Professional Car Stereo Installation

I was wondering if anyone know's where you can go to take a class for this? And then get certification or whatever? I think I might take a job at a Best Buy someday in the near future. Bit of a hobby i picked up I guess. Wanna learn more about it.

Most technical colleges have an auto tech program. They should have classes for electronics.

I could do a better job than most of the best buy installers and I dont have any certifications or anything and am not necessarily mechanically inclined. Just read the instructions that come with the deck, and then wire that shit to the harness and you are done.

Wiring a sub or amps is a little bit harder, but you can get full kits with everything you need to do that too ..

So how many audio threads you going to start here? :rolleyes:

Hey now, I am MECP (mobile electronics certified professional) and I have worked at Best Buy both installing and selling. You can get certified for MECP by getting online at the MECP website and going through their exam. I recommend you buy the study guide and do the practice exams on their website. An MECP certificate will get you a LOT of jobs. The key however that makes a good installer is experience and cleanliness of installations. An MECP certificate doesn't mean shit if you do a shitty job, places will can you right away.

Whats the mecp website addy? that cert will look good next to my ase ones, and my gunsmithing degree, and my associates degree...ehehehe:devil:


gunnmen01

Originally posted by gunnmen01
Whats the mecp website addy?

yea, i wanna know also!

here ya go.................http://www.ce.org/certifications/mecp/default.asp

It is a really good thing to have....I have to retake mine in june...GRRRRRR:D

Originally posted by Melt
I could do a better job than most of the best buy installers and I dont have any certifications or anything and am not necessarily mechanically inclined. Just read the instructions that come with the deck, and then wire that shit to the harness and you are done.

Wiring a sub or amps is a little bit harder, but you can get full kits with everything you need to do that too ..


:rolleyes: you have no idea what the hell you are talking about. so you wired a deck....wheeeeeee! that is like paint by numbers. following directions. if you are better than the guys at best buy.....then why did you have to PAY to have your ALARM INSTALLED?

DarkImportGrey
An MECP certificate will get you a LOT of jobs. The key however that makes a good installer is experience and cleanliness of installations. An MECP certificate doesn't mean shit if you do a shitty job, places will can you right away.

perfect example....there was a guy who was just working at the shop. walking around talking about 2 yrs schooling. but when it came down to it....the book knowledge didn't cut it. he was SLOW. you need technique. you can't get that from books. anyone can hook up some wires in an unlimited amount of time. but an installer runs wires in an efficent amount of time.

l2ice rocketz, get MECP certified. if you get a job at best buy, or anywhere, try and find the most experienced person there and soak up their thecnique like a sponge. watch and ask questions :D

exactly LadyNRedSi. experience is everything in this business.

i aint certified in shit for mobile electronics and me and my friends have done some nice installs in our cars, that im sure will rival any best buy job out there.

here is a pic of my amp install

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid60/p8824c9bf6e72e912bb7026d1fc70903a/fc47752a.jpg

Originally posted by LadyNRedSi


perfect example....there was a guy who was just working at the shop. walking around talking about 2 yrs schooling. but when it came down to it....the book knowledge didn't cut it. he was SLOW. you need technique. you can't get that from books. anyone can hook up some wires in an unlimited amount of time. but an installer runs wires in an efficent amount of time.

l2ice rocketz, get MECP certified. if you get a job at best buy, or anywhere, try and find the most experienced person there and soak up their thecnique like a sponge. watch and ask questions :D

Ami you could'nt be any more right.....Just because you have a peice of paper that says you know what you are doing....does not exactly mean you really know what you are doing.....

and as for the advise that she gave you l2ice rocketz.....Do that for sure....get the feel for their thecnique and then you can make it your own you could say.....You really have to be in this business to learn this business...

Alot of people can make something that is ok looking and what not...but an installer can take that something and make it sound good..

The main thing about Best Buy specifically is that they do not do custom installs. The most custom work they do is to possibly mount the amps on the back of the back seat. Best Buy, however, is a VERY good training ground for anyone who wants to learn a lot then work their way into a custom homegrown shop. Best Buy doesn't exactly sell high end equipment, but for the most part the employees know what they are talking about (the car audio training is actually quite good), and they're not out for a commission (they don't work on commission) so they can take just as much care selling you 100 dollar deck as a 700 dollar amp. I worked at Best Buy, and I loved it, except for the corporate structure that they had in place. I had like 6 bosses breathing down my neck, and it impared me from providing the best service to the customers because I also had to please my higher-ups by trying to sell a lot of over priced accessories.

I was expected to sell at least 60 bucks worth of accessories on every deck, and it as quite difficult to pull off in situations where a 16 year old kid who just scraped together 100 bucks comes in and wants a CD player for his car. I want to get these people the most for their money, and more often then not, this does not include worthless accessories.

My rant is done....

Whoa.. well thats a lot of good advice. Yesh.. I've gotten some pretty good technique down from doing stereo's and speakers etc in other peoples' cars. Yea.. I've even corrected people's horrible crimping jobs and stuff. Even fix electrical short problems in people's cars. I even read the Car Stereo Cookbook as my Bible. =P Yea, Im a nut for this kinda stuff. Im so desperate for experience, I offer radio installation for a coke and 2 rides in a car (since i aint got a license right now). Heh

you have no idea what the hell you are talking about. so you wired a deck....wheeeeeee! that is like paint by numbers. following directions. if you are better than the guys at best buy.....then why did you have to PAY to have your ALARM INSTALLED?

Dont forget about my amp, subs, bumper lenses, corner lenses, and quite a few other things. I had to pay for the alarm install because its a fairly complicated thing to do and I didnt want to fuck it up. My car has to run 80 miles a day 5 days a week, which is why I havent really done any engine mods. Ocassionaly when things go wrong on my car I can drive my moms accord to school, but I cant be doing that shit all the time because my mom needs her car.

Im starting to wonder if I should even come to the may 10th meet, because the way you always seem to be all up on me when I make a comment, doesnt seem like I will be welcomed and then like last time, people with shittier cars than mine will love to give advice on what "I should do"

I have been MECP certified for abot 10 years. I have been working at the same store for about 9 years. And I get a lot of Best Buy F@#%-ups at my shop as well. The biggest complaint I hear is, "my car had bass untill I got my radio at Best Buy" HHMMMM? why would that be? Well I guess if you put "SPEAKER SAVERS" on all your installs you would definiately have no bass. For all of you unfamiliar with "spaeker Savers" they are commonly known as "bass blockers".
Best Buy hires a buch of kids who have no clue what they are doing, pay them shit, and do shit work. If you really want to learn some real car audio, mobil electronics and mobil video, get into a specialty shop. Idependently owned, with some veterian installers, who have been around and can show you some real installations. study the MECP guide and take the test. you need to get some real world experiance(sp).
doing alarms and remote starts are so important today. and most of the current cars out there are not easy anymore. you have so much to deal with when you do a remote start. some cars are cake, 1hr 30min, some cars will take you all day, and thats with experiance(sp).
do you home work, learn what ever you can, make friends at some shops, sell yourself. I have had customers of mine become my employees, and good friends. I is a really fun job, I make a good living.
I have fun at work, work on some really nice cars, and some real shit boxes too. go for it, you'll love it, and stay away from Best Buy!!! No offense to anyone, but............I've seen it all.

Mike

don't go to circut city either, now i have "alternator whine", i woud like to get certified too, but i think its an 18 and older thing right? btw does anyone else have whinning speakers? how do you fix'em?

Originally posted by Melt
Im starting to wonder if I should even come to the may 10th meet, because the way you always seem to be all up on me when I make a comment, doesnt seem like I will be welcomed and then like last time, people with shittier cars than mine will love to give advice on what "I should do"

:cry:

what does this have to do with the meet :confused: i thoiught everyone got that same royal and yet painful treatment....sounds like u've been talkin to Mr. ZC:D

Originally posted by KeGrO
don't go to circut city either, now i have "alternator whine", i woud like to get certified too, but i think its an 18 and older thing right? btw does anyone else have whinning speakers? how do you fix'em?
what did you get installed? Is it new equipment or used?

Speaker savers (bass blockers) are just the kind of accessory that i was supposed to dupe people into buying. It isn't the kid's fault that is working there, dont' blame them, they get paid diddly shit without commission. Bass blockers have literally a 900% profit margin, so employees get graded better in service if they sell these high profit accessories. these kids just want to keep their jobs man... i didn't keep mine because i sold people what they NEEDED not what best buy wanted them to have.

Originally posted by DarkImportGrey
Speaker savers (bass blockers) are just the kind of accessory that i was supposed to dupe people into buying. It isn't the kid's fault that is working there, dont' blame them, they get paid diddly shit without commission. Bass blockers have literally a 900% profit margin, so employees get graded better in service if they sell these high profit accessories. these kids just want to keep their jobs man... i didn't keep mine because i sold people what they NEEDED not what best buy wanted them to have.
that's cool man, I wasn't taking any shots at you, I just know how it is over the cause I had a friend that tried to wark there. He got so frustrated cause he was the only one who knew how to do anything. he ended up doing 90% of the work so he quit. any way, sorry.

Originally posted by BLU CIVIC
:cry:

what does this have to do with the meet :confused: i thoiught everyone got that same royal and yet painful treatment....sounds like u've been talkin to Mr. ZC:D

Nothin, its just that she always loves to pick on me

Originally posted by Melt
Im starting to wonder if I should even come to the may 10th meet, because the way you always seem to be all up on me when I make a comment, doesnt seem like I will be welcomed and then like last time, people with shittier cars than mine will love to give advice on what "I should do"

first off....i don't know who's shittier car you are talking about. the ONLY car that was at my house with less done to it than yours was gregs (no offense greg) and that is subjectable. so you better kill that noise because the only other cars here were mine, mike, & travis. and if that was directed at my car.....then maybe you shouldn't come up because i dare you to come up and call my car rice and shitty to my face. you better wake up from that dream world you are living in. now that i think about it....you really do have some damn nerve. i open my house to you and what do you do.....run your mouth that my car is rice to people behind my back. then you try and tear my car apart and say yours is better in some thread. i let it all go and still extended an invite.....then you start running your mouth again? you can just get over your IBNobodyGivesAFlip, watch out for my DPFI sohc zc, look at my stupid I.Q. robbing pic, never leaves a relevant reply, wannabe west side thug self.

maybe i wouldn't be all up on you if you would quit running your mouth about stuff you have no idea what you are talking about.

who cares if you hooked up and amp and some clear corners? so can i. that is nothing compared to a MECP certified installer. but i don't walk around running my mouth that i can be an installer because i follwed the instructions for a few wiring jobs. to be a certified installer (master installer) requires skills that the avg. person does not have. if you do not comprehend this....then you shouldn't be replying to the thread. notice....all the people who actually helped mentioned the MECP. can you even tell me what MECP stands for? *better go look it up on the net somewhere*

HEy Mike, is this exam Hard? like i am prety good with the stuff, but i ain't no braniac like you, but if i studied the book and stuff, would it be pretty easy? i mean if i had any questions, i could just ask you....

well that settles it ... imma camp friday, show up saturday, start heading back to ca sat night, camp, and be home sunday. Id not come to the meet all together, but there are quite a few fellow AF members I wanna meet and I dont think its fair to myself or them to not show up simply because you and me dont see eye to eye on anything.

run some searches with the keyword MECP. there are sites out there with the practice test....free of charge to try. i haven't tried the link civic rush posted.....try that first ;)

basic installer isn't too hard as long as you understand stuff like the ohms law and what not

Originally posted by LadyNRedSi


first off....i don't know who's shittier car you are talking about. the ONLY car that was at my house with less done to it than yours was gregs (no offense greg) and that is subjectable.

Hey! :D no offense taken...i know my car looks like shit...but i have no reason to paint it yet, and i am currently saving up for the rims i want, so it will look at least a lil better in a couple months.

And i still need to check into the MCEP tests and stuff, gonna check the link Civicrush put right now :)

who's ohms? and whats his laws got to do with it?...j/k.... but i may take the test for the basic installer part...


gunnmen01

explain again what the hell bass blockers are!? srry i am slow

bass blockers block frequencies below a certain level, usually 300hz, but they make them in different levels (250hz, 200hz, etc) and in the case of shitty papercone speakers (like OEM speakers on most cars) these could THEORETICALLY make the speaker last longer, but that is debatable since the speaker is so shitty to begin with. on new speakers that are worth their money there should be no problem as long as you don't push too much power to them. For example, the eXcelon 6.5" coaxials in my car can handle pitches down to 20hz, and with the infinite baffle setup on my rear deck they actually sound better and cleaner than most sub setups, they just don't have the kind of power a dedicated subwoofer has, but with my subwoofer off, it still sounds like i've got a couple 8s in the trunk.

but anyways, bass blockers are just shitty. that's all you have to know.

and 91EF3ZC, it's all good dude, i totally understand. there are a lot of people in this business that dont' know what they are talking about. and you can't duplicate the knowledge, experience, and customer service a small one of a kind shop might have in a mega-chain like Best Buy, but there are people out there trying.

Originally posted by MyFirst4G
HEy Mike, is this exam Hard? like i am prety good with the stuff, but i ain't no braniac like you, but if i studied the book and stuff, would it be pretty easy? i mean if i had any questions, i could just ask you....
I think you would do ok, you just need to study the book. if you have any questions you can always ask me, no problem.

i sold people what they NEEDED not what best buy wanted them to have.

I'm exatly the same way over in the computer dept. I absolutely hate working there as a tech because I take my 9yrs experience with pride and they turn the whole computer repair industry into a circus with their "speed packs" and "system customizations"

that's why I'm buckin for a full-time spot on the sales floor, I'd rather be out selling than be their tech bitch that gets cussed out hourly for half what I make doing the same shit elsewhere.

okay, that was totally off topic but damn.... some things just get me started... sorry.

i hear ya man... totally.

the mods hear me too i guess =/
/cry irl

if you are wantin to become a full time installer, certifications are a definate pay booster but if you are wantin to work at best buy for a while or ever compete as a novise you should hold off in those.

Originally posted by Stairway to Haven
the mods hear me too i guess =/
/cry irl

what did you say that was removed? I missed it.

Originally posted by 91EF3ZC


what did you say that was removed? I missed it.

Lets not have him repeat it.

didnt plan to cheif ^^

Originally posted by OneSikCRX
if you are wantin to become a full time installer, certifications are a definate pay booster but if you are wantin to work at best buy for a while or ever compete as a novise you should hold off in those.

what hes basically saying is that its lame to compare your skills to a best buy installer cuz they are not certified (mostly), they are just more resourceful then you or me (tools, kits, equip, supervisor, etc.. .)

i guarantee you any tardo can get a job installing at best buy, h4bangin did =D

Dont forget about my amp, subs, bumper lenses, corner lenses, and quite a few other things.

bumper and corner lenses????:rolleyes: for god sake a damn blind guy with no arms could hook that shit up

Originally posted by canned4thgen


bumper and corner lenses????:rolleyes: for god sake a damn blind guy with no arms could hook that shit up

the reason he said that is cause he had to replace the sockets on it, plus rewired his bumperlights to come on with the parking lights.

Originally posted by 88CiViC_DX
the reason he said that is cause he had to replace the sockets on it, plus rewired his bumperlights to come on with the parking lights.

glad someone around here remembers shit :cool:

Originally posted by Stairway to Haven



i guarantee you any tardo can get a job installing at best buy, h4bangin did =D

:flipa: :finger: :flipa: :finger: :flipa: :finger: :flipa:

Originally posted by Melt


glad someone around here remembers shit :cool:

just becaues you can rewire your stock lights to do something different doesn NOT make you an installer.
If you want to impress me, do an alarm and remote start in a 2003 Ford Mustang. you will need to diode isolate the door triggers so the alarm doesn't go off every 45min. also tell me why you need all the ignition keys when doing the remote start.
and please explaine the difference between 5-wire door lock interface and 2-wire, and how it relates to this mustang.
if you could tell me why you need to do this and how many diodes you need, I will truley be impressed.

and that recent post on the "alarm in a 4g how-to" HA! if anyone follows those directions........ well I think you get my point.

Originally posted by 91EF3ZC


just becaues you can rewire your stock lights to do something different doesn NOT make you an installer.
If you want to impress me, do an alarm and remote start in a 2003 Ford Mustang. you will need to diode isolate the door triggers so the alarm doesn't go off every 45min. also tell me why you need all the ignition keys when doing the remote start.
and please explaine the difference between 5-wire door lock interface and 2-wire, and how it relates to this mustang.
if you could tell me why you need to do this and how many diodes you need, I will truley be impressed.

and that recent post on the "alarm in a 4g how-to" HA! if anyone follows those directions........ well I think you get my point.

HA thats great a fellow installer callin out somebody who thinks they know how to do shit...LOL...I am lovin it...I could tell you the diff between the 5 wire with the 2 relays and the 2 wire...BUT I wanna see what he has to say....All I have to say to you 91EF3ZC
is that you are sooo right on the mustang...they suck well acctually Fords suck in general..LOL:D

Originally posted by 91EF3ZC


if you could tell me why you need to do this and how many diodes you need, I will truley be impressed.




http://www.4thgenerationcivic.com/images/badassbuddy_com-screwed.gif
BUSTED!

i'm still waiting for the answer of what M.E.C.P. stands for :evillaugh

Originally posted by LadyNRedSi




http://www.4thgenerationcivic.com/images/badassbuddy_com-screwed.gif
BUSTED!

i'm still waiting for the answer of what M.E.C.P. stands for :evillaugh
Mobil Electronics Certification Program

Mike

no no Mike we were waiting for melt to tell us....:D

Originally posted by 91EF3ZC

Mobil Electronics Certification Program


ahhhh man, you ruined it :silly2: i was referring to what i said to melt

Originally posted by LadyNRedSi

to be a certified installer (master installer) requires skills that the avg. person does not have. if you do not comprehend this....then you shouldn't be replying to the thread. notice....all the people who actually helped mentioned the MECP. can you even tell me what MECP stands for? *better go look it up on the net somewhere*

ooooohhhhhhh, sorry, I ruined it, F*&^!!:p

Originally posted by 91EF3ZC
ooooohhhhhhh, sorry, I ruined it, F*&^!!:p

its alright man you can just delete it....I sure that melt won't notice...:rolleyes:

Why would you want to know how to install a system? It'll just get stolen anyway.

JK.

But I'm just saying that 'cause I just got all my shit stolen like 3 days ago right infront of my house, what a fuckin wake up call. Like "wakeup dumbass you should've had a security system"

Originally posted by LadyNRedSi


uhh it was on the first or second page any way :rolleyes: ;)

yea but still...you never know what melts thinking.....

and quiXilver that sucks about your stero:mad: