laalves

Right, after installing the Clarion nav/mm unit, I decided to go on to the next step, replacing everything else. Being an hifi buff, and using room eq correction at home (using TAG McLaren AV32R DP and REW software), I had to have the same at my car. So, after loads of research, I came up with the following BOM: 4 x Focal 13WS - 130mm subwoofers): two went to the doors to replace the 11.6 cm Bose, two to the rear bassbox to replace the same size Bose units; 4 x Focal 100KP - 100mm cm mid driver and 52mm tweeters) to replace the indash and side-rear same sized Bose; 2 x Alpine PDX4.150 amplifiers - Small size was one of the choice factors, since I didn't really want to fill up the small trunk with amps. I needed eight channels, 2 of them being bridged. Because of the Focal speakers, I considered the Focal 4.75 amps, but these were A/B amps with low efficiency and too large. Same problems with my first choice amps, McIntoshes: these A class monsters would drain my battery in a matter of minutes with the engine off, and use most of the trunk!; 1 x Alpine PXE-H650 processor - the heart of the system: crossovers, time alignment and room correction equalizer. Lots of cables, connectors, tie wraps and other supplies. Bottom of rear bassbox, already with Focal 13WS units installed Zoom of the same Interior of the bassbox Zoom of one the Focal 13WS. These were wired in parallel, for a combined impedance of 2 ohm Rear speakers being modified. HAd to cut a lot of plastic to make these fit. Still missing is the toilet paper (!!!) fill, combined with epoxy glue to fill the still visible gaps General view of the system in the trunk PXE-H650 processor, installed using the CD-changer bracket Same thing Same thing Left amp, channels 3 and 4 are used for the in dash speakers, channels 1 and 2 for the door subs Right amp, channels 3 and 4 are used for the rear speakers, channels 1 and 2 bridged for the bassbox Only modification visible inside, the IR sensor for the PXE-H650 remote. The single largest part of the work was rewiring the speakers: had to remove most of the trim and carpet of the interior of the car. I used leftovers from several generations of my home theater setups. For the bassbox, I used TAG McLaren F3-SPK cable, all the rest being Bandridge Flex Speaker cable, 1.5mm2 and 2.5mm2. For the rear speakers, I used 2.5mm2 due to the longer lengths required, for the in dash, 1.5mm2. To connect the crossovers to the drivers/tweeters, I used the biwire version of the Bandridge Flex 1.5mm2 cable. Unfortunately, I was unable to rewire the door woofers, I didn't have the required supplies available required to redo the inner door insulation, if I went on with that bit. I rewired them only from the firewall onwards. This increased resistance a bit, but most likely not noticeable. file____C__Program_20Files_...pdf After folowing the calibration procedure using the supplied software, these are my results, using a choice of target equalisation curve To pass cables, I used the service grommet in the left footwell (drilled holes in it and then sealed it with silicone), plus two other rubber grommets (to pass cables from the battery "wet" area to the trunk itself), which I also drilled in the available areas around the cable bundles already there. In all, a full weekend, plus a week of evenings work, added by a bit of money, and that's the result: an extremely good sounding system, way, way better than the original stuff (never liked a single Bose system ever...).

Interesting. In my 2002 TT, it is not! The wiring goes from the Bose amp to somewhere. I suspect it is under the bass box in the back. BTW, I just finished replacing the whole system with aftermarket stuff. Will post shortly my mods in the TT DIY forum.

Hi, Glad you could solve your issues. You mean Clarion will release a frame for the 996 in November? That is great! Who is your dealer?

Ah! You found the Bose sub amp? Where is it located? I haven't been able to find it yet to remove it also, I just bypassed it. I would like to remove it also to sell it. Thanks in advance, Luís

Hi, 1 - The Porsche GPS antenna is connected to the back of the nav computer, not to the PCM main unit. You need to remove it also. 2 - The actual microphone is behind the round grill on the left of the instrument cluster. As for schematics, I'll PM you; 3 - The CD changer is hooked to the PCM main unit. See the PM I'll send you. Have fun! Luis

Hi again, I think you won't regret it! Use it in combination with an iPhone 3G and you'll beeven happier. Trillieunaire is a forum member who devised the kit on ebay (the one in my link) and his brother sells it for him. Again, if your car does not have PCM, it is very useful. If you're replacing your PCM1, then you don't really need that: you will need, however, a radio antenna adapter (DIN to ISO) and the "Clarion 2DBKT Universal 2-Din Mounting Sleeve" Any doubts, just ask; send me a PM. BTW, I actually bought this from a German online dealer: www.caraudio-versand.de, who I recommend thouroughly. They even offered me a very nice discount and threw in the Clarion 2-DINkit I referred free of charge.

Hi, When I was planning EXACTLY the same thing, I bought this: http://cgi.ebay.com/97-04-Porsche-996-Boxs...1QQcmdZViewItem. However, I found out that this is not very good for a car with PCM, it's much easier to use the existing parts already in the dash. If you have a car with the normal Becker fit, then this is the way to go. BTW, I dropped this idea and went Clarion when I found this: www.avic411.com, and learned about all the troubles that plagued the F series. Some of the problems were reportedly solved with Firmware update 1 (No 2 may be just lurking over the horizon, no one really knows) I never looked back, the Clarion MAX983HD (N/A in the US) is fantastic in all respects, and I keep reading terribly disapointing reports in that site, even after the firmware update.... I have posted a couple of nothes in the DIY section.

You know what? The Clarion wire bundle has ACC power reversed with IGN power, exactly as VAG/Porsche cars.... When I installed this unit, I reversed these wires, because I assumed the Clarion bundle were as anyother radio I had installed previously, i.e., ISO compliant. Not. So, I just reversed the wires again and all is well!

Ok, I have received the iPhone 3G, and: 1 - Bluetooth is brilliant, the whole phonebook got uploaded, as well as last/missed calls list; 2 - iPOD interface is lightning fast, one doesn't notice any delay in uploading anything, sees playlists, albums, etc. Does not show album art nor does it do video with the iPhone. In the book it says it will play video with "normal" iPODs; 3 - It does NOT charge..... meaning Clarion went the easy way charging via Firewire pins, 12V instead of USB pins, 5V. But, regarding 3, I found a neat solution, available for everyone (including the US!) that has the same problem, with a car radio iPOD interface that does not charge: http://www.expansys.com/p.aspx?i=171079. I have confirmed with tech support @ carcomm and they confirmed this craddle will convert 12V Firewire to 5V USB! As soon as it is available, I'll get one.

Yes.... a beautiful feeling, isn't it? I went by plane to Hamburg and came back (Lisbon) driving my TT coupe. 3000km, about 18 hours of driving. Upon arriving also a garage challenge! Had to initiate my DIY jobs in the car with a front spoiler removal. Then I hired a contractor to alter the garage ramp incline for about 1000 euro. Voilá!

Ah! Didn't think about that. Why do you say so?

Well, I have installed a Clarion MAX983HD (pics in the DIY), in my 02 TT for a couple of weeks now. On 3 occasions (last one today), starting up the car in the morning, the unit had lost its settings: FM stations, song being played, display settings, etc., etc. I have switched yellow with red power cables, as reported abundantly in this site for these cars, and it obviously works most of the time: 12 days out of 15! Is there any circumstance in which the car shuts power to its "permanent on" power to the radio harness? Low battery? Timer? Or does this sound like an intermitent bad contact?

Hi all, First post in this section. After getting a 996TT for myself, I'm considering now a 2nd hand Cayenne for the wife, and myself too, when the whole family goes away somewhere on the weekend. My budget allows for a 2005, maybe early 2006 model, and I'm considering the basic V6. Considering my wife's driving peculiarities (...), Tiptronic and parking assistant are a must. Further, panoramic roof or at least a sunroof is a nice to have, as well as PCM. What else do you guys recommend to look for? What about usual issues in a 2nd hand car I should look for? I have the Durametric cable and software, so I will also want to poke my nose into the diagnostics memory. Thx in advance.

Thanks Loren, but you had PM's me that already. In fact that allowed me to do my own Clarion MAX983HD install, so thank you again. However, it doesn't answer any of my questions...... :( :( :( 1 - Will the Bose ALSO take line level too (as well as speaker)? 2 - Does anybody know where is the secondary amplifier PHISICALLY located? Thanks...

I cannot believe no one here knows the answers to this...... :eek: :help:

Hi all, Just a few notes regarding my install, in case anybody wants to do a similar thing. My TT had the PCM1, with 16bit nav, CD changer and Bose option, non MOST. 1 - The PCM1 16bit nav unit has the same GPS antenna plug/socket as the Clarion, meaning this was a direct plug and play deal with Porsche GPS antenna. Saved me a load of work; 2 - The in-dash microphone may be used with the Clarion, but the factory gain setting must be lowered. To do that, pry the speaker cover out, and on the right side of the microphone housing you will find a little hole with a screw just visible inside. There's a label on top, with 3 positions. Factory setting is 3, reduce it to 2. This way it will work fine with both the phone and voice recognition features; 3- To bypass the parking brake feature, simply ground the light green Clarion wire; 4 – The VSS wire may be found in two places: black PCM1 plug: grey/pink cable and in the nav/CD drive unit, also grey/pink cable in its single plug; 5 – The microphone cables to tap to reuse it are found in the PCM1 headunit blue plug: brown/white (ground) and white (signal); 6 – Remote amplifier turn-on cable is the red/black cable in the PCM1 small yellow plug. Since the Clarion has no dedicated amplifier turn-on cable I simply used switched power to interface with the Bose amplifier; 7 - I removed the 2-Din cage of the PCM1 and replaced it with Clarion's own, relatively easy job. I attached the Clarion cage to the plastic housing with self tapping screws, PC variety. 8 - The Clarion bog-standard dash trim is useable, just add a 13 mm plastic bar on top and it's a done deal. I had bought trillieunaire's kit off ebay, and this plastic bit came off his bezel (his kit is NOT very useable in case of PCM cars). That and the FM antenna adapter were the only things I used from his kit. 9 - This unit has the permanent power and switched power connected à la VW/Audi/Porsche, so no need to switch the yellow with the red power wires. BTW, I have an iPhone 3G on order, will install it in the OEM phone bracket. I tested a iPhone 1st gen with this setup and it worked brilliantly: iPhone charged, uploaded the whole phonebook to the Clarion via Bluetooth and the iPOD interface also worked perfectly. The distributor told me the iPhone 3G should work like the 1st gen. I will add a couple of pics as soon as I take some. Hope this is useful to someone. Luís

How do I know if it runs at startup?

Thanks again. I had a 80,000 km done when I bought the car in March. Where is the air pump located?

Thanks Loren, but I had seen your response to another person here already, so I knew that. What i was asking is should I expect any symptoms, check engine light, etc?

Hi all, I have just installed a Clarion MAX983HD (very happy with it, BTW!) in my 996TT (non-MOST, 09/2001), replacing the PCM1 16bit I had (which will be ebayed soon), and am considering installing a Alpine PXE-H650 PEQualiser which is happy with both line level and speaker level inputs but will only output line level. Will the Bose take line level too? It's currently being fed by the speaker output of the Clarion and is very happy with it. Also, does anybody know where is the secondary amplifier located? Is it inside the rear deck speaker enclosure?

996TT, 09/2001 (MY02?)

Hi, On Friday I received my Durametric kit and plugged it into my car imediately. It reported: P0491 Secondary Air Injection System, Bank 1 - Insufficient Flow P0492 Secondary Air Injection System, Bank 2 - Insufficient Flow After a search here, I found a number of possible causes to this. However, I don't feel any symptoms, and don't have any lights turning on. Could this be degenerative? Should I be concerned?

Well, that's a cool suggestion... Hope no antifreeze was added to my port!

Ah, ok. Actually I meant the engine compartment stuff. I figure they replaced a bunch of stuff for factory warranty requirements compliance. Cheers, Luis

Well, it has the full Porsche Gebrauchtwagen warranty, so it cannot have had one. That's one of the conditions for being qualifiable for a second hand factory warranty here in Europe. Assuming the people involved were honest, I would say no. Hopefully.