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About the Rockford Fosgate Upgrade. Did you Know...

53K views 155 replies 80 participants last post by  mbquart1  
#1 ·
If you have the Rockford Fosgate 350 watt radio upgrade this is what you got.

1) A factory radio with the words Rockford Fosgate on the face plate.
2) Clarion speakers
3) A "Rockford Foster"...no, that’s not a type-o. Rockford FOSTER...imitation subwoofer that was made in Mexico.
4) 350 watts is the TOTAL amount that ALL of the speakers and sub can handle.

I would not recommend spending the money to upgrade to this joke of an option.

Just my 2C's...
 
#4 ·
I can not tell you what a difference the system that I put in made. I can not turn the volume up past 21...and NO distortion.
 
#5 ·
I also wondered about the "Rockford FOSTER" printed on the sub when I took it out. Did you also notice that the oem enclosure has a Clarion sticker on it? Panasonic, Clarion, and Rockford Foster sure makes for one motley sound system. I did notice that the actual oem sub had the RF logo molded onto the cone, so I'm not really sure who is behind it now.

I can not tell you what a difference the system that I put in made. I can not turn the volume up past 21...and NO distortion.
Just putting in an Infinity 10" in mine has made a big difference. Sure the mids and highs are marginal at best, but at least there is some decent thump now at all volume settings. I might eventually upgrade all the speakers, but this is holding me over for now.
 
#7 ·
sammy sandbag said:
I might eventually upgrade all the speakers, but this is holding me over for now.
I would be careful on upgrading the speakers without adding an amp. The stock radio is continuously pushing @ 15-25 watts at best. Most elite series speakers require at least a continuous 45 watts or better. You wouldn’t want to spend several hundred dollars on new speakers and end up damaging them.
 
#8 ·
My RF system has Clarion on the sub. Does this mean the only thing I have RF is the face plate logo.
 
#9 ·
I feel deceived. The option says "350 watt Rockford Fosgate ..." Really it is anything but Rockford and the watts are nothing more then adding all of the capabilities of the speaker. Nissan is trying to market the rep behind Rockford and installing SH*T components. I wonder what they put in their Infiniti vehicles sound systems.
 
#11 ·
sammy sandbag said:
As mentioned before, the enclosure has a Clarion sticker. The actual sub has the RF logo on the cone and on the magnet "Rockford Foster" is printed.

Yep I missed that. I thought you meant inside the dash not the sub enclosure.

I do like the logo name change to C.R.A.P. , (Clarion, Rockford, and Panasonic).
Nissan could put it right on the sticker " POWERED BY C.R.A.P " and it would be a little less missleading. I just don't think I would want the possible logo symbol dripping off my faceplate bezel.
 
#13 ·
just thinking, I have the nav system, so I hear there is not much I can do with r/f crap system. I do feel nissan decived people with the system. Love my truck but I do feel decived in this area. So how do ya start a class action suit ? looking at other sytems in cars, the nissan titan system is not even entry level for this day and age of technoligy.
 
#14 ·
Titan1027 said:
just thinking, I have the nav system, so I hear there is not much I can do with r/f crap system. I do feel nissan decived people with the system. Love my truck but I do feel decived in this area. So how do ya start a class action suit ? looking at other sytems in cars, the nissan titan system is not even entry level for this day and age of technoligy.

Calm down there sport. I don't know what it is about the internet that causes people to cry "class action" at the drop of a hat.

Besides, you heard wrong. There is plenty you can do. For starters, you could still replace the head unit if you went to a competent (i.e. not Circuit City/Best Buy/etc) installer. They could wire up the Nav system to output voice directions through the new hu and integrate your steering wheel controls too. Basically all you lose is the display on the nav screen, and who cares about that? You'll have all that on your new head unit anyway. Set the nav screen to display the a/c, etc full time instead (it's in the screen options).

Ok, say you don't want to replace the hu. An install like I mention above would cost you a couple hundred bucks, not to mention the new unit. Ok, no big deal, the "RF" head unit in the Titan isn't that bad anyway. It's cetainly not the weakest link in the chain - the subpar amp, followed by the speakers/sub, are the real problem with this system. So, you replace those. Wiring in an inline amp or two is, of course, perfectly possible - there are a number of people on these forums, hell, posting in this thread, who have done it. It's not magic and again any half-way decent car stereo installer could do it for you for under a hundred bucks.

The speakers are even easier, unless you want to replace the stock wiring too, which I have heard really isn't necessary unless you are a completely insane audiophile.

The only slightly tricky part to all this is the sub - the stock sub under the seat is a weird shape and buying a drop-in replacement is not, as far as I know, possible. You'll want to put the new one (and you DO want a new one) under the rear seats. Have the amps (you will probably want two) mounted against the back wall behind the seats - at least one member here has posted pics of that.

Bottom line is, replace the speakers and the amp and keep the head unit and you get the best of both worlds - a completely integrated system that sounds much better than stock.
 
#15 ·
ixian said:
Calm down there sport. I don't know what it is about the internet that causes people to cry "class action" at the drop of a hat.

You miss the point. I'm not advocating a class action, but the customer was deceived. Why should I have to pay to replace anything when I payed Nissan for what should have been a high end system. :eh:
 
#16 ·
I did a search and could NOT find Rockford Foster anywhere????
Strange, real strange.
 
#17 ·
Hi all, you got the point greg. advertise a 350 watt system, that pushes what 50 into the very poor design. Like i said I love my truck, I can see me making the mods now and then the nav system goes out in 2 years and nissan is saying "sorry mr miller but you added after market electronics, and they caused your problem, that will be another $2500.00 to replace your nav system. And ixian, I dont like the thought of making lawyers rich, I just would like to see nissan step up and say, first year mastake, lets take care of the problem, had may radio replaced once for the fading, ( didnt help a bit. I did have an estimate from tweeter, to upgrade with 2 amps, new speakers up front, and a custom sub for the rear, and flat out said nothing we can do for the head unit. ohhhh to the tune of $2800.00 But i am sure most people that thought we were getting R/F unit were decived.... I just want nissan to step up in this area.... Ray
 
#19 ·
Titan1027 said:
Hi all, you got the point greg. advertise a 350 watt system, that pushes what 50 into the very poor design. Like i said I love my truck, I can see me making the mods now and then the nav system goes out in 2 years and nissan is saying "sorry mr miller but you added after market electronics, and they caused your problem, that will be another $2500.00 to replace your nav system. And ixian, I dont like the thought of making lawyers rich, I just would like to see nissan step up and say, first year mastake, lets take care of the problem, had may radio replaced once for the fading, ( didnt help a bit. I did have an estimate from tweeter, to upgrade with 2 amps, new speakers up front, and a custom sub for the rear, and flat out said nothing we can do for the head unit. ohhhh to the tune of $2800.00 But i am sure most people that thought we were getting R/F unit were decived.... I just want nissan to step up in this area.... Ray
It certainly confused me. My amp has a big "Clarion" sticker, my head unit says "Panasonic" so I don't really understand the "350 Watt Rockford - Fosgate powered" advertisement. If you look at the sticky thread reporting RRUMANER's interview with the Nissan tech, Nissan's response to this inquiry was that RF specified the design & components for the system. But the Nissan advertisement and the window sticker does not say "designed by Rockford - Fosgate" it says "350-Watt Rockford Fosgate - powered". So I think Nissan would need to demonstrate that the amp is Rockford - Fosgate. (or more correctly, the burden would be on a plaintiff to demonstrate that the system is not "350-Watt Rockford Fosgate - powered".) Now maybe Rockford Fosgate made the amp and Clarion put their sticker on it, I don't know. If it is a Clarion amp, and Nissan is saying that Rockford Fosgate specified the Clarion amp in the system, that doesn't seem like "350-Watt Rockford Fosgate - powered" to me.

I did some computer legal research on the subject of OEM car stereo systems, and pulled up an interesting case where some after-market installer sued Chrysler on an anti-trust tying theory, because Chrysler would not sell vehicles w/o any radio. The court (unfortunately IMHO) ruled in favor of Chrysler, thus entrenching the OEM practice of installing so-called "Premium" sound systems, such as the RF in the Titan, without allowing the consumer the option of going with no radio and getting a stereo after market.

If you check out the stock RF system descriptions of the Titans at the cardomain pages (www.cardomain.com - search rides - Nissan Titan), you will find several others that describe all of the components as "Rockford-Fosgate" indicating that many people were confused. I would place the people that post at the cardomain pages in the aficianado category, meaning that they would be more sophisticated, and thus harder to confuse, than the average consumer. So I think the confusion aspect would be easy to prove, leaving only the literal falsity issue in question.

If push comes to shove, I don't think they could substantiate a denial of a NAV warranty claim under the Mag-Moss act, based upon mods downstream from the head unit, unless they can show that such mods caused the NAV failure. But, yes, as a practical matter, the dealer might give you a hassle, requiring a few years of litigation.

Yes, I can see $2,800 if you go to a shop, but I think you could DIY for alot less and get an enormous improvement. (Obviously that neglects to consider any $ value for your time, which you would need to regard as a hobby.)

Oh, I kind of like the thought of making lawyers rich, or at least one of them. :jester:
 
#20 ·
Just shove the Magnuson Moss Warranty language in the dealers face. Remember, they have to prove that your aftermarket gizmo directly caused the failed item you want replaced. It really works, trust me. I had a Dakota go TU on me (melted two cylindars) and Chrysler kept saying I had to pay for the new engine because my body lift caused inadequate cooling. I kept saying "prove it" and they never really produced anything, but in the process of investigating it, they discovered that the engine casing had blockages in it that hindered coolant flow (manufacturing flaw). A handful of other engines from the same plant had the same problem I later discovered.

I guess the downside was I had to pay for the rental car all that time (they later reimbursed) since I refused to pick up the truck for nearly a month, but I have learned with manufacturers that if you know you are in the right, keep tugging at their socks like a rabid Jack Russel Terrier until they give!
 
#21 ·
I remember the day when a radio was strictly optional equipment, only upscale autos had radios as standard. But somewhere along the line auto manufacturers discovered that a radio in an auto could be very profitable, therefore they began to include them in even the base models plus they had premium systems as upgrades.
I must say I have yet to hear a stock or premium OEM radio that was worth listening to, regardless of the manufacturer. Bose or Rockford-Fosgate are merely licensening agreements - Bose or RF make none of the components.

When I went to trade for the Titan I knew that it would likely be for an LE with the attendant RF system. Before I even heard it I knew it would be bad - I was not disappointed. In making my deal I had the XE stock radio bezel included, when I drove off the lot in the Titan the bezel was in the back seat.
Most OEM headunits are somewhat acceptable but the RF unit has to be the worst I have ever heard. The radio front end is extremely noisy, there is no balance between radio, CD and AUX levels and the AUX input requires 2 volts peak-to-peak to drive it properly. A vastly underdesigned radio that I tolerated for one week before relegating it to a shelf in my junk room where it will remain until trade time. I greatly sympathize with those that got the RF/DVD/Nav package.

The best package for the Titan is a stock SE, either 2wd or 4wd with no other options. For those that have a need for the tow package go with an SE with popular package plus the tow. If you want Nav or DVD plan to go aftermarket.
 
#22 ·
ixian said:
Calm down there sport....
.
Do you work for NISSAN?

I already paid good money for this system and even though I really love this truck, I also feel decieved in this regard. Why should I have to spend more for something I already paid for.
 
#24 ·
My entire system start to finish was $2,100 installed. If the name dosent ring a bell search for my posts. It's all sony/kicker/alpine and has sound like you would not believe. For those who have not yet bought your Titan please consider an aftermarket stereo. You will be astounded as what 2k will get you in the right shop. Good luck.
 
#25 ·
The point is still I have already payed for a product and shoudn't have to buy anything aftermarket to replace it because it's not what was we were lead to believe we were getting. In this line of thinking don't go back to the dealer for any problem just replace it yourself. Bedliner peeling off well Linex can do for $$$$, rear dif burned out Aamco can fix for $$$$, brake problem Midas can do for $$$$. These are no different than my "C.R.A.P." radio since they didn't specify on my window sticker that I would have a full fluid level in my dif they only specified I had Dana axles. :soap: