Gripes About Stereo Installers

[MoSkA]

I did my install myself... It was my first and I admit it was a little strange.
When I say strange I mean it was a bit crap messing around with wires and trying to thread them in tight spaces.
As for knowing where all the speaker/power/accesory wires went, I just used common sense.
I think I got lucky with my amp/sub. I wired everything in, bolted the amp under the passenger seat (which involved taking the seat out) and put everything back in before testing it. It was dumb but everything worked a treat so there was no undoing.
If you have any kind of mechanical aptitude you can do car audio.
If you go in with a "do it right, do it once" attitude, you'll be fine.
If you go in with a "I can't do this" attitude, you probably won't be able to do it.
Take your time, check and recheck everything, always be careful around the battery and ignition systems.

 

[Tasmaniak]

I read and reread this thread and some posts made me angry and some posts made me pity the owners.

We aren't all crooks. In any trade there are people who will try to rip you off of a few dollars if they can. I'm quite certain there are a few people in this thread who would do the same if given thet chance.

If you at any time have a complaint with a job done with an installer, then take it back to the place where it was installed and demand they fix the problem. If they break a peice of panel or fascia then you are well withint your rights to demand that they replace it with a NEW panel. I remember putting a pair of speakers into a Camira a few months ago. I noticed the rear door handle was splitting but still intact when I carefully grabbed hold of it to open, it finally split all the way through. I immediatly ordered a replacement part. I glued the handle back together to last the few days required to wait for the new part.

Saying to your installer "OI! Wanker!" gets you know where. It only makes us angry. Wouldn't you get angry if someone called you a wanker?

Yes! Do take the time to clean out your car before bringing it to us. To ME there is nothing worse then having a car sitting out in the bay with a $3K laptop sitting in it. I get nervous. But, don't just remove valuables. Clean the rubbish out as well, also remove illegal substances. There is nothing worse then climbing into someones car and finding half eaten sandwiches squashed into the carpet your about to lift up. Or lifting up a car mat and finding a dead rat rotting away or removing RUBBISH out of the boot to install the sub and find nappies that are full strewn about. Please excuse the smell of vomit I leave behind in your car as I call to for you to come pick your car up unfinished. If you can't remove toxic waste...why should I?

Yes, it's true. A recent survey undertaken by many many installers shows that just under 70% of installers have no qualifications at all. I personally have just returned from a 2 year stay in the Good Ole' US of A. There I witnessed a lot of quality installs. Whilst I was there I also gained my MECP Master/Gold Class Qualification, yes I'm bragging. I'm one of 296 people to have this qualification and the first australian to obtain it. Wouldn't you brag? I take pride in my work I don't care if it's a $200 Sigma with a $150 HU even if I will be charging close on $100 to install the damn thing.

To those of you who have had a bad time with my fellow installers. I apologise on the behalf of those installers who do actually take care, honest and KNOW what they're doing.

Yes, by all means. Use the forums and ask questions. 9 times out of 10 the correct response to questions comes from installers though. So please bear that in mind before you trashcan all of us.

 

[vlv8vic]

wooo thats the southern attitude. nice one trunk. i had my first one installed by the shop and was happy with it. i wish the guy who did my window tinting had your attitude, busted a bunch of stuff then goes ''it was old adn about to break nothing i can do about it'' and left me to deal with it.

 

[Julie]

I've got a bit of a car audio installer horror story that I think takes the cake. A while ago, we bought a in dash tv, with a ps2 to run the dvds, anyway it was at a good price from what we thought was a reputable car audio shop so we got them to install the lot, they made a bracket 4 the ps2 to sit just under the glovebox, all was good we were happy. Then we noticed a high pitched 'buzzzing' type noise, it didnt go away and it just drove us crazy. We didn'nt think it could have anything to do with the stereo cos we did that all ourselves, we had the car back at our dealers trying to get it done under warranty, but they couldn;t even find the prob.

Anyway a few months later, we were at another car audio shop and talking to their manager who really knows his stuff and he said to drop it round tomorrow and I'll get one of the guys to take a look. So they checked all the wiring and found the prob, the bloody knob jockeys who installed the tv/ps2 put a screw through the computer and stuffed it. How bloody incompetent, surely if you do this for a living you would know where and where not to screw (namely our computer!!!) not like its an uncommon car either, its a commodore ffs.

 

[Tasmaniak]

As a side note folks. If you have troubles at any point in time with an install bay and they don't want to fix the prob and they are DEFINETLY at fault. Then advise them of your plans to contact the Ombudsman of Small Trading and Affairs. Watch them jump through hoops for you.

On a second side note, if ANY company doesn't give you the service they offer or anything like that, advise them of the Ombudsman.

 

[mwethereld]

yeah i installed my in dash LCD TV in dash TV amps subs neons, all by my lonesome, and had no problems at all,,, the reason i did it all by myself, i gave my first LCD TV ( It was a 5.5 Inch, new one is 7) to my sis, and cause shes got a brand new Holden Astra, she got it done at the dealer, Motorama on Marooka Magic Mile in Brissy :ranting: and they made a right mess, the whole left side of the unit could be pulled out about 10 mm and wasnt properly secured, it was so ****,,, and her 15Amp Sound system fuse periodically blows, so a short occurs somewhere obviously.

take my advice, if you are an electrician like me, DIY!!!!!!
and my next advice suggestion is much mopre important, USE A MULTIMETER AND CHECK EVERYTHING PERTAINING TO POWER!!!!! DONT BLOW YOUR UNITS!

 

[AirStrike]

All my stuff gets installed by Gary's Car Radio in Campbellfield on the Hume, and I cant recommend them enough. Always do me a great price, install is top notch and they are willing to sit down and talk about anything you need help with.
AirStrike :air:

 

[GreenGremlin]

tonkins in Adelaide did an speaker install in my LX torana years ago and it sounded ****in awesome, just a pair of 120W clarion 6x9s in the back and 130W 6" pioneers in the doors, they didnt butcher anything and i reckon it blew away the current set up in my VK.

I had a job done in Melb on my VK, I had a pair of 6x9s installed on risers (had to clear the gas tank) on the parcel shelf, not happy, the black venetian on the back is bent like f^&k, the black venetian now rattles as they have wedged one of the risers in there hard up against it, they took forever. I routed all the wires and labelled them so all they had to do was put the speakers in and they couldnt even do that right. Glad i did the front ones my self, dread to think of the mess they would have made of the wiring in my electronic dash. To top it off they scratched up the tint on the back window, cowboys. Most of them use shitty crimp terminals.

I spent $30 on a good quality crimping tool and do all my own wiring jobs using proper harnesses, none of the cheapie narva clips, best $30 I ever spent. Ive had a gutful of people doing halfassed jobs on my pride and joy.

 

[Gamble]

I had This guy at audio FX where i bought my pioneer deck from, it was alll fine untilll like 2days ago wen i pulled it out of my smashed VR to install it in my new VX, i came realise he didnt soulder da wires, didnt give me the cradle that comes with it or the keys, all round shitty job. so with my vx i decided to do it myself, was fairly easy, called autobarn once or twice to asks some questions and ****, but it worked out fine!

 

[Tasmaniak]

In the VR you don't need the cradle and since you don't need the cradle you don't need the keys either If you wanted them, why didn't you ask for them? 90% of customers don't want that stuff so we don't give it to them unless asked.

So, it wasn't soldered...then he used crimps?