Pro or homemade?

Which is easier and less costly in the end. To hook ur own system up or have a pro do it? I mean will the job look and be that much better? I mean im all for the pros but if i can save a few bucks then im all for it. but if i blow anything up im fucked. thanks

pros of having it installed:
you don't have to do anything
the install is warrantied, if you install it yourself defects are warrantied, but if you wire up the + and - backwards and the amp fries, you're screwed

cons of having it installed:
you don't learn anything
it costs more
90% of the time they do a shitty job, both in the install and the tuning

how do u know if u have it tuned right?

i would say doing it yourself. systems are pretty easy to install and once you do it the first time after that its cake, and plus if you do it yourself down the line when you get a new car you wont have to pay to have it installed again cause you will know how to do it so you can switch it over yourself

If you think 90% of the time they do a shitty job then you are going to some shitty shops. Or you don't have enough information to make that statement. I am going to bet on the lack of information.
Now there are two major problems with car audio shops. One is there is no true certification needed to become a professional installer and two anyone with a few bucks can open a shop. Now this does not mean that you can find a good shop just that it is easy to find a shitty shop.
The pros and cons to having it installed or doing it yourself. First you need to make sure you find a quality shop. Go to a few places and ask alot of questions. Find out experience and level of training. Take a look at customer cars, the store, and most of all the shop. A neat and organized shop is a good sign. The advantanges of going to quality pro shop will be warranty as mentioned before. But more importantly experience. There might be quirks about your car that they already know about...the best place to make a ground or pass a wire through the firewall. How to get the most out of speaker locations and tuning. Those are just a few. Now if you have some experience with installing and want more than you can do it yourself. Biggest thing is with that if you mess something up you are responsible. If you decide you to do it yourself..ask alot of questions,read a few magazines tech articles, and take your time.

If you think 90% of the time they do a shitty job then you are going to some shitty shops. Or you don't have enough information to make that statement. I am going to bet on the lack of information.


depends on where you live really...I still have yet to find a respectable shop around here. Everybody's system that I've looked at (all of my friends bring their systems to me to check out for some reason) is installed very so-so. Shortcuts everywhere, arbitrarily set gains, etc.

The installers at all the local shops around here get paid by the job, so the faster they can spit them out the more they get paid. I'm sure there are places that take pride in their work, I just have yet to find one, or find someone who got their system installed at one.

well I can understand that. But you need to get out more. Where are you located?

hehe, yeah you have a point, I do need to get out more. I will be honest though, I don't check out local shops all too often so I'm sure that I've missed several, and I'm sure that at least one or 2 of those does a good job.

I'm in TX, the dallas area during the summer and san antonio during the year

If you manage to find a good shop then that takes away that con that I listed, then you just have to ask yourself "how much is my time worth to me".

well its really not time its just i dont know what im doing

well its really not time its just i dont know what im doing

It is excellent that you are wise enough to say that. I see nothing wrong with people trying to learn something new but it is when people think they know what they are doing and are too ignorant to admit they don't is when there is huge problems. Flsurf you might just be better off finding a good shop to take your car to. Are you in Florida? If so where...I might be able to point you in the right direction.

yea i am in florida, south florida actually. but i can figure out the speakers, but its just getting to them. if i had instructions to get the panels off without breaking anything, i'd be ok. i just need instruction, thats the reason i dont wanna just take it to a shop. i mean i'd like to learn but they wouldnt show me what to do. is there any sites online that could show me how to remove panels from a vechicle specific car?

also the reason i dont wanna buy off a place like crutchfield is if i dont know what im doing, and i need to take it in... it would be cheaper if i bought the parts at the install shop(probably wont be the same set-up. what if i bought the equipment and tryed to install the stuff, then what ever i couldnt do give to them? once i learn how to take the panels off i could do all the speakers with the right tools(crimper) but i just might get confused with the radio and amp(might be able to figure out radio) but its just i dont think i could to the amp.

i had the same problem.
i'm fully qualified to install, operate and maintain multi-million dollar electrical systems
and electronic equipment that's so technically advanced the average person never know
it exist until we get something better.
but i can't remove and replace a door panel or a console without cracking something.
that's why i pay an installer for my car. i can usually tell after a few question, because
of my technical background, their level of competence.
bottom line don't f?ck up your own car. unless you got money to burn, don't practice on your own car either.

o i am no where close to havig money to burn but i would like the experience and knowledge gained from installing. also i talked to a crutchfield rep and he was well educated and you can call them if you need help. i mean if i can sit on a phone and have them walk me through it then i'll be fine. its just that right now at this stand point i have no knowledge and nothing to go on

I have a good installer locally, I like to do stuff myself and let them clean it up, then go back and adjust what I want to. On my component install, I didn't need to adjust anything, it is setup really well. All the guys are required to be certified there. I think I might read the book myself and get certified just for the heck of it. I just don't have the time or a good place to tear down and do stuff properly. The boys there rewired everything in my car so it was clean through terminals etc, and only charged me for the component install...

my advice would be to buy a haines manual for you car. it's a complete tear down and rebuild of your car (including some pics). i have one for every car i own. it will tell you everything, from how to take the door panel off to what torque you need to tighten your lug nuts. best book out there. go for the install yourself. get the experience and save some money. best advice would take your time.

haynes or chilton?

either one will work. they are made by the same company. chilton is more "fancy" but when u work on cars as much as i do you get grease and ish on it and honestly, it's just more expensive. like 5 bucks more or somethin, but i'm a cheap skate so every cent coutns. go with haynes.

well the autozone by me sells chilton but the only have the rwd version

what kind of car?

1991 cadillac deville

so then i'm guessing yours if FWD.
check out this link
http://discountautorepairmanuals.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=darm&Product_Code=C38031-93&Category_Code=C

flsurf420: i think your best bet in your situation is to do it yourself intelligently. research what you want to get. then re-research. this site is a plethora of knowledge alone. once you know what your looking for, ask away on here. most members seem eager to help out newbies like ourselves. bottom line - in the end, its your car and your money. if you go through the internet to order your equipment, you'll save big, and youll probably learn plenty about audio in general just by working on this one project. hope i've inspired you.