Regal One

^^Yes. Just go and talk to him and he will work something out for you.

mrflood

Audio Illsuions quoted me $350-450. That's a crazy price...way too expensive just for the installation of components(w/ adapter plates), rear coaxials (w/ adapter plates)a 5 channel amp on a Mazda3.

I will have to look elsewehere.

mrflood

I have the 4 gauge power kit already. I forgot to mention the LOC that will need to be installed to go with the Stock Mazda3 deck (Anyone who knows about the Mazda 3 knows why I aint upgrading the deck).

The point is I have everything. All the shop will be doing is installing, and tuning. Are there anyone on these boards that own a shop or something, that can give me a better price?

Regal One

mrflood,

I thought I would wait a couple of days before responding to this post in order to see if anyone was willing to give you a significantly better price on your install. No replies yet.

You remind me of myself when I first got into car audio five years ago; unsure of how things work and somewhat naive about the costs.

See the thing is there may be a few items included in Arlindo's price that you didn't understand. For example:

-The speaker baffles are custom made of MDF and sealed to the factory mounting. (not prefabricated plastic that could rattle and buzz)

-You may have the wiring kit for the amp but that doesn't mean you're not going to need some other installation supplies that aren't expensive individually, but add up pretty quickly, such as:

-L.L.A. (Line Level Adapter) converts head unit power to RCA signal for source input to your amplifier. $30 each X 2(front and rear)

-Miscellaneous accessories such as the mounting board for your amplifier, carpet, extra wiring and terminals not included in your kit, clips, clamps, screws, looming for all wires, etc... ...it all adds up.

Plus, don't forget that it's going to take the better part of the day to complete this install; I think Arlindo probably would have quoted somewhere around six hours.

Not to mention the fact that you would have the best in the business doing all the work on your car, not some butcher that doesn't care about it.

See, it's all about the little things, like actually mounting the crossovers for your component set rather than just stuffing them up under the dash or something, and putting your door panels back on properly.

Attention to detail is everything.

I've been to a good portion of the car audio shops in the area, and had work done at a couple of them. I've experienced some of the butchery firsthand and let me tell you there is nothing worse than paying for an install and then paying someone else to fix it.

Through my experience, I would only recommend Arlindo at Audio Illusion; I will not let anyone else touch my car but him now.

[ July 09, 2004, 01:26 PM: Message edited by: Regal One ]