I know enough about car audio that will not allow me to pay someone to install my equipment. Over the years I have installed numerous systems in my own vehicles as well as in several vehicles of friends & family. I in no way have the knowledge & experience that professional installers like MrWigggles, forbidden and a few others have, but I think my situation is probably similar to MOST of the members that post here.

One problem that I see is the conflicting information given by different members due to "opinions". It is very hard to sift through all of the infomation available and come out w/ the correct and final answer, especially when better options are found or a past option is found not to be so good. A couple of the big ones are "How to hook up an amp", "Where to put your ground" etc.

The Speaker sizes, harnesses, kits, etc: audio install reference sticky (https://www.rx8club.com/series-i-interior-audio-electronics-24/speaker-sizes-harnesses-kits-etc-audio-install-reference-74664/) by Astral is an excellent start at organizing all of the correct info, but I want to start this thread for people to post their FAILURES only.

Please, only post items that you, yourself know do not work. Include any information as to why you think (or know) it did not work & what was done to correct it. Please, Please, Please, try to keep it fairly fact based instead of opinionated an hopefully a few of the professional installers on this site (who get tired of answering the same questions over and over) will chime in with their trials & tribulations.

We all know there are different ways to arrive at the same point, but let's start a list of the paths that we know DO NOT work.

 

I dont know jack when it comes to installing car audio. I know my co worker let her boyfriend install her system and now when she turns the wheel her horn gos beep

 

200+ views & nobody has anything!?!

 

do not tug too hard when removing the center console/cup holder piece via the hidden tab .. it will break.

 

^Lol, yeah.

Do not lean your HU faceplate against the shifter shaft while removing the radio. The shifter shaft will scratch up your nice glossy HU face very easily.

 

Cool. Those weren't really what I originally had in mind, but I like the way it is heading. It is easy to overlook small details & make mistakes that you regret. Keep them coming.

 

Do not replace tweeters with out using some sort of cross over. I fooked up a good set set of MB Quart and the kicker part is that I had the crossovers, but never hooked them up.

 

If you don't know how to do an install..ask someone that knows how or pay to get it done.

 

Ressurection.

OK i got one...

When you run your power and ground wires through the plastic things under the doors... it's ALOT easier to do it on the pass side because there is no wires there.. but if you MUST do it on the drivers side don't bang the crap out of the clips trying to get it to click back down... you will just bend the clips up and then have to cut them off. Make sure they are unobstructed and lined up with the holes before you bang the crap out of them.

 

15" Kicker L7's don't fit in the trunk... so don't try... And I thought I could bring some chopped bass with me

 

I didn't catch this righ the first time I read it.. that means MORE THAN 1 right? I think you could get 1 to fit if you wanted it bad enough.. but anything more than that is a REALLY L O N G shot

 

Do not overlook the placement of the sylfex auxmod into the HU -- it is a match plug, but it is NOT a tight fit, so you have to center it propperly or you'll fry the HU like I did.

 

Yep. My dumb *** did that when I had my HU out and managed to get two small scratches at the bottom of it.

 

i got another one...

Do not underestimate how long it will take to do an install. If you think it will take 1 day.. plan 2 days or you will do like me.. go beyond the first day.. do a crappy job the second day because you're in a rush to finish and do your other stuff too, and then have to do back a THIRD day and fix it all...