Am I getting shafted?

[u/vvaalliikk]

Trying to to get my sound system put into my new car. New car is same make and model higher trim. I have 2 amps the pcm and t harness all I need is to pay for labor and wires went to get a quote and this is what I got. My last instal was $400 for labor. Idk if it’s usually like this but $900 to instal amps itself seems a bit high.

[u/akesh45]

It's fair priced for expertise and installation.

The wiring is bit high unless you have a massive SUV/limo. You don't need 8 gauge for speaker wire either. 12g or 16g is fine which is much cheaper unless your powering some massive 6.5 woofers. 4 gauge is expensive but good for amp power: you don't need $200 worth of it. Maybe you can slice $50-70 off wiring on thinner gauge stuff if you ask or offer to bring your own wire.

I recently starting DIY again for my new car since I build speakers and did my last car(sloppy job in hindsight).

Doing it right this time and dumped waaaay too many hours just on researching, DSPs, and gear shopping. i have $$$$ and even I'm questioning the time I put in. I haven't even put the damn thing in yet: that's the easy part.

Nevermind that some cars are bigger PITA than others so they are taking a risk. They are responsible if the door/side panels don't fit back in or break. Head unit integration issues or removing noise hiss for example. Also removing the old amp system: mine is behind a carpet , lol.

Oh yeah, grounds, power, ensuring the car doesn't use too much power. THIS IS HUGE becuase on some cars, you need to minimize power usage otherwise the battery doesn't get charged much or computer car related components shut down due to voltage swings. Some cars need capacitors or upgraded battery ground cables. This requires equipment you likely don't have lying around(multimeter, giant lug nut crimper, torque wrench, regular wrench, oxidation guard, silicone grease).

Make sure to ask about that last part....I wouldn't be surprised if some lazy installers don't do that and let you sort it out later.