2008 Highlander Bad Install?

[bigbangtheory 5,000+ posts]

Sounds like you are giving them hell, as you should be. Good job sir! Hope you get everything straightened out.

 

[greynolds 10+ year member]

Here are some pictures I took a few minutes ago. The lighting obviously isn't great this time of night and I've only got the flash built into my camera, but I think these are good enough to show most of the problems.

This shows the radio and a good chunk of the dashboard:

Here's a closeup of a few tool marks on the left side of the radio trim kit:

And a closeup of some more tool marks on the right side of the radio trim kit and vents:

Here are some showing the cargo area fully covered. Note that the cover just behind the rear seats sitting below the floor is just stuck there - there's no longer anything really holding it in place where it previously clipped onto other panels:

Here are some pictures with that front cosmetic cover removed:

Here a few pictures of the subwoofers exposed:

 

[greynolds 10+ year member]

Here are a few pictures with all the flooring covers removed. The small red wire is going to my rear cigarrette lighter as I asked them to convert that to always be on. They tapped the power for it off of the amp.

Here's an upsidedown shot of the rear floor cover they made. Notice how there's nothing to support it in the front:

And finally a shot of the cover that hides the subwoofers. Again, note that there's no support in the middle of it, so anything that has any weight will just go right through and damage both the cover and the subwoofers:

If I get some time with better lighting, I'll try to get some better shots tomorrow afternoon. From the pictures you can probably see why I'm not completely bent out of shape about the damage to the dashboard - it really isn't too bad. No excuse for it, but I'm a lot more concerned about the rear floor.

Here are a few pictures I took previously of the rear cargo area:

 

[TSGP]

As long as you originally told them...

"i need to be able to to haul decent loads back there"

There is almost no way they'll be able to make it as strong as the original floor was, so thats asking for a lot IMO.

The dash i would DEFINATELY raise hell about, they used a pick to pop that panel off, they should have used a dynomat tool or plastic pry so it doesn't do that to the wrapped dash.

Looks like they just had the shop ***** do the deck and the real installer did the rest of the install.

I would have tapped into the amp for the rear cig lighter also, its either there or run up behind the dash and since its right there I would have went there too.

What are you expecting them to do on the cover panel? What kind of support can you really do that will let the floor hold the same amount of weight as it did from factory? You could do studs...but those panels can still bend and break.

You should have done a fiberglass install on one side of the vehicle and put grilles on them if you are worried about the floor bending...but thats just my opinion

 

[greynolds 10+ year member]

As long as you originally told them...
"i need to be able to to haul decent loads back there"

There is almost no way they'll be able to make it as strong as the original floor was, so thats asking for a lot IMO.

They had every opportunity to say that they wouldn't be able to make the floor strong enough and we would have gone with plan B (whatever that may be). I probably would have had them simply put the amp into the well, opted for better speakers, and skipped the subwoofers entirely. Perhaps that's a solution that can be pursued.

I would have tapped into the amp for the rear cig lighter also, its either there or run up behind the dash and since its right there I would have went there too.

I have no complaints over how they handled the power for the cigarette lighter. I just mentioned it in case anyone was wondering what it was for.

What are you expecting them to do on the cover panel? What kind of support can you really do that will let the floor hold the same amount of weight as it did from factory? You could do studs...but those panels can still bend and break.

At a minimum, there should be blocks on each side of the amp to support the floor. They've left a huge open area on each side there with absolutely no support for the floor. They should also be able to put some support on either side of the front center amp mounting point. Similarly, the subwoofer cover should at least have a support in the middle between the 2 subwoofers. As things are, I can't even put simple stuff like groceries in the back. I use the rear of my vehicle to carry cargo and made that VERY clear when we discussed options. If they didn't feel it could be constructed well enough to support weight, they had every opportunity to say so and should have.

Perhaps there's another subwoofer option that can be used that could be mounted in another location. For example, the rear of the front center console has a huge storage cavity in it that is accessible from behind the front seats. Perhaps a smaller subwoofer could be mounted in there, the amp moved to the storage cavity under the rear floor, and the rear flooring could be swapped back to what I had previously. Also, the JBL factory systems put a subwoofer in the rear cargo door - perhaps doing something in there would be an option.

I'm definitely open to options, but I'm not willing to give up floor space in the cargo area and I'm not willing to give up (much) strength in the floor.

You should have done a fiberglass install on one side of the vehicle and put grilles on them if you are worried about the floor bending...but thats just my opinion

Do you mean install the subwoofers in the cargo area instead of under the floor? If so, that's not an option as I use the cargo area to carry stuff. My goal is to have an SUV with a nice sound system, not an audio show vehicle that can't be used for anything else. I wouldn't have gotten an SUV if I didn't need to carry stuff in the back.

 

[TSGP]

I understand totally about using the suv to haul things.

What we've done in a few cars is molded into one of side panels of suvs, and done a single 10 or 12 firing to the side just to add some low end, and you still end up with 85% of the cargo area useable.

I agree they did skimp on some things, but I look at things a little differently then most people //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

They could go back through and add strips to add some support for sure, and what they SHOULD have done is recessed the subs in at least 3/4'' so theres no way they can be damaged unless you set something down straight on them.

I also didn't realize the factory floor of the highlander was suspended like that, was there any support in the factory piece?

The install looks "clean" for sure, but they should have known better then to try to do something like that...if you are doing a hidden install, all it takes is some common sense to understand the customer is going to be putting things back there.

but 100% RAISE PURE HELL about that dash, unless they make it where you can't see it, or where its hard to see. Because if you ever get rid of the truck thats going to hurt your trade in.

They have insurance, go get em.

 

[greynolds 10+ year member]

I agree they did skimp on some things, but I look at things a little differently then most people //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

Saying that they skimped on some things is being generous, IMO.

They could go back through and add strips to add some support for sure, and what they SHOULD have done is recessed the subs in at least 3/4'' so theres no way they can be damaged unless you set something down straight on them.

I've been thinking about ways to resolve the problem all week and your suggestion of recessing the subs (if there's height to work with) is part of the solution. The other thing that should have been done is to mount the amplifier lower and then build a bridge of 1/2" or 3/4" plywood or MDF over it. Drill some 2" holes in that bridge for ventilation if needed. Then sink the subwoofers lower, if possible, and construct essentially a window pane grid over them. Even if it sacrifices sound quality a bit, it would be worth it to be able to use the cargo area again. Basically, the entire subfloor should be at the right height for the masonite panel to just sit on it. The only openings in it should be ventilation for the amp, if needed, and some openings for the sound from the subwoofers to get out.

I also didn't realize the factory floor of the highlander was suspended like that, was there any support in the factory piece?

You see the only support for it in the 2nd to last photo of the 2nd picture post. The factory floor piece is strong enough to be supported only at the front and back and support a lot of weight in the middle. I'm a big guy and it can easily support all my weight if I need to crawl around in the back for whatever reason.

but 100% RAISE PURE HELL about that dash, unless they make it where you can't see it, or where its hard to see. Because if you ever get rid of the truck thats going to hurt your trade in.
They have insurance, go get em.

Will do.

 

[greynolds 10+ year member]

I dropped the car off at the shop last evening and picked it up a little while ago. I'm a lot happier now and they still have a few minor things to finish.

1) They connected the power for the antenna. The reception is not as good as the factory radio had been, but I think I can live with it. I'll know better after a few commutes and longer trips. But at least it's getting more than 2 stations on the auto scan now //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif.

2) They cleaned up the damage to the dashboard. I think it looks fine now.

3) They beefed up support for the cargo floor. They also screwed it down. There are still one or 2 spots that really ought to have more support and they said they'll address that when I come back next week. Depending on just what they do, I may end up doing some more myself, but I'm pretty happy with it now.

4) They're rebuilding the cover that goes over the subwoofer. They've ordered a steel grate of some sort that they will route a slot for in the existing cover. The expectation is that this will be something that can hold reasonably substantial weight. They expect to have this ready for pickup mid next week and will address the final floor support issue then.

5) They attached the cosmetic panel on the front of the cargo floor so it won't shift position.

6) They extended the non-iPod USB port into the glove box so I can use USB devices. I found that my 120GB Western Digital Passport drive will work with my Kenwood head unit, though the user interface for navigating folders is painfully slow. I assume it will probably work much better with a smaller drive - I'll get a small flash drive and put my absolute favorite music on it. This will also make it a lot easier to install firmware updates for the radio when needed as those go through the USB port. Before, the 2nd USB port was left behind the head unit.

7) They moved the navigation unit to a more accessible location under the glove box. Apparently it had previously been buried in the center stack behind the heating controls. Not a huge deal as I don't expect to be updating the maps too often, but it will make it easier when the time comes.

So at this point, I'm pretty happy and can start to actually enjoy the new radio. I'll post some updated pictures once everything is done and I get the time to take them.

 

[DePratt 10+ year member]

awesome sounds like the installers are doing what they owe u for the amount u payed

 

[bigbangtheory 5,000+ posts]

Glad they are working with you and making it easier on your mind to do business with them again. Seems like one of the better shops out there if they are willing to help you out and trust me there are a lot of shops that would tell you to go F yourself! Then you have the painful timely matter of going different routes.

Glad you are happy and would like to know how those Bostons sound in there and what model are they? Don't look like the G5's.

 

[energizedsbs 10+ year member]

is the cig power wire fused? i cant really see it in the pic

 

[Ken448 10+ year member]

Id push for a better match on the carpet.. Looks like you have a tan neutral interior and they used more of a golden tan covering. For the price paid, and the work done (nothing too extravagent) they could have used better materials IMO

 

[greynolds 10+ year member]

Glad you are happy and would like to know how those Bostons sound in there and what model are they? Don't look like the G5's.

The system sounds pretty good and I haven't spent any time tweaking the equalizer settings in the head unit yet. The bass seems quite good, but definitely doesn't have as much oomph as I've heard from some other cars around here. I definitely didn't want to end up being another one of those cars going down the street where all you hear is BOOM-BOOM-BOOM until the car is a couple miles away - quality sound is more important than quantity in my book. The system does start to distort when I really crank the volume up - not sure if the limitation is in the amplifier, the speakers, or both. But it stays clean at loud enough volumes for what I would realistically want. I may decide to upgrade the speakers or amp in time, but I am pretty happy for now. My one big complaint with the system itself is the Kenwood head unit takes FOREVER to boot up. I knew that ahead of time, but the time it takes really didn't sink in until I actually had the system.

For reference, my home audio system consists of a Lexicon MC-12B preamp/processor, Krell amps, B&W Matrix 800 Series speakers (7 channels), a Velodyne 18" subwoofer, etc., so I know what a good sound system sounds like //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif. My car system definitely doesn't sound as good as my big home system, but I paid more for one of my Krell amps than I did for the entire car system.

Here's the list of installed equipment:

Kenwood DDX-812 head unit

Kenwood KNA-G510 nav unit

Kenwood iPod cable

Kenwood Sirius adapter

Sirius tuner

Dashboard installation kit for Highlander

Boston Acoustics GT50 5 channel amplifier

Boston Acoustics SX95 6x9 Speakers in front doors

Boston Acoustics XS65 6.5" Speakers in rear doors

2 Boston Acoustics G1 10" subwoofers

Hushmat installed in the doors

Streetwires ZN5 series interconnects

The prices they charged for most of the equipment were definitely more than I would have paid if I had shopped around online. They charged me $1400 for the Kenwood head unit and nav unit combo, which is less than I would have paid at Crutchfield for the combo OR for the DNX-8120. If I had installed it myself, I probably would have gotten most of the stuff from Crutchfield in order to get the install instructions, access to their tech support, etc. So I probably wouldn't have saved much on the equipment. From what I can tell, they charged me pretty much list price for the other gear.

For those who are curious, the breakdown on the install costs was:

Install / wire amp - $100

Build rear amp / sub box - $490 (7 hours of labor / parts)

Install head unit - $100

Install speakers - $100

is the cig power wire fused? i cant really see it in the pic

The main line to the amp is fused. There isn't a fuse between the amp and the cigarette lighter plug - I'll probably add an inline one at some point. If something blows the fuse for the cigarette lighter, I'd prefer not to have my entire audio system disabled because of it.

Id push for a better match on the carpet.. Looks like you have a tan neutral interior and they used more of a golden tan covering. For the price paid, and the work done (nothing too extravagent) they could have used better materials IMO

The color match is actually pretty good. In the pictures, you may notice that the cargo floor consists of 5 pieces - Audio Werks is responsible only for the large piece that covers the amp and subwoofer area and the removable subwoofer panel. The other 3 pieces (left and right sides and the very rear piece) are all factory, so the factory cargo floor color is different from the rest of the interior. Audio Werks actually ended up ordering a second color to get a better match because they weren't happy with the initial choice they had made. Time will tell how the quality of the fabric they went with is and how it holds up compared to the factory fabric.

 

[greynolds 10+ year member]

I finally got around to fixing the rear floor mess myself.

Ken448 had mentioned the bad color match on the carpet which I initially thought wasn't a big deal, but I later noticed that they had put the mismatched carpet OVER the original carpet on all of the rear floor panels. I wasn't at all happy about that because it would have meant a lot of work to remove it at some later date to sell the vehicle without the audio system or if I wanted to change things, etc. The carpet also didn't adhere well on top of the original carpet, so some of it started coming off before too long. I made them remove the extra layer of carpet and clean up the glue that was left behind - this took them a few days.

I gave up on them fixing the support for the rear floor properly as they just weren't getting it. Work kept me busy for a while, but I finally got time to fix this myself over the last few days (I'm in stay home vacation mode for 2 weeks - I hope to knock a bunch of things off of my to-do list). I removed what they used for the rear floor panel and replaced it with a sheet of 1/4" plywood and added LOTS of support underneath so I can now carry a non-trivial amount of weight in there without too much worry of damaging anything. I cut a pair of 8 inch holes in the plywood using a Rotozip circle cutter attachment and put steel grills over the holes so the sound from the subwoofers can get out. It really wasn't that difficult for me to do this myself and this isn't something I do on a regular basis. The shop that did the install shouldn't have had any trouble coming up with something similar. Rather than trying to find a really close match for the carpet, I decided to go with something that I felt contrasted well with the factory carpet.

For the trim panel they had left loose in the front, I built a replacement box and put the same carpet on it, then screwed it in place so it won't move around.

AudioWerks obviously isn't going to get any business from me in the future.

 

[duro78 10+ year member]

you know i'm sick and tired of people charging top dollar for work and getting shotty work in return..After you sav up to finally get what you want the chances of finding an honest reputable shop is a shot in the dark and that goes for everything just not car audio.No 1 takes pride in there work. Imo for what you paid you should of gotten a bad a## stealth install like you wanted...In this economy if someone came to my shop looking to spend that type of $ I would of made sure you left happy