Audio systems and Convertibles in general do not mix well kind of like oil and water. When this customer came to us with his brand new 2005 m3 cabrio, we knew it was going to be a challenge to get great sound. BMW created the ultimate driving machine when they released the new e46 m3 which is the 3rd generation of a legacy. This one came fully loaded with the SMG tranny and he even had the oem hardtop option.
His requirements included the car having a high fidelity sound system and bass that hits hard with the top up or down. Most convertibles sound ok with the top up but all of the bass is lost when the top goes down. We ended up chosing a sealed type enclosure for the JL Audio 12w6 subwoofer. However it was built with a special port firing into the cabin from the rear seat armrest. The box is unique because in most sealed boxes you hear the cone side of the driver but in this case the sealed section is the plexi side you view from the trunk and the sound comes out the magnet side. The cone side of the box was painted Imola Red to match the car's exterior and sealed with 3/4" plexiglass polished to a shine. A pair of JL Audio amps were used for the front and rear stage and the 500/1 mono amp was for sub duty.
The car came with the OEM NAVI but he wanted DVD playback so the decision was made to replace the stock deck with the Eclipse AVN-5495 double din unit. To mount this unit in a e46 chassis, the vent box has to be modified to give clearance. Afterwards the unit is mounted to the car on a custom frame and bolted in place. Finally a fiberglass trim bezel is built to fill in the gaps of the opening. The bezel was carefully made and sanded to follow the lines of the BMW dash for a factory sano look.
MB Quart components were used for the front doors and rear quarter panels. A custom baffle plate had to be used to hold the speakers at the proper angles. A JL Bass knob was also intalled near the center console so the owner could adjust the bass for top up or down use. Valentine 1 was used for the radar detection and we hid the remote display so it falls within line of sight for the driver. Blue LED's were used for ambient lighting in the footwell and trunk areas to give it a more bling appearance. More Blue LED's were used to light up the bass port where the sub can be viewed if needed.
The car was lowered to a proper stance on a set of Coilovers from Tien and we employed the EDFC so the customer can adjust the dampening of the car while on the go. 6000k D2S bulbs and matching HID fogs were installed as well as the angel eyes to complete the look of this ride.
