A car audio tech recommended for me to get my system rewired. Am I getting scammed? Or should I go for it?

[Og_slim2]

I've recently had some new door speakers (Kicker), tweeters (Polk Audio), sub (Kicker), headunit (Alpine), and a 900W 5-channel amp(Skar Audio) installed into my car by a friend in my 2013 Corolla. I had the door speakers and sub installed first and it was working fine, but after the tweeter install the audio started cutting out at anything above half volume. I thought it was maybe a power issue with the amp. But after taking it to two different car audio stores they both said my friend did a shitty job wiring and I should think about rewiring the whole system. The last guy I took it to said the way how the amp was wired is dangerous and can cause a fire. He quoted me $800 to get it rewired ($500 for labor, $180 for 6 x 9 [JL C1-690TX], $55 for speaker wires, and $35 for RCA Cable). Am I getting scammed or should I go for it?

I posted a pic of the amp (Sorry for the low quality)

Here's what I have installed so far

Amp: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07H5SFCZW/?tag=caraudiocom-20

Tweeters: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000P0PF9Q/?tag=caraudiocom-20

Door speakers:

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/kicker...nes-pair-yellow-black/6333353.p?skuId=6333353

Headunit:

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/alpine...-media-receiver-black/6333656.p?skuId=6333656

Sub:

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/kicker...ubwoofer-black-carpet/5712388.p?skuId=5712388

Click to read more...

 

[metalheadjoe 10+ year member]

Many red flags from that single picture. I would get the install fixed for safety reasons. I wouldn't bite on their jl speakers. You only need new rca's if yours are damaged. What the **** are 9mm's?

 

[Bass Addict 10+ year member]

I see that amp going up in smoke soon lol

 

[1aespinoza 10+ year member]

posted a pic of the amp (Sorry for the low quality)

Only issue I see is those bare power cables. Remove the fuse under the hood and tape them up. As for power cutting out, it may be a bad grounding point. Make sure the ground is sanded to bare metal for the best connection.
The extra tweeters may be redundant seeing that you have full range 6.5s. Since they are "sharing" the same channel with the 6 5's tweeters, the Ohm load may be dropping and pushing the amp a bit harder.
I would disconnect the 6.5s tweeters or eliminate the Polk tweeters.

 

[hispls 5,000+ posts]

they both said my friend did a shitty job wiring

They're not wrong.

and I should think about rewiring the whole system.

Yes. If the part you can see looks this sloppy it's anybody's guess what all else has been done incorrectly or half-arsed.

how the amp was wired is dangerous and can cause a fire.

That is probably a little overdramatic, but again, what else is done sloppy that we cannot see from this picture? If you did not properly install fuses you could very easily burn your car to the ground and just with what we see there's a lot of opportunity for you to break equipment prematurely.

He quoted me $800 to get it rewired

You shouldn't need to buy new speakers unless yours are not working and you should not need to buy new RCA cable unless yours have been damaged or are too short or something.

There used to be a snarky sign that people put up in various shops with their hourly rate and then their hourly rate if "you and your buddy already tried to fix it yourself". Just touching any of this puts the shop owner (who has his entire livelihood at risk) in a position where he will be liable for anything that goes wrong after you drive away, I would not expect anybody with a legitimate storefront to touch a job like this for less.... again, the big issue for someone quoting the job is that for all they know they will need to remove everything and start again from scratch to do this clean, secure, and safe so to cover themselves they're probably bidding the cost of full uninstall and then a full install.

 

[spokey9]

Id pull all the wiring your buddy ran and uninstall the amp...then get quotes for installing the amp...it should be a good bit cheaper

 

[Og_slim2]

They're not wrong.


Yes. If the part you can see looks this sloppy it's anybody's guess what all else has been done incorrectly or half-arsed.


That is probably a little overdramatic, but again, what else is done sloppy that we cannot see from this picture? If you did not properly install fuses you could very easily burn your car to the ground and just with what we see there's a lot of opportunity for you to break equipment prematurely.

You shouldn't need to buy new speakers unless yours are not working and you should not need to buy new RCA cable unless yours have been damaged or are too short or something.

There used to be a snarky sign that people put up in various shops with their hourly rate and then their hourly rate if "you and your buddy already tried to fix it yourself". Just touching any of this puts the shop owner (who has his entire livelihood at risk) in a position where he will be liable for anything that goes wrong after you drive away, I would not expect anybody with a legitimate storefront to touch a job like this for less.... again, the big issue for someone quoting the job is that for all they know they will need to remove everything and start again from scratch to do this clean, secure, and safe so to cover themselves they're probably bidding the cost of full uninstall and then a full install.

The 6 x 9s were blown and fully disconnected, do you think $800 for a full rewire(plus the new 6 x 9s) is worth it?

 

[spokey9]

I paid 400 total to have my my install cleaned up and new speakers and speaker wire ran...the shop charges 40 an hour and that was a 7 hour job plus a few materials I didn't have...

Labor may cost more in Orlando vs ne ar where I'm at though...

 

[deez283 10+ year member]

Your "friend" can't install worth $hit..

If he put a fuse in the amp power wire close to the battery I'd remove that and start over..

Watch a few youtube videos if you need to.

I'd move that amp to the trunk.. Looks like you got it on the rear floor board, That's a bad spot to put it if you ever have passengers back there, Feet ripping out wires, sand, dirt, moisture not to mention just plain old wear and tear.

Just that one pic you posted has multiple issues.

 

[2023 LTZ]

Best Buy has an install program for $200 which a person can upgrade components or amps for 1yr. I did this a couple years ago and then upgraded wiring to larger and improved routing after. For me I can replicate or take out and put back in on my own. The initial install is what I needed help with.
$800 is a lot. Gut everything your friend did and have it estimated as a stock set up.
In my thoughts if those 6x9s are $600 then it’s not a bad deal but for some $129 6x9s you shouldn’t pay $800
$200-$300? Yeah. This is w you having all but a few connectors.
Plan the system and determine wire lengths you’ll need and throw it in the trunk w the rest on install day.

 

[HardofWhoring]

$500 for labor is BS, but I see there point. Yeah, keep in mind, they have to check every wire. It's not just a full install, it's more. They can't just check connections, they need to check every bit of wire, and see how it's been done. They clearly need to redo every connection.

As everyone else said that is dangerous, and those bare connections on the amp, could definitely cause a fire. That amp doesn't look secured. Your amp could slide around on the floor, and with those bare wires at the connections, the cables can shift, and might shift enough to arc.

It looks like he ran smaller power and ground wire, that's not connected to anything, and just electrical taped them together. Is that 5 or 6 more wires? What the hell is that?

Running wires under carpet to hide them is fine, but you can't put them somewhere right where someone is going to put their feet. They will eventually rub through the casing to the bare metal.

SERIOUSLY, PULL THE FUSE on the power cable, (if there is one, (which there needs to be)), pull the fuse on your radio, so you don't accidentally turn it on. Pull the power cable off the battery if you feel comfortable doing that, and zip tie it out of the way until someone who knows what they are doing can fix that.

Where does that ground wire off the skar amp go? It doesn't matter.

SERIOUSLY, YOU NEED TO PULL THOSE FUSES OUT OR EVEN BETTER, PULL THE CABLES OFF THE BATTERY, AND DON'T TURN ON THE STEREO UNTIL YOU DO.

 

[HardofWhoring]

See that little blue wire between the power and ground. That's your remote wire/ switch wire. That's the wire that turns the amp on, when the head unit is on. Cut that wire before the amp, and the amp won't turn on. You will still have the length, but nobody who knows what they are doing is going to leave your amp there, and let someone who knows what they are doing fix this.

 

[Popwarhomie 5,000+ posts]

Punch your friend right in the nuts for that god awful ****.

 

[hispls 5,000+ posts]

$500 for labor is BS,

How do you figure? Just installing head, running an amp, and replacing 4 stock speakers is a half a day job and 125 an hour for garage time seems about right. Consider whoever touches this needs do all of that plus pull everything that has been done to confirm there's no other issues and when OP drives away they're going to be come liable for anything that happens.

 

[1aespinoza 10+ year member]

I really do not know what everyone here is going on about this "dangerous" install. The red/black wires are for the 6.5s. Each wire is twisted and taped individually with electrical tape. The blue/black wires go to the sub and are also twisted and taped individually.
That amp obviously goes tucked under the driver's seat but was pulled out for the photo. Like I stated earlier, the only issue I see is the exposed power cables. Add to this the OP's statement that all was working fine and dandy until the Polk tweeter's install.