[clarkee]

I recently just had a sound system fitted to my 330CI but when I turn the lights on at night there is a buzzing noise coming from the speakers. It goes away when I touch the brake pedal but then comes on a again. It sounds great during the day with the lights off. I took it back to the guys who installed it and they tried some new RCA cables and a new head unit but it still made the noise. They said to me that BMW's are quite difficult cars to do because of all the electronics but I find this hard to believe after seeing some of the installs on this forum. Can anyone help me !!

By the way, I'm from the UK
clarkee

 

[Ack]

What exactly was done to your system? New headunit, speakers, amps, etc? Did these guys splice into the existing wiring of your car? If so, this could be causing the problem. The only whine that I've heard of from installs is caused by the alternator. Your problem is def. not this. You might want to look into shielded speaker wiring and the best insulated/shielded RCA's that Monster Cable makes.

 

[clarkee]

How u doin Ackster

Thanks for the reply

Yeh I have a Sony XRM 500 headunit, MB Quartz D13 components, Alpine MRV F407 amp, and a JL 12" WO sub. I kept the original speakers in the rear.

Also if the engine is off, and then i turn my lights on I can hear a clicking noise coming from the engine. I thought they might have installed it wrongly, but they have done some good installs.

I don't know that much about sound systems so not sure if they spliced the original wiring or not. What system do you have and have you had any problems. If so what do you think I could do to solve this ***** of a problem.
The installers said to me there is a device which goes between the headunit and RCA cables which might stop the noise, but other installers ahve told me that it won't make a difference.

Is that your beemer below with the glowing neons. That is the sweetest sytem i've ever seen in a BMW. I know some guys who have spent loads of cash on sytems and none of them look as good as yours!!!

 

[Ack]

How u doin Ackster

Thanks for the reply

Yeh I have a Sony XRM 500 headunit, MB Quartz D13 components, Alpine MRV F407 amp, and a JL 12" WO sub. I kept the original speakers in the rear.

Also if the engine is off, and then i turn my lights on I can hear a clicking noise coming from the engine. I thought they might have installed it wrongly, but they have done some good installs.

I don't know that much about sound systems so not sure if they spliced the original wiring or not. What system do you have and have you had any problems. If so what do you think I could do to solve this ***** of a problem.
The installers said to me there is a device which goes between the headunit and RCA cables which might stop the noise, but other installers ahve told me that it won't make a difference.

Is that your beemer below with the glowing neons. That is the sweetest sytem i've ever seen in a BMW. I know some guys who have spent loads of cash on sytems and none of them look as good as yours!!!

Clarkee -

I just spoke with my installer about your problem and he said that he has heard of this before. He thinks if your installer ran the any additional wires by the instrument cluster or the dash bulbs, you will get noise feedback. Hence, you only get this noise when your headlights are on. Try dimming your instrument cluster to see if the noise is reduced. A simple fix for this is to run these wires under the floor of the car away from the high current lines in the dash.

Let me know if turning down the dimmer reduced the noise at all.

Btw, yeah, that is my setup in my sig. Just sort by Thread Starter and look for my name. I have a bunch of pics of my system (interior and trunk) in a few different threads.

-Ack

 

[dredmo]

or you could add a shielded conduit around your current wires, and ground it at both ends

 

[clarkee]

Thanks for the info ack.

I tried dimming the interior lights but the noise is still there.

Do you think that I should have to pay the guys who fitted it in the first place to redo it, or should they do it for free because they might not have laid the cables correctly.

 

[Ack]

Thanks for the info ack.

I tried dimming the interior lights but the noise is still there.

Do you think that I should have to pay the guys who fitted it in the first place to redo it, or should they do it for free because they might not have laid the cables correctly.

You should not have to pay to get this done right. They should've done it correctly the first time. I've had to go back to my installer to have him fix some things that I have had problems with and I have never been charged for it.

If all else fails, get some shielded speaker wire and RCA's and replace the existing wiring in the car.

 

[clarkee]

Hi ack

I'm gonna give them a call to see what they say.

Here is a picture of my 330.

 

[clarkee]

front view.

 

[Ack]

Nice pics! :thumbup: Those are the 18's, right? Did you find my posts of the audio install?

 

[clarkee]

Yeh there 18" but I'm considering putting 19" Breyton magic's on coz they look quite small with my kit.

Yeh i found your post of your pics and have to say once again how nice your system is.

Don't suppose you know if headunits, tv screens etc from America would work on a English car or are the electronics different voltages. Just wondering because in England they are sooo expensive compared to the American prices.

 

[Ack]

Don't suppose you know if headunits, tv screens etc from America would work on a English car or are the electronics different voltages. Just wondering because in England they are sooo expensive compared to the American prices.

Truth is, I don't know. I would guess that there is no difference in voltage between cars made in different countries. The batteries in the US are 12 volt. If the batteries in England are the same, I would assume you wouldn't have any issues.

I did notice everything is more expensive in Europe. I purchased some Silvervision turn signal lights and they cost me about $45 US for 4 bulbs. That is pretty high. The conversion rate is about 1.5 US dollars for every UK pound. So if anything, you might be better off buying from the US. The Clarion head unit is $1,500 US so it would only be 1,008 pounds or 1583 Euro's. I also don't know what currency England uses. :tsk:

 

[clarkee]

Yes i think my battery is also 12 volt, so i'm going to look around for some good prices. I hear lots of people talking about those silver vision bulbs, are they any good?

Also do you have xenons on your car?

Just wondering because i don't, but have seen a guy in the US called jimmy540, you might have heard of him, selling what he describes as xenon bulbs, but I'm a bit worried to purchase them because (1) would they really be as good as stock ones and (2) I've read that some people say they are just not worth the money.

 

[Ack]

The silver visions are really nice. In the states, it is illegal to have anything but amber turn signals in the rear of the car. I thought you could have white turn signals in Europe. If that is the case, I would go with the PIAA Xtreme White Bulbs. They fill your clears with a blue light during the day and they light up pure white. This is what they look like in . . .

Also, I do have Xenons and they are really nice. I still have my old car and it has regular headlights and I can't believe I was able to drive with them on. The Xenons are so much brighter and emit such a clean white light, it is really a difference of night and day between the two.

You can pick up PIAA's that will replace the existing headlight bulbs and they will emit a light closer to HID's. I would go this route as opposed to buying from someone online.

 

[clarkee]

Hi ack

Yeh they do look nice. In England we can have clear's all round but i havn't done mine yet.

I bought some of the PIAA plasma blue ones last year for my Audi A3 but after 6 months one of them had blown. Then when I tried to get a refund and I was told by the shop that I shouldn't have bought them because they are illegal for road use and should be used for rallying only.

I was confused because they sold them to me in the first place and no one said that they were illegal then!!

Do you think I would run into the same problem with my BMW because, I paid £150 for the ones in my Audi, about $310 and I don't want them to blow again, because it get's expensive.

 

[Ack]

$310 for PIAA Plasma Blues :yikes: :yikes: :yikes:

That is insane! I can get the 6000 or 7000K PIAA HID conversion kit (which includes ballast) for under $600. This is for a complete HID kit. PIAA Online Store. This is what you would want if you wanted to convert to actual HID's. You won't get the auto-leveling that you would have with the stock xenons.

If you are looking for a bulb replacement, the H7 will fit and is only $36 for two. If a bulb blows, who cares at this price.

Go here for a listing of all bulbs available for the E46. Great prices and selection.

 

[clarkee]

Tell me about it, in England everything is expensive. I wish I had ordered my car with them on.

The one's you said that are $36 are the xenon white.

Do you think they will give the same sort of colour as the plasma blue?

 

[Ack]

I'm not sure the rating of the plasma blues. The $36 ones are very close to HID so they would emit more of a white light. These bulbs are PIAA H7 Extreme White and are $89. They are rated at 4150K which is real close to HID's.

 

[clarkee]

Thanks for all the info ack, it really has been useful speaking to someone who knows what their talking about.

I've ordered some of the $36 ones because like you said, at that price who cares if they blow.

 

[Ack]

Glad I could help. Let me know if you like the new bulbs and if you notice any difference. :thumbup: