Complete install help

[shaneb 10+ year member]

um....im guessing your not gonna do this tomorrow so i don't feel bad wheni say that i have to get up in 6 hours for work...

ill look up the diagrams for your stuff manana and let ya know....

 

[TurdFergueson2 5,000+ posts]

If you knew atleast a thing or two, I'd really push for you to get this in, but IMHO, take it to CC or BB. They will not only get it working without messing stuff up... they will also warranty the work for lifetime of the vehicle. Now lets put this into perspective... a month down the road you're out of town... everything stops working. You would be going bumpless till you get home and spend hours upon hours making posts online/tinkering... possibly making the situation worse. Or all you do is go to the local best buy in that town with your receipt and get it fixed hassle free.
I've seen some absolutely ugly things come through the bay I work in now... as well as every one of my co-workers. They were all people that tried to save buck without knowing a **** thing. Most of them ended up with situations that ruined some of their gear, making them have to re-purchase, made the labor cost more due to us dealing with a mess, and hurt the re-sale value of their vehicle.

If you don't even know what wire you should probably use, or where to connect wires, why do you assume you can do it. Im not being an *******, or trying to put you down.

NOt sure how it works in New York, but here the only guarantee the wiring IF you buy that high priced Rockford kit. And you stll have to pay for the install. So it may be hard for someone with limited experience to tackle a project lke that alone, but I still would not trust a big box with my 66 stang. They know the basics and that's about it. And they still won't guarantee the equipment. May as well save the money and get some guys off here that live in the area to help out. He'll come out cheaper and make some friends.

 

[Dirtydave289 10+ year member]

um....im guessing your not gonna do this tomorrow so i don't feel bad wheni say that i have to get up in 6 hours for work...ill look up the diagrams for your stuff manana and let ya know....

haha nope, but you can bet the day my stuff arrives i'll be doing it //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wink.gif.608e3ea05f1a9f98611af0861652f8fb.gif

thanks a lot man i appreciate the help!

 

[Saint211 10+ year member]

Im not trying to be a jerk... You can see me on here trying to help people with questions all the time. I know two best buy installers, and the one I know who is the more experienced of the two has an excellent knowledge basis and 15 years of experience in both big box stores and at mom and pop shops. I have seen both his regular every day work and his custom work from previous shops and it is top notch. Since I've talked to him at length we've naturally compared the places we work. So by saying installers at best buy dont know what they're doing is a totally shitty generalization. Some people move to BB or CC from mom and pop shops simply for the stability and good benefits/discounts.

If you dont know how it is in New York(atleast in upstate new york).. let me tell you. Most small shops barely get by, and rely on starter season. Some shops, owners and all.. live from customer to customer. There are some larger shops that do okay, but the customer base around here isn't the largest. By the way most of the shops doing just okay arent pure audio shops, they also do rims and stuff like that. This is the reason some people prefer to migrate to a large company that can always afford to pay you.

That being said, this is what I understand of BB policy as per my comrade in arms there:

If the installer doesnt want to use your wire because it is cheap or damaged or was installed (edit)incorrectly, he doesnt have to. If he does agree it is ok and uses it, they still warranty the labor, and even if its a wiring problem, they will look at/fix it on warranty. You do not have to buy all BB stuff to get a warranty on your labor. That being said, the install bay will not warranty your equipment.. and why should they? If you did purchase the equipment from BB you could either send in for the manufacturers warranty, or you could buy the replacement/service plan.

If you bring in your own equipment, the installers there are supposed to bench test it. If it fasils the bench test, you must pay a fee. If it passes, they install it and warranty the labor. They never warranty an amp or sub... that is up to the company who manufactured it.

 

[TurdFergueson2 5,000+ posts]

Im not trying to be a jerk... You can see me on here trying to help people with questions all the time. I know two best buy installers, and the one I know who is the more experienced of the two has an excellent knowledge basis and 15 years of experience in both big box stores and at mom and pop shops. I have seen both his regular every day work and his custom work from previous shops and it is top notch. Since I've talked to him at length we've naturally compared the places we work. So by saying installers at best buy dont know what they're doing is a totally shitty generalization. Some people move to BB or CC from mom and pop shops simply for the stability and good benefits/discounts.
If you dont know how it is in New York(atleast in upstate new york).. let me tell you. Most small shops barely get by, and rely on starter season. Some shops, owners and all.. live from customer to customer. There are some larger shops that do okay, but the customer base around here isn't the largest. By the way most of the shops doing just okay arent pure audio shops, they also do rims and stuff like that. This is the reason some people prefer to migrate to a large company that can always afford to pay you.

That being said, this is what I understand of BB policy as per my comrade in arms there:

If the installer doesnt want to use your wire because it is cheap or damaged or was installed (edit)incorrectly, he doesnt have to. If he does agree it is ok and uses it, they still warranty the labor, and even if its a wiring problem, they will look at/fix it on warranty. You do not have to buy all BB stuff to get a warranty on your labor. That being said, the install bay will not warranty your equipment.. and why should they? If you did purchase the equipment from BB you could either send in for the manufacturers warranty, or you could buy the replacement/service plan.

If you bring in your own equipment, the installers there are supposed to bench test it. If it fasils the bench test, you must pay a fee. If it passes, they install it and warranty the labor. They never warranty an amp or sub... that is up to the company who manufactured it.

I just wouldn't trust them with my car is all I'm saying. Your guy might be a top notch installer, but he is not working on this guy's mustang. 3 times in 3 cars I let them install stuff for me and I had to go back over it. It makes me realize a couple things..... One I need a garage, because 2 of those installs would have never been done by them. and two, just because you know a power from a ground does not make you a good installer.

Dave, hooking it up is not hard at all. Should you decide the project is too difficult, take it to a reputable shop. Or like I suggested, ask some guys on here that are local to help you out. They can just oversee it, while you do all the work, or you both can do it.

 

[shaneb 10+ year member]

first - I really try not to make generalizations. The best buy near me, as I have had many conversations with them, there is one person in there that is real helpful and enjoys explaining and stuff, the rest of them are typically salesmen, at my circuit city, i bought two kickers, told them i wanted a prefab sealed enclosure that will best fit those subs and they gave me a box that is a 1/4 cube too small in both chambers per the kickers minimum sub requirements...

All that I have said is based off of my personal experience with (3) stores, that includes car toys...

honestly, even if tested, and i were that big of a company and not suffering for work, i wouldn't warranty anything i don't sell and install myself...its too risky and i dont need to..so if that may be the case with best buy or circuit city, good for them...

I live in a major metropolitan area, there are a bazillion stores around here, most the time they hire high schoolers or just graduates to be salesmen...i think it's awesome if ther are genuine people that work there in upstate new york, thats awesome...and i would go where the business it too...

On another note, i'm working on those diagrams, btw where did you order your stuff from?

 

[TurdFergueson2 5,000+ posts]

I am not saying that they should warranty someone else's equipment, but what happens if the equipment fails due to their wiring? And then the warranty is void if you touch anything they did. SO in other words, being that you bought your own stuff already, you will not get a warranty anywhere should anything go wrong with your equipment. Just do it yourself.

 

[shaneb 10+ year member]

agreed...

 

[Dirtydave289 10+ year member]

I got the box off Sonic Electronix and the amp/subs were from something warehouse..I forgot the name but I'll check my email tonight and tell you if you'd like

 

[qkassidyw 10+ year member]

THere should be plenty of people down there willing to help you out. A few beers, food and money will have you rockin. DO NOT take your stang to CC or BB. I thought we been through ths before.

You really think he can do a better job than CC or BB even though he hasn't done it before? Not trying to start a fight but I don't see the logic in that. If not CC or BB then go to a pro shop....especially on a 66 stang and you have never done it before. Watch them do it and then you will have an idea and can try it on other cars or if you ever redo it you will know how.

 

[qkassidyw 10+ year member]

I am not saying that they should warranty someone else's equipment, but what happens if the equipment fails due to their wiring? And then the warranty is void if you touch anything they did. SO in other words, being that you bought your own stuff already, you will not get a warranty anywhere should anything go wrong with your equipment. Just do it yourself.

If the equipment fails because of their wiring then they should replace it through their insurance...

 

[shaneb 10+ year member]

but chances are they will blame it on your eqip, cause you and they can't guarantee the equip youget....and if he got it somewhere like woofersetc..which it sounds like he did, manufacturer will not warantee...

so i was lookin' through some other posts, you opted on the kenwood stuff instead of the visonik and that other trash?

good job on that...

on the speakers you are going to run them bridged parallel i think after looking at the manual for your amp

http://inform3.kenwoodusa.com/manuals%5Ckac8104d.pdf

if i notice im wrong ill let you know...

 

[Tehgregzor 10+ year member]

Its not like every best buy or circuit city is a butcher shop man. And honestly if anything happens, they are backed by a multi million dollar company that almost always pays out.

There ya go. Ding ding ding!

 

[qkassidyw 10+ year member]

To wire your subs you will run them in parallel and I'm guessing your box has two terminals (one for each sub) so wire the subs so that each positive is hooked to the positive on the terminal cup, and the negative is hooked to the negative on the terminal cup.

You can now run one set of speaker wire from the amp to one terminal cup then run another set of speaker wire from that same terminal cup to the other (making sure positive to positive and negative to negative)

Or you can run two sets of speaker wires from each cup to the amp directly (there should be two positive outputs and two negative outputs on the amp...since it is a mono it doesn't matter which positive you connect them to or which negative, as long as the polarity is the same)

i probably made that way more complicated than it needed to be but so be it.

 

[shaneb 10+ year member]

here someone drew you a picture...you will choose the first option...

http://www.the12volt.com/caraudio/woofer_configurations.asp?Q=2&I=41