What's the best way to find a reputable installer in our area (Columibia, MD) short of going to the local give me your first born specialty shop or the local Tweeters or Best Buy. From another thread you may have seen that my son is putting a system in his new to him 2001 Civic EX. He's leaning heavily towards using Tweeters to install but then you are locked into using Crutchfield or Tweeters stuff. Not bad but he can do better on price elsewhere. Is there some sort of listing anywhere on the net where installers can register and advertise? I know this sort of thing exists for Television fine tuners (my hobby.)
Replies (8)
swez on 05/5/2004 09:31:58
Many here are hard core DIY's and we have polled regularly to see how much the costs were for install VS customer satisfaction. From these polls, most elect to DIY for many reasons. Mostly cost, quality of install and choice of components are greater to the average DIY and the knowledge gained in same is invaluable.
If your son is mechanically inclined and you have a few basic hand tools and a VOM, the rest is just digging into the HOW TO and then go forth with it on your own. There is adequate talent on this board to help you through the details of an install and what to avoid when choosing components and install techniques.
The best thing, is the money your son can save by doing it himself (with some oversight from DAD) and the confidence he will have once the job is completed. This is not "Rocket Science" stuff. More like basic knowledge of electricity, patience removing trim parts and an eye toward careful planning from start to finish.
The goal here... is to teach others to think critically about:
1. What they want
2. How all this is accomplished (step by step)
3. Careful research and shopping for best prices on gear desired
4. Learning to ask for help as needed
5. Making well informed choices
6. A sense of "I can do this"
If you think about it... this is what turns a young teen, into a man. Learning to think for themselves and getting some skilled hands to guide him along the path. We do this every day on this site with that mentality in mind.
Comments?
Swez
Sr. Tecnical Writer
ttocs on 05/5/2004 10:06:57
i have been installing for 7 yrs and could get you through most of the installation. Otherwise I am sure there are good installers nearby, the east coast is flooded with them......
Buffalo on 05/5/2004 15:58:04
Swez,
I agree with everything you say and you make a compelling argument. The real problem is time and his patient on wanting to get this done but you've inspired me to talk to him about it. The two parts of the job that intimidate me the most are pulling the door panels off (and of course getting them back on so it doesn't look like a gorilla went after them) and the power wiring for the amps. the rest of it, like you said could be done by him with a good bit of oversite by me. I'll let you know how it turns out.
swez on 05/5/2004 18:04:30
I applaude your spirit there Buffalo!
I am a Dad too and understand the value of training our young men to think and learn from experiences. Yes, I too was a bit impatient at that age. But my Dad offered a steady hand of experience to slow me down, make me think and allowed a few minor mistakes to prove I had some learning to do.
Most of the time... it worked out fine. (like tearing out my Datsun 310GX, 5 speed transmission and rebuilding it to original specs) Dad never did one, nor had I... but we spent a few days reading the repair manual.. the parts came in and we completed the job in 2 days. We were both pleased (Dad was shocked) at the results and I kid you not... I was a handful in those younger days. (Dad seemed overly cautious to me at the time)
OK, the doors in most cases have a few well hidden screws and then a few strategically placed spring tabs. Once the screws are removed, finding the spring tabs (they look like miniture christmas trees) can be pryed loose with a few puddy knives. Once the door panel feels loose, lift up on the panel gently to release the lip at the upper part of the window.
Once that is free, look closely for wire connections that needs to be disconnected. Power windows, door lock and maybe a lamp or two. If this vehicle has a manual crank for windows, there is a "C" clip that usually holds that in in place. You can buy a cheap and easy tool to do the job or fashion something that will do the job.
As for wiring amps for power and signal lines.... not too hard either. Can give you details when you get close to that phase. A bit tedious working in tight spaces, but an agile fellow can get the job done.
May I recommend that you go out and buy a service manual for this car. Chilton's or Hays are pretty good for general repairs. But the kind sold by a Dealership (Shop Manual) provides very detailed information and pictures to sort most repairs out. I have owned several in my days as a backyard mechanic. You can save a lot of cash doing some of the basic repairs covered in the manual.
That book saved my keister many times with key details I could have never figured out without it. The money I would have spent having a shop do the work would have been a small fortune. That manual saved me thousands of shop repair dollars over the years and I finally laid it to rest in someone elses hands, when they bought the car. May it R.I.P.
Lastly, about patience.... How does one learn patience? As far as I can tell, it's a lifetime process. .We are such a microwave society. We want it fast and we want it yesterday. However, if we don't take time to learn the process of life and make a few "cheap" mistakes early in life, the latter lessons will will be far more costly to ourselves and others. Instill patience in young Buffalo now... before you release him on society. Everyone will be glad you did. SMILE
Swez ><>
Old Man Audio
PS Am 48 years young and serve this board as a Tech, mentor and fatherly figure when needed. Many of our readers are 16-25 years old and sadly, many never had a full time Dad to help them sort out issues in life. I hope I can fill in the gaps in some small way.
uochronos on 05/5/2004 19:51:17
i agree totaly swez with a bit of preperation alot of patience and good comunication this job should go threw smooth. i myself am young and have l;earned quite a bit of patience in the last 3 or 4 years. my first stereo install literaly did look like a gorrilla attacked my door. luckily i had a father there to point out that if i hadnt been in such a hurry to get a result(any result) i would have been able to get what i reqally wanted and he helped me correct the errors.. as swez said most peopel 15-25 want everything fast it really does help to have somone a bit older, more patient and even though noone in that age bracket would admit it normal much more skilled and knowledable in general. so just take it slow and no matter how the install goees even if it has a few hitches i know personaly even when i didnt say it i enjoyed spending a weekend fixing the small errors we made together more then doing anything else.
Buffalo on 05/6/2004 08:41:32
Well when I got home last night he and I talked and we are going to tackle the job ourselves. He's going to be able to step up to the next level of equipment for the same budget and being a AV geek I know how important that can be. You all speak of mentoring and believe me you are preaching to the cior here. I have been a Boy Scout leader for over 15 years now and it has afforded me the oppurtunity to watch some magnificent young men come to adulthood including my oldest (20) who is an Eagle Scout. The boy who is doing the sound system parted ways with scouting before he got there but it taught him a lot. And Swez I am 53 years old so I guess I'm the grandfather here. Luckily it's here only so far.
Thanks for all the help I'm sure I'll be posting more.
swez on 05/6/2004 08:58:12
Ahhh.. finally a fellow traveler in the mentoring arena has come into the game. I guess I can take off my preaching cap and just set things on cruise control for a time. It's about time we had a few older hands in the game to manage the chaos.
I personally invite you and your son to join us in the chat room as time permits. Most meet about 8:00 PM (EDT) and topics run in many directins based on needs/interests of the players. Just have to register, make up a password and dive in.
Welcome to our club.
Swez (Dave)
ttocs on 05/6/2004 13:04:31
I'm an eagle scout as well. it definitly helped and taught me some great life lessons, while having a good time as well. I don't remember anything too hard about civic doors. If you can get me a pic of it I can tell you where to go. Or you could get a haynes manual, it should show step by step....
Replies (8)
swez on 05/5/2004 09:31:58
Many here are hard core DIY's and we have polled regularly to see how much the costs were for install VS customer satisfaction. From these polls, most elect to DIY for many reasons. Mostly cost, quality of install and choice of components are greater to the average DIY and the knowledge gained in same is invaluable.
If your son is mechanically inclined and you have a few basic hand tools and a VOM, the rest is just digging into the HOW TO and then go forth with it on your own. There is adequate talent on this board to help you through the details of an install and what to avoid when choosing components and install techniques.
The best thing, is the money your son can save by doing it himself (with some oversight from DAD) and the confidence he will have once the job is completed. This is not "Rocket Science" stuff. More like basic knowledge of electricity, patience removing trim parts and an eye toward careful planning from start to finish.
The goal here... is to teach others to think critically about:
1. What they want
2. How all this is accomplished (step by step)
3. Careful research and shopping for best prices on gear desired
4. Learning to ask for help as needed
5. Making well informed choices
6. A sense of "I can do this"
If you think about it... this is what turns a young teen, into a man. Learning to think for themselves and getting some skilled hands to guide him along the path. We do this every day on this site with that mentality in mind.
Comments?
Swez
Sr. Tecnical Writer
ttocs on 05/5/2004 10:06:57
i have been installing for 7 yrs and could get you through most of the installation. Otherwise I am sure there are good installers nearby, the east coast is flooded with them......
Buffalo on 05/5/2004 15:58:04
Swez,
I agree with everything you say and you make a compelling argument. The real problem is time and his patient on wanting to get this done but you've inspired me to talk to him about it. The two parts of the job that intimidate me the most are pulling the door panels off (and of course getting them back on so it doesn't look like a gorilla went after them) and the power wiring for the amps. the rest of it, like you said could be done by him with a good bit of oversite by me. I'll let you know how it turns out.
swez on 05/5/2004 18:04:30
I applaude your spirit there Buffalo!
I am a Dad too and understand the value of training our young men to think and learn from experiences. Yes, I too was a bit impatient at that age. But my Dad offered a steady hand of experience to slow me down, make me think and allowed a few minor mistakes to prove I had some learning to do.
Most of the time... it worked out fine. (like tearing out my Datsun 310GX, 5 speed transmission and rebuilding it to original specs) Dad never did one, nor had I... but we spent a few days reading the repair manual.. the parts came in and we completed the job in 2 days. We were both pleased (Dad was shocked) at the results and I kid you not... I was a handful in those younger days. (Dad seemed overly cautious to me at the time)
OK, the doors in most cases have a few well hidden screws and then a few strategically placed spring tabs. Once the screws are removed, finding the spring tabs (they look like miniture christmas trees) can be pryed loose with a few puddy knives. Once the door panel feels loose, lift up on the panel gently to release the lip at the upper part of the window.
Once that is free, look closely for wire connections that needs to be disconnected. Power windows, door lock and maybe a lamp or two. If this vehicle has a manual crank for windows, there is a "C" clip that usually holds that in in place. You can buy a cheap and easy tool to do the job or fashion something that will do the job.
As for wiring amps for power and signal lines.... not too hard either. Can give you details when you get close to that phase. A bit tedious working in tight spaces, but an agile fellow can get the job done.
May I recommend that you go out and buy a service manual for this car. Chilton's or Hays are pretty good for general repairs. But the kind sold by a Dealership (Shop Manual) provides very detailed information and pictures to sort most repairs out. I have owned several in my days as a backyard mechanic. You can save a lot of cash doing some of the basic repairs covered in the manual.
That book saved my keister many times with key details I could have never figured out without it. The money I would have spent having a shop do the work would have been a small fortune. That manual saved me thousands of shop repair dollars over the years and I finally laid it to rest in someone elses hands, when they bought the car. May it R.I.P.
Lastly, about patience.... How does one learn patience? As far as I can tell, it's a lifetime process. .We are such a microwave society. We want it fast and we want it yesterday. However, if we don't take time to learn the process of life and make a few "cheap" mistakes early in life, the latter lessons will will be far more costly to ourselves and others. Instill patience in young Buffalo now... before you release him on society. Everyone will be glad you did. SMILE
Swez ><>
Old Man Audio
PS Am 48 years young and serve this board as a Tech, mentor and fatherly figure when needed. Many of our readers are 16-25 years old and sadly, many never had a full time Dad to help them sort out issues in life. I hope I can fill in the gaps in some small way.
uochronos on 05/5/2004 19:51:17
i agree totaly swez with a bit of preperation alot of patience and good comunication this job should go threw smooth. i myself am young and have l;earned quite a bit of patience in the last 3 or 4 years. my first stereo install literaly did look like a gorrilla attacked my door. luckily i had a father there to point out that if i hadnt been in such a hurry to get a result(any result) i would have been able to get what i reqally wanted and he helped me correct the errors.. as swez said most peopel 15-25 want everything fast it really does help to have somone a bit older, more patient and even though noone in that age bracket would admit it normal much more skilled and knowledable in general. so just take it slow and no matter how the install goees even if it has a few hitches i know personaly even when i didnt say it i enjoyed spending a weekend fixing the small errors we made together more then doing anything else.
Buffalo on 05/6/2004 08:41:32
Well when I got home last night he and I talked and we are going to tackle the job ourselves. He's going to be able to step up to the next level of equipment for the same budget and being a AV geek I know how important that can be. You all speak of mentoring and believe me you are preaching to the cior here. I have been a Boy Scout leader for over 15 years now and it has afforded me the oppurtunity to watch some magnificent young men come to adulthood including my oldest (20) who is an Eagle Scout. The boy who is doing the sound system parted ways with scouting before he got there but it taught him a lot. And Swez I am 53 years old so I guess I'm the grandfather here. Luckily it's here only so far.
Thanks for all the help I'm sure I'll be posting more.
swez on 05/6/2004 08:58:12
Ahhh.. finally a fellow traveler in the mentoring arena has come into the game. I guess I can take off my preaching cap and just set things on cruise control for a time. It's about time we had a few older hands in the game to manage the chaos.
I personally invite you and your son to join us in the chat room as time permits. Most meet about 8:00 PM (EDT) and topics run in many directins based on needs/interests of the players. Just have to register, make up a password and dive in.
Welcome to our club.
Swez (Dave)
ttocs on 05/6/2004 13:04:31
I'm an eagle scout as well. it definitly helped and taught me some great life lessons, while having a good time as well. I don't remember anything too hard about civic doors. If you can get me a pic of it I can tell you where to go. Or you could get a haynes manual, it should show step by step....
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