Bad install, what to do next?
 

I really didn't want to risk taking my car to one of the audio shops around here because they all have the kind of pricing that makes you extremely suspicious of the work quality, but I finally caved and took it in. I had this entire system in a box in my garage for months and just wanted to get it done. Naturally, they did an awful job and now I have to figure out what to do.

Here's a breakdown of the job, components, and result.

Pioneer AVH-X4700BS Head Unit

Pioneer TS-D1602R Door Speakers

Alpine KTP-445U Power Pack Amp

JL Audio Stealthbox 10" Sub

NVX MVPA1 Mono Amp

Wiring, harness, mounts etc.

All of that I brought with me, but they also upsold me on the DVD bypass (wife might want to use it while I'm driving)

Total cost from installer: $300

When I got it back...

1. 3 gouged trim pieces
2. USB and Aux not hooked up
3. Popping sound when car is turned off (bad ground?)
4. Non functioning USB port running to glovebox
5. Overwhelming, awful bass, not tolerable with any volume at all
6. They kept my old speakers, instruction manuals, only thing left in the car was the old head unit and 4 screws on the floorboard

When I first started listening to it, my heart instantly sank and I started thinking about returning the sub. It was awful. Just unbearably loud and distorted and.. frankly, ghetto. After some time fiddling with the settings, I found the speaker levels and the sub was at +6 db with everything else at 0. I set the sub to 0, and suddenly the system sounds GOOD. Thank god, what a relief.

So now the system sounds good, I'm happy with that at least, and I just need to figure out what to do about the rest of the list. I'm thinking just cut my losses, order a couple trim pieces, and fix the issues myself.

Here's some pics. The one with the wires I took when trying to figure out where they had put the power pack amp. It's the black box on top of what I'm hoping are the Aux and USB connections.

I'm really astonished that people so often gouge these panels up. They don't even require tools to remove.. I can just grab them and pull them off. I was planning on doing just that before I brought it in, and am still trying to figure out why I didn't...

They are supposed to be professionals and that type of work is totally unacceptable. I would be going back and seeking some sort of restitution as well as having the nonfunctioning things fixed. If you just walk away then they win.

The problem with that is that it would require me to leave my car in their hands again...

There is always that, true. Still not a hope in hell I would be walking away and letting them get away with it. At a bare minimum they would be paying to replace the trim.

TCOAT is right, you got to ask for some restitution or someway to get paid back the damage to the parts.

I'm sure there are budget stores that do good service.

When I got my car's audio done, first thing I did was ask the store what tools they use. They used screwdrivers and other metal tools to pry apart the panels. I bought from amazon those plastic tools to remove panels and I gave them to the store to use them to take apart my car. They cost me $20-30. Compared to dropping 2-3k in audio parts, it's not much.

The damage looks like some idiot used screwdrivers or something made of metal to scuff up the parts that much.

Yeah that's what kills me.. I got a set of plastic trim removal pieces off amazon for like 8 bucks, and when I replaced all the silver pieces with black trim I didn't even have them yet and managed to leave not a scratch. My first time removing trim pieces, no tools, and yet I am more capable than the "professionals". I guess they were in too big a hurry to spend 5 minutes on google/youtube like I did.

Can anyone tell me what the two plugs in the last pic are for? Are those the usb and aux connections?

Need a frame of reference for the spot where that photo was taken

I pulled out the glove box and took a pic through the hole on the side facing the head unit. So that should be directly below the head unit, behind the AC controls.. somewhere in that area. Sorry, should have explained first.

I would need to look in my car again to be sure but I think the green one is the one that goes into the factory USB/aux module, however for ANY after market install I 100% recommend replacing the factory spot with this thing, clean, easy and fits perfectly
http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_68608_Axxess-AX-USB-35EXT.html

Your still gonna have to go the store. I would be persistent and demand a refund or some type of compensation. Go with an intimidating friend maybe? Speak to a manager?


I dont normally support large chains but if I ever got a speaker install id do it at Best Buy, simply cause they have warranty's and I have no qualms with chewing out a 19 year old if something bad happened

Car audio installers like this make me sick

Even if I left a minor scratch/scuff on a trim piece I'd be paranoid the customer would notice it

Why? Does the stock connection not jive with aftermarket head units? Just curious, I'm not worried about a 12 dollars after all I've spent on this system :)

Sent the shop an email. They actually have a ton of great reviews (which is why I chose them) and the one bad review they had, they left a nice response and offered to help. We'll see how they handle this. If they fix every problem and buy me new trim I'll still leave them a good review.

Here's their site.
Soundmaster Tint & Alarm
http://caraudio.tx-biz.com

You can google or yelp them, almost all 4 and 5 star reviews and happy customers. Really disappointed as I thought I'd found a decent place.

@MikeM7 - those connections look like the satellite and stock mic plugs. I wouldn't worry about those.

I installed a AVH-X5700BHS and so far love it. I can say that the reason they didn't hook up the aux or external USB is because they didn't know what to do... :( What harnesses exactly did you give them? The external AUX was a biatch to get working.. you either have to buy the adapter directly from HERE or you have to buy the steering wheel controls harness and repin it to work. The AUX should have been hooked up using the Toyota AUX-USB adapter and you shouldn't have an adapter in the trunk because they should've used the USB adapter instead of the USB Extension the deck comes with.

You can go into the deck and mess with the crossover settings to get the subwoofer to sound better.. I'm sure they didn't take the time to setup the equalizer and crossovers properly.

EDIT - What did you do with the dash and rear speakers? Did they replace the rear AMP with the one you bought to power the door and dash? Or door and rear?

Already got the reply below:

Good afternoon , sorry to hear that . Bring it back and I will take care of it for you . The pieces that is scratch , I can replace for a new one . No problem . My name is Mohammed and you reach for me directly by calling my at my cell . 210-***-**** . Thanks

That was quick, and sounds promising.

Not really sure tbh. I used crutchfield's "tell me what I need because I'm lazy" service, so they supposedly provided all the correct gear to hook everything up. If you need some specific adapters to make certain things work, I wouldn't be surprised if that was neglected. It's just an automated system. I'll find the order and let you know.

I would agree, but I'm a little curious how the sub got set to +6.. I imagine the thug that stabbed my car with screwdrivers probably thought the only right bass is the kind that makes everyone within a 1 mile radius stare at you. It sounded like the typical "look at me" gangsta mobile at first, but when I dropped it down to 0 it was pretty crisp and punchy. That's what I want.. I can't stand the loud reverberating noise, I just want clarity and punch. I'm actually pretty happy with the sound quality I'm getting with stock equalizer setting "powerful" and everything at 0. I'll bring it to my buddy and let him play with the fine tuning. The only issue I have now is that at a certain volume level I get rattling, but I'm pretty sure it's just because my license plate is rattling around when the sub gets loud, just need to secure it.

:iono:

Unfortunately I'm not experienced with this stuff, which is why I paid "professionals" to do it.

I literally just pulled a box out of the trunk, showed them what was in it, and said I wanted it installed. They didn't really ask me any questions, which I found a little unsettling. Not that I'd have been able to answer them or anything.. but I at least could have told them how to remove the trim :)

I doubt the crutchfield stuff would've included the USB harness... it DEFINITELY won't include the USB harness needed. Considering they don't list either the AUX or USB harness on their website when I put our car in, I don't think it would've come with it. LINK

That is definitely their doing... it is set to 0 out of the box. I also had to secure the license plate. :)

As far as the other speaker go. It might be worth pulling up the rear of the car and seeing what they did with the stock amp.. and see which other speakers they are powering with the little 4 channel amp you bought... :sigh:

Sorry they f'd things up so bad. That's a crappy way to start things out!