My dealer won't move on it until I take it in. I've got to leave town unexpectedly and won't be able to go in until next week. Has anyone's dealer recognized the problem and found a way to DISABLE the auto volume control? I've got a five hour trip in which I'd like to listen to some tunage.

Thanks in advance!

 

I can't believe all the complaining about the auto volume issue on the bose. I don't have a 350Z yet, I don't have the Bose system, but there are two very easy solutions that come to mind.

1) If the auto volume is controlled by vehicle speed/rpm: Find the wire that is delivering this signal to the Bose system. Cut it. The bose system will now think the car is at 0 mph and will not try to adjust the volume.

2) If the auto volume is controlled by a microphone or similar sensor elsewhere in the car: find it. Cut the wire. The system will now think there is no noise in the cabin. THIS MIGHT HAVE UNINTENDED EFFECTS as the system *MIGHT* try to compensate by turning the volume up.

I don't know how the system works, but those are two pretty obvious places to look first. Of course, your milage may vary, and don't cut anything unless you're sure that you can splice it back together later in case it happened to be a bad idea. But if it is as awful as everyone says, there are two potential workarounds... someone with a Z will have to do the actual experimentation.

 

It is the fact that the system is lousy.

 

Almost all stock systems are lousy...

 

This one is extra lousy. My Ford Explorer Sport Trac and my Jeep Grand Cherokee both had MUCH better stock systems. Hard to quantify it but I would say at least 10 times better.

 

Do you know what he replaced it with and where he got a dash kit?

 

There's got to be a sensor that can be covered up somewhere.. possibly under the dash?

 

You know....I always tell people to replace the head unit first...that your system can only sound as good as the source....

I said this in the modifications form months ago and got SLAMED by people telling me that a CD player is a CD player...and that the speakers are what matter....

Yes aftermarket speakers sound much better than factory speakers...but again the sound can only be as good as the source.

My friend has a Bose system in his VW....he replaced only the head unit...w/ a JVC digifine unit.....and the system sounds much much better now.

Moral of the story is...
Factory Stereos suck.
Replace it with Head Unit, Amps, and Speakers.
If you can't afford to replace all at once.... First get a new head unit...then add speakers and amps (at the same time) at a later date.

 

Sorry, I should have said

"I can't believe so many people are complaining about the Bose system and no one is doing anything about it"

As for changing out the head unit - you need to find out how it connects to the amplifier. If the head unit has standard RCA line level outs that go to the Bose amp/speakers, then you're golden, easy upgrade. If it doesn't, you have problems. You also need to determine what component is causing the volume issues and see if there's a workaround there.

 

In my experience, the head unit is the least of a stock stereo's problems...lack of clean power and and crappy speakers are the culprits.

The systems in my former Supra TT and current Tundra, both using stock head units, are AWESOME. My S2000, also using the stock head unit, is much improved but prob. won't get to where I'd like it given the cars' constraints (wind/road noise, space, etc.)