Cut wires in cargo area, driver's side
 

I'm almost certain this is from the previous owner's radio install (an aftermarket Sony single-din unit). Should I be concerned? They at least used insulated crimp connectors but this looks like a hack job to me. What was originally installed back here? Eventually I'd like to install a double-din unit in here. I wouldn't mind the factory nav unit but I've heard that can be really difficult to do.

That's the old DSP amp which requires a special 6m cable from the head unit to the rear to enable the aftermarket unit to have audio.

It looks like the owner cut the wires that go from that amp to the speakers and more than likely bypassed it and went straight from the head unit to the speakers.

If you no longer want the amp I need a back up in case mine fails.

So it appears I had the DSP option (and the VIN decoder confirms this). I'm super confused now though. I go to Crutchfield to look at headunit options and this warning pops up:

"When you replace the factory radio, you'll also need to replace the speakers, run new wire from the radio to the factory amp location, and splice into the factory speaker wiring to bypass the amp."

I've had the door cards off and the speakers are definitely original, so somehow this aftermarket Sony unit did not require new speakers. How could that be?

The speakers in mine are 2 ohms. Most units run 4 ohms speakers.

so I don't have the only hacked radio wiring
 

My '01 had two Previous Owners, the first for 16-17 years, the second for the 3.5 years that it took for him to semi-recondition it mechanically, before trading it to me for my '66 Chevelle drag car.

I have no complaints, except for minor details, but all the major items were done well. However, the original radio and cd player were gone, as was the MID ? display, and in their place the last PO installed a <$100 cheap non-Android radio. It works OK, but I'd like either the missing BMW radio more, or a decent Android radio in the dash, so I wouldn't have to use my Android tablet for data, using Torque Pro app. He also did something to the twisted pair wiring in the trunk, so I assume it's actually working (I'd ask him, but he seems to have left the planet). I'd pull the radio, but it's wedged so tightly in the dash that I can't budge it, to see what lies beneath.

He also did some weird wiring to make a 4 way trailer wiring harness work, w/o an AHM. Whatever he did, it works (I'd expect it too, since he is an EE).

Someday, I'll pry out the radio and install an Android unit there, and also yank the oddball 4 way, and install a proper 7 way harness, with an AHM.

Attachment 84988

It also could be that the previous owner had an aftermarket amp in the boot and removed it when selling.

People that cut up factory wiring in cars should be shot with a ball of their own shit... (say's the EE that has to "fix" way too many of these...). :gun:

So it looks like when the aftermarket radio was put in, they re-routed the speaker cables to the front. Not sure why the DSP amp still has some wires going into it. Also, strangely, the subwoofer is connected but it seems like it's just wired up like a regular speaker.


Probably going to get a separate small amp to run the subwoofer and try and clean up this wiring.

Finally getting into this more trying to clean up the wiring, finding capacitors wired up. Is this how most people are doing aftermarket stereos? Looks like the PO used the caps to filter the signal for the mids and tweeters, but man is this is a messy installation.

Well, the wiring was pretty intense and it looks a bit messier than I wanted, but got crossovers and a subwoofer amp wired up.