Installation Time

Discussion in 'Car Audio Dealer and Installer Reviews' started by Khayman, Apr 29, 2010.

  1. Khayman

    Khayman Full Member

    How long should I expect it to take a professional installer to install the following

    Kendwood X994 H/U
    Focal 165VR Comps Front
    Focal 165CA Coax Rear
    JL 300/4 AMP (for comps and coax)
    JL 1000/1 Amp for Subs, subs already in box
    iPod cable to center console
    Steering Wheel control adapter

    Got a fear they are jerking me around on installation.

    Thanks
     
  2. Ranger SVO

    Ranger SVO Full Member

    It really depends on the car, but generally speaking, a pro might take between 4 to 6 hours. A professional is concerned with the quality of his work so he will take the time to do it right.
     
  3. Khayman

    Khayman Full Member

    okay, thanks. I do want them to do a good job, but an open ended amount of time at shop rate allows them to take as long as they like and keep charging me for it. They are saying 8-12 hours
     
  4. Ranger SVO

    Ranger SVO Full Member

    Again it does depend on the type of vehicle and what you expect. A custom amp rack or any custom work will take additional time. Also remember some vehicles can be a pain to work on. The time I gave you is just a general idea, it could take a little longer.
     
  5. eviling

    eviling Full Member

    I'd expect to not have you car all day.

    at the shop ive gotten work at, one that i trust. they charge 45 $ an hour, it's high but theyd o good work, i'd expect that anywhere if not more, as high as 65$ an hour as some places. but even that shop i know would break something..your best bet is..do it your self ;) here i'll run you through some of the steps to help you understand the steps.

    the biggest hassle is running power lines, and rca's, most corner pannels will either pop off or have pins, the pins can be simpley poped out, or they have a center pin that needs to be pushed in to released the whole pin holding the pannel down to the car.

    as far as the dash..most are held on with 2 or 3 screws, or simply pop off in some cases, take off any knobs or du dads, and wiggle it. just remember their will be a harness for your dash for your controls, for climent control and what ever is on your dashes UI. as far as wiring..match colors.. theirs usialy an orange line, whitch if i'm not mistaken is a hot line thats on when the car is on, and is meant for stock reciever back lights, idk about other decks, but any pioneer deck i've used didn't use that line, everything else just either soder or crimp to the matching color to the harness with your car, to the harness that comes with your deck.

    everything else is hot to hot, ground to ground, you can bolt the ground to your trunk, under your back seat. mines connected to my rear seat seat buckle. bolted right down through the bolt that holds it down. solid connection, so you're really only running 1 power line and thats the hot from your battery. make sure youd ont mix up the polaritys of your speakers, it'll screw up the phasing and what not. they won't project to a stage properly. the rest i'd just google. might even be able to talk to the shop forman of the shop you planned on doing it with, they aren't worried about loosing your buisness, they will give you advise.

    for speakers, hopfull your rear speakers are above your trunk they are easy to do. for door pannels...first, if your hand kranked, get the tool to remove them, its about 6$ and will save you a massive headache, you'll find it at your local fix em up shop by the door excessorys, such as door knobs and hand kranks. autozone by me had the tool right below it, its a peice of flat metal, that'll slide behind the krank and pop the pin off so that the krank will come right off, the unscrew your door handle, and any screws, check bottoms and sides for pins, and behind door hand rail, they like to hide them. for me, they also had pins that snap into holes on the doors, they simply pop off, just takes a bit of force. start on the bottom corner, furthest from the hinge, and try to start pulling it off.
    hopefully you decide to take the adventure, if you really don;'t know anything about cars or wiring..might want to avoid this all toegther and just sport the 250$ to professional install, but i like the satisfaction of doing it my self.
    always remember youtube has videos for everything, and google is your best friend ;)
     
    Last edited: May 1, 2010
  6. eviling

    eviling Full Member

    oh, and nice gear by the way, that system will sound perfect. those speakers are awsome, and those amps are epix good.
     
  7. Khayman

    Khayman Full Member

    Thanks, the gear is going into a 2001 Durango R/T, nothing custom. I thought about doing the work myself but decided not to due to time restrictions.
     
  8. bigaudiofanatic

    bigaudiofanatic Full Member

    Where are you located OP?