Pro-Installation vs. Do it yourself

   well i consider myself  a pro and the right way is to make sure u have every thing u need before u start .for example wire harness for both the new head unit and ur factory wiring and make sure to us the right fitting to get them together currectly.I always cap off wires i dont use with butt connector or schrink rap it works well.(cause u never know)As for mounting them i try to stay pretty close to a factory look so i do use mounting kits.because some times if u just replace the units with out them u get a gap here or its a little off set on one side and stuff like that.As for welding wire,its pretty much if i have the time and if the customer askes for this wish is not so often.hope thsi help.xavierny25

by the way make sure u have the right tools the are very inportent when u do this stuff i ve been to many shops where they look like they know what there doing and try to put connecters on with a channel lock.there is alway the right tool for every thing and that not it.hope this helps

Some installers are excellent, some just plain suck.

I just fixed a bad ground on my sister's GM starter-kill gizmo......professionally installed at the dealership!! I bet my dad payed $500 for that piece of junk and the crack-head who installed it!

The AAA guy thought the battery and alternator were bad and the starter solenoid was stuck all at the same time......Duuuuuhhhh!!!!  He even had some fancy machine to tell him all of that!

Professionals either cost too much or they just suck.

I find myself fixing lots of messed up wiring and doing systems on the side. I make decent money, alot of people see my work and realize that they would never get the same results at big name stores and quick-shops. Even with the worlds best installers in the bay, the management doesn't let them do the right thing all of the time. It's a market like that that leaves lots of room for 'independents'

You just have to watch out, I only deal with people who seem cool. I always back up my work, but I refuse business from people who drive $50,000 cars and want something done for extra cheap, that always seems suspicious and I don't want to be taken to small claims court over some bs claim. Maybee I'm just paranoid, but I've known a few 'indi' mechanics who were accused of nonsense like "my brakes don't work anymore" after they changed a lightbulb for the brake light!  So, if you seem like one of those people, I won't even deal with you, go to circuit city!

depends on your experience, the quality of the work that the installers do at the shop you plan on having the installation, return policies of the store you are buying it from, and the liability of screwing up your vehicle

i guess the end result of this is to know your own limitations.... if you feel confident planning and executing your own install then by all means do it..... but if you dont feel confident then it is best left to someone else....

one of the rules i live by is.... every one has their forte... do what you do well and leave what you don't do well to someone who does it better.....

i cant remember who's bio signature line was... " jack of all trades, master of none " but that seems to sum things up in my opinion

i do most of my posting helping guys in the Remote Starter section and i cring at the number of posts from guys who just dove into a complicated remote starter install without a sniff of what they were doing... if you respect your vehicle, only attempt what you are confident you can do safely and properly.... if your not sure, leave it to some one who knows.....

whats up guys, so far you guys got mixed reviews about whether or not we should go with professional installations or do it ourselves. In my opinion, we should definitely do everything ourselves because 99.999% of the shops are rip offs. If any of you guys live in southern california, you should stay away from Fry's in Anaheim, Rainbow Sound in Westminster and the rest of the shops around there because they are all craps. They call themselves professionals but their works resemble something assembled in the dark. Installers at Fry's even used clear scotch tapes to cover their wires and they charge like $70 for the whole installations. Dont you guys agree, wat the f*** is that? So, in conclusions, do not bring anything to shops unless you are totally clueless about what you are doing, but not to be biased, I also agree that there are a lot of honest and excellent shops with very damn good installers. So before you think about going to a shop for anything, ask around for the quality of the installers or the rep of the shop. these two factors are very important when choosing a shop.

i would certainly disagree with your blanket statement that 99% of install shops out there are rip-offs....

what i recommend is that if you are considering getting work done at a specific install shop, ask to view the install area... the work area, benches, office etc..... if all the benches are clean and organized then i would suspect their work will be too.... if their install shop bench areas looks like a cyclone just went through it,  this is indicative of the pride they take in themselves, their work environment and most likely the work they do.....

boiled down, a sloppy shop is most likely the one to do sloppy work........