my side business has pretty much turned into a tech labour company..... im surviving because of the amount of shops doing a crap job and alienating customers, it really has to stop.
Your few examples, JB hifi quoting people $60-100 to install a headunit in a car, then another $40-50 per set of speaker installed (if done with the head unit.)
So your thinking.... well if thats the going rate they'd have all the right tools and do a good job.
Unfortunately not, I saw a few jobs come out of there with cut solder jobs (sign of a dodgey install, a lot of them didnt even have the flux cleaned off the solder).
When I bought my WRX was told it had been professionally installed by jb hifi over in sydney... I was like uh crap so the wiring harness has been cut.
Oh no.... we asked the guy at jb if they did that and he said they didnt..... asked if they could check, nah sorry dont know how to check but have the reciept to prove it.
an hour after bought my wrx (slipped my mind to check so flew over with a decent usb headunit).
Was freaking spewing when I pulled the headunit out to see what adapter they'd put in so I could plug mine in with no dramas.... and low and behold all I find are uncovered wires (most of the electrical tape had fallen off)..... call the previous owner and im like yeah they did a cut solder job.... not happy and get told..... they told us they didnt do that.... they also said the car's antenna was too weak and we needed to buy an external antenna upgrade to make the radio work......
Stopped at jaycar in katoomba bought a cigarette adapter soldering iron, de-soldered the headunit.... built a conversion cable with $2.00 worth of cables and installed my headunit to find one spare wire didnt recognise..... looked up on my phone and found out within 30 seconds it was the antenna POWER wire.... wired that in and instantly had crystal clear radio... emailed the jbhifi that did the install and asked for a please explain.... never got one.
Thanks to that and seeing lots of people getting ripped off in adelaide been doing this as part of my side business..... I honestly cant see how anyone can charge more than $50-80 and justify it.... and thats with 1 hour labour included to install it and using a universal harness so your not doing a bodge job thats 100% secure.
I still remember when I had my first holden the VR and being told by this fat guy at strathfield before I had my trade (well what got me into it).... that oh it would be $100 to install my headunit.... you see some idiot cut the harness off to wire in a headunit.... asking him how can it be that much.... oh we need to locate what the wires are, strip them recoat them all complicated you see.....
Oh then what?..... oh its complicated we can book you in today do you want some new speakers with it we've got these great sony xplod...
it has them on the back parcel shelf and my mate who use to own the car said they were crap.... back to the wiring of the headunit... surely you just need to know the wire colours can you sell me a book that has it in there?
Sorry trade secret mate no one will give you that info
Um my father said it would be in the gregorries book but would be easier to have you guys do it and shouldnt cost that much because its only a few minutes work.
Nah he's wrong $100 is a good price thats a special price for you.
And that gentlemen is how I found justcommodores.com.au and joined. first site that had the wiring colours on google