John03
New member
While I was very impressed by the factory sound quality of my panda I did feel that in certain situations the bass would cover over the midrange of some of my music. So, i decided to install a subwoofer in my panda. Here's how I did it.
Tools you will need:
Socket set - including standard hex sockets, allen bits and torx bits.
Trim prying tools
Harness depinning keys - I found a set on amazon that came with both the pry tools and connector pinning tools.
Screwdriver set
Spanner set
Radio removal keys - I just snapped a set of the cheap ones from halfords in half.
Start by disconnecting the battery and leave the vehicle to sit for at least 30 minutes with the battery unhooked, as there is an airbag connector in the seats. This allows time for residual power to drain from the system. While you wait, I used the time to give the interior of the car a good vaccing out. I also put the floormats in the boot to keep them out of the way.
To get the seats out, you'll first need to remove the connector block covers in front of the seats, use a pry tool to take the small covers off and undo the two bolts inside, these were 5mm allen key bolts. Once inside, you'll see the plugs pictured, the orange plug in particular was very tricky to undo and requires careful prying to remove the connector from the block.
With the connectors undone, the seat can then be removed, I found it easiest to get the seat out by adjusting it all the way forward and tilting the backrest forward too. Be careful removing the seats as it is easy to scratch the plastic on the door trim panel and centre console, and is much easier with two people. It is easier on the passenger side as you don't have the wheel to contend with.
I decided to strip the centre console out to route the wires through, while I was in there I also cleaned out the underside of the cupholder and adjusted the handbrake. To remove this, you'll need to take the 10mm bolt out of the rearmost cupholder (The only usable one in the car) and pull the trim piece around the handbrake forward carefully.
Remove the glovebox, this is held with a combination of torx bits and 10mm bolts. You will see a fuse board with a large red cable going into it. For the subwoofer I chose, wiring the power wire into this connector will safely provide the right amount of wattage. You may need to double check if you're using a more powerful subwoofer.
Remove the radio using the keys in the two holes at each top corner. i found that using just the keys alone wasn't enough and i had to gently use a pry tool to get the radio pulled further out. Once in, i depinned the front left and right audio channels and inserted the subwoofer wiring into the pins, this kit comes with a harness specifically for splicing into the existing harness. The wiring diagram for the radio itself is on the back of the unit. Make sure you match the positive and negative wires on the subwoofer to the ones in the radio. This is also a good time to route the cables from the radio, through the glovebox and to the unit. Trim down any excess as it can affect sound quality.
I had already installed the radio when i realised how much excess wiring i still had so i used a couple of connector blocks to shorten the cables. As pictured, i also had to undo the rest of the centre console and the side panels in the footwell, these screws are all t20 torx bits and are easy enough to get to.
I also ran the ground cable for the subwoofer to the bottom of the dash, there is an existing grounding point there that fitted my kit perfectly.
To mount the subwoofer, the kit came with short self tappers that i screwed into the thick foam under the carpet. This created a surprisingly firm hold that hasn't budged after a month and means that the subwoofer doesn't cause any ratling or drone through the body as it's mounted on a soft area. there's a hole in the carpet that i was able to put the wiring through and into the centre console.
Once installed, follow your steps in reverse, making sure not to pinch the wires while you're tightening everything back up. So far, i've been super pleased with the sound of this kit and consider it my second best upgrade after cruise control. Also, apologies for the poor camera quality.
Tools you will need:
Socket set - including standard hex sockets, allen bits and torx bits.
Trim prying tools
Harness depinning keys - I found a set on amazon that came with both the pry tools and connector pinning tools.
Screwdriver set
Spanner set
Radio removal keys - I just snapped a set of the cheap ones from halfords in half.
Start by disconnecting the battery and leave the vehicle to sit for at least 30 minutes with the battery unhooked, as there is an airbag connector in the seats. This allows time for residual power to drain from the system. While you wait, I used the time to give the interior of the car a good vaccing out. I also put the floormats in the boot to keep them out of the way.
To get the seats out, you'll first need to remove the connector block covers in front of the seats, use a pry tool to take the small covers off and undo the two bolts inside, these were 5mm allen key bolts. Once inside, you'll see the plugs pictured, the orange plug in particular was very tricky to undo and requires careful prying to remove the connector from the block.
With the connectors undone, the seat can then be removed, I found it easiest to get the seat out by adjusting it all the way forward and tilting the backrest forward too. Be careful removing the seats as it is easy to scratch the plastic on the door trim panel and centre console, and is much easier with two people. It is easier on the passenger side as you don't have the wheel to contend with.
I decided to strip the centre console out to route the wires through, while I was in there I also cleaned out the underside of the cupholder and adjusted the handbrake. To remove this, you'll need to take the 10mm bolt out of the rearmost cupholder (The only usable one in the car) and pull the trim piece around the handbrake forward carefully.
Remove the glovebox, this is held with a combination of torx bits and 10mm bolts. You will see a fuse board with a large red cable going into it. For the subwoofer I chose, wiring the power wire into this connector will safely provide the right amount of wattage. You may need to double check if you're using a more powerful subwoofer.
Remove the radio using the keys in the two holes at each top corner. i found that using just the keys alone wasn't enough and i had to gently use a pry tool to get the radio pulled further out. Once in, i depinned the front left and right audio channels and inserted the subwoofer wiring into the pins, this kit comes with a harness specifically for splicing into the existing harness. The wiring diagram for the radio itself is on the back of the unit. Make sure you match the positive and negative wires on the subwoofer to the ones in the radio. This is also a good time to route the cables from the radio, through the glovebox and to the unit. Trim down any excess as it can affect sound quality.
I had already installed the radio when i realised how much excess wiring i still had so i used a couple of connector blocks to shorten the cables. As pictured, i also had to undo the rest of the centre console and the side panels in the footwell, these screws are all t20 torx bits and are easy enough to get to.
I also ran the ground cable for the subwoofer to the bottom of the dash, there is an existing grounding point there that fitted my kit perfectly.
To mount the subwoofer, the kit came with short self tappers that i screwed into the thick foam under the carpet. This created a surprisingly firm hold that hasn't budged after a month and means that the subwoofer doesn't cause any ratling or drone through the body as it's mounted on a soft area. there's a hole in the carpet that i was able to put the wiring through and into the centre console.
Once installed, follow your steps in reverse, making sure not to pinch the wires while you're tightening everything back up. So far, i've been super pleased with the sound of this kit and consider it my second best upgrade after cruise control. Also, apologies for the poor camera quality.
- Model
- Lounge 1.2
- Year
- 2018
- Mileage
- 63000
