When Jon Pek decided to revamp the audio/video system in his 1999 Mercedes Benz C230 Kompressor, his vision was threefold: to have the system complement the exterior, to be able to show it off at events, and for it to sound good. "I didn't want a flashy system that just boomed," explains Pek. "I wanted something classier in its installation [that was also] IASCA-caliber sound quality." Another reason for the revamp was to set his sights on getting the vehicle published yet again, this time in a mobile electronics magazine. What you see here is the latest version of Pek's daily driver and the third overhaul of the system in the Benz.
New Look
Pek used a combination of new and old product when building the system. Running the show is a Pioneer AVH-P7500 DVD, which features a DVD player, a 7-inch LCD touch-screen and an audio/video receiver in one DIN-sized package. The unit was installed in the factory radio location with no major modifications. Underneath the radio is a Rockford Fosgate Symmetry EPX2 control unit. To fit this unit into place, the original ashtray and storage pocket/cassette holder were removed (they were pretty much useless anyway, according to Pek). The control unit was molded into a new panel to make it look like one piece. It was then painted in brilliant silver, as were all of the interior finishing panels, so as to match the exterior color of the vehicle.
Pek admits to having the Rockford piece in his possession for quite some time and he loves the fact that the unit is so diverse in its features. He has several presets for equalization right within reach. The Symmetry piece also handles all of the crossover functions in the vehicle. Several Auto Meter gauges monitor system vitals. The gauge tray was installed in what was once the glove box.
Sound by MB
The Benz uses all MB Quart drivers for sound output. Starting at the top of the dash, a pair of MB Quart 1" Neo Tweeters were installed in the factory locations and attenuated. "These tweeters are used to raise the soundstage," says Pek. Most of the energy comes from a pair of MB Quart QSD 216 6.5" components. Custom pods were fabricated using the traditional formula of wood, fiberglass, cotton, Duraglass and superglue to house the components. The pods were carefully aligned with a laser tool developed by Kirk for precise center imaging. The tweeters from the component set were mounted directly above the woofers. Custom acrylic housings were fabricated and also act as grilles for the woofers. The back half of the clear acrylic was painted black to give it a subtle appearance. A unique feature of the pods is that they require no screws for fitment: they were pressure fitted into the vehicle.
MB Quart QSD 213's were installed in the rear doors with no major modifications and solely for rear ambience. A twin set of QSD 213's found their home on the trunk lid (on either side of the LCD screen). The component set was converted into a two-way system using a specially made bridge that attaches to the top of the midrange driver.
In the back, two enclosures were fabricated on either side of the trunk. "This design was inspired by Steve Brown's groundbreaking M3," states Pek. Each enclosure has a volume of 0.65 cubic feet and houses an MB Quart PWD 254 10" subwoofer. A combination of Rage Gold, Duraglass, 1/2-inch MDF, cotton fleece and superglue were used to form the enclosure. The ultimate goal of the subwoofer system was to create clean and punchy sound -- Pek wanted to prevent the sound from becoming either overbearing or flat.
Powering the drivers are four Soundstream amplifiers. A pair of Class-A 5.2 amplifiers feeds 500 watts to each subwoofer at 2 ohms bridged. Another pair of Picasso Class-A amplifiers, rated at 25 x 4, is used to power the components. One Picasso amplifier fires up the highs while the other takes care of all the mids. All four amplifiers have been polished for a striking appearance. The layout has two amplifiers in a step fashion in the spare tire well and the other two amplifiers in a V-formation above them (these are visible immediately when opening the trunk). In the forward portion of the trunk is a polished Nitrous Express bottle. A dedicated enclosure was fabricated to hold the bottle in place.
All of the finishing panels were painted brilliant silver. Just like the pods up front, all the panels were pressure-fitted to the vehicle with only one bolt holding the entire structure in place. One-inch acrylic was custom designed to protect the amplifiers and add design to the trunk, which was accomplished using a router and fabricated by installer Kirk DeYoung. Multiple blue LED lights were flush-mounted in the fiberglass trunk panels to give the trunk a blue hue.
Visual Effect
Keeping him, his passengers and onlookers entertained are several different monitors mated to a few sources. First up is a Pioneer AVIC-80DVD navigation system with touch-screen interface. No need to fumble for a remote! A Pioneer CDX-P680 six-disc CD changer allows Pek to keep his favorite CDs on standby all the time. Finally, a Sony PlayStation 2 was added to the mix. All three components are neatly tucked away behind the rear seat. Access to them is made easy by the factory fold down seats.
Aside from the monitor in the dash, three more monitors were installed. Each headrest received a Pioneer AVD-W6200 6.5-inch widescreen monitor. The last monitor rests in the trunk lid and was mounted in a custom-fabricated floating acrylic frame. Control of all these monitors is made possible by a Pioneer CD-VS33 video switcher hidden in the center console. This unit allows each monitor to have a different video source. Pek likes the fact that the "wow" factor increases when playing something different on each screen. The monitors are a big hit, especially at events. Helping Hand
Pek attends import events up and down the West Coast, from Seattle to San Diego. The vehicle has received second and third place awards at Hot Import Nights, a difficult feat as there are usually hundreds of vehicles in competition. The entire installation was performed at VIP Motorworks in San Bruno, CA. Approximately 15 days and nights (five of them all-nighters) were all it took to complete the job.
The outcome of the system was exactly as Pek envisioned it. Several people deserve a big nod for their efforts in putting the project together: Kirk DeYoung, Chris Pinales, Rodney Jong, and Bradley Lum of VIP Motorworks; Jaed Arzadon at Pioneer Electronics; Wald Co. Japan; Andy at ADM Graphics; Shawn Williams at Street Concepts; James Chen at Axis Wheels; Brian Havins at Nitrous Express; Gregg Vandermark at Toyo Tires; and Josh Soward along with the entire marketing team at Valvoline.
The Benz is pretty much complete, inside and out. There is little Pek plans to change about the vehicle -- well, maybe an engine swap. That's not exactly little though, is it?
DRIVER PROFILE
Jon Pek was introduced to the mobile electronics world in the same way as many others. Back in middle school, it was a friend's brother who competed in IASCA that gave him the bug. Like many teenagers, he could not wait to drive; and more importantly could not wait to install his first system. Pek started as an investment banker for Merrill Lynch and after four years at this profession, a local friend from Osaka, Japan (also an avid car fanatic) presented him with an offer: to import products from a company called Wald, the largest auto accessory company in Osaka. Pek agreed and today runs Wald USA. With operations getting underway in early 2001, the company is now running on all cylinders and Pek is looking to further the company's brand awareness in years to come.
TECHBOX
Wheels: Axis Se7en three-piece wheels (19x8 front/19x10 rear)
Tires: Toyo T1-S (235/35-19 front, 265/30-19 rear)
Exterior: Wald four-piece Grosser Line Body Kit, Zender Trunk Wing, Vollstrom Carbon-Fiber Roof Wing, Custom-fabricated Carbon-Fiber Hood, Hagus Sport Mirrors, Schatz Tuning Front Grill
Performance: Custom-made pulleys, GIAC Chip, Topline Auto custom cams, Nitrous Express 75-hp kit, Bosch Fuel regulator, K&N Panel Filter, Benen Indutries Intake, Supersprint Headers, Wald Cat Back Exhaust
Suspension: Eibach Pro Springs, Koni Sport Shocks