Hello,
Last week I just became the proud owner of a used 06 MCS this past week. It’s been such a blast driving her I find myself looking for excuses. I have been reading and searching the forums for tips and user experiences.

The only problem I seem to have is the rear speakers do not work. When the fade is all on the rear it’s silent. When I hit a bump they come on for a brief moment or I hear static for that moment. When you hit the bumps is so close to sounding great. Before taking her to the local dealer is there a loose ground wire or another problem connection I might look for? For such a great car it’s hard to believe the closest dealer (Dallas, Texas) is five-hour trip. I know later I will make the trip for service yet for now the ipod would sound so much better.

Thank you for any tips or advice. I look forward reading and learning from the forums.
Michael

 

My MCS had a Harmon Kardon System (HKS) already installed out of the showroom. I had a Pioneer AVIC N3 head unit installed. This particular nav system can play DVD's. So I recently decided to sit in the back to watch a movie. I soon realized, like you, that I was not getting any sound in the rear speakers. I brought the car back to the installer and he informed me that the HKS is a 4-channel system. Meaning that the (2) pairs in front are the speakers and that the rear "Speakers" are actually the subwoofers. So no sound per se, but LOTS OF BASS!!!
Hope this helps.

 

Thank you for your post. I'm not sure if it will help as I still HKS have the stock unit. They seem to work intermittently with the bumps.
Enjoy your new unit!
M

 

If your up to pulling apart the car then I'd check the wire connections. If they work when the car rolls over a bump then it's obviously a poor connection.

 

It should covered by the warranty. I had the same complaint. I went to the dealer, and they put the fade all the way to the back and turned up the volume and you could hear the rear, but it did not sound good. They said that's the way it is. They are not for listening in the back seat, but "add to the experience" when sitting in the front seat. I don't know what to believe. They do work, so I guess they do what they are supoosed to do, but the sound leaves something to be desired for an upgrade sound system.

 

I pulled the cover off to expose the amp as suggested. I did not expose the connection only a portion of the amp. When I touched or pushed on the amp in certain places the speakers would work. After a bit, I placed a plastic shimmy in a certain placed behind the amp and it now works continually. I think I will continue this until I get to the dealer. Great to be able to pull the small cover and now have the rear speakers working.
Thanks for your tips and input.
Michael