Oh I miss my old 420SEL! Such a spacious back seat...

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1984 300SD Orient Red/ Palomino
1989 560SEC
2016 Mazda 6 6 speed manual
1995 Ford F-150 reg cab 4.9 5speed manual

he wants to put a subwoofer in the car, why not? thats an arrangement that you can also benefit from, no reason installing a subwoofer immediately means vibrating, frame dragging craziness.

He did the research, wants to spend a bunch of his own money, has consulted you, ect. I see no reason why you should say no. Safety issue in minor IMO, plenty of other types of distractions that would be far more worrisome.
He's already got a stereo, you are just improving the sound, don't see how the addition of a subwoofer is going to make such a huge difference in safety since he has a stereo system anyway. Chances are he will spend the same amount of time playing with the stereo with or without the sub.

At that age, I wasn't asking when I thought my dads station wagon would look faster with a nice big racing stripe. Some liquor and rattle cans later, he was speechless.

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This post brought to you by Carl's Jr.

Some good learning tips for new drivers...

1. Go drive with him. While he's driving, toss something on the floor by his feet, like his phone or something, if he takes his eyes off the road to retrieve it, fail him... and take his drivers privilege away for a week. It's a lesson that will stick for life.

If you live up north (snow and ice) find a nice open area and teach him how to recover from loosing control of the car. My father spent and entire weekend putting his car into spins (by grabbing the wheel) and having me correct the car. (in a nice big flat field) This more than anything else has save my butt more times than I can count.

Give him the "family" rule. Mine was that our family NEVER has the right of way. Sounds stupid, but if you learn to live by this, you will never get into an accident over it.

I'm sure there are a lot more, but these 3 stick out from my childhood...

Oh, and find and teach him to drive in an old 70's 3 on the tree with manual everything.... if he learns to drive it, he can drive any car on the planet!

It's easy enough to route a 4ga cable through the car on the passenger side. Make sure you install a nice fat 50A fuse close to the battery, and solder every connection you can. I'd highly recommend bolting the sub box down.

I used to run a 300W RMS 12" in my 300d, it was great

As for people nagging about 16 being too young to drive, it all boils down to experience. I started driving tractors at 7ish, driving a car was not too far of a stretch.

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$60 OM617 Blank Exhaust Flanges
$110 OM606 Blank Exhaust Flanges
No merc at the moment

I agree here, age is irrelevant, it's awareness, and skill. I have been driving since I was around 12, mostly on farms, but also on the road, and a 16 speed tractor was my trainer... that an a 67 pickup... fun times...
anyway, my GREATEST lesson behind the wheel, was DON"T LOOK JUST AT THE CAR IN FRONT OF YOU!!!!

I have developed a deep view strategy, I always look as far down the road as I can and base my speed on available visibility. at the SAME time, my peripheral vision is scanning the vehicles directly in front of me, and the mirrors to the side and behind me. "tunnel vision" on the road will get you killed, and cause as well as involve you in many accidents.
I started teaching my daughters to drive when they turned 8. my 15 year old is ITCHING to start driving my 4 speed 300, or MAYBE the 5 speed 240... it's all about SEEING what is on the road and adjusting for what's ahead AND behind!

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John HAUL AWAY, OR CRUSHED CARS!!! HELP ME keep the cars out of the crusher! A/C Thread
"as I ride with my a/c on... I have fond memories of sweaty oily saturdays and spewing R12 into the air. THANKS for all you do!

My drivers:
1987 190D 2.5Turbo
1987 190D 2.5Turbo
1987 190D 2.5-5SPEED!!!

1987 300TD
1987 300TD
1994GMC 2500 6.5Turbo truck... I had to put the ladder somewhere!

I have a couple of points for you to consider...
1. Occupational hearing loss is caused by exposure to continuous noise which exceed 85 db on a 8 hour time weighted average (TWA). Louder sudden explosions, bangs & etc. also cause hearing loss. (OSHA standard requires hearing protection at this point)

2. Loud music for extended periods of time will cause hearing loss.

3. Age related hearing loss occurs at around age 50 (called Presbycusis ) This hearing loss is permanent.

4. Meneier's disease and other diseases can cause hearing loss.

5. Once someone looses their hearing from # 1 - 4 above, it is not recoverable.

6. Do you enjoy hearing birds, small sounds, engine diagnostic sounds, soft music, people's voices or having a conversation on a cell or land line telephone? Well you won't if you loose your hearing. Personal relationships, regular conversations, emergency warnings, hearing instructors in class, and other things are also greatly affected / impacted by hearing loss.

How do I know this? Professional training, observation, and personal experience. While I have a 50% hearing loss (deficit) somewhat helped by dual hearing aids, I still can't hear some things to diagnose engine issues... like vacuum leaks. I have difficulty with telephone conversations as well. It really limits me and is totally annoying and sometimes really aggravating!!! So if my offspring was going to try to make a case for having a guaranteed way for hearing loss, I'd make him walk around for a day or a week wearing hearing protection ear muffs all the time... That's what it's like for me! Hearing that is lost is a precious thing that I'll never again regain!

7. A teenager was killed the other day because he couldn't hear the train horn that ran him down. He had his MP3 volume "up" so he could "hear it". Well he heard it all right when the train ran him down and killed him. So sad!

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Pete Williams, President emeritus - MBCA-International Stars (Eastern Mich.) Now Wi. & Az.
1985 300D Manual 4 speed Green Hen's tooth
1979 MGB triple black Az car nice
1969 back 1/2 of MGB (Az home built trailer)
1991 Volvo 245 Wagon Nice AZ Restored Gold Brick
1983 Jeep CJ7 37,600 Miles Summer use only

Some adults are really immature! What a disgusting, retarded thing to say! I will be 16 in less then two months, and that is the absolute last thing on my mind! Besides, the Bible clearly states that you must be married first!! I think that 16 is way too young for marriage, 17 is too young, and 18 is kinda pushing it. Next time, please keep your crude, rated PG-13 comments to yourself, we'll make this a rated G zone.

God Bless!

Lighten Up, Francis!

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2007 Dodge Ram 3500 Cummins Turbo Diesel 4x4
1994 GMC S-15 pickup 4.3 5MT
1985 300 SD
1978 300 CD
1962 220-S Fintail - awaiting restoration

While I think all this is extremely valuable to keep in mind (and reminds me I need to get some good ear plugs soon), I will say that having a subwoofer does not necessarily mean you're going to listen to your music louder. I actually feel I can listen to music quieter since I got a nice sound system that includes a sub. With a lousy system I'd catch myself cranking it up just to get any sort of bass or to hear any of the "details" in the music. Better system allows me to get a nice quality balance of sound and enjoy all the intricacies at a lower volume. Still a good point, though, for young drivers or for anyone, with any type of sound system. I'm guilty of occasionally getting carried away with the volume dial while listening to my favorites, especially if the windows are down.

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1987 300D, arctic white/palomino--314,000 miles
1978 240D 4-speed, Euro Delivery, light ivory/bamboo--370,000 miles
2005 Jeep Liberty CRD Limited, light khaki/slate--140,000 miles
2018 Chevy Cruze diesel, 6-speed manual, satin steel metallic/kalahari--19,000 miles
1982 Peugeot 505 diesel, 4-speed manual, blue/blue, 130,000 miles
1995 S320, black/parchment--34,000 miles (Dad's car)

While I fully respect your dedication to your values and beliefs, and your right to have them and express them, I don't think it's very fair to come into a long-established automotive forum and command everyone else to adhere to them.
I'm 30 and I'm allowed into PG-13 films these days.

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1987 300D, arctic white/palomino--314,000 miles
1978 240D 4-speed, Euro Delivery, light ivory/bamboo--370,000 miles
2005 Jeep Liberty CRD Limited, light khaki/slate--140,000 miles
2018 Chevy Cruze diesel, 6-speed manual, satin steel metallic/kalahari--19,000 miles
1982 Peugeot 505 diesel, 4-speed manual, blue/blue, 130,000 miles
1995 S320, black/parchment--34,000 miles (Dad's car)

Haahahhaha, thanks for posting this, I. Haven't had such a good laugh in a long time. Dude you are 15, lighten up. If that's the last thing on your mind, I suggest you make some room in your worship for the fairer sex, cause they are way more fun than the Bible.

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This post brought to you by Carl's Jr.

Give him a year or 2 for the hormones to kick in & he will change his view.
They always do !!!!!

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Grumpy Old Diesel Owners Club group

I no longer question authority, I annoy authority. More effect, less effort....

1967 230-6 auto parts car. rust bucket.
1980 300D now parts car 800k miles
1984 300D 500k miles
1987 250td 160k miles English import
2001 jeep turbo diesel 130k miles
1998 jeep tdi ~ followed me home. Needs a turbo.
1968 Ford F750 truck. 6-354 diesel conversion.
Other toys ~J.D.,Cat & GM ~ mainly earth moving

X2
Sounds like a penthouse subscription would be a good birthday present for some one !!

Back on topic ~ I think one of these hard wired into the car would be a good idea. Some place I read that Ford were looking at this sort of technology as standard in their new models.

http://www.dealextreme.com/p/20dbm-output-portable-gsm-cdma-3g-dcs-cdma1900-cell-phone-signal-jammer-blocker-28713

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Grumpy Old Diesel Owners Club group

I no longer question authority, I annoy authority. More effect, less effort....

1967 230-6 auto parts car. rust bucket.
1980 300D now parts car 800k miles
1984 300D 500k miles
1987 250td 160k miles English import
2001 jeep turbo diesel 130k miles
1998 jeep tdi ~ followed me home. Needs a turbo.
1968 Ford F750 truck. 6-354 diesel conversion.
Other toys ~J.D.,Cat & GM ~ mainly earth moving

also trying to stay on topic,
I have a single 10" sub in a sealed box being powered by a 700 watt amp...
now as for power and signal i did NOT run any wires at all... first my factory power antenna did not work so it was removed, I disassembled the connector for it, saving it for when i do replace it, and wired up my amp using the antenna power wires and then i took the rear speakers and spliced the wires for the line level input to the amp... now i have a sub on a dash switch... i am using the factory radio... also i do know what i am doing as far as restricting the power to my amp, i dont need all 700watts... it sounds great and i dont get any dimming lights when the bass hits... also by doing it the way that i did i had to cut 0 factory wires.. I just built myself extensions to plug into the factory wiring and provide me with both power and signal to my amp...

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85 mercedes 300D-T 258k miles

Yes, I fully understand, please forgive me. My Aunt just succumbed to cancer, I have been upset, and I have not been acting like a true Christian. Please understand! However, that is no excuse for MY immature, and foolish actions. Please forgive me!