Hi there, I'm new to the forums and this looked like the perfect place to find the answers that I've been looking for. I'm interested in replacing the interior speakers of my 2002 C230 Kompressor Coupe. I know what size speakers it can handle, but other than that, I'm at a loss. Currently, I have a subwoofer/amp/Alpine head unit installed that work perfectly, but the subwoofer can handle huge ranges of power that the interior speakers cannot (buzzing). I desperately want to change them so my system can fully function at peak performance, but I'm at a loss...

First of all, I have no idea how to take the stock speaker grilles off of the car doors/tweeter installations. I've looked for screws that I've read about in pre-2000 C class models, but none are present on my speaker grilles. So my question to you is...how the heck do I get these things off?!

Second...once I get the speaker grilles off, how would I go about taking out the 6.5 inch woofer/Tweeter crossover and 5.25 inch coaxial (I think?) speaker?

And lastly, what is the max wattage output of the stock Mercedes system in this car? It did not come with a Bose system, just a stock system. I read a few articles stating that speakers that are too powerful might burn out the car's amplifier, something which I *do not* want to do.

Thanks for all your help!

P.S. - I also posted this in the C class section as I figured different traffic might come through the two forums. Sorry if this is against the rules...

 

I took a look at a parts list I have for W202 Mercedes to model year 2000. Looks like the entire panel has to come off to replace the tweeters. I would think after you get the panel off the speakers are probable screw to the door? Does the Alpine head unit have a separate connection for the subwoofer or is the sub jury rigged into the system. If the head unit has a separate connection for the sub, also is the sub have a built in amp? If so, then you need to fool around with the adjustment most self powered subs have to get rid of the buzz. I'm not sure new tweeters will solve a "power" problem as you describe. Did you have this install don't by a shop or is it a DIY?

 

The Amp is a monoblock, subwoofer only amp. It does not put any power to any other part of my car except the 12 inch subwoofer under my hatch. So that's not causing the buzzing...

The tweeters aren't the problems, it's the 6.5" and 5.25" speakers that buzz. However, I was under the impression that the 6.5" speaker and the tweeters in the door sills were component crossover speakers, meaning that they were linked and if I replaced the 6.5", I'd have to replace the door sill tweeters too?

The installation of everything in my car has been done by a shop, but I was planning on doing the interior speakers myself. I wasn't going to enhance them with an amp or anything, just let them run through the stock car system and Alpine unit.

Hope that helps

*EDIT* Also, how many watts does my Mercedes put out to the interior speakers? Like I said...I don't wanna blow my car's electrical system here. *EDIT*

 

You want to bypass the crossover and connect the door speakers directly. The crossover is incompatible with the Alpine head unit. The shop that installed the Alpine should have done that for you. I'd bust their chops.

You can use just the 6.5" or add the 5.25" using a full range signal to all. You won't get any improvement adding the 5.25", though. I wouldn't even connect them. If you're buying new speakers, you'll have a hard time finding 5.25" ones. On the other hand, you can get something like a pair of JL Audio 6.5" that come with voice-matched tweeters for the dash. You'll have a two-way speaker system instead of a three-way.

I can't give you install details, though. I know nothing about dismantling an '02 C230 or the wiring scheme or colors, etc.

 

Haha, sorry to ask, but what do you mean with the first 3 sentences? "You want to bypass the crossover..." I think I get what you're saying, but I just want to make sure...

What would you say about installing these?

http://www.infinitysystems.com/caraudio/product.aspx?ProdId='KAPPA52.5I'&Ser=KAP&Cat=MEL
http://www.infinitysystems.com/caraudio/product.aspx?ProdId='KAPPA63.5I'&Ser=KAP&Cat=MEL

 

I'm assuming there's a crossover since you said there's one. I really couldn't say for certain if there's one or not. The Bose system is wired with a crossover, but I don't know if the standard system is also.

A crossover is an electronic piece that separates frequency signals. It will send the low frequencies to the bass speakers, the mid frequencies to the mid-size speakers and the high frequencies to the tweeters. The head unit is connected to the crossover where the signals are separated and sent to the respective speakers.

Anyway, if there's a crossover, it will cause distortion problems with an Alpine or any other aftermarket head unit. You want to wire the head unit directly to the speakers, thereby bypassing the crossover. I would take the car back to the shop that installed the Alpine head unit and insist that they finish the job, which would be to bypass the crossover (if there is one).

Another possibility. This again applies for sure to the Bose system, but I'm not sure about the standard system. Bose speakers won't play without distortion with an aftermarket head unit. Bose speakers use 1 ohm connections, where all other speakers use 4 ohm or 8 ohm connections and aftermarket head units expect that. Your Alpine head unit may be pumping 4 ohms into 1 ohm speakers.

The Infinity speakers seem really nice. In fact, any aftermarket speakers will be an improvement, as long as they're wired properly.

 

I'm pretty confident I can do anything requried for this job except for one...

How do I get these speaker covers/grilles off!?!? They're driving me nuts.

Thanks for your time...

 

We don't need to go into how different our two cars are, but on mine the grilles just pull off the speakers. I don't have to remove the door panels. With the grilles off, I have access to the screws holding the speakers in place. Have you tried just pulling the grilles off?

 

No such luck....

I pull and pull, and they don't come off. I'm pulling so hard that the plastic is flexing (any harder and it will def. break). Hmph...

 

isn't there a recessed screw holding that grill on the bottom of the grill where it wrtaps aroung the door sill?