should i trust bestbuy to do it? for my 2006 civic?

 

if you have to bestbuys would be fine. im sure they can do at least a decent job.. to be safe just stand there and watch them tho.. of course be friendly and you will see how the "pros" do it right/wrong
im sure you have a friend that can do it for you tho, probably the hardest part is taking out the original HU so pick a friend that isnt too crazy with a screwdriver.

 

my friend got his stuff done at best buy and circuit city and they both did it way wrong, stuff was terrible.

however, you do have a 06 civic, and not many people know how to install on those yet.

mabey best buy around you is better at that stuff.

 

try asking honda how to do it?

 

on a new vehicle like that it is probably better to bring it to a specialist...the installers are usually better paid and have more experience

 

Keep in mind that you'll need to get a line out converter to hook your amp to the stock head unit (unless your amp has speaker level inputs, but that generally sounds bad)...

Best Buy is a good choice. I install there and I've already seen like 10 tips (on our intranet) about installing in the new gen Civics...

You'll be fine. Plus, Best Buy warranties their installs for the life of the vehicle.

 

you could go to the circuitcity in warrington pa, they work on a lot of brand new cars, and guarantee everything they do. If you're really concerned just ask to have the manager do the job.

 

hell no, dont let bestbuy or CC even touch it, soo many of those installers are complete idiots that only know just enough. goto a reputable audio shop. ask to see some of there work, haggle a bit then pay the money. with stereos alot of the times its 90% install 10% equip. a good installer can make crappy equipment sound great, but a shitty installer can make great equipment sound horrible

 

hey man, all of my installers are great, and they really care about what they are doing. they have nice cars, they don't want to screw up your nice car. so what if the custom shop down the street can do crazy custom ****, do you want that level of install, do you want the insane price tag. our shop is just getting started with custom installation, but that doesn't mean our installers are any less carefull and protective of your car.

 

being a careful and good installer are two completly different things. im not saying he should get some insane install just a good one. CC and bestbuy are very iffy, sometimes they do good work but the great majority of the time its sub par. that may be fine to me but i can tell the difference and if im paying the money i want the best. with that said i've been installing my own **** for the last few years for that very reason. i dont mean to knock your cc because it may be one of the very few decent ones

 

I know what your saying, and I've seen bad installs, but I've also seen crap from tweeter and usually good custom places. The best way I can think to avoid this is to ask for the most senior person to do the install. at my shop, the new **** or the hot **** is all done by the most experienced people. and know what you want, 60 bucks in labor for an ampsub off the factory deck is going to be an amp mounted to the back of the rear seat, or under one of the front seats. if he has it in mind to be on the side wall or flush to the floor, well, I'll be the first to say that custom labor at cc depends on which location you go to

 

tweeter is crap imo

 

I used to install at Circuit City and from what has been said already is very true....there are good installers there and of course there are ones that should not touch a car.
I would be very cautious in who you get to touch your car, IMO there is no better time to learn how to install than now. Just don't be afraid of it and do it your self. That will be the best way to get it done the way you want it done.
I would not know how to do anything with cars if I wasn't willing to get my hands dirty and learn how to do it on my own....Good luck

 

Thanks for everyones input, but i have to say bestbuy sucks because their website advertises $86 for a 4 channel amp install, then they give me a quote for $230

 

Well what are you having done? Are you running it off of a aftermarket radio? Which speakers are you powering?

 

I have had very bad experiences with bestbuy, good guys and ciruitcity. I personally have never had anything installed but after seeing some friends installs i would never trust them. They also try to scare you into to getting an install done when you buy a harness. Your best bet would be a good, small car audio shop. They are usually the ones who are doing more than crimping wires. Plus they have time to actually talk to you and get an idea of what's best for your taste in music and will explain anything you need to know, even if you don't have them do the install. I could go off about the chain stores for days though.

 

circuit city solders all their connections

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">circuit city solders all their connections </TD></TR></TABLE>

ALL their connections? Even when doing a deck?

 

Can't really contribute to the thread but *F* Honda for taking the Mazda route and integrating the HU into the dash.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by B18C_EJ8 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">ALL their connections? Even when doing a deck?</TD></TR></TABLE>

Well I cant talk for all the stores, but my store soldered EVERYTHING. There were no plastic connectors in the install bay at all.

 

eh, as long as the unit can put out decent sq then you can get a cleansweep... i like the stock look myself

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Eugenics &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">eh, as long as the unit can put out decent sq then you can get a cleansweep... i like the stock look myself</TD></TR></TABLE>
Have you used that? I was wondering how well it works. I'd love to keep the stock hu and all the functions (like steering wheel controls) and have a stock look but a nice system. I think oem units look much better, and although my alpine is probably one of the least tacky looking hu, it still doesn't fit the look of the car. I'd love to hear your oppinions.

 

while i havn't used it myself i have heard really good things from people who have and no bad things. i almost got one for a tahoe i was buying but decided on a different car in the end... i may put one in one of my dads lexus's though, or his new Z06 if he decides not to wait on the supercharged corvette