Stereo Nightmare

[titan44]

What I thought would be a simple install has turned into quite the experience for me. I know nothing about stereo installation and I usually go to circuit city or somewhere like that. I decided to go to more of a custom install place here in town.

I was replacing all four speakers with some clarion component speakers and a 4 channel amp for the speakers as well. Also I have a bazooka and seperate amp for that already from my last vehicle.

After the job is done I get in the truck and everything sounds fine. I start to drive away and I notice the engine revving is coming thru the speakers. Back to shop. They fix the problem.

Whe I get home I notice that rear left speaker is not working. I call them and tell them I will be back next day as I have to work. I go back next day and the tech that did my truck is not there. They recommend that I come back next day to talk to him. No big deal, the stereo sounds awesome even with one speaker out so I can wait a day.

Next day I go back and they take it in. Guy comes out says your all set. Great I think, that was fast. I get in my truck and now twoof the speakers are not working and my bazooka isnt booming like it was. The guy says I just need to turn bass back up as he turned it down but will check the speakers.

One hour later he comes out and says I need a high low converter but they need to order one as they are all out. WTF! Now Im pissed and the guy can see my eyes turning red and the steam coming out of my ears. He says he will get me a better part than the one they originally tried whatever that means

Three days later, still waiting for this high low converter(what is this?). I have one speaker working and my rear window doesnt work cause they forgot to hook it back up. Oh yea, and the engine revving sound is back in my one remaining speaker.

I wouldnt send my worse enemy back to this place but I want them to at least finish what they started. Hopefully tomorrow,

Shawn

[COTitan]

where is this place?
everyone really should post there location

[pciley]

I would get a complete refund and take your business elsewhere. You have no idea how these clowns installed your parts. I would not be happy even when everything was working if that shop performed the labor. Better yet, have them return everything to stock original condition so that another shop doesn't want to charge you labor to "UNDO" anything that this shop might have messed up. After they have put everything back as it was before you brought it in, start fresh with another shop. Try to find one that is recommended to you by a friend or neighbor or someone from work that they have done a great job for. Or, go back to a major retail chain like Circuit City or BEst Buy....

[titan44]

Its a shop in Las Vegas. Vegas AUto Sound. I would at the very least offer some equipment upgrade but to be honest I just want to get out of there with the job done

[smoketitan]

whoa??? the high low converter is actually a line out converter assuming they kept your stock HU. It is probably a cheap brand that has fried some of its inner workings. the engine sound may be from where they spliced into the factory wires as I dound they ran new wire through the doors as that is a pain in the "arse" if you ask me. If you look under your steering wheel colum you will see the wires running for the speakers, and since they are very thin if they touch any metal at all they will receive the engine sound. happened in mine so I thought it may help.

but the truth of the matter is that while it may take some time I highly recommend you do your insall yourself as the titan is new,and it has some crazy wiring--that tech from shops love to mess up, especially if they are new to the vehicle.

and like others said--go back to the store immedialtey--have them remove evertyhing and put it back to stock ASAP--then take it to a more reputable place--with installers over 20( the old guy is always the best)

[bestatchess]

Run, run fast!! These guys have no clue. My guess is by "high low converter" they are talking about a LOC or Line Output Converter. Explanation here:

http://www.crutchfieldadvisor.com/re...tml?page=4#loc

If you put it on a credit card you might be able to call the credit card company quick and protest.

[c_t_smith]

I had simmilar problems with my the install in my first car (around 14 years ago). I'd be extremely surprised if this shop is going to put everything back and give you a full refund. At this point, I think the best you can expect is for them to do the best job they're capable of (which still may not be all that great.) Even then, you may still end up needing to either fix it yourself or find a better installer to diagnose and fix it. From what I remember when I was really into car audio engine noise whine is usually caused by running power cables to the amp near the signal cables (the patch cord from the head unit to the amp w/ the RCA-style connectors) or a poor quality signal cable. You should make sure that they didn't run them next to each other - ideally they should be on opposite sides of the truck. You should also make sure that the signal cable is of decent quality. It shouldn't be extremely thin. I believe that there are filters that you can wire in to remove the noise, but they should be a last resort as they could reduce power and frequency response. Good luck.

[pciley]

Also make sure the signal cable for the amp is not running down the center of the vehicle. The whine you hear could be tranny or drive shaft if that wire is down the middle of the truck. You can diagnose this by listening to the whine. If the whine is speed sensitive and is independent of engine RPMs, then its driveline. If the whine is RPM related and independent of the vehicle's speed, then you are getting the interference mentioned by the guys above.

If it turns out the whine is from your speaker wires, try using something similiar to RockFord Fosgate's idea.
http://www.rockfordfosgate.com/ezcom...ize.asp?key=74
They basically "braided" in a third piece of wire that does not carry any signal or current. It helps drown out any interference and the shielding is a little better.
Or go to Lowe's / Home Depot and get the Monster Cable with the VERY thick shielding.
Hope this shop will end up resolving your issues.

I have seen some very poor installs, one of which had a 20ft signal wire and only needed a 10-12 ft. The rest of the wire was wound up and zip tied under the dash.. BAD IDEA. The longer the wire, the more potential for interference. Make sure they cut everything to length!
It sounds like these guys are just using short cuts to get the job done.

[bestatchess]

"The rest of the wire was wound up and zip tied under the dash"

Well at least they didn't wrap it around the alternator. I have seen a few networks jacked up by similar install techniques.

[JBWilkins]

Well....now I know where not to take my truck for a stereo in Vegas.......

[syntrix]

Originally Posted by titan44

Its a shop in Las Vegas. Vegas AUto Sound. I would at the very least offer some equipment upgrade but to be honest I just want to get out of there with the job done

I'm in Vegas, and I would not trust them to do an AM radio install in a $100 car!!

let me know if you have some time, we can review where they tapped into everything, and see what might go wrong in the future.

[titan44]

Originally Posted by syntrix

I'm in Vegas, and I would not trust them to do an AM radio install in a $100 car!!

let me know if you have some time, we can review where they tapped into everything, and see what might go wrong in the future.

Anytime man and thanks. They finished up the work today but Im still not convinced that its right by the sound. Also, the wiring looks different on the amps. It took them like two hours so Im guessing they couldnt figure out what they were doing wrong. The back speakers dont come thru loud and clear like the front ones. Maybe the amp settings are off. Its very frustrating but I cant put my finger on why the sound is off,

Shawn

[bestatchess]

You might think about small claims court if they have that in LV