All About Jehnert Doorboards

[Jlaa]

I received some literature on Jehnert doorboards from Jehnert. I've posted this information here for future reference to supplement all the useful information that @gsxr posted on w124performance 15 years ago....

Some observations:

1. Jehnert seems to be all about making system that hold multiple mid bass woofers in order to increase the mid bass surface area in the car in order to avoid having a subwoofer box in the car. <--- I fit the target market! (want to avoid subwoofer boxes)
2. They make lots of door board systems for lots of cars --- Opel, Audi, BMW, MB, Porsche, Peugeot, etc.
3. As GSXR mentioned, 15 years ago they were using MB Quart drivers. These days all the components are branded Jehnert. I've posted a page from the catalog that details their driver specifications, as well as a pricelist for their drivers. Note the 6.5" version, which retails for EUR56 each. That is very very inexpensive when compared to "name brands" that are out there. They also give specs like Fs, QMS, QES, QTS, etc. I am not knowledgeable enough to know what the specifications mean, but I am sure some people on this forum are.
4. Flipping through the catalog, my sense is that that "classic w124 version" (note that the catalogs refers to the w124 application as the "classic") is the most successful in terms of aesthetics.

 

[Jlaa]

Here are the doorboards as I received them. A couple of observations:

1. This company (Jehnert) is extremely anal retentive. That's an excellent thing. The packaging was absurdly protective.
2. I specified 1992/93 CREAM BEIGE and and NOT 1994 PARCHMENT. They got it just right. Compare the texture/color to what I received for my 1993 CREAM BEIGE car vs. what @8899 received for his 1994 PARCHMENT car.
3. These things are pretty much OE quality. Made of plastic. No wood here at all. Feels like what MB would have produced. Sturdy. And, it looks like they have made some refinements since @gsxr bought his set 15 years ago.
   1. changes in the way the plastic is formed to accept the speaker basket mounting
   2. inclusion of captive speed nuts (in black no less) to accept speaker mounting
4. I disliked the Jehnert logo so I peeled it right off the speaker fabric.
5. Note the provision for puddle lights
6. Note the plastic locating tab -- just like OE

These things are superbly designed and built. I think any automotive stereo shop would be very very hard pressed to duplicate something like these ---- you can tell that these door boards are the product of some careful design and engineering because even the back side is well finished and built.

 

[Dunnik]

Saw these in the flesh recently, so seamless you'd think they're factory unless you knew any better.

 

[gerryvz]

Looks to me like @Jlaa has a woody.....

 

[gsxr]

I like the design improvements. Especially the new attachment method for the grille. The original style was pretty bad.

Jlaa, are there round hook/loop fasteners on the back side of the grilles to match what's visible on the front of the doorboard?

 

[Jlaa]

I like the design improvements. Especially the new attachment method for the grille. The original style was pretty bad.

Jlaa, are there round hook/loop fasteners on the back side of the grilles to match what's visible on the front of the doorboard?

Yes! There is velcro on the backs of the speaker grills too. This attachment method seems much easier to fit that the original way, which is still mentioned in the manual (but no longer used) ---- you had to hot glue sockets into the doorboards for plastic dowels on the grilles to press into! Now, no more --- velcro all the way....

 

[Jlaa]

Putting this here for posterity if it helps someone in the future. The Jehnert literature notes a maximum mid bass depth of 65mm. This is a so-so number; there are a fair number of aftermarket mid basses that meet this depth requirement, but not a huuuuge amount.

The installation instructions of the Jehnert doorboards are most probably written for some more-basic or earlier version of the w124 (given that production spanned nine years and two facelifts) [some guessing by @gsxr and myself on this one]. The installation instructions did not mention the need for the removal of a gold-colored bracket in the front doors of the w124.036. This bracket is employed by MB purely to allow installation of the factory-door 5.25" woofers....the studs of the gold bracket is what the factory driver mounts against. Anyways, this bracket is easily re-installed should someone want to revert to stock -- just pop in new rivets and the bracket can be re-installed ---- all going with the mantra "don't do anything that cannot be easily undone-back-to-stock"

Anyways, after removal of the factory sound-system-bracket, I noted that installation depth can be at least 77.5mm, which opens up a much broader range of drivers that one can select from, that is, if one chooses not to use the Jehnert-branded-drivers.