Well, got a great stereo install completed last week. Sounds AWESOME...A/D/S amp and front speakers, beautiful Italian Audiron (sp?) Amp for twin 10" subs, 300 watts...Entire system is approx. 500 watts @ 4 ohms total. Went to start car Thurs. eve... ALL the warning lights on the dash ON..(didn't know it HAD so many..) the dash mounted display module (clock, temp, etc) was dead, radio and navi dead. Dealer took the car in immediately next morning..Service Mgr. said he never saw anything like that.. Given a Kia as a loaner..(thru Enterprise)..Service had car all day Friday. They finally called me Fri. eve, and said the entire electrical system is fried...Battery is sulferized(?), alternator fried, various other components DOA. Acura blames the stereo installer for not using a voltage isolator and reserve battery. Acura engineering will not cover the repair under warranty. Now, the soap opera begins... The service mgr. claims he will go to bat for me with the installer (C.A.R.S., a highly respected installer in rich Greenwich CT, has the installation franchise for Mercedes of Greenwich, the Greenwich B.M.W. dealer, and Miller Motor Cars- Ferrari and Aston Martin). The guy is good, I have a hard time believing he could be so negligent in the install. Also, I had essentially the same system in my VW Passat for 4 years, installed myself, no voltage Isolator or reserve Battery on THAT..This is obviously a VERY expensive repair. If the installer balks at covering the repairs, a real mess is sure to follow. I am not thoroughly convinced that Acura should not be more accomodating in covering some of this. It is a three week old car, and I question the integrity of an electrical system that can be so catostrophically damaged by a total load of less than 20 amps, with absolutely no warning. Any comments or helpful advice? (I can use it!!)

 

That sucks man, but if the installer is "highly respected", then he should take care of it. Too much of a coincidence that you get a new system installed and you fry your electrical system at nearly the same time.

 

The electrical system and wiring was deisgned one way and obviously not capable of putting up with whatever the stereo install threw at it. You are lucky that the dealer is willing to help you at all. If you search the site you'll find instances of a mod in some part of the car that has nothing to do with another that failed yet the dealer will not fix it under warranty. Best of luck trying to get the stereo installer to cough up the dough for the fix. If all else fails you might be able to do something inovative through insurance.

 

If you make a big enough stink about it to acura....call client services and keep working your way up...make sure to document all conversations that are had something good will be sure to follow. good luck!

 

Thanks for the suggestion, who.. I will definitely start the process today.

 

I'm not sure how much support Acura will give anyone when it's a somewhat obvious case of a mod gone bad.

 

Well, I remember a year ago I was installing a disc changer in the trunk of my Mom's new E-series Mercedes. I crimped the OPTICAL wire by mistake. It was obvious what happened..(A mod gone bad)... Mercedes replaced the entire optical line, from head unit back, VERY expensive repair, NO QUESTIONS ASKED...But then again, that was Mercedes. Perhaps you DO get what you pay for!!

P.S.: My Mom will be buying a 2005 Mercedes in January. Goodwill DOES count!

 

That sucks, but just think about my problem where a rat went in my engine and chewed up the wiring harness to make a nest... not a warranty fix either. But my insurance took care of it so no big worries. Three things I learned from this is, don't mess with the wiring on you car because it can cost a lot to fix that problem, Acura service in Cincinnati is HORRIBLE... the service guy is impatient with me, took a month to replace a wire he said he would order in the next day and they refused to give me a loaner car and told me to ask my insurance company, and lastly shit happens.. it's life.. expect it.

 

You guys have to understand that a warranty only covers things that happen as a result of failure of a component.

epkim, your case is definitely not a warranty case. It's an unfortunate freak occurrence, but obviously Acura is under no obligation to fix something that was not their fault.

garpt, the same applies to you. You're very lucky that your dealer is nice enough to help you push for anything from the installer. And honestly, as good as an installer might be, unless he has done an install in a TSX before, he would not have known to use any additional parts. Different cars are designed with different tolerances and different systems. Electrical systems are particularly finnicky.

 

You pay that way overpriced Chrysler for the lick ass services. And also MB of course won't asking ne question because their electrical system all blow up just so easy, so they already count it on your purchase price! My firend's 02 CLK already have replaced 2 set of electrical wiring harness withour do ne mod.

 

garpt, that's a tough situation to be in. Unfortunately that's the risk you take when modding a vehicle. The installer should have known better and hopefully he'll step up and cover the repairs. I'm surprised that MB is fixing that problem for your mom.

My dad hasn't had nearly that good of an experience from MB up here.

 

I agree with above - if you modded it and the electrical system failed it's pretty straightforward to connect the dots and blame the install. Hope your installer owns up to it and fixes it for you - o/w this is gonna hurt.



Good luck, let us know if they REALLY figure out why the system failed - I know our audio systems aren't the beefiest, but it seems odd that aftermarket parts would be so far out of spec to fry everything.

I put a few amps on my head unit (not as high end as your's but more than it came with) and I've had zero problems so far. How did the installer tap into your signal, LOC?

 

UPDATE:
Well, as I was hoping and still expecting, despite some downer comments here, to this point Acura has been most fair. They covered ALL parts expense, and the 5-day loaner, and charged me only for labor, about $300. VERY fair in my mind. (and I have my baby back.) They kept the battery cables from the amps disconnected. On my paperwork, they also carefully and thoroughly explained what caused the failure, and how the electrical system was compromised. Next step is to visit the installer tomorrow, armed with my paperwork from Acura. I'll let all know what happens.

GOOD JOB, ACURA!!!!!! :gheywave: :gheywave: :gheywave:

 

Wow.

You should write your dealer a thank you letter because that's really going above and beyond their duties. Now let's see if the installer will cough up the $300...

 

The problem is our Electrical systems aren't the beefiest. The battery is especially small, and continuous load on the alternator is maximum 60 amps. So if the stereo is crankin' and demanding 20 or 30 amps, with all the electronics, etc., the battery is constantly discharging, and calling for the alternator to replenish it. Eventually, this is going to, at the least, kill the alternator and battery. Keep an eye on exactly what kind of load your mods are putting on the system. If necessary, a voltage isolator and reserve battery is not that big a deal, and could save BIG bucks down the road.

 

You must absolutely give them recognition about this. They definitely did you a favor.

 

Some major bootie kissing to Acura is required - make the letter one of those that they can use in their PR - they just gave you hundreds (if not thousands) of dollars. Congrats, glad it worked out better than I had expected.

 

UPDATE II:

The owner of C.A.R.S.(the installer) was obviously concerned, and accommodating. However, he has his own theories....
He will cover the money I paid to Acura by deducting it from the cost of adding a voltage isolator and second (Optima) battery, mounted in the trunk. That will solve the problem from happening again.
His theory: The TSX electrical system is woefully inadequate to handle much in the way of stereo mods. The battery is small, and the alternator is relatively low output as well. He said that when new cars sit on lots, for weeks or more, the batteries drain and require re-charging. After a couple (or more) charges due to inactivity, it is possible for one of the plates in the battery to warp. Later on, when a large(r) load is placed on the battery, the plates short out, killing the battery and alternator (at the least). So, he feels the problem was a defective battery. In ANY case, he agrees I should have been notified that any installation over 500 watts SHOULD recommend an isolator and second battery. MORAL: Be careful with your electrical system loads, everyone, C.A.R.S. will be more careful with TSX's in the future.

 

I know this is an ancient thread, but what was the outcome of this? As an electrical engineer, I don't see how drawing too much power would fry everything in the car. If anything, the alternator may die, but I assume you ran your own power lines and speaker wire?

 

Too often dealers are the first to be blamed for anything that goes awry with the cars that they are purchased from - so, having said that... WHERE IS YOUR GLOWING LETTER TO ACURA about how your situation was handled? Hmmmm?

Let's see it GARPT. And the dealer's name at the very least.

PS: I don't work for any Acura in Connecticut nor am I affiliated to them in any way, other than my TSX