This is a simple job which you can do yourself. Get yourself some tools which cost around $70.
I got quote from Best Buy and The Future Shop, and both are quoting more than $150 + parts (cable, connector, cable cramper, fuse). After tax it is near to $200.
What I found in the process is that the technician is neither familiar with my car, nor know existing wiring routing of the system. So they are spending their time to study my car, and charging me for the "research" time into the labor cost.
If you buy the CD system from them, then their charge for installation is a fix cost, which you can consider. If the CD system (for me it is MP3) not buy from them, then they charge per hour including learning time.
Their job is not professional as well because their work is not neat and clean. I am electronic background so I know precisely what are the components available in the market.
Following are what I see they are not proficient in
1. Cable color is not consistent. They will use 1 or 2 color cable to do all the routing, which will make future cabling impossible, and more time consuming
2. Cable connector is not consistent in color code. They use only 1 color of cable connector to join positive and negative wire
3. Cable tie is not used. Cheap cable tie used and all of them are not screw to the housing. This is causing cable swing. More expansive with mounting hole cable tie should be used, but none of them use it
If you install yourself, you can order the right connector, proper cable color, crimping tool, etc. You are not going to spend more time than them as they are learning it as well.
Unless the specific technician install one in the same model recently, they will spend less time. Nonetheless, you can't choose which technician, nor knowing who familiar with your car |