does the factory amp have a remote turn-on wire that i can use as a remote to turn on an amp i'm going to use for a small sub?

Well the factory amp is a switched 12v wire. When you turn on the radio the amp is turned on so you could splice into that if you would like.

is there an easy way to find it?

If you're already running RCA's to a new amp then run the remote wire with it. I think one of my sets of RCA's even has the remote built in. I do not recommend splicing into super thin wires like the stock remote wire. You are just asking for trouble by doing that.

dont laugh, cuz this is only temp, but im using a line level convertor to get the signal to the amp. i will run the correct remote with rca's from the head unit when i do the complete install.

:lol haha .... oh sorry you said don't laugh... just messing with ya... So are you using the stock head unit then??.. If you have an aftermarket one already, it really only takes 30 minutes to run the wires to the trunk ... The hardest wire to run (4 guage power wire :) )..... is already in the trunk..... I was happy as hell when I saw my battery back there (took me a minute to find).

Its the white one.

its fine tapping off the factory remote (white) line, but it's also a pita because of how small the wire actually is. good luck getting t-taps to fit, i guess you could solder it but have fun cutting yourself w/ that x-acto knife hah.

I avoid Scotchlock t-taps like the breeches of a man with the itch. They make a mess of the car's stranded wiring and have a bad habit of failing after a few years.

Solder splices are much more reliable and compact -- with a little practice and the right tools. I have used an exacto knife to slit the outer sheath of multi-conductor cable. After that, it is the wrong tool to use and like changing spark plugs with a pliers. Besides, how could a guy be happy with such a mundane thing when there are so much more cooler and nicer tools he can buy and use? (Like this linear, self-adjusting wire stripper (http://www.knipex.de/index.php?id=783&L=1&grpID=61&ukat=abiso23) for working in tight places. :) )

because things like those wire strippers will break eventually, and my $5 crappy wire stripper will probably never break, although i did go ahead and invest in a quality $15 manual wire stripper at Home Depot. the use of t-taps might not be appropriate for every application but used correctly they are fine - i've used them to wire my V1 about 5 or 6 years ago and it's still working perfectly fine. your analogy of pliers to remove spark plugs seems to imply that because of that reason, pliers are worthless.

I am perhaps a bit more generous about what other people can do with a tool. I would suppose that if someone really had to, they could use a pliers to change a set of spark plugs. If I had thought they couldn't, I might have written "Good luck using a pair of pliers to...."

In this case, pliers are the wrong tool for the job. You conceivably could use them, but like using an x-acto knife to strip wire, they will make the job pretty damn tedious and may cause damage you'll later regret.

because things like those wire strippers will break eventually, and my $5 crappy wire stripper will probably never break, although i did go ahead and invest in a quality $15 manual wire stripper at Home Depot.I was just making fun of a habit I share with a lot of American and German males, of browsing catalogs and stores to buy tools(!). BTW, $15 wouldn't even get you into the club when it comes to a wire strippers. :)

Seriously, more complicated tools like that self-adjusting wire strippers pay for themselves if you have to strip a lot wires or strip wires that complicated or expensive things depend on. Besides, they are fun.

the use of t-taps might not be appropriate for every application but used correctly they are fine - i've used them to wire my V1 about 5 or 6 years ago and it's still working perfectly fine.I think if you talk to enough people who service automotive alarms or electronics, you'll discover t-taps are not very reliable. A quick way to judge the experience and competence of a journeyman installer is to ask what they think of them. I have given a more mildly expressed judgement.

The attached picture shows what a blue t-tap does to some stranded, 0.75 mm^2 BMW wire. You can see how the insulation displacement prongs have nicked, kinked and weakened a good number of strands. A couple broke at the kinks when I grasped the segment at both ends and flexed it three times.

A red t-tap such as one might use to tap into the 0.5 mm^2 white wire to the power amplifier is worse. It doesn't just kink strands so that they later fail: it breaks some outright. Once enough strands are broken, the prongs no longer press the wire; it loosens, oxidizes and eventually the connection fails.

If you can, I would avoid putting t-taps into cars.

Here is a warning BMW likes to repeat in their installation instructions:Under no circumstances should you work with "Scotchlock quick connectors" as these can cause malfunctions in vehicle electrical system.The German original is more emphatic (and grammatical).

johnf, if only all debates were as informative as this one.

you truly back up your side with good information.

not even quick release tube connectors?

not trying to thread steal but i tried using the white remote wire from but for some reason it went dead. it isnt giving me any power from the wire. what could be the problem and how can i go about fixing it or checking it out.


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