I spent over $9,000 here, and three months later I'm paying another shop to diagnose and repair the…read moreinstallation.
I brought my car in for an amplifier, subwoofer, custom enclosure, and lithium battery installation. Initially, the service and communication were great. Unfortunately, that changed after the payment was processed.
A lithium battery I paid for was never installed, the wrong custom emblems were made and installed on the enclosure he built, and my headrest was removed during the installation and never put back. Getting these issues addressed required months of repeated follow-up. On multiple occasions he would ask for my availability, I'd respond, and then hear nothing. As recently as last weekend, he asked on Saturday whether I could come in that day or Sunday. I responded within minutes and was ghosted again.
Then, only three months after the installation, the subwoofer enclosure worked itself loose and the system began cracking badly enough that I stopped using it to protect the equipment. At this point, I was still waiting for the correct emblems and a refund for the battery that was never installed.
When I told him the three month old installation was having a serious problem, there was absolutely no sense of urgency. I was offered yet another tentative appointment for "next week." After months of chasing someone to finish work I had already paid for, I wasn't willing to continue risking thousands of dollars in equipment while waiting, so I arranged for another shop to diagnose and repair it.
I went in today and received the correct emblems and my battery refund, so those issues are now resolved. However, there was no apology or acknowledgment of the installation problem. When I explained that another shop would be looking at it, I was told the subwoofer and amplifier were under warranty, but the installation work wouldn't be covered unless his shop inspected it. That was exactly the problem: I had repeatedly been trying to get the car back into his shop and couldn't get him to follow through on scheduling it.
The system sounded great when it was working. But that doesn't make up for poor communication and a lack of accountability once something goes wrong.
This became a matter of integrity. I shouldn't have to chase someone for months to finish work I already paid for, show up in person to retrieve a part of my own car, or pay another shop to fix a $9,000+ installation because the original installer wouldn't make addressing it a priority.
If you care about your car, consider spending your money somewhere that still cares about it even after they've collected your payment.