What would you do if your installer did this?

Hi all, have a quick question for everyone. Farely new to the site, but an avid reader! Anyway, I have an '08 Cayman S I bought last month. I love audio, and hated the bose system, so I had a Pioneer X-920bt with Pioneer PDX-5 installed. It was done by a Houston car audio shop, National chain. Now when installed the manager said they had done several P's, and other high end cars. That being said, I provided them about 20 pages of excellent write ups from here, "just in case". Well, they did a decent job with the exception of a few things. 1. Terrible engine whine, solution: going to replace the RCA's with Shielded. Didn't hook up VSS, even though i showed them where. Didn't hook up illumination wire, even though shown where. 2. The put a 1/4" tear in the dash. They didn't point it out, but acknowledged it when I went back to complain. Their solution, have their "guy" repair it. 3. Now they told me the stereo was difficult to get out, but they neglected to tell me they destroyed the attachment sites on the stock radio, and scratched the bezel all up. Sad thing is, I am probably most irritated by this. Looks like a 16 y/o kid got frustrated and took a screwdriver to the stereo trying to get it out. Solution: ????? I have yet to go back to tell them about knowing about the stereo. I was really nice when i went back with all other issues, and they offered to hook up the vss, but couldn;t guarantee it would be right, and wouldnt do the illum. wire since it wasn't in the harness. My plan is to have them pay for a new stock stereo for if/when i decide to put it back to stock; have them pay for the dash piece. As for the rest, I don't want them touching the car again, so I will re-run the new RCA's myself. Here are some images. Just curious at what you would expect them to do. Thanks for input!

I had some complications from an installer in the past as well, I demanded they pay for repair which I had done at the local P dealer. In my case the installer acknowledged the problem and it was repaired. I would say this installer had no clue how to disassemble the P car. A quick search of this forum and you can successfully, and without damage, remove the CDR. PCM 2.1 Install (CDR-24 Radio Removal) - Articles I would price those parts, from a sponsor here or your local dealer and demand they pay to replace the units. Being able to return the car to stock is important for some buyers should you decide to sell the car. Don't wait to get the parts replaced do it NOW! While all this is still fresh in the installers mind. Do not let the inexperience of this installer slide. The BBB can be a great asset should the installer refuse to resolve the problem. If they really knew P cars they would have known how to remove the stock radio or at least where to look to obtain the information to properly remove the radio. It makes me wonder what other damage there may be hidden behind your new parts. :gossip: Good luck!

Wow, it looks like the installer took a magnum and shot a bullet through your unit. I would have them replace/pay for it. I am guessing this was done at a Best Buy maybe? I paid a premium to an installer because I wanted to make sure the job was done right. I called up my Porsche dealer and they recommended a shop and that is who I used.

And that is why I did the install myself!! B/c I knew a lot of installers don't have enough experience with Porsches. Plus I knew I could take my time over several days and do it right (perfectly). Where for an installer, time = money, so if they can't get it... they start hacking shlt up.

O'my, and that's why I tought myself to do my own work. Sad to see the poor workmanship. I was a professional car audio installer in my twenties, and I had to turn down a few because I knew it wouldn't come out perfect. Things do go wrong sometimes, and they will learn the price of their mistake, by taking on a job they souldn't have. Why would they have not used shielded RCA's? The evidence shows that they were clueless on how to remove the factory head unit. Sorry to see this, and you should NOT let them near the car again. They should replace what they damaged and or atleast refund the full installation price.

I'd get a few estimates to have everything repaired and re-installed correctly. Give them the opportunity to make it right (with cash), and if they don't offer to do the right thing, force their hand.

A real amateur job in my view. I would make them rectify and reimburse you on all issues. Have the dash repaired by Porsche not some yahoo.

Thanks for the input, and all very valid points. I usually do my own installs, but this was one I just didn't have time for. Believe it or not it was not a best buy, it was actually a car audio shop (Mobile one). I was very reluctant to have anyone do it for me, and I shopped around. The "best" place in Houston is about 45 minutes away. I spoke with them multiple times, and it was clear they knew what they were doing, every time i went there, they had several very high end MB in the show room. Anyway, someone on the avic site used them, and they had some complaints as well. SO, I figured If I were going to have issues, I would rather the place be close by. Everyone talks of how difficult the install is on these cars, but when you have these great step by step articles on "how-to", it doesnt seem that bad. Not to mention I provided all that! Anyway, thanks for the advice, I will be contacting good old Porsche for some prices!

Even with the great how to articles, that I printed out. Those 4 little twist locks took me a while to figure out. As you have to have them ALL the way cranked the correct direction for the radio to slide out. And even then its a little hard to pull out. Plus at first I was yanking on it while the retention screw was still in on the right side by the glove box!! Luckily I removed everything with out damaging the stock HU. Just so when I sell the car down the road I can throw the radio & Bose amp in the trunk, just in case I have collector or somethign that wants the car all original.

Thats a sad tale, sorry to see/hear of it. Why are you not posting the name of the outfit here so others can give a wide berth? Are there legal reasons?

You got to be kidding.... Wow.. installers should really know there limits... This guy should be fired! This installer should have to pay for a new CDR-24 and should refund the installation not to mention have Porsche fix the tear. It would have been better if the installer would have stopped before the damage and at a minimum should have informed you they didn't know how to remove the CDR so at least you could have taken it somewhere else and not have to deal with this headache. I feel for you.. Hope things are resolved in your best interest and not the car audio's shop. Good Luck on the resolution, let us know how things turn out. Rob

BTW, how does the 920BT look installed? icsplz: rob

there used to be a lot of Mobile One's around my area before the Hurricane and they did some good work here. It all depends on the Installer not the shop, the Installer should take his time and research it if he's having difficulty. But in the end, they damaged your equipment, therefore they should fix/reimburse you for it.

Yea it was Mobile One. One of their other stores, Quality Auto Sound, did tons of work for me as a teen ager. They always did pretty good work but were pricey. Mobile One's site has some gallery photos, and they talked a good game at the store. I m just amazed that anyone would trash the stock deck, with out at least asking the owner, or owning up to it when they returned the car. The install cost me 880 bucks, and the only product included in that price was power/ground and RCA's. My plan is to get a hold of Porsche tomorrow and find out a price to replace the stereo and the dash piece. Now I just need to find a part number for the dash piece!! As for the look, the 920 looks great. Treullionare's bezel looks stock, absolutely beautiful. Next plan is to pull all dash parts that are gray and have them painted gloss black to match my console!

I am assuming the piece damaged is the trim piece next to the radio. I tried attaching the page from the parts catalog, but the image uploaded way to small to read. You might want to just pull the piece and verify the part number anyway since it is really easy to remove. I can't pm you the image either because you don't have enough posts. lol Ok so here is the numbers. 997 553 117 01 for the left cover in leatherette. 997 553 118 01 for the right cover in leatherette. 9C6 is for sand beige If you have leather, let me know. Or if this is the wrong part, let me know. I'm sure you already found the part numbers by now anyway, but I don't mind trying to help.

Hello and welcome, Like the other members who have responded to your thread I'd like to say how sorry I am to read about your misadventure with your stereo installer. I recently upgraded my stock CDR-24 to a Porsche Nav unit. I did most of the installation myself. I tried to send you a private message, but was unable to do so. You mentioned having the installer buy you a replacement CDR-24. The CDR-24 that I removed from my car is in pristine condition (there's not a scratch or blemish on the bezel). If you're interested I'd be happy to sell you (your installer) my unit for a fraction of the cost of a new one. I bought the Nav unit and kit from Sun Coast so I have a custom shipping carton for the CDR-24. I've attached a couple pictures. Good luck and I hope you get this situation resolved to your satisfaction. Regards, Larry

Wow. You know, it's so depressing when people lie to you. I would demand they pay for their mistakes and then report them to the Better Business Bureau. Good luck.

Delman 1012, thanks for the part numbers! Actually, the tear is not on the vertical pieces adjacent to the stereo. It is actually the larger dash portion below the steering wheel that extends from the door, all the way over to the stereo console. Ozie, thanks for the offer, I am not sure what i'll do in regards to replacing the stereo. If I buy one, i plan on used b/c my only plans of reinstalling it are if i sell it. Update: I began to wonder what they had done to areas that are covered by the dash, so I pulled the side panels and the sub. Pretty depressing, and now I am even more ticked off. The driver side vertical panel had both screws missing, so it was held in place only by pressure. They apparently removed the lower dash portion (the one with the tear) to run some wiring. I assume this, because it is also missing a screw. At first I thought they did a little better on the passenger side as only 1 screw was missing. But, they did not fail to disappoint! As I looked at the subwoofer, the dumb *** who removed it did NOT see that the sub was screwed on behind the cigarette lighter. The screw bracket was busted wide open. To fix the break, he put a large washer over the screw so that it would span the area he broke. It holds tight enough, but that is besides the point. I am in complete disbelief that they did this. They were not pressured and not busy. I left my car for 2 days for them! If interested, I posted more pics of what I found. I am making a list, copying photos and plan on heading to the shop for a little "talk" this week. Did I mention this cost me around $800 in labor? Last Picture is just a completed project. Looks pretty good!

As I read your initial posting my gut said it was a mess behind the panels. Sorry to see your misfortune. My own experiences with modifications using non factory Porsche installers have been poor also. My current car is stock and will remain that way. I even cringe at the thought of a deep repair at the dealer. Previous dealer work was also marginal to be kind. NO pride in workmanship to be had anymore. I am sure others have similar stories. Good luck in your quest for excellence.

I couldn't agree with ghost more. I've only found one or two shops that I trust locally. Probably the best way to find a shop is to contact the local PCA chapter and find out where they take their cars. Good luck with the shop Sooner. Personally, I would be hesitant with leaving the car with them even if they offer to make it right. -Moto

Work right next to a Mobile One and they never seem to have much business, and what shows up are either pickups or rice rockets (we do grow rice in this part of Texas, so a Buick counts). If you can make it to southwest side of Houston, you might swing by eurocar-werk (a sponsor here and Softronic dealer/installer as well) and ask Eric if they'd work on your car. He and his dad have been in business since the mid '70's and his collection of older 911's is nice to drool over.

Uhg.... Man, it looks like they used a pick axe to remove your radio. Ouch... They obviously didn't have any idea how to disasemble that car, and I have news for you, the Cayman is not a hard dissasembly to figure out. I have worked in the industry. I was actually a professional installer for 8 years. I enjoyed the work very much. Let me share something that I know from my experience that may not be obvious. The national chain stores is where installers cut their teeth. This is the last place any Porsche owner should think of taking their car for work, seriously. Find the quality shop in your area, and when he quotes you his price, realize that there is a very good reason why he is more expensive. Sometimes cheap is expensive. Even if they replace every malled part of your car, the hassle factor alone makes any saving you realized lost.

This is so sad. It's unbelievable what they did to your Cayman. It is the first and biggest reason I am reluctant to make any changes to mine. Inevitably some incompetent tool who doesn't even know he's incompetent will screw it up royally and then make your life miserable as you try to get everything the way it should be at their expense. Good luck. I truly do feel for you.

This is a great (and sad) example of psychologist Abraham Maslow's edict - when a person only has a hammer, they see all problems as nails. They obviously had no clue about Porsches and didn't have the right mental tools, and so they saw your car as a 1994 Corolla and treated it the same way. Shameful bastards. Most Porsche dealers should have a sound shop they affiliate with. In the case of the pre-2009 models which did not have satellite radio, bluetooth, etc available as a factory option, Porsche dealers will use someone who knows their cars. You may want to find out from dealers themselves who they use. It may be much costlier but they will at least understand how to take things apart and then reassemble them.

Thanks for all the support, it's appreciated. We all keep commenting on chain stores and those not familiar with Porsches, but truth is pulling the dash and putting the screws back in is basic!! My 12 yr old nephew could probably do it. As always, you never force anything, especially if you are a "professional". C-rizzle, I followed your article and the ones you referenced. They were both very descriptive and not hard to follow. I cant speak for pulling stereo itself, but again they could have made a simple call to Porsche for some advise, and at the very least they should have called to see if they care about some damage to the original stereo. As for repairs, they aren't touching it. The receipt has a disclaimer on the back saying that if they "accidentally" damage your car during install, they reserve the right to attempt to repair it first before outsourcing the work. Thing is, i see no "accident" here. They clearly worked at doing this damage! I am going to try and stop by tomorrow to talk with the manager. I've been to busy to get prices, but i need to inform them before too much time goes by. I also plan on complaining to the corporate office if possible.

Out of interest, how did they accomplish the new faceplate/bezel for the new pioneer? Did you provide or did they source aftermarket? I am about to upgrade with exactly the same pioneer stuff as you installed and the only thing I am not 100% on is the faceplate to make the install look OEM. Sorry to hear your install went bad, that's why I will have to find the time to do mine on my own - there are some great articles on here. Thanks.

Can you provide more specifics about how you corrected the engine whine? I did the exact same upgrade and the one issue my installer could not completely get rid of was a slight engine whine. Now I recognize that its getting worse and need to fix it! HELP!