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What would you do if your installer did this?

10K views 37 replies 25 participants last post by  wreklessracr 
#1 ·
Hi all, have a quick question for everyone. Farely new to the site, but an avid reader! Anyway, I have an '08 Cayman S I bought last month. I love audio, and hated the bose system, so I had a Pioneer X-920bt with Pioneer PDX-5 installed. It was done by a Houston car audio shop, National chain. Now when installed the manager said they had done several P's, and other high end cars. That being said, I provided them about 20 pages of excellent write ups from here, "just in case". Well, they did a decent job with the exception of a few things.

1. Terrible engine whine, solution: going to replace the RCA's with Shielded. Didn't hook up VSS, even though i showed them where. Didn't hook up illumination wire, even though shown where.
2. The put a 1/4" tear in the dash. They didn't point it out, but acknowledged it when I went back to complain. Their solution, have their "guy" repair it.
3. Now they told me the stereo was difficult to get out, but they neglected to tell me they destroyed the attachment sites on the stock radio, and scratched the bezel all up. Sad thing is, I am probably most irritated by this. Looks like a 16 y/o kid got frustrated and took a screwdriver to the stereo trying to get it out. Solution: ?????

I have yet to go back to tell them about knowing about the stereo. I was really nice when i went back with all other issues, and they offered to hook up the vss, but couldn;t guarantee it would be right, and wouldnt do the illum. wire since it wasn't in the harness.

My plan is to have them pay for a new stock stereo for if/when i decide to put it back to stock; have them pay for the dash piece. As for the rest, I don't want them touching the car again, so I will re-run the new RCA's myself.

Here are some images. Just curious at what you would expect them to do.

Thanks for input!
 
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#28 · (Edited)
Get the faceplate kit from Euromotor.. on e-bay. Its 250-275 depending on if you need the Bose option or not($25).

Not only does it have the faceplate filler thing that matches the rest perfectly, it has plates/rails that screw to a double din stereo, so the radio slides right in like the stock radio and clicks in to the 4 catches.

As for whine / noise.... check this guide out:
How To Diagnose and Suppress Noise
That will help you isolate your problem and fix it.

I had a decent amount of whine coming from my amp at first. I put a new heavier gauge ground wire grounded in the trunk very close to the amp. (instead of using the existing ground from the BOSE amp) That got rid of most of it. However, there is still a LITTLE whine.

So I'm going to attempt another solution to see if I can completely remove it. It involves getting a 2.2uF 20V cap from radioshack ($2 homemade filter) and wire tapping your power line to the amp as clost to the amp as possible. This works to remove the AC current "whine" coming from the alternator. (if thats the problem)

I'll post back my results.
 
#29 ·
UPDATE

I emailed the corporate store asking to speak with someone, but left my reasoning vague and didn't list the specific store. Anyway, the next day I got a call from the regional manager. HE took my name and pulled my ticket. I told him my story and how irritated I was at the lack of respect and professionalism. He agreed, and asked me to stop by and talk to the store manager. I had already planned to do this the same day.

So, I took 3 pages of pictures and a list of what was done and not done. He himself was pissed, and said he had never seen anyone remove a stereo that way. He asked what my expectations were and he said he would talk it over with the regional manager so we could resolve it.

My expectations are.

Replace CDR-24
Replace subwoofer
repair dash
refund the install $

It goes in for dash repair next week. I replaced the RCA's with shielded wires today, and am moving and remounting the amp tomorrow. Should have their response Monday.

Funny part, I called Porsche for prices for the stereo and sub. $1662 for the CDR-24, $262 for the sub. I bet they didnt like that number!

We'll see what happens!
 
#31 ·
Update:

Been a long month dealing with stereo issues and with the original installer. I finally got a call from the store manager, who has actually been nice to deal with, and he said the regional answer finally gave his input. The regional manager wants to refund 50% of my install, and pay for the subwoofer ($260). He states that since the damage to the stereo was on the back they are not willing to pay for it ($1660). The store manager said he didn't totally agree with the decision but it was out of his hands.

So, I called the regional manager and had a few choice words with him. I told him that I disagreed with his decision, especially since you could physically not secure the stereo back in the chassis. Of course, he said he was unaware of that and that he actually never saw the pictures of the damage. So, he says he will look at the pictures and "get back to me".

Not too happy about this, has really made my Porsche owning days a little gray! Anyway, I have completed the install with speakers and a sub, but that will be posted in another thread!
 
#33 ·
Small claims court. PITA, but you will get your unit replaced.

That is the price they pay for not investing enough money in the guys they turn loose on customer's cars.
 
#32 ·
Sorry to hear about all your problems. I hope the company steps up to the plate and refunds your money. I thought your demands were quite reasonable.

Good luck!
-Moto
 
#37 ·
So sorry to see this.
Although it's a little late now, rule of thumb with every service you pay for:
Never ever take the individual/company's word, always do your own research. The internet is your friend and people who have had problems/issues with anything, like to post about it. Unfortunately, people who have great service usually don't use as much energy posting about that. Such is the world.
If I can't find anything on them, I wouldn't use them. But if I think it might be OK, then I'll get references and ask to see similar work. That being said, it's very rare that I'll ever choose a business without already knowing a lot about them beforehand, so I know that they know what they are doing. Being a little OCD, I'll take pictures of the pre-work situation for my own protection. I'll also ask for written guarantees in some scenarios.
Hindsight being 20/20, your options?
If it is a national business, then you might just have them admit their mistakes and cough up to remedy their mess. Or....like many large businesses they might just decide to put you on the hamster wheel with their customer service/legal department in the hope that you just give up and go away. Once they realize you won't, then they will usually fix the issue. You just have to stand firm.
Remember, the internet is a bad place for them, should they choose to do the wrong thing. Like I said, people will pour a LOT of energy into things that make them mad.
Sorry this happened and I hope you find a speedy resolution. Their 'guy' shouldn't be involved, they have already betrayed your trust so that's not an option. Repairs should be assessed and performed by a known, reputable P car business. They are extremely easy to find thru a few Google searches. As with most things you generally always get what you pay for, albeit IMO with high end cars you sometimes get fleeced, or they will try.
Good luck.

PS - I replaced my stock in dash unit with another I bought from a forum member and it was very easy to find detailed guides on how to do this. It's an easy job to remove dash trim and there's a very simple mechanism to remove the sound system/AC control. They have no excuses.
 
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