Hi everyone,
I have some concerns and I need your help. I have installed about six alarms and I know that I am taking way too much time to complete the install. My average time is 5 hours. The installs I did have been on six different makes of vehicles. I do this part time with hopes of doing it full time, but I am not sure it is worth it. I very tired of the corporate world so I decided to take my love of installing audio equipment to the next level. I see a lot of people on here is MECP certified, I looked and took the pre-test for the basic and I had no problem. I am not bragging but I just wanted everyone to know that I have a background in electronics. I wanted to know if there are any schools in the Maryland/ Washington D.C./Virginia area that I can get some training. I charge very little to do these install on friend's vehicle. I do these install at the customer location since I do not have a shop. Most of my installs are on the weekend and since I am not an autorized dealer, I do not have any tech support, I mean besides asking everyone on here. Thanks everyone for the help on 12 volt as I could have not made with you. My only experience with vehicle electronics is installing stereo equipment. How can I improve my time as 5 hours is making this cost prohibted?
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MEH66
"Car Performance and Mobile Electronic Enthusiats"
Do your home work and prep all installation prior to getting the vehicle in the bay. This will reduce your installation time by 1/2 hour because you won't have to do all the leg work while under the dash. Another thing is when you can, use a module that will do everything for you. This takes less time and the customer get's charged for it either way ( time spent installing or module costs).
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Jeff
Velocity Custom Home Theater
Mobile Audio/Video Specialist
Morden, Manitoba CANADA
I'm not sure how much you're charging for installs, but as much as my shop charges, I'd be getting a huge raise even if I took 8 hours each. Perhaps you're letting your friends take advantage of you?
If you've only done six, five hours per install is quite good, especially if these are also remote starts. You'll be amazed at how fast you fly through a car the 3rd or 4th time you do it, but it takes a lot of cars under your belt before you're doing any particular model the 3rd or 4th time.
Me