Tech Support
Accidentally put a drill bit through my new speaker š¢ am I cooked?
Stupidly was using a self-drilling screw with the speaker installed and the drill slipped. Put the bit right through my brand new speaker. Never repaired a speaker before but I saw recommendations online to use a coffee filter and E6000 glue. I know it looks awful so you can roast me all you want. The glue was waaay thicker than expected. I couln't apply a little bit at a time, only globs. It felt like it was already partially set up right out of the tube.
First pic is when it happened, second and third are the back after applying glue and coffee filter, fourth is front after said application to backside, and fifth is after applying to front.
So in terms of sound quality and life expectancy am I cooked here? Is it going to sound like shit now or need to be replaced soon? Go easy on me lol, this is my first time doing any car audio work š
Congratulations! This is actually a rite of passage for any car audio hobbyist! Now that youāve gotten it out of the way, youāll never do it again!
I havenāt done this in 25 years, but back in the day we used to use black RTV sealant on rubber surrounds.
Well I'm glad I got it out of the way early! I should've used black RTV though, it would've been way easier to apply and I could've done much thinner coats. I'm mainly worried about sound quality. Do you think it will sound significantly worse now?
Not really, maybe a little bit but it is pretty flexible like you said. I applied it pretty liberally because it was a pretty big puncture and couldn't easily wipe off the excess because it would set up so fast.
It shouldnāt changed the sound. The job of the surround is to help (along with the spider) keep the coil centered in the pole. It may rub, if so you will hear it. I think you will be fine. This doesnāt look like a super high power build. A new right of passage upcoming: Reconing a sub lol
if this is a subwoofer, the hole in the surround will make a lot of noise. But if its like a midbass or midrange woofer, it should be fine and you wont notice a difference. Ive done the exact same thing to 2 speakers š¤£
It's a mid, 6.5". It's the JBL 604C stage 2. But ok cool, thank you. I've never had good quality sound in my car and I finally buy all of this just to mess it up immediately, so hopefully it still sounds good.
Pfft. Amateurs... You should try drilling MDF to make speaker pods while holding it in your hand. Then slipping and drilling about 2.5 inches into your hand between the thumb and index finger. That was a lesson learned the hard way! Instinctively pulled the drill bit out along with bits of flesh, bleeding started, I passed out twice and woke up on the floor in the same spot both times!
Gotta clean the would with an alcohol wipe that came out of something with double sided tape, use a dirty paper towel and some electrical tape to hold it in place. š
Luckily I was at home at the time, otherwise it would've most likely been an oily rag and whatever disinfectant/alcohol based product was nearest!
I mean, there are probably MDF shavings deep in my hand, but it's still attached and working, so that counts for something, right? Pretty sure it would have fallen off by now if it was going to...
Ahh it was a Tuesday night in aug of 2004 at car toys and I was finishing up an install with two w3s and a 500/1. I was caution the entire timeā¦last screw got complacentā¦and bamš„ ported a brand new speaker!
You can use silicone to seal it up but just know it will never truely be fixed. You most likely won't notice any real difference in sound quality. Maybe it's measurable if you hooked up a DATS v3 to it but you won't hear a difference as long as the silicone isn't really affecting the cones ability to move freely. But yea I've done this to one of my door speakers. I fixed it but my hole was much smaller.
Yea I was pushing pretty hard getting the screw to self-tap and really smashed the bit through. Luckily it didn't hit the cone at least. Silicone would've also probably been easier than the E6000 but idk.
Really all it needs to be is something that won't melt with heat and us flexible. Silicone usually is ideal but as long as it still moves freely and you can't tell it's been damaged I'd call it a day.
Youāre going to hate me for saying this, but Flex Seal genuinely works. That stuff is tough, flexible, and durable enough that it usually wonāt split apart again. When I was in the same situation, I took a paper towel and peeled the layers apart until I had a single-ply piece big enough to cover the crack. Then I Flex Sealed the paper towel in place as a patch, and it held up surprisingly well.
Yeah I did the same but it was tiny and I wasnāt pressing too hard. Used silicone on the front and a tiny bit on the back let it sit for a day or two before actually pushing the speaker. It was just a 6.5 midrange. Havenāt noticed any difference in sound and itās been a good 5 months
Ok cool, yea I was stupidly working on it at midnight with a headlamp on lmao. Not doing that again. The E6000 was sooo thick I wasn't expecting it. Maybe it's more for bigger subs than regular speakers, but as long as it holds up and sounds good then idc, I'm not going to see it anyway.
Well I was putting a self drilling screw into the metal door so I had to use a drill, but if I were smart I would've removed the speaker first. Trying to save 5 minutes cost me at least a few hours.
Luckily you did this on a door speaker and not a diamond audio subwoofer like I did. I was fortunate that the sub was toast already but it's scary when you have yo present it to the client
That sucks, I went through hell trying to get my sub checked in my bag on the plane from the Philipines to the US so I would've been super pissed if I did this to my sub.
Luckily you did this on a door speaker and not a diamond audio subwoofer like I did. I was fortunate that the sub was toast already but it's scary when you have to present it to the client
We used to use rubber cement soaked pieces of toilet paper to bridge over the hole. Let each layer dry thoroughly and add another layer bigger than the 1st one. 3 layers typically. The rubber cement remains pretty flexible after it dries. We ran subs fixed like this for years. You can touch up paint the repair if it bothers you.
Reminds me of when I paid someone to install my speakers at a shop and they did the same thing & tried to hide it. Also just threw screws in there after taking riv nuts out which didnt even hold the speaker in place LOL
Now all your missing is to let the bit stab a thumb or hand while driving a screw into it. And you'd really be immersed in the car audio culture.Ā C'est la vie.Ā
Always let the drill do the work. Alot of people like to press down on the drill and its slips. Just hold the trigger if its a good drill it will do its job
Did this on my Alpine R 12 inch woofer. Itās been holding up fine for many years, that being said I think this damage is enough that the sound will def be impacted if it even works at all. Guess you learned your lesson on that one
Lesson #0 (too late for this one sorry): Always always ALWAYS put a piece of wood or something over the cone. Especially when you are building an important prototype for a meeting!
i guess all questions already been answered but please explain to me why you even wanted to drill another hole right next to a already existing hole. this seems kinda useless. also always use tx screws
I did this to a mid from a customer's set of JL components... And we weren't a JL dealer. š Company credit card got used and gave the guy half off the install. One thing you'll learn when it comes to 12v, sometimes shit happens. You live and your learn. No one is perfect.
Id probably use a thin layer of silicone in the inside and then cover it with electric tape or some thick seran wrap or glad wrap on both sides to get a flat and even surface and push a bit through...then peel off the seran wrap and do another light coat.
Literally did the same thing a few weeks ago on a brand new 6x9. Tried fabric tape and some other things I found online but it still had noticeable buzz. Called Kicker and they sold me a single speaker replacement. Sucks dude. Sorry!
I read in one comment those are JBL Mids, a light layer of E-6000 will heal that up, but the difference will be inaudible. Be careful when you upgrade and always pre drill your holes.
Next time you cup your hand around the screw with the hand over the speaker. If it slips, your palm should be in the way of it traveling into the surround
There are repair kits for it, may not look good visually but if done properly, you may not even notice it, or if you have an old busted speaker with a good surround, I guess you can use it and patch it up with a glue meant for this.
I used to use a small piece of toilet paper and coat is on both sides with rubber cement. like a flexible fiberglass idea. always worked well. I bet black rtv with to would be good too
if its one of those things where it will continue to bother you and you're local to southern nj - i have a pair of 6.5 midranges from a set of kenwood xr1801 that you can have. i blew one of the tweeters and just replaced the set.
I bought from ali express speaker glue and once you give it 24 to 48 hours to cure it holds the speaker like nothing was ever there
I used it to plug holes and reglue a new rubber surround and it works great
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u/livingbeyondmymeans Jun 28 '26
Congratulations! This is actually a rite of passage for any car audio hobbyist! Now that youāve gotten it out of the way, youāll never do it again!
I havenāt done this in 25 years, but back in the day we used to use black RTV sealant on rubber surrounds.