Help wanted: Soundproofing and installing small upgrades (Lynnwood, WA)
 

I purchased the OEM Audio + system with the amp, sub, and tweeters, as well as an OEM backup camera for my BRZ. I also want some sound-deadening on the car, but I don't have a place or the time right now to do the job myself. I went to a few shops for estimates, but none of them were too promising.

Right now, I'm considering buying a set up sound deadening materials from www.sounddeadenershowdown.com if I can find a shop to install outside materials, or can find a helping hand.

Anyways, I'm wondering if I can get suggestions on good shops that would install these things, or if anybody with experience would like to help me out. My budget is around $2-2.5k including materials, and haven't purchased any sound-deadening materials yet. I can go as far as Portland, OR or Vancouver, BC.

Thank you in advance!

Have you tried Car Toys yet? They always seem to have a good head on their shoulders, it has been a while since I visited.

No I haven't tried Car Toys, but I don't know if they install third-party parts, and I have my reservations about them.

I don't have any suggestions but I was looking at that sounds deadening kit. Let us know how it works for you please!

I don't know how deep you want to get with deadening but I did my own install on sub and deck and a half assed job of deadening in my trunk. I ain't great but can help out.

This is the best estimate I got so far:

"$1500+ tax. And here is a list of what product we would use :72 sq ft of stinger expert road kill, 36 sq ft of a mixture of stinger carpet pad (goes under carpet) and overkill (1/4 dense foam pad)"
@Jdex420 honestly at this point I'm just considering having a shop do all the work, or it's gotta be someone who owns a shop or at least work in one. Thank you though

Isn't the show down kit like $650? Call a shop and ask if they'll install it?

A professional sound deadening install is expensive because it's extremely labor intensive. You're better off DIY. Take your time. Going one area of the car at a time over weeks/months. Just make sure to measure the ambient sound pressures before and after so you know what your gains were.

According to OP he doesn't have the time so I guess maybe $1500 isn't that outrageous

Troo dat. Maybe $1500 isn't much for the OP.

Have you looked at the show down kit op linked? Does that look like a decent setup? How long would you estimate the install for a complete novice?

Sure I have. I've actually purchased items from this website and also re-posted it a handful of times on the board (check my post history).

How long? Well, like I said, extremely labor intensive because a person has to go slow as to not mar any of the interior bits as they're un-installing/re-installing them. Also to press CLD tiles fully with the roller. Lastly to make sure the MLV has full complete coverage (even small gaps can leak lots of sound). The work isn't difficult, it's just labor intensive. A novice can do it, if they can commit the time and better yet, if they have a friend to help. That's why I recommend a slow roll approach.

My personal opinion about the kit listed is that it covers areas that aren't fully necessary (like the trunk) which is 14.8 ft² MLV and 14.8 ft² 1/8" CCF. After all, who's riding in the trunk? Whos' ears are back there? I would just CLD the trunk for vibration and then make sure to get really good MLV, CCF coverage on the rear seat back and seal the cabin like a vault. That removes a lot of weight, time, and cost from the project.

TL:DR Sorry got sidetracked, to answer your question about the full kit. Realistically, I'd say it would take a brand new mechanic 20-30 hours to install the kit alone and properly. Novice DIY with a buddy and the time could be cut down to 16-20 hours. A pro could probably do it in 10-16 at their shop. At $70 / hr. that's $700 - $1120 in labor + materials for the job.

To me, that looked like $1000 in parts, gadgets, or money in the bank. To others,it's a waste of time. To each their own :thumbsup:

I'm very curious because I feel my car is much too loud on the road. Not exhaust but just road noise. I have no experience with sound deadening so this seemed life a good opportunity to gather information. I plan on deleting my rear seat so deadening in the trunk would be good.

Road noise comes mostly through the floor panels and transmission tunnel. So make sure you use all 3 deadening materials in those places. With your MLV leave no gaps whatsoever.

Keep in mind that if you're sensitive to road noise or just don't like a loud car, then don't delete your rear seat without putting some form of barrier or seat delete kit back there (like this). Reason being that the shape of the trunk area creates a sort of a corner load or spatial load situation that makes sound really boom from back there.

My original plan was a cargo net but I think I'll use a carpeted sheet of plastic with a hinge

@Ashikabi I think the cost of materials from the website I cited is about $900-1000 after shipping, and I don't think most reputable shops will prefer to use their own materials for sound deadening.

It's not that $1500-2000 isnt a lot of money, but I totally would not mind paying a professional shop $500-1000 in labor to get the job done right without messing anything up. Also I have absolutely no time or place to do this... maybe if I had a garage. I also have OEM Audio + and a backup camera that need to be installed as well.

Anyways, right now I'm considering just buying the melamine foam from the website, and having a shop install it on pillar and headliner on top of the standard sound-deadening.

Not sure if you have made a decision on this yet, but I have been through this process before many many times, used a dizzingly wide array of different products and have some feedback.

Regarding the quote you got for the Stinger products.

Stinger's Expert Roadkill is a CLD tile, it is well priced and works fine. I've used it and it dampens well enough and stays in place. I have no issues with it and I think it's one of the better values out there for CLD tiles. In comparison tests it doesn't stack up as the best in the industry, but that doesn't really matter. It dampens vibration, doesn't smell and sticks in place - that's really all you need.

Their other products, especially their "carpet pad", I cannot recommend. It is flimsy, the foam they bond is not truly closed cell, and the vinyl backing doesn't block any sound (it's obviously not mass loaded). They market it like it's MLV, but it is absolutely not. Definitely do not pay for that crap - it will do nothing for you.

Most of @DAEMANO's advice is sound, save one detail. You will need to do the classic approach of deadening the trunk. Doing the seat backs will ruin your experience with the OEM Audio+ system since the sub is in the trunk.

Doing an install like this is a _lot_ of work when done correctly, so I don't blame you for wanting to pay someone to do it. It has taken me weeks before to get something like this done (working evenings/weekends after work - lots of beer breaks). So the labor part is huge and I don't blame shops for giving you big quotes. I would just be careful to find someone that has actually worked with these specific materials.

Also, I would note that while sounddeadenershowdown has been an awesome resource for many years (used to be better, he's deleted a lot of content), imo his products are overpriced for what they are. If you do your research you can find a lot of comparable stuff for quite a bit cheaper. He uses a lot of language on that site to sell you on his products being one of a kind, too much fear mongering to be legitimate - don't be fooled. You can find good stuff out there for less, you just have to be patient.

Good luck!

Thanks for your insight, didnt know that about the carpet pad... it looked fine when I saw it in the shop, but I dont have too much knowledge about MLV's haha.

It's a little concerning that pretty much all of the shops around me uses Stinger carpet pad. Now I'm considering getting my own MLV's to give to the shop, but hopefully it wont make too much of a difference.

I have both the stinger carpet pad and real 1lb per sq ft MLV in my garage right now. There is a dramatic difference between the two. Additionally, I just replaced a sheet of that carpet pad that was cut to the exact shape of my trunk tray with a sheet of MLV. The MLV made my exhaust sound disappear. My exhaust was getting quite loud, even with the carpet pad in place... the MLV made it whisper quiet. Huge difference.

if you decide to do it yourself, i'd gladly help out if you need an extra hand. im in everett :)