₦airaland Forum

Carchoice:
okah thanks. I was given the option of E550 as well. But it seems it’s not so available around here. I mean the E550

Same applies to the ML
550s are very rare, even in the US.
Mercedes probably feels it is underselling the M278 turbo package and finds it more profitable to offer that performance level on an AMG tab
As for the decision to switch. I'd pick performance over looks everyday of the week. The friend who did the procuring for me thought I was crazy for looking for a 2014 ml550 when I could buy the more modern and better looking 2016 GLE350 for about the same price with a larger pool to pick from. but guess what? he saw the light when he got behind the wheel. Even the guy who drove the car from TX to NC was in awe.
I was really tempted to go the GLE route after over a month of tiring search . . . cargurus, cars.com, carfax etc. you name it (though my search was harder because there were very specific features I was looking for). but now, I'm happy I stuck it out

so instead of settling for a V6 , I'll be making a few mods to the interior and exterior, that way I enjoy the updated looks and keep the V8 performance without spending AMG money.

diportivo:
my dream car



ps...

I sent u a pm

that's an old gen 4runner

I no longer have access to that email.
you can reach me via bluebird.redfire@gmail.com

Done & Dusted

Prepping for painting

Brake Rotor Upgrade.

Drilled & Slotted Performance Brake Rotors

I purchased a complete set of Powerstop brake rotors.
Power stop is very reputable US brand for brake parts. discs, pads etc.

To protect them from rust I decided to coat the applicable part with some heat resistant Antirust paint. I deviced my little spraying stencil with a polythene bag

excerpts . . . . post install video playback .
crisp clean hi res display
this thing plays almost evey video format known to man. .avi, .flv name it.
With my last pioneer headunit I often had to convert video files to specific mp4 formats before I could play them . but with this bad boy . . ..

More details of our lil baddie.

diportivo:
that pathfinder be like God when ??

Lol, nice . you get eyes.

the one wey dey front front nko

Honorable Mentions.

pic 1. USB extensions routed to the storage compartment on the passenger side of the center console.


pic 2. Stock Subwoofer. I had to remove those panels to neatly route the cables for the sub

So I got some flex tubing , and some cloth tape and cleaned them up into a neat little harness

After the install I didn't like the untidy look of the cables sticking out of the sub

pic 1.2 - 30A fuse connection for direct 12V supply to the sub.

pic 3 . remote bass knob, GPS antenna and Bluetooth Microphone

pic 4 . remote knob conveniently positioned on the driver side of the center console. sweet pot

Subwoofer Installation

As stated Earlier, Sub of Choice is the Rockford fosgate PUNCH P300-12 powered subwoofer.

this is where the Amplifier kit is applied.

The punch p300 is a bad ass subwoofer, packs all the punch you could possibly handle in an SUV . its also Amplified.

Installing this required running a 12V lead directly from the + Battery terminal , throught the cabin, all the way to the trunk .
From the minimum required cable guage, you can tell this sub is no joke., cable is about as thick as a pen, and had to be fished through a gromet in the engine bay, and into the cabin.

the sub also came with a remote bass control knob, a fantastic feature. that lets you adjust the bass level of the playing song to suite your listening preference with the touch of a dial

HeavenlyBang:
Probably because ELS is set up for higher frequencies. More treble for classical music and the likes instead of better lows.

For what it's meant to do, it's one of the best car stereos.

"what it is meant to do" is reproduce audio signal well, regardless of what part of the spectrum.
A good setup will reproduce mids, highs and lows comfortably and output balanced sound. you enjoy your music just the way you like it, regardless of genre. clean and crisp

The myriads of EQ and other sound settings that are absent from a stock setup like this are a big part of the very limited functionality.

Decent ? yes . One of the best ? I think that's subjective

Zane2point4:
The stock head unit definetly looks better,you could have used it,it has quality wattage and will still produce quality sounds to feed your speakers.

The hallmark of modern interior styling is minimalism and clean surfaces. you don't need 30 buttons to do what a screen and half a dozen buttons can do with greater efficiency . . . but ofcourse beauty is subjective.
There's also functionality and performance, which are paramount. I don't think anyone buys a headset just for the looks.
functionality wise , comparison between both is like comparing a 3310 to an iPhone

As per performance , the stock setup is way underpowered. it sounds like a Tin can in comparison. Even with the stock amp and subwoofer.

dannywest:
My mind never reach your own

lol

Sound deading is a nobrainer, but quite tedious .
As simple as it might appear, getting these mats into tight spots and around curves and holes can be a pain in the ass.

you need some planning and measuring to maximize use of your mat and get neat results.

pic 1. stock condition

2 &3 . after sound deadening and speaker replacement.

Sound Deadening & Speaker Replacement

Front Speakers - Infinity Kappa 62.11i

Rear Speakers - JBL GTO 629, Both tuned by Harman Kardon


Sound Deadening Mat - 36sq ft of Noico 80mil sound deadening Mat.


Pretty straight forward. remove door panels, remove weather stripping, deal with a ton of dust.

had to do alot of surface prep/cleaning with Alcohol for best results with the deadening mats

Speaker holes didnt match the opening on the door even with the speaker brackets I bought. but I really wanted these speakers. I was frustrated for some minutes, until I had a Eureka Moment!!! ..... Cable Ties!!!

grabbed some cable tie , strapped those babies up, and bam! . . . everything kosher.

AutoElectNG:
There is something that stands out in your threads.

You do your homework.

Following

Thanks

Before meets After . . .

Heart Transplant Complete . . . Vital Signs Stable

pic 1 . Testing climate control for fitment to plastic trim piece.

2. Checking fitment of stereo to trim piece.

3 . Old heart, New heart

4 . Heart Transplant in progress

Now On To The Fun Part.. . . . Actual Install of Stereo.

For a 2008 Vehicle, the MDX has a pretty suave interior styling. And the stereo isn't left out.

pic 1 & 2 Stock Setup.

3. Removal

4. Commencenent of Open Heart Surgery

MARKone:
Don't mind the bomboclat talking about common sense, just continue with your post.

I don try for today jare. Already put a TBC

obiekunie2:
undiluted truth!

you proved it beyond any doubt!

Right! ... but I'll show what the fok I want to show, whenever the fok I want to show it , Now fok off.

HeavenlyBang:
Because na you buy the car for am na. Or because you dey pay am to make this thread.

Some of una go just carry phone dey type rubbish.

Lol, what an id!ot. Serious laughter catch Me.

obiekunie2:
common sense should tell u to first of all show us the full pic of the car u r transforming before showing us all this craps!

commonsense is not common at all

T B C

pic 1 - the arrow in the picture below shows the cables attached to the knenwood harness ( goes into the rear of the radio) with red connectors.

pic 2 - shows the labeled end of the cables. labeling is necessary as the cables which have no colour coding are first fished from the stereo location down to the kick panel before the female part of the T-tap is attached .
so you have to know which exact wire/channel you're connecting to, at both the stereo harness end and the pre amp end ( following the Amplifier wiring diagram above)

-shows the harness disconnected
- shows head of T taps attached
- shows final tapping
- T taps, kenwood stereo harness, connectors and sundry items

the choice of blue for all cables and flex tubing is to distinguish my wiring from stock/factory

Amplifier is located in the pasenger side kick panel. ( Arrow points to the Amplifirer feed harness . ) which I had to disconnect and tap into

First Step . . . . Replacement of the headunit.

One of the most challenging part of this project was installing the headunit.
My MDX came with the ELS surround sound sytem which is setup with a factory Amplifier and subwoofer) and because of this, changing the headunit wasnt a simple matter of swapping stereos and connecting with a harness. You have to find a way to send audio signal to the speakers while bypassing the factory amp.
After hours of research on Acurazine and MDXers forums , I got some insight into tapping into the audio feed... pre-amp, and running wires from there to the head unit harness (FOR ALL FOUR DOORS). this would have resulted in a very ugly job of cutting and joining , but for the blessing of T-taps.

As mentioned before Head unit of Choice : Kenwood DDX9904s ( about $750-800 at the time)
fantastic stereo, fantastic sound , Carplay, Android Auto, great audio customization, too many great features to list.

The below is a guide to the colour code for the amplifier wiring in second Gen MDXs.