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.