I regret spending money on setup, some feedback please
#1
03-06-2006 | 01:44 AM
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Joined: Jan 2005
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From: Connecticut
I regret spending money on setup, some feedback please
I have a major issue that's bothering me.
back in August i was obsessed with getting subs for my car, and i didnt just want to get a box with subs, and an amp. i wanted top of the line, with a custom looking box. so i went to a couple of places, and i met this guy at Audioworks. he calculated everything, subs, box, HU, wires, speakers, labor to about 5200. i was like woah, that is way too much. next day i went there again, told him i was gonna use my stock speakers, HU, and all i wanted was a custom box with JL subs, and a JL amp. fine.. everything came to 3000. didnt seem like much at the time because my credit limit was 5000. i figured everything would be payed off after 3 months of work. so i went with it, everything looked fine. it took them 3 days to install everything. the guy calls me the 2nd day " yo dude! i just got this awesome idea, ill surprise you tomorrow!" so im like, ok what could this be.. i went to pick my car up. the subs were turned around, facing the front of the car. looked alright.. nothing special. (pics below) now its march, and i still have 3500 on the credit card balance, im paying minimum pay every month, and it seems like the balance is increasing instead of decreasing. i work for my dad, and there are like no hours, and ive looked for other jobs, but there are no jobs that are worth it. im not happy with the set up at all, there is a 1 year warranty for the setup. the subs POP really loud, when i turn them up (not all the way), and my whole car rattles and creaks, the sound isnt good at all. there is one piece that goes on top of the box, kind of like a wing.. it popped right off when i lightly fiddled with it. it has gotten me really depressed, and i do not want it. it seems like i threw 3000 dollars out the window. i cant explain this to my parents, because there is no way they would understand. they dont even know what a sub is. and 3000? forget it.
now my question is Can i return and get everything back with the 1 year warranty? i know they can try and fix everything, but i dont want it fixed, i want it out. would it be possible?
i am stupid for using the credit card to mod, i am stupid for spending 3000 dollars on subs, and i am stupid for not being able to pay it off. on top of all that, i did it behind my parent's back. wow
doesnt 3000 dollars sound a bit much for
2 12'' JL w6
1000/1 JL mono amp
custom box
labor
thoughts and ideas please.
click this link to see 3 pictures of the trunk
https://g35driver.com/forums/picture-share/67825-got-some-pics.html
back in August i was obsessed with getting subs for my car, and i didnt just want to get a box with subs, and an amp. i wanted top of the line, with a custom looking box. so i went to a couple of places, and i met this guy at Audioworks. he calculated everything, subs, box, HU, wires, speakers, labor to about 5200. i was like woah, that is way too much. next day i went there again, told him i was gonna use my stock speakers, HU, and all i wanted was a custom box with JL subs, and a JL amp. fine.. everything came to 3000. didnt seem like much at the time because my credit limit was 5000. i figured everything would be payed off after 3 months of work. so i went with it, everything looked fine. it took them 3 days to install everything. the guy calls me the 2nd day " yo dude! i just got this awesome idea, ill surprise you tomorrow!" so im like, ok what could this be.. i went to pick my car up. the subs were turned around, facing the front of the car. looked alright.. nothing special. (pics below) now its march, and i still have 3500 on the credit card balance, im paying minimum pay every month, and it seems like the balance is increasing instead of decreasing. i work for my dad, and there are like no hours, and ive looked for other jobs, but there are no jobs that are worth it. im not happy with the set up at all, there is a 1 year warranty for the setup. the subs POP really loud, when i turn them up (not all the way), and my whole car rattles and creaks, the sound isnt good at all. there is one piece that goes on top of the box, kind of like a wing.. it popped right off when i lightly fiddled with it. it has gotten me really depressed, and i do not want it. it seems like i threw 3000 dollars out the window. i cant explain this to my parents, because there is no way they would understand. they dont even know what a sub is. and 3000? forget it.
now my question is Can i return and get everything back with the 1 year warranty? i know they can try and fix everything, but i dont want it fixed, i want it out. would it be possible?
i am stupid for using the credit card to mod, i am stupid for spending 3000 dollars on subs, and i am stupid for not being able to pay it off. on top of all that, i did it behind my parent's back. wow
doesnt 3000 dollars sound a bit much for
2 12'' JL w6
1000/1 JL mono amp
custom box
labor
thoughts and ideas please.
click this link to see 3 pictures of the trunk
https://g35driver.com/forums/picture-share/67825-got-some-pics.html
Last edited by Basheer; 03-06-2006 at 10:52 PM.
#2
03-06-2006 | 02:05 AM
better to learn this lesson younger than later. to solve your problem, i think you have a couple of options. check with the audio shop to see what their return policy is. honestly, i doubt they'll take anything back. the warranty probably just guarantees the labor and any faulty equipment for replacement if there is a problem.
the best you can do is sell your equipment on car/audio forums and/or ebay to recoup as much of your cost as you can. there is NO WAY you will eliminate your CC debt in any reasonable time frame if you keep paying the minimum balance.
you should be trying to scrape every penny you have to pay it off since i bet the interest rate on it is > 20%. in the meantime you should see if you get any offers in the mail for 0% balance transfer credit cards that will buy you some interest free time to pay off the CC.
the key is, if you transfer the balance to a new CC you must a) pay that CC religiously in as large an amount as possible and b) never use the cc for any purchases, it should just be the shrinking balance of your audio expense.
btw, imo at this point you can't really say whether or not a job is "worth it". if you want to get out of debt, you need to make money any way you can. hopefully one of the audio experts on this board can chime in with what your equipment is worth when you part it out and sell it used.
the best you can do is sell your equipment on car/audio forums and/or ebay to recoup as much of your cost as you can. there is NO WAY you will eliminate your CC debt in any reasonable time frame if you keep paying the minimum balance.
you should be trying to scrape every penny you have to pay it off since i bet the interest rate on it is > 20%. in the meantime you should see if you get any offers in the mail for 0% balance transfer credit cards that will buy you some interest free time to pay off the CC.
the key is, if you transfer the balance to a new CC you must a) pay that CC religiously in as large an amount as possible and b) never use the cc for any purchases, it should just be the shrinking balance of your audio expense.
btw, imo at this point you can't really say whether or not a job is "worth it". if you want to get out of debt, you need to make money any way you can. hopefully one of the audio experts on this board can chime in with what your equipment is worth when you part it out and sell it used.
#3
03-06-2006 | 02:21 AM
Banned
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 2,712
Likes: 1
From: socalifornia
1000/1 amp ~ $1000
subs ~ $1000
custom box + labor ~ $1000 for 3 days ($333/ day)
doesnt sound like a rip-off to me, but if you got this setup back in august and it took you this long to figure out you dont like it i highly doubt they will refund anything back to you, i mean everythings used now...
if u wanna be extra shady, i say blow your amp and all your speakers, get the warranty thru JL Audio to get brand new equipment, then sell them on ebay... other than that i wouldnt know how you would get your money back...
good luck, and good lesson learned!...
subs ~ $1000
custom box + labor ~ $1000 for 3 days ($333/ day)
doesnt sound like a rip-off to me, but if you got this setup back in august and it took you this long to figure out you dont like it i highly doubt they will refund anything back to you, i mean everythings used now...
if u wanna be extra shady, i say blow your amp and all your speakers, get the warranty thru JL Audio to get brand new equipment, then sell them on ebay... other than that i wouldnt know how you would get your money back...
good luck, and good lesson learned!...
#4
03-06-2006 | 02:28 AM
Registered User
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 17,096
Likes: 12
From: East Bay, Cali
Sedan
Originally Posted by absolutg
better to learn this lesson younger than later. to solve your problem, i think you have a couple of options. check with the audio shop to see what their return policy is. honestly, i doubt they'll take anything back. the warranty probably just guarantees the labor and any faulty equipment for replacement if there is a problem.
the best you can do is sell your equipment on car/audio forums and/or ebay to recoup as much of your cost as you can. there is NO WAY you will eliminate your CC debt in any reasonable time frame if you keep paying the minimum balance.
you should be trying to scrape every penny you have to pay it off since i bet the interest rate on it is > 20%. in the meantime you should see if you get any offers in the mail for 0% balance transfer credit cards that will buy you some interest free time to pay off the CC.
the key is, if you transfer the balance to a new CC you must a) pay that CC religiously in as large an amount as possible and b) never use the cc for any purchases, it should just be the shrinking balance of your audio expense.
btw, imo at this point you can't really say whether or not a job is "worth it". if you want to get out of debt, you need to make money any way you can. hopefully one of the audio experts on this board can chime in with what your equipment is worth when you part it out and sell it used.
the best you can do is sell your equipment on car/audio forums and/or ebay to recoup as much of your cost as you can. there is NO WAY you will eliminate your CC debt in any reasonable time frame if you keep paying the minimum balance.
you should be trying to scrape every penny you have to pay it off since i bet the interest rate on it is > 20%. in the meantime you should see if you get any offers in the mail for 0% balance transfer credit cards that will buy you some interest free time to pay off the CC.
the key is, if you transfer the balance to a new CC you must a) pay that CC religiously in as large an amount as possible and b) never use the cc for any purchases, it should just be the shrinking balance of your audio expense.
btw, imo at this point you can't really say whether or not a job is "worth it". if you want to get out of debt, you need to make money any way you can. hopefully one of the audio experts on this board can chime in with what your equipment is worth when you part it out and sell it used.
#7
03-06-2006 | 08:48 AM
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#8
03-06-2006 | 09:12 AM
Even then, you can only get about half the the retail on ebay usually
Originally Posted by GRider35c
1000/1 amp ~ $1000
subs ~ $1000
custom box + labor ~ $1000 for 3 days ($333/ day)
doesnt sound like a rip-off to me, but if you got this setup back in august and it took you this long to figure out you dont like it i highly doubt they will refund anything back to you, i mean everythings used now...
if u wanna be extra shady, i say blow your amp and all your speakers, get the warranty thru JL Audio to get brand new equipment, then sell them on ebay... other than that i wouldnt know how you would get your money back...
good luck, and good lesson learned!...
subs ~ $1000
custom box + labor ~ $1000 for 3 days ($333/ day)
doesnt sound like a rip-off to me, but if you got this setup back in august and it took you this long to figure out you dont like it i highly doubt they will refund anything back to you, i mean everythings used now...
if u wanna be extra shady, i say blow your amp and all your speakers, get the warranty thru JL Audio to get brand new equipment, then sell them on ebay... other than that i wouldnt know how you would get your money back...
good luck, and good lesson learned!...
#9
03-06-2006 | 09:36 AM
Registered User
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 1,254
Likes: 19
From: Centerburg, Ohio (the geographical center of the Buckeye State)
Originally Posted by htn
Even then, you can only get about half the the retail on ebay usually
unfortunately, I agree. You will probably only make half of the $3000 back since no one will repay you back on the labor. And for "used" goods, even though they are JL, will resale for maybe 60% FMV.
yes, 2 huge subs like that will seemingly be too much and if you did not replace stock HU and stock speakers, system will be out of balance.
Credit Cards = BAD!
Home Equity Loan = Better
doc
#10
03-06-2006 | 10:44 AM
Originally Posted by docron1
unfortunately, I agree. You will probably only make half of the $3000 back since no one will repay you back on the labor. And for "used" goods, even though they are JL, will resale for maybe 60% FMV.
yes, 2 huge subs like that will seemingly be too much and if you did not replace stock HU and stock speakers, system will be out of balance.
Credit Cards = BAD!
Home Equity Loan = Better
doc
yes, 2 huge subs like that will seemingly be too much and if you did not replace stock HU and stock speakers, system will be out of balance.
Credit Cards = BAD!
Home Equity Loan = Better
doc
Anyways....
I say, try to get another CC that has 0% for balance transfers. Even if it's only for 6months. If you can't, then don't worry about it. It's not the most important thing.
But this is. Sell your system. You can probably get someone to buy your box, even though it's too small for 2 12w6v2. Sell the subs. Sell the amp. Sell the wiring equipment. Do it on ebay and sell them separately. You'll get more money by doing that instead of selling it in one whole piece. Cut your losses.
Whatever money you made out of selling your stuff, make sure that EACH AND EVERY PENNY goes to the CC. Hell. Add a couple more hundred to it if you can.
Oh. And those credit counseling firms that say they can get your monthly payments down by talking to the CC companies. Bullsh1t! This is from personal experience. DO NOT go to them. They are a waste of time and money.
Good luck. And don't feel too bad about this. Sometimes, the best way to learn something is to get slapped in the face for it.
#12
03-06-2006 | 11:07 AM
Seems like you are pretty young... its good you're making your mistakes now... I'm young myself and have made some financial mistakes... I lost $1100 in 1 day in the Stock market when I was 18 ROFL... that was funny, but it shouldn't have happend, Scottrade defrauded me basically, they gave me the wrong price quote for a specific stock so when I bought it, the price shown was $3/a share BELOW what they purchasd it at and when I SOLD it... the price shown was $3 ABOVE the selling price... it really made me mad but I decided meh its only $1100... If you can get $1500 back by selling it DO IT, throw the money at the Credit Card and apply for a Chase 0% Credit Card... I get like 500 applications sent to me every day in the mail offering me 0% for 15 months and 8.99% fixed after 15 months ... I'm actually going to take one of the offers since I only have 3 CCs and I need the 0% for furniture and stuff since I'ma be moving to an apartment ant then building a house in the near future for myself... SELL THEM, PUT ALL THE MONEY INTO THE CREDIT CARD, TRANSFER BALANCE TO A NEW 0% APR CARD!!!
#13
03-06-2006 | 01:28 PM
Registered User
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 64
Likes: 0
No, no,no- keep ALL THE EQUIPMENT! You have a great foundation for a great REAL system- the reason you don't like what you have is 2 fold. First and foremost you kept the stock system- which the reality of worth of ALL the components (Bose or not, since there isn't a hell of a lot of difference in quality) is that the stock system is worth around $200-$300 of electronics- literally everything about it is complete junk (HU, amp, speakers & wiring). If you want a decent system (and it really sounds like you do) all that will eventually need to be replaced and when you do and start feeding the JL's a decent preamp signal with a quality HU and mate the mids and highs with a quality HU, amp & wiring- YOU WILL LOVE IT!!!
The second issue that I hear you saying is that you don't like what you bought due to rattles. This is where Dynamat (and I would really recommend Dynamat) comes in- it will get rid of all those rattles and really bring out the best sound quality of your investment. Dynamat isn't cheap- but you get what you pay for with sound dampening material and it is the best I have tried. Here is a link to a great price for it (so as not to set you back even further!
) Do your trunk first, then when you get around to replacing those cheesy stock speakers in the front doors- you can do your doors at that point. You'll notice the vendor offers free shipping on orders over $99- so buy 2 which will be more than enough for a thorough trunk job (with a little left over for your doors).
http://www.onlinecarstereo.com/CarAu...roductID=13389
Don't worry about the debt- just live & learn and learn how to do the RIGHT thing and appreciate and make the most of your investments!!! You will always owe someone something from start to finish...
The second issue that I hear you saying is that you don't like what you bought due to rattles. This is where Dynamat (and I would really recommend Dynamat) comes in- it will get rid of all those rattles and really bring out the best sound quality of your investment. Dynamat isn't cheap- but you get what you pay for with sound dampening material and it is the best I have tried. Here is a link to a great price for it (so as not to set you back even further!
) Do your trunk first, then when you get around to replacing those cheesy stock speakers in the front doors- you can do your doors at that point. You'll notice the vendor offers free shipping on orders over $99- so buy 2 which will be more than enough for a thorough trunk job (with a little left over for your doors).http://www.onlinecarstereo.com/CarAu...roductID=13389
Don't worry about the debt- just live & learn and learn how to do the RIGHT thing and appreciate and make the most of your investments!!! You will always owe someone something from start to finish...
#14
03-06-2006 | 01:37 PM
From a financial standpoint I dont agree with ^^^
To make that a workable system you'd have to invest much more (and i'm talking at least another $500-$1000 if not more) to get to a point where you'll like it. Truthfully, take the advice to sell the components and get back on your feet. An audio system isnt worth it if you gotta carry a debt to have it.
To make that a workable system you'd have to invest much more (and i'm talking at least another $500-$1000 if not more) to get to a point where you'll like it. Truthfully, take the advice to sell the components and get back on your feet. An audio system isnt worth it if you gotta carry a debt to have it.
#15
03-06-2006 | 01:52 PM
Registered User
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 334
Likes: 3
From: South Florida
You've got good components. I don't know if the box is properly designed.
You will have to spend some money to get it to sound right, it will not happen with the stock HU without some trickery. You have a good base for bass already in place. Now you need tunability.
Maybe you can sell the stuff to someone you know. I would be surprised if you could get $1,500 for it, but it might be more valuable to someone who has seen it and knows the potential than selling the parts.
As far as the credit card debt. Learn your lessons now. $3,000 can be overcome if you learn your lesson now. If you wait until later and end up with $15,000 or $20,000 before you have a decent job you will be in a lot worse shape. Once you miss, or are late on a couple payments (even if it isn't your fault) the interest rates will shoot up and you will be hosed.
You will have to spend some money to get it to sound right, it will not happen with the stock HU without some trickery. You have a good base for bass already in place. Now you need tunability.
Maybe you can sell the stuff to someone you know. I would be surprised if you could get $1,500 for it, but it might be more valuable to someone who has seen it and knows the potential than selling the parts.
As far as the credit card debt. Learn your lessons now. $3,000 can be overcome if you learn your lesson now. If you wait until later and end up with $15,000 or $20,000 before you have a decent job you will be in a lot worse shape. Once you miss, or are late on a couple payments (even if it isn't your fault) the interest rates will shoot up and you will be hosed.