Cost of stereo installation these days

[mooncancook]

I just bought a Pioneer 4200nex stereo for my 2014 Forester. Also bought the double din adapter and a USB/HDMI dongle that I wanted to mount on the dash. I also need to retain the steering wheel control for the stereo. I called an installer and got a quote of $300-375 for labor alone. I know newer cars are more complex but I didn't expect it to be this high. Is this reasonable for a quality job, or is it much too high? Meanwhile I'm still waiting for quotes from 2 other installer.

 

[jlee]

I've always installed my own stereos, but I've never owned something that new. I'd be kinda surprised if you couldn't DIY fairly easily with information on Youtube/etc. (example https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y38fXNSaAWc)

 

[JulesMaximus]

It likely needs a separate controller for the steering wheel controls and that might add close to $100 to the install (assuming they're including that in their quote).

Still, that's only about an hour to two max worth of work. I had a stereo installed on my Maxima which included a Sirius satellite radio (plug and play into the new stereo) and a hands free bluetooth mic which was also plug and play with the new HU. That was about 10 years ago though but it only cost me around $200 IIRC... might have been a little more than that.

 

[mooncancook]

It likely needs a separate controller for the steering wheel controls and that might add close to $100 to the install (assuming they're including that in their quote).

Still, that's only about an hour to two max worth of work. I had a stereo installed on my Maxima which included a Sirius satellite radio (plug and play into the new stereo) and a hands free bluetooth mic which was also plug and play with the new HU. That was about 10 years ago though but it only cost me around $200 IIRC... might have been a little more than that.

The guys said I'll need steering wheel adapter, harness, antenna adapter which will cost additional $120 in parts. He said it'll take 3 to 4 hrs. It can cost up to $500 in total. He did admit his price is not cheap coz the amount of details and quality of work he does. I don't need the cleanest wires behind the dash, hopefully I can find a cheaper quote.

 

[mooncancook]

I've always installed my own stereos, but I've never owned something that new. I'd be kinda surprised if you couldn't DIY fairly easily with information on Youtube/etc. (example https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y38fXNSaAWc)

I watched that video too, and then read about wiring the harness and steering wheel controls, and then I think about drilling holes for the dongle, wiring the mic cleanly, etc, I definitely don't feel comfortable DIY

 

[3chordcharlie]

It's not bad to get another quote. But $375 isn't really a lot of money, so the first criteria should be 'is it going to be done right?'

 

[tracerbullet]

But $375 isn't really a lot of money, so the first criteria should be 'is it going to be done right?'

Agreed, it sounds like a little over $100 in parts (his estimate's likely right on) and a couple hours work (an extra half hour or so if he's careful and makes it look good). I don't think the price is excessive at all.

 

[TechBoyJK]

I just bought a Pioneer 4200nex stereo for my 2014 Forester. Also bought the double din adapter and a USB/HDMI dongle that I wanted to mount on the dash. I also need to retain the steering wheel control for the stereo. I called an installer and got a quote of $300-375 for labor alone. I know newer cars are more complex but I didn't expect it to be this high. Is this reasonable for a quality job, or is it much too high? Meanwhile I'm still waiting for quotes from 2 other installer.

Honestly, that's fairly reasonable if it's an experienced installer. I've installed a dozen or so stereos in my life, but when I bought my last bmw, I had the stereo professionally installed. Eclipse HU, Hertz Components, high end alpine amp, etc. Install was $350, but the dude did a really, really damn good job.

 

[sontakke]

You have relatively brand new car. To do this right, $375-$500 price is not exorbitant assuming the guy does good job. I would balk at it only if needed to be done on a 10 year old car.

 

[yh125d]

I just had Best Buy install components in 4 doors for like $220 and am very pleased with their work. They do head unit installs for $65, but with the extra steering wheel controls and such it would probably go up some, but still probably well under $200 (assuming you provide the steering adapter)

That said, get a mastersheet and install accesories from Crutchfield and do it yourself.

 

[thesmokingman]

The guys said I'll need steering wheel adapter, harness, antenna adapter which will cost additional $120 in parts. He said it'll take 3 to 4 hrs. It can cost up to $500 in total. He did admit his price is not cheap coz the amount of details and quality of work he does. I don't need the cleanest wires behind the dash, hopefully I can find a cheaper quote.

The PAC SWC is like 35 bucks on amazon. You're getting fleeced if he quoted that much. It takes one wire to connect to your wheel controls. Look at this install, it costs me nothing. :sneaky:


http://imgur.com/a/nNGMG

http://ae64.com/

Also you should be getting your harness info from here. And the radio adapter plug is like 5 bucks.

 

[DrGreen2007]

id buy the cable kit and do it yourself, did mine on my 2010 Forester, got the kit from crutchfield, worked perfectly

 

[mooncancook]

I could try to do it myself but it will probably take me a lot of time and a lot of trouble shooting, and I don't have a friend who is good at this to help.

Anyway I got a quote from another installer, I brought my car and the parts there, he quoted me $293 for everything. He's also got excellent Yelp reviews so I went ahead and scheduled it. It also happened that he just finished installing almost the same head unit in almost the exact same car and it was parked right outside.

 

[mooncancook]

You have relatively brand new car. To do this right, $375-$500 price is not exorbitant assuming the guy does good job. I would balk at it only if needed to be done on a 10 year old car.

I checked the guy's Yelp photos and he did a lot of exotic and classic cars and has excellent reviews, so I'm sure he is very good at what he does. If I have a Maserati or Aston Martin I'll probably pick him, but for my Forester I just go with a cheaper yet still reputable installer.

 

[yh125d]

For future reference if you do it again, I promise it's simpler than you think. If you can build a computer, you can install a head unit - especially if you get all the right adapters cause then you're just splicing labeled wires. The only part that could be considered "difficult" on the ones I've done is getting over the hesitation to pull relatively hard on the dash/body panels to get faceplates and such off. You typically have to pull hard enough that you're sure it's going to break, but it isn't.

Really it only starts to get difficult is when you replace speakers, add an amp/sub, or run wiring beyond just splicing stuff behind the dash

ALL THAT SAID however, I can relate to the wanting to pay a professional. I did my last three cars myself, including up to adding an amp and replacing all speakers and wiring, but the most expensive of those cars was only 12 grand so I wasn't too worried if one of the corners of the door panel on one of the rears was a little loose, or I had to kinda butcher the stock tweeter mount a bit to fit mine in because it's behind a grille anyway so I'm not gonna see it again. Plus, there's value to having someone else to yell at if it goes wrong vs being disappointed in my own skills. So with my FoST, I had BB do the speakers

 

[Winged]

The worst part of any head unit install in my experience is removal of trim pieces. Especially on older cars with brittle clips. Makes me cringe. But with all components listed, thats a bit on the higher end, but not yet out of line. I'd still sail on the DIY ship

 

[thesmokingman]

I checked the guy's Yelp photos and he did a lot of exotic and classic cars and has excellent reviews, so I'm sure he is very good at what he does. If I have a Maserati or Aston Martin I'll probably pick him, but for my Forester I just go with a cheaper yet still reputable installer.

My cousin did these installs. And he's not even on Yelp. If he's really good, ppl in the industry will know him. lol the installs below are so over the top it's almost cool inverted. Anyways, point is regular install work isn't an art, it isn't special, it's liek calling a plumber or electrician. It's not till you get to the crazy stuff below that you start dealing with special individuals.

 

[pcgeek11]

I thought this was a technical forum. A stereo installation is not rocket science. Done correctly it is still mostly ( 90% ) just plug and play.

http://www.crutchfield.com/

And get everything you need as they have already done all the homework.

 

[kitatech]

Just did same for the 05 Camry:
Costs:
head unit $170 (Pioneer) bluetooth, no nav.
camera $85 (Pioneer)
dash kit $20
steerg wheel controls $40
"in Drive" DVD adapter $30
TOTAL parts $345
Installation $210

TOTAL $ 555

Oddly, an 08 Accord requires a $200 dash kit....ouch.

 

[Midwayman]

The hardest part of doing a double din install like that is finding the right wiring diagrams for your car. I did it recently in my wife's CRV. Took awhile to gather the intel, but once I did the install itself was pretty easy.

 

[kitatech]

Yes, MW....and is why I chose an indie shop that sold Pioneer and had experience with Camrys...

 

[zerocool84]

I thought this was a technical forum. A stereo installation is not rocket science. Done correctly it is still mostly ( 90% ) just plug and play.

http://www.crutchfield.com/

And get everything you need as they have already done all the homework.

I upgraded my stereo in my '05 Neon no problem. In my' 16 Accord, hell no, everything is super integrated nowadays.

 

[pcgeek11]

They don't recommend a stereo replacement in the Accord anyway as Honda has totally screwed the pooch with their design as you call it Integration with the rest of the dash.

 

[pcgeek11]

The hardest part of doing a double din install like that is finding the right wiring diagrams for your car. I did it recently in my wife's CRV. Took awhile to gather the intel, but once I did the install itself was pretty easy.

If you use www.Crutchfield.com they will send you the adapter harness free along with instructions. No research required

 

[thesmokingman]

They don't recommend a stereo replacement in the Accord anyway as Honda has totally screwed the pooch with their design as you call it Integration with the rest of the dash.

New car electronics can be a pain in the ass for sure. In my link above, you can see the HVAC controls integrated with headunit, it draws it's power from the headunit lol. It really hampers aftermarket companies like Sosche etc from making DIN kits. When I figured out how to separate the Tribeca's HVAC from the headunit, there wasn't any info about it since no one even attempted it in the aftermarket. No one even bothered to try. The OP's forester is different though and orders of magnitude easier.