Can't install amp in new car?

[JayGould]

Not sure if this is the right forum. Either way, I have a Chinese JAC j7 car that I purchased brand new last year. I wanted to upgrade the audio system with an amplifier and new speakers. But the guy at JAC who sold me the car told me that the amplifier could not be exchanged without breaking the warranty of the car (I guess it would disconnect the entertainment system that also handles climate control etc). My question is; are there any possible workarounds?

At first I installed new speakers (Focal) but without touching the amp. The sound actually got worse (could only play super quietly without introducing distortion that damaged my ears). So I had the original speakers put in again.

Are there any amplifiers that could be connected without disconnecting the current amp? Like a pre-amp that would amplify the signal before it reaches the main amp/entertainment system. Any suggestions? Right now I cannot listen to music while driving due to the horrible audio quality, which is a shame. At the same time I don't want break my 5-year warranty on the car.

There must be some solutions?

 

[DVDdoug]

It's probably not going to void the warranty on the whole car, but if you damage your sound system they aren't going to fix it for free. Normally the amp has to be connected between the head unit and the speakers. Sometimes there are wiring adapter kits for various cars so you don't have to permanently cut any wires.

A good car stereo shop should be able to help you if you don't want to do it yourself.

 

[JayGould]

It's probably not going to void the warranty on the whole car, but if you damage your sound system they aren't going to fix it for free. Normally the amp has to be connected between the head unit and the speakers. Sometimes there are wiring adapter kits for various cars so you don't have to permanently cut any wires.

A good car stereo shop should be able to help you if you don't want to do it yourself.

Well he said the warranty for the whole car would be void. Apparently the stereo/audio workshop the dealership worked with had told him that it was not possible to install an amplifier. But of course I don't know the level of expertise this particular workshop has.

So I could just connect an amplifier to the head unit without permanently messing anything up?

 

[HedgeHog]

You should be able to use an LOC (line out converter) that takes OEM powered signals to line level. Then you can connect after market amps to it. Should not affect warranty and will keep other functions intact.