I agree with what you say. But you are the exception rather than the rule. We can trust you. It's the goofoffs at the "techy" shops I would not trust. This incident is a perfect example. A $10K issue with no recourse! Ouch!
I do not think all car audio shops can be painted with the same brush. Its like getting a good meal, you just have to at some point quit expecting it at McDonalds. There are good car audio shops that do work on and can be trusted with high end cars but they are not going to be the low bidders. It is just impractical to expect that. Its like anything else, if you want quality, true quality, you have to seek it out and be willing to pay for it.
Bottom line, do not go to Pacific Stereo in Redwood City. A shop like that deserves to go out of business.
I totally agree.. I have been a full member of USAA for over 36 years...longer than any marriage ..whatever. Used them overseas in a variety of countries: great company...now if they could only sort out Sprint and Nextel
What does "engine noise" have anything to do with a stereo install? If a customer shows up with a 2000 Kia Sephia and gets some low end subwoofers installed do you take his car for a joyride to make sure his "engine noise" is okay. Too many things can happen on a test drive that you do NOT want to be liable for, stereo shops don't work on a large profit margin and no matter how many things you install, it's not going to cover a $10,000 clutch job.
my suspicion was that he was talking about that whine through the speakers you hear sometimes when something isn't grounded properly, etc. ...when you rev the engine the whine keeps pace with the RPMs.... ** just my guess as to what he was walking about.
RF noise. How about rattles in the doors from the new speakers he just installed? Or the proper operation of the SATNAV? Lots of legit reasons for him to drive the car to QA the work. Don't trust them? Find someone else or do it yourself. Like I said before, no test drive, take it home, I'm not working on it. And trust me the good shops know more about the liabilities than you, its one of the reasons Ferraris cost more to fix than a KIA.
just saw this thread and like an earlier post..it made my blood boil!especially after the amount of time that passed thru all this!all i know is Mr.Abdul would still be picking out pieces of my size 13 shoe out of his rear!!
It is RF (radio frequency) radiation usually from the alternator. It is easy enough to reduce but sometimes you have to turn on everything electrical to ensure that additional electronics are not producing RF in the audible frequency band. This is one reason why the D2B and MOST optical interfaces had/have become so popular. All audible sources now run as digital bits over the optical cable w/in the vehicle. Ferrari is still in the analog stage. So, the upgraded systems have to be checked for audible interference.
Id have paid that scumbag with a bag of nickels, after having it hit his temple. I'm done looking for the best deals on automotive repair work. There are simply too many unqualified, sloppy, and plain dishonest shops out there. Glad you've got it sorted out, but man, Abdul is going to hell for sure.
The noise is from RF interference which mostly is from the alternator especially if it's pitch changes with engine speed. Not ground looping
