koojo

I have a GLK w/o the HK sound system, so I want to add a little more bass to the sound. I've done other subwoofer installs before, so I figured this one wouldn't be any different.

The parts:
Alpine MRP-M500 amp
Alpine SWR-1243D sub
Kicker 8 AWG wiring
Scosche line-out-converter
Custom box made for the Alpine & GLK
About 40 feet of 14-16 gauge wire
Wire taps (look like this: http://www.bluemonkeymotorsports.com..._taps_600w.jpg ; can get them at most autopart stores)

1) First what I did was pull the rear door panels off to figure out how the wiring to the rear speakers ran and which wire was positive and which was negative. The rear doors each had two screws (star shaped) and then the border of the door had a bunch of clips. To pop the clips off I used this door puller set: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000VYBLJ4 a REALLY good product...it's plastic so it won't scratch up the paint like the metal ones, and won't break the clips.



There are two wires for each speaker...the wire on the lateral side of each speaker is the positive wire. On the left, the positive wire was a brown wire with a pink stripe, and the negative wire was a plain pink wire. On the right, the positive wire was pink, and the negative was a brown with pink wire (I'll double check these tomorrow). To figure out + vs - I used a voltmeter.
Next, you want to pop out the the inside B-piller covers. They are held on by metal clips, which you need to push back with a flat head screwdriver. You'll see what I mean if you move the rubber molding that sits on the edges of the cover, out of the way. To completely remove the B-piller cover, you'll have to pull the plastic piece on the bottom of the door sill which holds down the carpet.

Once you've done this, you'll see this:


The main plug that you see is what you'll have to tap into with wires in ordered to hook up your line-out-converter.
On the drivers side, look on the bottom right corner of that plug and you'll see a brown wire with a pink stripe (the + wire), and a plain pink wire (the - wire)....these are the wires you need to tap into on the drivers side. On the passengers side, look on the bottom left of the plug and you'll see a white wire (the - wire) and a brown wire with white line (the + wire).

Remember, these are for a 2010 GLK...the wire colors on other year models may be different, so please use a voltmeter and double check the wiring.

SO once you know which wires to tap into, use a simple tap that you can find at any autostore:


I ran two wires (+ and -) from each speaker to the trunk area where the subwoofer will be. I ran the wires underneath the carpet and the rear seats. The I solders the wires to the Scosche LOC, of which I'll upload the pics tomorrow. Then this part of the hook up is pretty much done, all you have to do is hook up some RCA cables from the LOC to the amp.

2) Next, I hooked up the power wire from the battery in the engine bay and ran it to the trunk area. Mercedes made this job really easy by providing an empty grommet on the firewall, below the battery:


A closer look:


I took the rubber grommet out (it pulls right out), and poked a big enough hole through it so I can get the power wire through. I then stuck a screwdriver through the hole in the firewall through insulation on the inside of the car, so the wire would feed through:




Then spliced in the fuse holder that came with the wiring kit (DON'T put in the fuse until everything is done!)


And everything is hidden:


On the inside, pull back on the carpet where the passengers feet go...it pulls right back without any problems. Then, look underneath the dash and you'll see a black plastic cover. You'll want to remove that as well...it's held on by three star screws. Once that's done you can feed the rest of the power wire into the cabin:


Guide the power wire along the right side of the car. I recommend you go directly underneath the carpet, and not next to chassis, which can create some extra noise in the wire. Go under the rear seat and to the trunk.


That's pretty much all I got done today. Whats left to do is:
-hook up the remote turn on wire for the amp to the fuse box located in the trunk, where the spare tire is.
-Put the sub in the box and and hook up the amp.

I'll try to take a bunch more pictures where I finish the install, but I'm pretty busy with med school, so I'll probably get it done sometime this week when I get a chance.

Thanks

mr.mbenz

good stuff koojo....keep it up!

rmfnla

Nice work; thanks for sharing it with us!

koojo

So I get the box in the mail tomorrow, but I preemptively hooked everything up today to make sure all is good, and everything works perfectly.

It took me about an hour and half to mess around with the rear fuse box today to figure out which fuse turns on when the car is set to accessory...and surprisingly none of them did. I didn't want to touch any of the airbag fuses either. But I should have noticed that there is a 12v plug on the left side wall in the trunk...so I ran a wire from the positive wire on that plug to the remote turn on wire on the amp...works beautifully.

rmfnla

Very elegant!

koojo

Well I received the subwoofer box but it ended up being too long, so I'm having a new one made. I'll take more pics once everything is put together.

rmfnla

Can't wait (really!).

koojo

I did hook my amp and subwoofer up the other day to make sure the subwoofer moves and everything works great. Now just have to see how it'll sound in the box.

koojo

So I got the box in the other day and here are some pics:



I mounted the amp top side down so the gain adjustments would face toward the back of the vehicle for easy adjustment:


Here it is in the GLK:


The amp fits perfectly in the cutout:




It sounds REALLY GOOD. I was actually pretty surprised considering I was using a $13 line out converter to feed the amp/sub from the rear door speakers. The bass hits really hard and and I can adjust it using the bass audio control on the dash.

Overall I'm really satisfied. The box fits perfectly behind the rear seats at an angle, so it takes up less space. I can still fold the right left rear seat down and put luggage or whatever needs to fit. Or I can easily take the whole system out in 5 minutes if need be.

If anyone is looking to get a custom box made, send me a PM and I will give you the contact info to the guy who built this box for me.

jdm2010

Nice work! Enjoy

MKenM

Just curious, how many hours did it take you and what was the total cost?

mr.mbenz

looks good koojo.
that's quite bit of space take upon, though IMO

Challenge would be to modify / upgrade existing H/K system?

thanks for the pixs....

koojo

Probably about 10hours of work and maybe about $400 after everything.

koojo

I'm not sure how hard it would be to modify the H/K system, since I only have the stock stereo system. I could have gone with a box that was 2x smaller, but then it would have been a sealed box. I wanted a ported box & they're usually bigger. Probably could have also gone with a 10" sub instead of a 12", which would save a bit more room.

rmfnla

Great job; very sano!

echabot

Thanks for the pics and install guidelines.They where very usefull.
I got my sub installed at Futureshop. The install price is reasonnable and they are responsable for any repairs if anythingh gets damaged.I purchased the Energy 12 inch sub that is already boxed. It fits perfectly in the spare tire compartment, like it was custom made. Of couse I don't have a spare tire now but really when was the last time you got a flat tire ? + we also have the roadside asistance . Anyway i adjusted the equalizer to reduce the bass from the 6.5 inch speakers wich allows me to play them louder without distortion and the whole thingh does a great job. Its not 1000 watts at 20 Hz but it adds a good level of bass to your everyday music. You can always get wiring installation done and try the sub. If you don't like , Futureshop will most likely take it back.

This is the boxed sub , you can most likely leave the Amp underneath like I did

http://www.futureshop.ca/Search/Sear...lowSecure=True

echabot

This is the full weblink

http://www.futureshop.ca/en-CA/produ...82e56fe9aden02

koojo

Nice! Glad you got some more bass in that car.

I'll actually be selling the custom box and the subwoofer pretty soon, as I'm thinking of selling the car in a couple months. Let me know if you are interested. I'll be making another post in the coming months about it.

mr.mbenz

echabot,

seems like you're in GVRD... do you have a few pixs to share?
Which F.S. did your install? Total cost?

cbs001

I just added an Alpine PDX5 amp and a Type R 10 inch subwoofer. Used a 4 gauge kit to wire everything. I posted pics in another post.

echabot

Here are pics of the Energy12" sub.

I live in Montreal ,I remember install cost was 150$ + cable and line converter.

castrocustoms

im a professional installer and actually came on here looking for hints to the wiring of a stock system for a 2010 glk 350. Koojo thanks for the pics. I wired a five channel amp to my customers car, adding a custom built box for one 8 inch sub behind drivers side rear lights panel. i believe on the HK system, thats where the amp is from what i have heard. This particular car was not HK so the best place to tap into the speaker wires for signal and amp output is right under the hump where the front seat bolts down to the car. To get to the wires and run new wires safely and correctly, you have to pull out seat, running boards, side panel, and then once you can lift carpet, there you will find the plastic channel where all the vehicle wires run. The left front and rear are on the left side, and both right door speaker wires are on the right side. The only difference i found from Koojo' s install was my grommet near battery was a hard plastic so i found another soft one as you look at the car to the left of the battery, and all of the striped speaker wires were negative. i found a sweet spot for the channel converter as well as the amp. i also ran a fan near the amp since its covered up so it does not shut off. Pics of custom box, amp, fan, and converter on their way.......
Stereo Steve

MysticMan

Would author of this thread be kind enough to restore the photos please, this thread is the one that pops up on Google for "GLK350 subwoofer" search.

bradsh

why do people use photobucket

MysticMan

I already installed the sub, but yeah, it doesn't matter how old the guide is, if you posted it, please maintain it for future users.