Self instalation vs. Shop

[sr20de4evr]

Originally Posted by sonicvision

sr20de4evr seems to me SOMEONE fell for a slick salesman and is a little bitter because you just dont know any better.Idiot, every installer isnt as uneducated as the best buy elite. best buy will hire near anybody and for someone to even think of getting something installed there better learn the definition of the word research!come on think a little best buy is a box store not experts in car audio,so before you open your mouth next time at least know what you are talking about, please!

Way to make a completely baseless assumption about somebody and be completely wrong, good luck next time.

Every piece of equipment I've purchased (audio and performance) has been installed by me, I've never taken my car to a shop for anything other than body work or welding. My statements stem from two experiences which have repeated themselves NUMEROUS times with incredibly few exceptions:
1 - Walking into a local audio shop and speaking to the salesmen, learning first hand how little they know about audio, car audio, or even electronics in general, and being absolutely disgusted that someone like that was given the position they hold.

2 - Watching my friends get their equipment installed at local shops and inspecting it later, only to find out how horrible the install was (sometimes even dangerous) and how crummy the equipment was that they were talked into.

Of course there are exceptions, as I said in my first post, but they're incredibly few and far between. In all of my experience, there has been ONE installer at ONE shop that I would trust, I wouldn't let anyone else near my car for the 2 reasons I explained above.

I take it you're an installer and you took offense to my post. Well, sorry, but my post still stands. Until I meet an installer at some generic local shop that could truthfully explain the difference between 6th order and 8th order bandpass boxes off the top of their head (that should be a very easy request from an installer), I won't retract my statements. I'm sure there are a couple of them in the country, but the odds of your average joe actually finding them and getting a decent install are so low that I feel comfortable saying to never get your equipment installed at local shops unless you don't care how it works, how it looks, or how it sounds.

[doberman_52]

i wouldnt let another person except for my close friends touch my sound equipment, and thats only because they have either taught me or have done it for years

[Lobstermagnet88]

after reading this thread i am thinking about trying to install my speakers and head unit in my new dodge. i still am worried about the wiring for the head unit tho becuase i really dont know anything at all about it

[doberman_52]

ussualy if you buy brand new eqipment, there will be instalation diagrams in the manuals, they telll you what every wire is for, it mostly color coded too

[PaulD]

for most units and newer vehicles, you can get an adapter ... one side plugs into the factory harness and the other side plugs into the headunit. If they wired it right, it's too easy.

[Lobstermagnet88]

yea, i tried to install my first head unit in my satrun . and i just couldnt figure out how to get the wires to stay together. when i watched them install it at best buy i saw them use some kind of plastic clips that each end of the wire went into and then kept them together. can i get these somewhere? or it there another easier way to do it?

[doberman_52]

I used wire nuts, you can buy them almost anywhere that has electrical, audio, etc.

[highteknology]

as far as DIY installations, it is a gazillion times better. i had my first set of subs installed at CC. what a mistake. it took them eight hours!! looking back i was young (16) and didn't know anything about subs. the second sub i got, which i currently have installed, i built the box for, bought all the pieces myself. installed it all myself. Some of the guys in my fraternity work at best buy, and have seen the installation jobs they do there. when they saw mine they were in awe, and i'm not even that good.

take some time, figure out how to do it yourself, not only will you learn stuff, but you will get more satisfaction from knowing you did it yourself.

Originally Posted by Lobstermagnet88

yea, i tried to install my first head unit in my satrun . and i just couldnt figure out how to get the wires to stay together. when i watched them install it at best buy i saw them use some kind of plastic clips that each end of the wire went into and then kept them together. can i get these somewhere? or it there another easier way to do it?

they are just little butt clamps or something of the like. you can find them at Auto Zone or some place like that. I like to solder the connections though then wrap them with electrical tape. Get a wire harness adapter. you can pick this up at Auto Zone also. it's like 15 bucks. makes for the install 10 times easier, plus you don't have to cut any wires.

[Lobstermagnet88]

ok awesome. thanks for your help. im gonna try to intall my head unit, ill let ya know how it goes

[doberman_52]

Originally Posted by highteknology

as far as DIY installations, it is a gazillion times better. i had my first set of subs installed at CC. what a mistake. it took them eight hours!! looking back i was young (16) and didn't know anything about subs. the second sub i got, which i currently have installed, i built the box for, bought all the pieces myself. installed it all myself. Some of the guys in my fraternity work at best buy, and have seen the installation jobs they do there. when they saw mine they were in awe, and i'm not even that good.

take some time, figure out how to do it yourself, not only will you learn stuff, but you will get more satisfaction from knowing you did it yourself.



they are just little butt clamps or something of the like. you can find them at Auto Zone or some place like that. I like to solder the connections though then wrap them with electrical tape. Get a wire harness adapter. you can pick this up at Auto Zone also. it's like 15 bucks. makes for the install 10 times easier, plus you don't have to cut any wires.

8 hours? lol, my first install took me 2 hours 2 1/2 tops for the subs and that was tearing appart the interior and sidewall to run wires, deck was a while because i had to take apart the whole dash, diy rules, but i screwed up my box that i am currently building, it sucks but its my first.

[Lobstermagnet88]

wow.. that was actally really easy. and i saved 60 bucks haaving someone else do it.. thanks for your help.opcorn:

[PaulD]

yep, once you learn to do it yourself it's REALLY hard to give up your car to someone else - and you can actually afford some equipment instead of paying an installer that rarely knows much more than you do.