Amp rebuilds

[natsoundup]

I need all four amps rebuilt for my 90Q....

Anybody have any first hand experience with a re-builder?

[maxnix]

Do a search. This has been discussed extensively before on several threads. Several options are available, as you will discover.

[brucepelletier]

I just removed all 4 speakers from my 90 Q this past Saturday. They're packed in a box ready to ship back to Bose for rebuilding. Just waiting for the RGA label to arrive in the mail.

Call the Bose automotive service center at 800-231-2673 (M-F, 8:30-5:00 ET). They will probably say you have to go through Clarion for the repair. I did the dance of contacting Clarion for the repair as this apparantly is what has been set up by Infiniti. But I was told by 2 different customer service people at Clarion that they do not have these speakers in stock for quick turn around. They merely pass them through to Bose for rebuilding and then ship them back to you when finished. 4-6 week turnaround. $140 per speaker for being a go-between. I went back to Bose with this information and they then agreed to do the work directly.

Going through Infiniti would be even more absurd. I got quotes of around $200 per speaker for this 'service'. Nuts.

Let me know if you need some pointers on removing the speakers. It's not hard but does take some time to do.

[natsoundup]

All I need is the amps repaired. There is a place that will do all of them for 250 dollars. I just don't know if they have a good reputation or not.....

I've pulled the amps... not too big of a deal..... The sound was so low out of the system.....

[DAEDALUS]

Wow, $200 to rebuild a speaker? I went through the local Infiniti dealer in Torrance, CA. They charged $125 each and took maybe a week. The "rebuilt" speakers showed up in factory-sealed Clarion boxes and look completely brand new as far as I can tell.

[Q451990]

I'd go with the Bose rebuild... I think it's $75/speaker amp assembly and they replace the speakers too. Even if you don't need them right now, getting new speaker cones to replace the 13 year old brittle cones is a good thing!

Heath

[autostick]

Correct, best price is $75 direct through Bose at 800-231-2673. One menu tree branch leads you to Clarion, that is a dead end. Another puts you in a loop. Keep in mind you can press O and get to a live human being 9 to 4 workdays. Your first objective is to get a RMA (OEM Return Material Authorization) number from a live human. Then you ship the whole gizmo to Tim Tingley, BOSE OEM Customer Service, 145 Pennsylvania Avenue, Framingham, MA 01701.

On shipment call the same number and find the live human again. This time you give them your credit card info to pay for the rebuild. You can also send a check to Patty Bolack at mailstop 30, The Mountain Road, Framingham, MA 01701. The payment and repair people are at different addresses. Bose can't handle it if you mix that up. So I recommend a credit card.

Good luck with a great sound system.

[brucepelletier]

Correct, best price is $75 direct through Bose at 800-231-2673. One menu tree branch leads you to Clarion, that is a dead end. Another puts you in a loop. Keep in mind you can press O and get to a live human being 9 to 4 workdays. Your first objective is to get a RMA (OEM Return Material Authorization) number from a live human. Then you ship the whole gizmo to Tim Tingley, BOSE OEM Customer Service, 145 Pennsylvania Avenue, Framingham, MA 01701.

On shipment call the same number and find the live human again. This time you give them your credit card info to pay for the rebuild. You can also send a check to Patty Bolack at mailstop 30, The Mountain Road, Framingham, MA 01701. The payment and repair people are at different addresses. Bose can't handle it if you mix that up. So I recommend a credit card.

Good luck with a great sound system.

What he said. Total price $301.25 and done by the same people that designed and manufactured them. No guessing about qualifications or quality. Bose may hate us for disseminating this info but probably there are not very many people crazy enough about their 12 year old cars to go through this hassle and expense.

[Q451990]

I think Bose is one of the few companies that actually cares about customer satisfaction. I guess when you sell stuff that looks so different than standard stuff, like little cubes that mount on the wall, etc.. you want to stand behind your reputation.

Also for everyone else with Q's in the rear amp recall period, (91-92 I think?) do everything that Autostick mentioned except pay - they'll rebuild the fronts at no charge too!

Heath

[Ex-CA Driver]

Yes but exactly how much hassle do we have to go through to get those speakers repaired for free? I have a 93, but my 91 is being repaired my Infiniti Dealer in Oklahoma City, and I have just purchased another 1994 Q45 with the bun warmers out of Georgia. I have called and spoke to everyone at dealerships and Bose. No one could help with the speakers out of the 1991. I will call the number, but I suppose to have to treat them like I did that little BMW 318ti on the way home this evening and put my foot down.

Marlon

[natsoundup]

I reached a guy at Bose. (Tim)...he passed me on to the person who supposed can help with the 75 dollar rebuilds.... we had a nice conversation about our Bose Home Theater systems.... just tried to schmooze a bit.... I'll keep you updated.

I expect a call back on Monday or Tuesday....

BTW....Tim admitted to me that they do a lot of rebuilds on systems from 89-91.... said the amps had capacitor leaks....they had a bad vendor...

FWIW

[Q451990]

I had no problems at all with Bose... no a$$ kissing required. In fact, they told me about the free rebuilds for the recall front amps...

Heath

[natsoundup]

Bose called me this morning...

They are mailing the paperwork necessary for me to send the speakers/amps back to them.

I will keep everyone posted.

[fxjackso]

I have rebuilt rears from a 91 . See buy/sell/trade or email me. Thanks.

[natsoundup]

90's believe it or not are different from 91's

[Q451990]

90's believe it or not are different from 91's

That's correct. They have a slightly different connector, but that can be fixed with a rasor blade knife. The real difference is that the 91+ amps are a lower wattage and expect a stronger output from the radio, so if you use them with a 90 radio, you'll have your volume knob up to halfway for normal listening... I converted everything in Q2 to a 91 system and with everything rebuilt it sounds great! You really don't know how much the systems deteriorate until you compare it side by side to one that's working.

Heath

[brucepelletier]

This past Saturday I reinstalled the speakers refurbished by Bose in my 90 Q. What a pleasure to have sound again! In celebration I took a drive up to Napa with the CD player blasting and loved every minute of it.

For all those with squealing, crackling and/or defunct Bose sound systems the way to go is to have Bose do the refurbishment. My 4 cores came back with new electronics and speaker cones for a total of $301.25. Some of the best money I ever spent. The head unit is fine and needed no work.

During the reinstallation I added 2 layers of some 50 mil Soundcoat GPDS damping material to the 2 front doors (see the Sound Dampening thread for details). The difference is remarkable. The doors now close with a solid thunk instead of a tinny clang. And the sound out of the front speakers is more focused.

I didn't add any sound damping to the rear package shelf as it was covered with the original black rubber sheeting. I may add some sound damping to the trunk area after I've had the Q looked at by the Bay Area Soundcoat rep. He's kindly offered to look at the car and recommend materials to improve the quietness.

Happiness is a fully functioning sound system..

[cdiver]

For-what-its-worth:

Called Bose today using 800-231-2673 number. They told me to contact my stealer - they don't deal directly with the public on receiver repair.

Stephen

[Q451990]

I think you need Clarion for receiver repair... Bose only handles amps and speakers designed for a certain line level... everything else is up to Clarion.

Heath
Modified by Q451990 at 11:12 AM 10/19/2004

[Jesda]

You want cheap? Go to a junkyard. Pull the front amps out of a 1995-1997 (maybe later) Mazda Milennia. They sound as bright and clear as the originals. I found them to be a closer match than the Maxima amps. The Milennia amps also appear to be coated with some kind of clear grease. Maybe that protects them from moisture vs. the Maxima amps which were uncoated.

Each amp is just $30-$40 a piece and a six-month warranty is included. Call Spalding's in Spokane, WA (a wrecking yard where I got mine). Sorry I dont have the number handy, just look it up on switchboard.com.

-Jesda

[tangalora]

May I ask a somewhat related speaker replacement question?

My 1990 Q45 right rear speaker has been whining for years.

Have users really been able to get a 1990 rear right speaker covered by the Bose $75 + shipping warranty or (even better) covered by the 1992 NHTSA free recall campaign #98V284000 (reputedly for 1992 Q45's only) listed athttp://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/c...h.cfm

My speaker whine begins shortly (within a minute) after turning on the radio, tape deck, or CD. This annoying high pitched right rear speaker emination is not related to the speed of the engine, nor does it seem related to the radio volume control.

As far as I know (I've had the Q45 for more than a decade), neither the front nor the rear speakers & integrated amps have been replaced (at least not on my watch).

Do you think Bose will give still me the $75 + shipping replacement speaker & integrated amp if I send them the old one in the speaker housing?

I find that hard to believe since this is a 13-year-old Q45.

Can someone with a 1990 Q45 who has been successful with the Bose center (800-231-2673) please give me the confidence to call Bose to take them up on their reputed $75 + shipping offer?

[Jesda]

You can get the rears replaced free, at minimum. A whine or pop is the sound of an amp nearing failure.

And I dont buy the claim that thousands of engineering dollars were spent on perfecting the Bose system in the Q. Otherwise those engineers had better be flipping burgers.

-Jesda

[tangalora]

> "You can get the rears replaced free, at a minimum.> A whine or pop is the sound of an amp nearing failure."

I'm sorry. I really do not understand. Please help me (and everyone).

Why would Bose replace the rear speaker & amplifier for free?

- The 1990 Q45 is not covered by the Bose speaker-on-fire free recall (only 1991 & 1992 are).

- The rear speakers are 14 years old.

Are you implying that Bose has a LIFETIME (parts & labor & shipping perhaps?) warranty on the speakers?

Even so, everything I've read in the NICO forums says at least $75 + shipping per speaker (i.e., over $150 for the pair) is required by Bose.

And, even after that, a good half of the posts to NICO intimate it cost the poster even MORE than the $150 (some said upward s of a few hundred).

All that is confusingly (very) far from free.

I'm not begrudging the $75 reputed repair (it seems like a good deal); I'm just trying to understand the word "free" which is used so often in these posts (I'm unemployed so the real free has a big meaning to me).

What I'm desperately trying to figure out is:

Q1: Is the replacement of rear speakers and amps in their housing for a 1990 Infiniti Q45 REALLY free?

Q2: Did anybody recently actually pay only $150/pair for rear 1990 speakers to be repaired by Bose (+ shipping)?

Q3: Does an AFTERMARKET (Bose or otherwise) new or rebuilt 6x9 rear replacement speaker exist (perhaps from Joe in Scottsdale) with the correct 1990 connector & line level (whatever that is)?

Q4: How much is that equivalent aftermarket or Infiniti parts right rear speaker & amplifier for a 1990 Q45?

Any expert advice is always welcome (and leveraged!).

I won't quit 'till I get the answers

[Q45tech]

Each amplifier made by Bose has different equalized IC and 10-14 different value components to match the speaker [front and rears are different] and most of all the different interior volumes and mateials [hard or soft leather or cloth].

The equalizers for 90-93 are different for 94-96 so swapping vehicle brands and even years is fought with errors.

Bose is an engineering house they test the interiors then create an equalizer to be as flat as possible in the front seat positions.

On the Presidents they equalized to the rear seat position as the driver was an employee.

[DAEDALUS]

Q1: Someone (I don't remember who) was able to get theirs replaced for free even though it wasn't covered by the recall. As I remember, his request was initially turned down by the person he spoke to on the phone (from Bose I think). By he had a good conversation, shot the breeze a bit, and eventually sweet-talked his way into a set of free replacements. It's the only instance of a 1990 set getting replaced for free to my knowledge.

Q2: I paid $125 each, but that was through the dealership. The $75 is what it costs through Clarion I think. Maybe Joe can get a good price on these?

[Jesda]

Q0: Are you implying that Bose has a LIFETIME (parts & labor & shipping perhaps?) warranty on the speakers?

-> I wish. Maybe there would be some recourse for people who purchased their second-rate home audio systems. Sorry, I know my comments arent productive in helping you out, but I hate Bose.

Q1: Is the replacement of rear speakers and amps in their housing for a 1990 Infiniti Q45 REALLY free?

-> The rears are covered under a recall for a fire hazard. Give your dealer a ring and mention the fronts.

Q4: How much is that equivalent aftermarket or Infiniti parts right rear speaker & amplifier for a 1990 Q45?

-> To me, it would make more sense to invest that $250 in amps and buy a $200 head unit and add $50/pair for a decent set of speakers. You'll achieve better sound quality from basic aftermarket components than you ever will with the Bose configuration.

-> Unfortunately, if appearance is an issue, most aftermarket head units look like toys.

-> I could sit here and harp all day about the quality of Bose products, but at the end of the day your ears will speak to you louder than my words.

[Jesda]

Bose is an engineering house they test the interiors then create an equalizer to be as flat as possible in the front seat positions.

On the Presidents they equalized to the rear seat position as the driver was an employee.

Isnt a lot of that just fading and balancing of certain sound frequencies? Even if you invest time and money into finding ideal sound positioning from a four-speaker system, you're still stuck with just four speakers, cheap paper cones, and cheaply built amplifiers (whomever it is Bose outsources to).

The resulting midrange is abysmal.

Ideally I'd find a way to use better speakers with the Clarion OEM head unit, if it was feasible or possible.

-Jesda

[maxnix]

The head unit is Clarion. Nothing wrong with paper cones as they are light, stiff and without material resonances.

After JVC (owner of Clarion) bought McIntosh Laboratories in the mid 1990's after Frank McIntosh died, the chief loud speaker engineer installed a full mobile McIntosh system in the Japanese President's Q45. Still trying to get the details of that system, but somewhere out there....

[Jesda]

All I can say to that Brian, is "Wow!"

[Q45tech]

Be glad you don't have a Lexus each module is double [$220 per repair] and the amp is $1200 and the subwoofer is $800. No free replacements here bend over. Yes it does sound better than the Bose but fails as often if not more.