97AcuraCL

Well I do not want to add a new head unit... it'd screw up the lines of the car and the idea of both is stupid to me.

So waht I want to do is add speakers. I'm not sure but would I have to add an 4 way amp to power the speakers? My friend just bought 2 sets of pioneer speakers and dropped it into his stereo in his altima; and its all run through the stock amp/head unit (I dont know if the GLE's had a seperate amp). It Sounds good..

Question is what he did alright electrically? I mean his alternator just went out on him yesterday... (108k mi 96 Altima, i suppose it was time) I'm just scared that dropping any new speakers or amplifers or even subs will kill my electrical system.

I had a 97 Acura CL before I had the TSX, I hooked that WHOLE system up... I had a new head unit and speakers driven off of that; and 2 MTX subs run off of an Alpine Amp installed somewhere in the 5th year around 82k miles. At 95k miles and 8 months later the alternator went out on me (btw I had no CAP) and I think that was premature due to the extra power the amp for the subs drew although it coulda been just due.

So my real issue is; what is the actual damage that adding or upgrading the system in a car is? What can be done to prevent future problems?

e_lectro

Just replacing speakers will not harm a car, no matter what a dealer tells you when you take it in for problems. As far as adding amps, that could be different. Cars are only designed with so much headroom electrically, its not cost effective for them to put in an electrical system that puts out twice the power the car need to operate. If you are adding a small system and amplifier, you should be ok. If you are adding a mega-zillion watt amp, seriously look at upgrading the battery, alternator, and grounds.

Also, a CAP will not solve your electrical problems, it can help, but it can also mask bigger problems. A CAP will help with sudden surges of needed power, but after it has been used, your car has to power you amp and re-fill you cap at the same time. If your battery and alternator cant keep up, a CAP is worthless.

If you are wanting to keep the stock deck and replace the amplifier and speakers, this would not be difficult. I would recomend getting a 4-way hi-lo adaptor from www.davidnavone.com and grabbing the audio signal before it gets to the stock external amplifier. They may seem to cost a bit more, but no one has ever had a problem with them and few people know more about audio than David Navone.

Hope that helps