A client from Tampa came to Tunes-N-Tint in Lakeland for a 2011 Chevy Malibu stereo system. We talked to the customer about how he liked to listen to his music and the style of music he enjoys. It quickly became apparent that we were going to have to build something unique to meet the client’s needs.
Custom Door Panels
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- The whole bottom portion of the door panel was rebuilt. Triangle accents add some flair.
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- Our laser allowed for the precision engraving on the acrylic insert.
For the system to get as loud as the customer wanted, we devised a plan to use three sets of Rockford Fosgate P16-S components. To make the speakers fit, our fabrication team designed and created a set of custom door panels to replace the lower portion of the door trim. We used the grilles that came with the speakers to protect them when people get and out of the vehicle.
The panel includes an acrylic plastic insert at the rear of the door with the Rockford RF logo engraved in it. We did the engraving in-house with our laser. We wrapped the new door panel with black vinyl and mounted the tweeters from the component sets in the top portion of the door, above the door handle. We also mounted a set of T1692 6×9-inch speakers in the rear factory locations to fill out the sound of the system.
Rockford Subwoofer System
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- The parts our team fabricated were carpeted in a matching carpet to give a factory upgrade look.
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- Additional lighting was used in the trunk to highlight the back part of the build.
We constructed a vented enclosure for a pair of 12-inch Rockford Fosgate P3D2-12 subwoofers. The subs fire into the trunk and are trimmed in a carpeted panel that extends to the edge of the trunk. We created a second trim panel for the floor of the trunk and included a Chevy bowtie in the center of the panel for a little extra flair.
Chevy Malibu Stereo System Electronics
Purple is just one of the virtually unlimited colors available for accent.
We installed a Kenwood DNX893S in the dash – a double-DIN multimedia receiver with a 6.95-inch touch-panel display. The unit features both Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, so the client can stay in contact with his family and friends by phone or text messaging without taking his eyes off the road.
The Kenwood eXcelon receiver feeds audio to a 1,500 watt Rockford Fosgate T1500-1bdCP amplifier.
The last touch was to install a Racesport RSI-Kit interior LED kit and audio controller. The lighting color and pattern follows the beat of the music to illuminate the interior.
Start Your Audio Upgrade at Tunes-N-Tint
The client loved the way the system sounds – it gets insanely loud and looks pretty cool. If you are looking for a unique sound system like the Chevy Malibu stereo we built for this client, drop by Tunes-N-Tint or send us an e-mail.
Here at Tunes-N-Tint in Lakeland, we are always looking for cutting-edge products to meet the needs of our clients. Integrating into a premium factory system has been challenging in some cases, but the new 
First of all, it will allow you to upgrade your smaller factory amplifier to a more robust 75 watts x 6 channels at 4 ohms – 100 watts x 6 at 2 ohms. It uses Class D amplifier technology for super-efficient power and a compact chassis. It gives you a very sophisticated digital signal processor (DSP) that works with your iPhone or Android via an app that gives you a wide variety of digital processing power.
The iDatalink Maestro uses a vehicle-specific T-harness to connect seamlessly to the factory radio harness with a growing list of vehicle-specific adapters. It allows the factory system to continue to communicate with an upgraded amplifier when functions originally in the factory amplifier are removed. This option takes our ability to upgrade your factory system to a whole new level.
