Sound Died? Here’s How to Fix Car Speakers in Your Ride

Life is good, you’re rolling down the highway blasting the music to your new favorite song on the radio.

Then it happens…

The dreaded sound of silence fills your car and your stomach drops to its lowest point. You have blown speakers, now what?

Fortunately, there’s a way you can fix that and it will take a diligent (but not too time consuming) process to resolve the issue.

If you aren’t super familiar with car speakers, it can be hard to gauge if a blown speaker is actually the root of the problem. Here are some steps on how to fix car speakers to get that music back up and running!

1. Assess the Situation

As previously mentioned, it may not be the actual speakers themselves that are the problem. So you’ll need to take a detailed look at what seems to be the troublemaker.

The best way to test this is by trying to play some music. If absolutely zero sound is coming out, then it’s clearly the speakers that are the problem.

However, if the music is playing but there are weird noises that gets worse as you up the volume, it may be something like the voice coil that is at fault.

Take the time to listen up close to each speaker and see which ones need attending to in the next few steps. This will save you a tremendous amount of time in the long run if you find a few that don’t need fixing.

2. Bust out the Car Manual

Now that you know which speakers need to be fixed, it’s almost time to start taking them apart piece by piece. 

But first, be sure to pop open your car manual and see what directions it gives to properly take them out. These rules vary by model, so if you bought the car from a previous owner, check to see if they’re the standard speakers the car came with.

If so, you can easily follow them step by step to start taking out the pieces in the preferred order that the manufacturer tells you in the manual.

3. Check for Damaged Parts

What you don’t want is to go through all of this, fix the speakers, put everything back, and then find out it still doesn’t work because they weren’t the only issue.

The best way to avoid that nightmare is by paying close attention to each piece as you take the speaker out and apart. Do any of them look damaged compared to the pieces of the other speakers you’ve taken out?

The manual should have most specs on the parts of a speaker. Feel free to Google the specs on the part and see what it looks in mint condition.

4. Take the Speakers out

When taking out the speaker, make sure you do so in the necessary steps. Take a few notes on where everything is before tearing it apart, that way it’s easier for you to put back together.

Start by dislodging the speaker with a screwdriver and unplug all of the wires from it one by one. 

Take this time to examine the speaker and see which portions of the speaker need to be taken apart. Some experts would argue you need to separate each piece (such as the surround, cone, coil, etc.), but use your best judgment.

The most essential part is getting to the coil, which should be the third or fourth layer of the entire speaker.

5. Apply the Necessary Repairs/Replacements

This is where you get down to the nitty-gritty. After all, that time assessing and taking things apart, it’s finally time to see what’s gone wrong.

Look at the speaker cone and the voice coil separately. Shine a flashlight on both of them to get a detailed look; use Google as your guide to see what each should look like with the speaker model you’re working with.

If you notice cracks or slices on the cone, then that’s just a matter of taping it back together or replacing it entirely depending on how bad it is.

Should the voice coil be the problem (being damaged in any way), it’s best to buy a new coil to replace it. Better safe than sorry. Coils don’t cost much to replace, just make sure you’re buying the right wire or coil to replace it.

6. Place Everything Back the Way You Found It

Remember those notes from earlier on where everything was before you removed everything? Time to put that to fruition.

Place the coil and cone back into place the way it was and then place the surround back as the top layer. Be sure to use a little glue to make sure the surround stays intact.

Reconnect all the wires into your speaker, place the speaker back into its slot, and screw everything back together.

7. Test the Speakers

Last but not least, run a test to make sure that the speakers are back up and working to your standards.

Hopefully, the sound quality is as good, if not better than it was before the speakers blew. 

If you viewed them blowing out as a blessing in disguise to get the speaker system you’ve always wanted, then visit this website to get your dream system installed today!

How to Fix Car Speakers: With Care

The number one takeaway you probably received from these directions on how to fix car speakers was to do so with care.

Best of luck with the fix! Whether you choose to fix your current system or have it replaced, you’ll be roaring back on the roads in no time.

Be sure to check back with our blog often for more how-tos and information on your vehicle.