My stereo was not working and I went to a lot of places to have them check why, but all I got was sass. Yet here they welcomed me, charged me a very fair price, and fixed the problems quickly! I wouldn't go anywhere but here they have no ego communicate well and just wholeheartedly want to help! read more

I can't say enough good things about this place. I took my daughter's car there several times and I always leave very satisfied with their work. The lady inside the office (the owner) is very nice and very helpful with any and all questions you may have. If you need alarm or stereo installation, try the "BEST", you will not be disappointed. read more

I've had to go here twice to get a breathalyzer installed and to follow up. The first time the woman took her mask off and blew air directly at me even though we're in the middle of a pandemic. I had to go back because she messed up the form that the dmv needs which I learned after spending over an hour there. She immediately got defensive and talked over me when I told her what the problem was and it was only after multiple conversations that she acknowledged that this is a mistake she has made multiple times in the past. She also took her mask off during this encounter. Horrible customer service and just overall incompetence. Go ANYWHERE else! read more

I had a small problem with a radio I bought from them 6-7 years ago. They fixed it in 2 minutes , no charge, all smiles. I liked my experience back when I bought the radio too . . . read more

Great service and friendly people. I dropped my car off to have a DVD/stereo player installed and they did it within 2 hours. They also have a wide selection of stereo systems for your car. And if they don't have it in stock, they can get the model you want for a reasonable price. I would highly recommend Best Auto Radio to anyone! read more

DON'T !!!!!!!!!!! I read the reviews and saw mostly 5 star ratings. I think I might have seen 2 very low ratings. So I was sold. Odd coincidence, a friend and I were joking that some of the owners or their friends and relatives write the reviews. After this place - it can't be too far from the truth. I couldn't insert CD's in my car player. It had the message, 'reading CD' but when we tried to eject - nothing came out. We made an appointment with Best. I thought I found a gem; I got a courtesy call reminding me of my appointment, The woman at the front desk came outside to get information because I'm allergic to dogs and she had one in her office. She seemed knowledgeable, she said no problem, then suggested we buy our own replacement and they'd install it. We'd save a lot of money. We dropped the car off; they said it would take about an hour, so we went to get coffee, that was between 9:40 - 9:45. At about 11:05 they called and told us the car was ready, but the CD would only go in some of the time. Translation - it still doesn't work. We got a bill for $104.00!!! Considering they spent 1/2 hour, at most, installing a part we purchased, AT THEIR RECOMMENDATION I might add. All they had to do was install. We asked the women who HAD been such a great help why it was so expensive? Her immediate response was...."it wasn't our part, you bought that", clearly missing the point. We said we were aware they were not responsible for the defective part; our question was the cost for no more than 1/2 hour labor, ESPECIALLY CONSIDERING, there's a statement at the bottom of the estimate there's a refund for the installation charge, or something to that effect. Of course, for some odd reason, it didn't count in our case. We weren't even asking for the entire $104.00. Unless that $104.00 is half an hour. Means $208.00 for an hour. It probably isn't that much to fix an airplane. Now that I think about it, might be friends and relatives giving the 5 stars. read more

Ok for me i only needed my stereo speakers to work right. I had bought a 03 dodge ram a few years back and it had a sweet Nakamichi deck a couple of crossovers and added tweeters. After taking it into the dealer for a recall airbag component, the stereo started clippin and shorting out part of the speakers. I could have takin it back to the dealer but was reluctant for a few reasons i wont ad to this review. Anyways i suffered with it as long as i could before trying to figure it out. I looked up the car audio shops in the area i was for the day and started calling, the first one was Street Sounds (phone was busy so i knew they were there) since they were the closest i stopped by. Alex helped me, took a look and said my equipment was seriously old (06 setup) and that i would need to leave my vehicle for a couple hours since they have no waiting room. I was not prepared to do this so took his number. Then i saw Best Audio listed and called, woman answered and gave options. Drive there and she had me pull into a bay, heard what i had to say and said it would be $59 to take a look and diagnose which could be taking off any purchase. Well after pulling whom i assume was William (knowlegeable hispanic fellow) off of a job in the bay next to me. He took a look after hearing what my issues were and found during the recall replacement at the dealer the rear speaker wires (when i bought the truck it must have had some sweet rear speakers that i didnt get) were touching and shorting out the right side speakers. He wrapped them up and did the same to the exposed set on the drivers side and wah la! So I haggeled a little with the lady running the place and she gave me a break of $40. Not sure what has happened to others but i was in and out of their in 15 mins and happy with the results. I would consider them for future work, the place from the outside does look a lil seedy and the prices for labor are not posted but all in all im happy and for me thats all that matters. read more

Good fast same day service. Nice family owed. Happy with my amp installation. They really go above and batons totally recommend!

Terrific experience! Can't thank Patty and her crew enough for making knowledgeable recommendations, offering great prices, and doing very clean work on my car. Plus they made it all really easy and stood by the product even when it had a problem out of their control. Could not be happier ... And my new stereo is awesome!!! read more

Do not trust them. I took my car there because the radio was working on-and-off after a long roadtrip with a packed-full trunk. They had me wait for 10 minutes while someone looked at it, then they told me it would cost me $250 to fix a part "hidden inside" the speaker in the trunk that I couldn't see. Yea right. So I took it home, opened the trunk, and saw that some packing tape was stuck on a stereo wire; must have been leftover from the roadtrip. I removed the piece of tape, and voila, the radio never had an issue after that. These people definitely saw the tape and yet tried to convince me to waste my money on total nonsense. read more

Wow. I went to see what they had and make an appointment. 1/2 hour later I drove home with my new stereo installed. They were really nice, helped me chose the right unit for me and fast as lightning. They told me they could do it in 45 minutes, did it in 30. Doing business these days is rarely this pleasant. If it weren't for all the hip electronics, I might have thought I was back in the 50's. read more

Absolutely the worst. She'll lie to you with a smile on her face. The installation took 5 attempts. They broke mounting tabs on the dash and glove box latch. The wiring they did was sloppy and amateurish at best. The system worked for almost 2 weeks before the antenna wire they kinked shorted out. They totally gouge on the prices for parts and labor. I can only assume that the folks giving them good reviews haven't seen behind their dashboards. Do yourself a favor and shop somewhere else! It pains me to give them the one star Yelp requires to post. I wouldn't let them work on a Radio Flyer wagon. read more

Patty was super nice and helpful when I was choosing my new deck. Tras was very nice and helped by checking the fluids in my car before I left. I'm not sure who installed my deck but it looks and works great. Super friendly super helpful. I would recommend them for sure. read more

So many things. I will sum up what the problems were. First, they acted as if a 13W3 was a bargain in a box for 300 dollars. I asked them if the (ported) box was built to JL specs. They said yes. That's the first lie. It was built WAY under spec for a ported, and the only way the 13.5" fit the box was to cut the hole larger, which they did, as the box was actually made for 12" ported subwoofers. Second, I paid almost 300 for them to rewire my system and retune it. The rewiring was admittedly very nice. Unfortunately the tuning was terrible. They didn't really retune it, all they did was put the gain AND bass boost at 100% on my mono block amp. They didn't even touch the 4 channel. What resulted was this: even though the 13w3 was getting theoretically around 300 watts from my amp at 8 ohms (it can handle 600w rms), the gain was set so high that the sub started popping after two months of use. I noticed the popping and took it back to them. They listened and told me that the sub was "breaking" and that I needed to have them send it to JL for "fixing". What was really the problem, as others more educated in car audio have told me, is that the gain and the bass boost were set way too high. They boosted the mono amp in order to make the sub sound "better". They said it could take up to a month or more to get it fixed by JL and get it sent back. I didn't bother, as others looked at the sub and told me there was nothing wrong with it, the gain and boost were just set too high. Third: I noticed after I purchased the sub that there was actual water damage on the subwoofer's box and magnet. This could have something to do with the fact that they sold me stock from 2008. I bought this sub "brand new" in 2011. There's not much else to say. I wouldn't recommend "best" auto radio to anyone. Aside from they overcharging for cheap components, they don't know anything about car audio and they don't deserve your money. Do yourself a favor and take your car to a company that is certified to sell JL, Alpine, or other major brand components and not some company run by two people who shouldn't be selling car audio. I deeply regret my decision to deal with this company and have since learned my lesson, if you want something done right, take it to the real pros or learn how to do it yourself! read more

My guitar amplifier blew a speaker and I needed to replace it the same day. Radio shack didn't have one but they suggested I take it to a car stereo store. I found best audio online and explained what I needed. They told me to come right in so I did. It turned out they didn't have the size speaker I needed but did have the next size up. The woman told me that if it didn't fit I could bring it to the store and they would make it fit. What she neglected to tell me was that they have a policy that prohibits refunds. So I brought the speaker home and realized it would never fit the box. A couple of days later I brought the basically unopened box with the receipt and asked for a refund. The woman pointed to some incredibly small writing on the receipt and said "look, it says no refund" . Since I had no need for the speaker I told her she could have it. I lost a hundred bucks on them . I have rarely encountered a business that will not take back a pristine barely opened piece or merchandise with a receipt but this is one. I found these people to be sleazy and dishonest. Stay away at all costs! read more

Best Auto Radio was the worst retail experience I ever had, EVER! WOW! Where do I start? They are not familiar with the products they sell, they sold me a different model of speakers that what I requested (my fault for trusting that they know what they're talking about I guess) and refuse to accept a return for a new, unopened product the day after it was bought, even though it was bought only on their recommendation. I was looking for audio speakers for my car. I called around to dealers that were listed on the manufacturers website for the Bay Area. I called several before calling Best and none has the models I was looking for in stock. I called Best and told them the model numbers for what I was looking for. I was told that they had one in stock, but the other one was an old model number. She told me the new number and said she had that one as well. I made the drive from Fremont to Berkeley the next day. This was farther than I wanted to go for these. But since they said they had what I wanted in stock and I would only have to go there one time, I wasn't too concerned about this. When I got there, the same person I spoke to on the phone the day before, the owner - I can't remember her name, was there and she remembered our conversation. I told her again the speaker model numbers I wanted. She got them and I again asked her if she was sure about what she said was a 'new' model number. She said yes, it was just changed by the manufacturer. I actually trusted her and took her word for it...my fault I guess. I got home, opened the boxes, one was what I wanted but realized the other one, which she told me was the replacement for what she called an 'old' model number was something completely different. I didn't even bother to take these out of the box as it wasn't what I wanted, I just closed it back up. I went back the next day, the same lady was there, I explained to her what happened and she refused to take her unused speakers back, even though she was the one that insisted that this was the same thing and an updated new model of what I wanted. Her solution - I should have checked before I bought them. I guess she doesn't even trust her own advise. So I ended up having to make an additional trip to Berkeley and I still didn't get what I wanted. I contacted the manufacturer since Best is a 'factory authorized' dealer. I explained to them what happened, and they said its not surprising since she (owner) refuses to go to any of their trainings or dealer support events. All she wants to do is sell product and not be knowledgable about it. They also contacted another of their authorized dealers in my area and arranged for me to take the speakers back to them and exchange them for what I wanted. Even though the ones I wanted cost more, they didn't charge me for them since they thought I was already inconvenienced enough by the poor service I received at Best. So in the end I got what I wanted, but it was a difficult process and took a lot longer thanks to the very poor service I received from Best (worst) Auto Radio. I would never go back and I would not recommend anybody going to Best Auto Radio. I would give them 0 stars if Yelp would allow it. read more

Not yet 6 months later, but the speakers inside the doors have come so loose, that there is very loud rattle every time the dors are opened and closed, and as I an driving on uneven surfaces (pretty much all the time). Now I have to redo the whole thing. Very frustrating and disapointing. read more

Don't do it! Notice how all the good reviews are within the first few days.. These people are shady. Everyone I know who goes there has to go in every month because something gets broken.... Every month I go in and they say my amplifier has broken again and try to charge me. I went to a different shop and I've never had a problem since. Once again these people are shady and not realistically priced... do not go here. read more

Always very helpful and fair - even when I admit I'm a DIY-er and they only assist in parts of the installation!!

This review is late, but deserved. I bought a new radio last July and I am more pleased with it every time I listen to it. Its far better than the "factory radio." More important is the great customer service they provided. I went back three times because the radio is fairly complicated for an old guy. But the technician was very patient and helpful. I highly recommend Best Auto Radio. read more

Picked up a harness and radio installation kit for my Nissan. Cost me $49.95. Went on-line and saw both of the products (exact part numbers), installation kit $10.99, wire harness $2.99, doesn't add up to $49.95. I immediately returned these two products that were marked up 400%. If you go to this business, be prepared to be ripped the hell off. Shop around it will save you a grip of money. I don't know about you, but I'm no millionaire read more

Went in to get my auxiliary box powered up to the battery. Did it in less then 5 minutes and I couldn't be happier with now being able to play my own music in my car . 2006 Ford Mustang read more

After I shorted my HVAC/Radio circuitboard due to a faulty jumpstart, I took my G35 to an Infiniti dealership and was quoted $1,100 to repair it. Best Auto Radio and Phone fixed it for $100 in an hour. In an industry where it seems everyone is out to upsell you and take your money, it felt good that there are still businesses that prioritize helping their customers over profits. 5 stars for restoring a bit of my faith in humanity and superb work! read more

Good people fast service, fast installation and the dog is cool too, prices are nice they also have deals if you don't want anything too fancy, my first time here and it was smooth read more

This has been a long time coming! These guys are REAL business people. They offered to fix my broken amp, (a kenwood and an old X-plod) Before they just took it and tried to fix it they made sure it was actually broken. They checked it and the wires in my car and gave me a price to fix one amp and the price for better wiring for my car. they are a small garage with lots of stuff. THEY WANT TO TAKE CARE OF YOU!!! HONEST AND HELPFUL. They really arent that expensive for installation. Best buy is expensive and if you have problems after the fact good luck getting back in. These guys know what they are doing, and can make it happen. FIX CAR AMPS INSTALL CAR AMPS NICE. done. ill be back if I need anything. read more

I SHOULD GO TO HEAVEN FOR TELLING THE PEOPLE NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH. NEVER GO HERE UNLESS YOU HAVE MONEY AND TIME TO WASTE. They told me 850 for my pioneer 1000rms watt speaker with installation. At the end of the day it came out 1200 out of no where to also put in my deck 350 to put in a deck wow ok I got money who cares? me why because my deck doesn't play my DVDs but worse they broke the portion of my car surrounding my deck it's a $9000 car 2002. My deck cannot stay there properly and I'm on my 5th week waiting for them to fix it I'll TRY TO POST PICS NOW I SWEAR THEY WILL ROB YOU read more

Jay Mehren is a young guy who also happens to be an old-fashioned businessman, you know, honest as the day is long...someone who enjoys his work and takes pride in it. Jay knows his stuff about radios and all manner of electronics. He's someone you can depend on. As a woman who has had her share of men in the automotive industry try to con her or sell her stuff she didn't need, etc., etc. I am always happy to come across someone I can trust. Jay comes recommended highly by John Wansick at Fairmount Auto in El Cerrito, certainly one of the East Bay's most trusted and beloved auto mechanics. If you have any electronics problems, radio, TV, streaming boxes, etc. you might want to check with Jay before you recycle or replace them. You'll definitely get good service and straight answers. read more

I've been a loyal customer to these guys and they are simply the best. I brought my BMW and they fixed up with an amp, sub and speakers for a very fair price and MY CAR THUMPED! After a year of use, I had a bit of a problem with the amp, brought it in, William replaced it with a better one, for only 35 bucks! He also upgraded my subwoofer just because he's awesome. You can't find a better place in the East Bay for fair priced, efficient car stereo work. read more

I wanted to upgrade my stock car radio for my Nissan Altima (2006). William showed me a Pioneer radio DVD with AM/FM, Bluetooth, & AUX /USB inputs. I also asked for a backup camera and steering wheel controls as well. Parie (the owner) was very courteous and gave me an excellent price with installation. I dropped my car to the shop location and she also transported me to my workplace. William performed a profession installation in 3 hours and gave me a demo of the finished audio project upgrade. Works and runs great! Very pleased with his knowledge. Would highly recommended their car audio product lines and technical services to new prospective customers! read more

My power antenna was ripped out of its housing as it was going through the washer at the local Car Wash. The car wash owner agreed to pay for the replacement. I took it to (Best Auto Radio) and a young man named (William ) had my antenna on and working within half an hour. I've gone to many other car repair places but this was one of the best Ive come across. I had been told the part would be hard to find, 84 Toyota Cressida SL/ 96,000 mls,, but they found it within, 45mins.and put it on in, 30mins. Thank you you are a great company, please don't leave, Berkeley, we need you!!! read more

I've been to Best Audio to have systems installed in two different cars as well as a duplicate remote programmed. I have a Cadillac CTS - not an easy installation and was a bit worried. William did an amazing job!!! Installation great! Looks good! Sound is great! They really know what they're doing. Smooth dealings all the way around. I couldn't be happier. Thank you. read more

Highly recommend this place. I needed a new stereo system- or so i thought. The owner showed me all the options available instead of pointing me to the most expensive. What she suggested to save me money (even though i wasn't pinching pennies and was prepared to get something expensive) was adding a blue tooth to my current system. I had no idea i could do that. It was done in less than an hour. She gave me the choice of trying it out and giving me credit for a stereo system if i didn't like the sound. And yes she put the promise in writing. I haven't been back because i am very satisfied with the blue tooth. I can even talk on the phone and be heard clearly. I'm a happy customer! read more

First, let me say I recently purchased a Kenwood car audio w/ CD, Pandora enabled, USB port (iPhone/iTouch compatible) and although it took me a few days to figure out all the features, I love it. I came to Best because of a botched install job from a place in El Cerrito. They were able to troubleshoot my problem in a few minutes, and gave me a comparable alternative to the wire I was using. However, after a day I knew it was not the right way to go. The adapter used an un-used stereo frequency that sounded static-y, even with a cut out switch they installed. After driving back to the shop, Patty was very helpful and sold me the new Kenwood for not much more than what I paid for the new wire. And it sounds great! The only recommendation I would make it that they better familiarize themselves with stereos that have an iPhone interface. A little more explanation the first time I went there would have saved me an extra trip. But in the end, I was happy. I'd recommend Best over any other local installers. read more

Great service! Helped resolve my issue in minutes. Recommend this business!

The people here are very nice. The woman who I assume owns the business was happy to answer all of my questions and didn't try to talk me into anything, she just offered up the facts I wanted. Installation ended up taking a lot longer because they had to take out the passenger seat, rewire some stuff, and custom build a mount to fit in my oddly shaped dash, but they still didn't charge me a dollar more than we had originally agreed on. I was also very pleased with the final product. Don't let the appearance scare you away, these are good people. read more

called to get a quote Patty answered with a very fair price for what I needed.she called me Saturday to let me know that I could bring my car in if I wanted I said I would be in Tuesday morning .showed up and I meet her installer William very kool guy knows his STUFF INSIDE OUT.I was very satisfied with what he did for my car .he even took pictures for me to show me what he did with the dynmat on door panels.wow this guy takes his JOB with a PASSION! THANKS AGAIN BOOTH OF YOU"S AWESOME JOB I WILL BE BACK YOU CAN BET ON THAT!SINCERLEY LOUIS read more

I received excellent service. Professional interactions. Very happy with the final product. Highly recommend.

These people helped me quickly and efficiently one recent Saturday when I arrived, without an appointment, with a faulty satellite radio antenna. They easily diagnosed the problem and fixed it, all in less than thirty minutes. They are courteous and they communicate clearly exactly what they are doing. read more

These guys are amazing. William and Pari did a great job on the speakers in such a short time. Their prices are reasonable and the speakers sound great. I tend to be a bit picky with this stuff, and when William was installing everything he let me watch the whole process. Nice people and will be back to visit should I need their services again. Pari has also become a good friend :) read more

"Best audio"!!!! they chose the right name they really are the best...good customer service and quick audio installation...i researched many different options, comparing prices and deals. Best audio was far cheaper then all the places i looked at and they were very friendly and put some great sound in my honda. Thx read more