audio system work previously.

Thanks man! That feedback means a lot!

Yeah this is a known issue in the gx470. There was a recall back in the day, but since I bought the car after the recall period was over, I couldn’t take advantage of it. You can find new dashes occasionally on sites like eBay but it’s a bear to install.

I got the adaptor from crutchfiekd and was able to keep the steering wheel controls.

Did you by chance modify or cut back the lip on the door panel that is in the shape of the 6 by 9? It's a very thin plastic that's kind of sharp and it seemed like it made contact with the original bracket on the plastic part but while installing my new infinity speakers it almost seems like the whole speaker enters that casing and it stopped by the lip twitch presses on the foam surround at the base. Let me know I'm on the fence about what to do I guess I should cut it back for safety. Also did you not add a gasket to the back of the Metro amount that makes contact with the door? I installed my first one passenger side without it but then I realize there actually is a gasket on the original and it did seem like I was getting some rattle without it. That said I will probably go back and take the speaker out and add it so it's not plastic directly on metal door.

I just used double sided tape and silicon adhesive.

@@raphaelness1239 no I didn’t cut that back. I would double check that you’re putting the bracket in correctly and have the right one. I didn’t have to do any cutting on the 6x9s

@@fastcarseats5317 I think the issue is that the stock speaker is smaller than the new Infinitys. And plastic cover lip actually made contact with foam on the stock bracket plastic.. not the actual speaker which is what I have going on. I can see the imprint in the stock speaker casing foam. That same spot on new speaker hits the rubber surround. The stocks actually measure 8.5" wide and new ones are 9" or 9 1/8th. I'm glad I noticed this before jamming the door panel back on because it probably would have seemed fine but in reality the rubber surround would be slightly compromised. Did you actually replace with 6x9s? It appears that you have a round speaker in there? Would love to be able to chat with you for a moment tomorrow. How can we get in contact without posting email?

I think that would be tricky because all the speaker wires get gathered into a harness and the harness plugs into the amp. So I don’t know if you can unplug the sun from the amp without also unplugging the other speakers. At least not without cutting wires.

@@fastcarseats5317 yeah I thought that's how it would be. Do you still have the original head unit or did you install a new one? I really would like to find the easiest way to get either a male or female 1/8 inch aux. Can it be achieved without getting new head unit?

@@raphaelness1239 I got a new head unit. The old one is quite limited. I don’t know if you can add aux to it.

Sorry man- I haven’t done that.

@@fastcarseats5317 so do you still have stock rear sub connected after upgrading fronts? If so, can you notice it or do fronts dominate the sound to some extent?

@@raphaelness1239 I don’t. When I put in the new amp, I didn’t connect it to the sub. With the upgraded amp, speaker wire, and speakers, I get good enough low end that I don’t really notice not having the sub connected.

Hi Kevin, I don’t have a wire diagram, but I’d recommend running new wires. The stock speaker wires are pretty thin- you’ll get better sound quality by running new wires. And it will allow you to run them through the areas of the car that make the most sense for your setup.

Hey, thanks for the feedback! Glad you enjoyed it. I bought the parts from DINAN directly; they brought the intake back for a limited period. The last time I checked, it was still available through them and it's the same part for any of the 6-cylinder E36 motors. Alternatively, you can always look for the parts through places like Turner Motorsport or ebay/craigslist/facebook marketplace. Hope that helps!

Oh okay cool thanks for the quick response I’ll find it!

@@NSpiz Sounds good! Good luck!

Came back to tell you got it installed love the sound definitely worth it looking to buy the dinan exhaust next

@@NSpiz that’s awesome! Yeah doesn’t it sound great? Nice job getting it done. Let me know if you find a DINAN exhaust. I’m definitely looking to add that too!

Yes- with a little modification. As long as you’re comfortable putting a new home in the speaker bracket. I also had to cut back a little plastic on back of the tweeter grille. But after those slight modifications everything fit great!

Thanks!

Oh man! Are you powering your aftermarket amp from the head unit? Maybe that’s the problem. You shouldn’t be able to power both your factory amp and an aftermarket amp from the same harness. Honestly, I know running new wire sounds like a pain, but the thicker speaker wire makes a huge difference in the sound quality.

@@fastcarseats5317 I’m powering the aftermarket amp from my battery. Something is going on that I can’t figure out. I don’t know if it’s with the Metra harness or what. I tapped my new speaker wire into the metra harness that goes to the truck. The factory harness obviously runs to the factory amp. But when I unplugged the factory amp, it killed the sound. Now I’m getting nothing. Taking the door panels off was easier than I thought. So probably better that I just run my speakers straight into the new amp. What gauge wire did you use for your speakers?

@@BradleyJokerst 16 GA if I remember right.

Thanks! Glad you liked it. So here's an overview of the parts I used. The steering wheel controls still work because I got the adaptor. Steering wheel controls: Metra 70-8114 Steering Wheel Control Harness Axxess ASWC-1 Steering Wheel Control Adapter Dash Kit: Metra 95-8166G Dash Kit (Gray) Front Speakers: Focal Performance 165AS3 Metra 82-8147 Speaker Mounting Brackets Rear Speakers: Focal RCX-165 Metra 82-8148 Speaker Mounting Brackets Amp: JL Audio RD400/4 I also bought an amp installation kit from Autozone. I think it was this one : www.autozone.com/stereo-speakers-and-audio/amp-wiring-kit/p/metra-electronics-1500-watt-amp-kit/208272_0_0 I also bought the speaker wire from Autozone. I ordered all the parts from Crutchfield. When you do that, they send an installation guide that's pretty helpful. I'd say between that and this video, you should be good to go! Let me know if you end up taking this on and I'm happy to address any questions that come up. Good luck!

Thank you! That feedback means a lot to me. I hope this video is helpful. Feel free to message me if you have any questions I can help you with. [email protected]

@@fastcarseats5317 some of it very helpful such as the routing of the wires an such. Being where I have the ML system things actually are vastly different. The ML system runs through the vehicle communication bus enabling the dynamics based on vehicle speed and blah blah blah. Changing out the ML is possible but much more difficult. I'll probably be taking the route of replacing the tape player with an aftermarket single din with one of those kits to retain the climate control and stuff. We'll see how it goes haha.

@@ericviger4984 yeah the integrated ML system makes things much trickier! Good luck!

and where did you relocate the horn? if you left ur off, did it trigger any lights?

Nice- mine is a 99 323i. Should be the same m52 motor so your installation should be basically the same. No check engine lights at all- just be sure you tighten the seal where the intake connects near the mass air flow sensor and you’ll be fine. Good luck and feel free to reach out if you have any questions!

@@corneliusbombardus1153 I left mine off and there are no lights on from that. But you can relocate it behind the fog light.

Thanks! What year GX do you have? And how do you like it?

Hard for me to assess without seeing what you’re referring to. The intake that you’re referring to might just be the air duct that directs air to your brakes. Can you email a picture to [email protected] so I can assess the part you’re referring to?

That pipe thing to the alternator is for cooling it

My car doesn’t have the ML system, but it was still a pain to work with. That’s why I ended up just bypassing all of it and putting in all new components and wiring. Sounds 10000 times better now too.

@@fastcarseats5317 hey buddy, Hoping you can steer me in right direction for easiest plug ang play speaker upgrade to stock GX? Maybe you have become aware of after this video?

@@raphaelness1239 sure thing- if you’re looking to upgrade speakers, I’ve seen lots of people is Skar Audio speakers. It will depend on if you have the ML system or not, but I think they have solutions for both.

@@fastcarseats5317 ok. I don't have ML and not to skilled in the field so just want to be able to swap out speakers as conveniently and economical as possible so I can listen to music without flubbing speakers. Are the fronts bottom 6x9 in both ML and stock?

@@raphaelness1239 I totally get it. Honestly I felt quite intimidated the first time I did a speaker upgrade in my car too. I’d recommend starting at crutchfield.com. They have a tool where you can put in your vehicle’s details (year, make, model, spec) and it will tell you which speakers will fit into the existing speaker locations. The fronts are 3 speakers per door. You have a sub, mid, and tweeter. From what I remember, the hardest part was finding aftermarket speakers that would fit the tweeter location without any modifications. I had to modify the tweeter bracket on my installation. If you’re new to this, I’d recommend against making any permanent modifications, so try to find the right size tweeter. Hope that helps! Feel free to ask any other questions you have- I love hearing back from people who have watched my videos.

Thanks! And congrats to you too. Yeah the MPGs aren’t the best, but this car is becoming one of my favorites to drive. Lots of smiles per gallon over here! 🤪

Same- I live in LA so it’s key for this thing to be driveable on a daily basis. Were your CV joints leaking or did you decide to change them as a preemptive strike?

They were leaking from the boot and I didn’t know how long it’s been like that my mechanic told me it would be best to replace them. I got the ones from rock auto there called cardone there more heavy duty better boot material.

@@SamZson777 That makes sense. I'll keep an eye on mine!

totally!

Thanks! Good to hear from you. Hope you’re doing well!

Thanks ✌️ I'm loving it so far!

Whoa! What a deal! What part of the country are you in? Here in Southern California it's hard to find any GX chasis for under $15k regardless of mileage.

Thanks! Yeah I mean I know Toyotas have a reputation for reliability, but I think this model particularly exemplifies that. I'm really excited to play around with this vehicle. The gas mileage is terrible, but I knew that going in. My brother had a land cruiser years ago and that was even worse on fuel! Let me know if you have any suggested mods along the way, and I hope you enjoy following the build!

@@fastcarseats5317 I would say getting reg springs vs air suspension, it will eventually go and a slight lift with 33’s would be good, clearance off road is major, and rail / sliders would be better than running boards.

Exactly! That’s what got me really excited about this particular vehicle. At only 124k miles, this car is just a teenager!

Regular 87 octane is fine for the GX.

Lol I think I’ll be Ok. It’s protected by the trim pieces and undercarriage covers. Also I live in Los Angeles, so not too worried about driving this in the rain.

Yeah- so this was an informal meet with the BMW Car Club of America (BMWCCA) LA chapter. There are lots of groups depending on why kind of car you have (classic, new, make, etc) and where you’re located.

@@fastcarseats5317 mine is a f30 330i it’s a 2018