How to replace door panel speakers?
Posted by Forsaken_Green_8334@reddit | askcarguys | View on Reddit | 6 comments
So I’ve got an old beat up car and just wanna switch up the speakers for something better. Just my daily and I’ll be in it for most of summer. I was wondering if there’s any tutorials or and specific measurements or anything to look into as far as speakers go and changing them out. Anything helps, thanks.
Sad_Win_4105@reddit
I've had good experiences with crutchfields in the past. They can provide everything you need, including instruction manuals.
guinness_a_day@reddit
Go to the Crutchfield Audio website and input your vehicle make/model. They have very detailed vehicle-specific instructions available, including tool lists to do the job properly. If you order equipment from them, you get the info sheet for free; if you don’t buy their equipment, you can buy their instructions for $10 or so
ipwnkthnx@reddit
Watch a couple of youtube videos for your specific make/model to figure out where the clips and screws are, then go tear some cars apart at the Pull-a-part until you can do it without fucking anything up. Once you get past that part, speaker install is usually four screws and a plug (or two wires) on each side.
HowsMyBuddy@reddit
YouTube is the way to go for this. No matter what you drive, someone has probably made a video about replacing the speakers. We can’t help you without knowing what you drive.
I’m not terribly mechanical. My truck is 37 years old. I replaced the door speakers in 2006, and then again last year. I bought extra door panel clips before I started, and I also bought some foam to use as a filler because the door clips for my truck that are available now aren’t quite the same design as they were back then, so I had to cut little pieces of foam to stick in between the clips and the door panel so they would stay in place. Also, there could be plastic liners in the door that might not survive. Mine got kind of ripped, but packing tape was good enough.
There might also be tricks to getting the panel off, or back on, when it comes to handles and windows. My truck was really easy because there are no power windows, so the handle and window crank literally just unscrew.
Some people install matting like Dynamat as long as they have the door taken apart. I just put a small piece that goes between the entire outside of the speaker, and the metal that it’s mounted to. It’s probably saved me some rattles in an otherwise loud and rattly cab.
Finally, get more expensive speakers than you were planning on. I got very cheap because this is basically a farm truck, but when I go to town with the windows down, it’s hard to get decent sound. It’s getting pretty distorted by the time I get it loud enough to compete with the cab noise.
YeahIGotNuthin@reddit
On the back of the car, there are some letters, and maybe some numbers. The letters might be arranged into words (example: “Range Rover” or “Buick Enclave”) or they might just be a series of letters (example: “BMW”) or they might be some combination that’s not exactly a word, but it is a made up car name that resembles an actual word, like “Lexus” or “Acura.” The numbers might combined in one long number, like “500,” or they might have letters and numbers mishmashed together, like “240SX” or “M340i.”
If you type the letters and numbers into google, along with key words like “door speaker replacement,” you will probably find a video that shows exactly what has to come off, in what order, and exactly how to remove it, FOR YOUR EXACT CAR.
WHICH WILL BE DIFFERENT FROM A LOT OF OTHER CARS.
Because not all cars are exactly the same, and we don’t know what kind of car you have, so we can’t tell you anything useful about how yours comes apart.
But some of them will have a couple of hidden screws, and if you miss one and try to pull your door trim off, you’ll break it. Lots of them have plastic clips that require care and good technique to pop out, otherwise you’ll break the clip or the door trim. Some cars, it comes right off if you pull the right part of it in the right direction and then pull a different part in a different direction.
Someone somewhere has removed the door trim and replaced the speakers, and filmed the whole thing, in a car usefully similar to yours.
With the help of a video specific to your car, and maybe a couple of inexpensive new tools to buy at an auto parts store (like plastic forked pry tools often sold as part of an “interior trim tool kit,” which will let you get around each side of a clip to pop the out without breaking anything) you can probably tackle this and have fun doing it.
Good luck.
KeeganY_SR-UVB76@reddit
Generally you’re going to have to remove the door card (the interior bits). It isn’t difficult, but you have to be very careful not to break the clips holding it on.