Learned valuable lessons today!
 

My son just got a 1990 GMC from his grandpa. All original with the only issue being the stereo wouldn't play at all. My son has been working hard mowing yards in between football practices all summer and he went by to talk to a man who has a stereo shop in a sort of run down looking place in the town that I live in. Nice guy, but shop not very impressive. *got me a bit concerned

Anyway, my son told the guy what he wanted and the guy "just happened" to know where he could get some used stuff from a friend of his who was looking to sell some stuff. *really got me concerned

I went out of town on Tuesday and my son and his mom delivered the truck to the guy and paid him $450 upfront while I was gone. When I heard this on Wednesday, I went down to talk to the guy and he already had the dash apart and the old factory radio out. He assured me that everything would be fine. *still concerned, but I did feel a little better after I saw what he was going to install

Got a call yesterday telling me to come check out the truck before my son got to see it. I was pleased with the clean look but extremely displeased with the sound! Too dang loud!!!! I thought the truck was literally going to bounce off the ground. Seems the guy sold my son a Pioneer deck with a 1500 watt amp and woofer. I think I am correct on this. Anyway, it's dang loud.......so loud that I can't hear anything except base. *didn't sleep at all last night, worried about it all night

Got up this morning and went down to talk with the guy and I told him that I did NOT want that kind of system in the truck and asked him to take the amp & woofer out. I told him that I wanted either my son's money back OR some toned down speakers worth approximately the same amount we had already paid. He refused. Then, he said that my son still owed him $235. I told him that I was not going to let him pay any more money, so he then says that he'll keep the truck until the bill is paid and he absolutely was NOT going to tear into the interior of the truck again. *went to talk to a lawyer friend who I went to high school with and she said that "a minor CANNOT enter into a legal binding contract with a business" and the guy would have to take it all out and give the money back if I pushed the issue, but I may have to go to small claims court to get it done

I went back to talk to the guy and before I could say anything, he now says for me to just take the truck as is and forget about the $235 extra. *why would he do this????, I asked myself

Anyway......to the lessons learned.......just at this time, my son and two of his friends came by to check on the truck and my son listened to it and LOVED IT! His friends loved it too! *I became MY father at that moment....Dad hates it, Son loves it!

I apologized to the shop owner and left, kind of embarrassed. My son came home and washed the truck and I have heard it "bumping" all afternoon long as he's been outside detailing the interior.

LESSONS LEARNED: run down shops can do good work, used equipment isn't always trashed out, and the things that I like aren't important to everyone else and I should back off and let my son do things his way.

It's hard being a dad sometimes, but I'm learning. GTT

Re: Learned valuable lessons today!
 

Your initial concerns were valid! A new driver, in my opinion, has no business with a stereo so loud that they can not hear necessary sounds (sirens, horns, screams from pedestrians etc). This is a safety issue! Its also rude and inappropriate in many situations. I would have asked the shop owner to turn down the gain on the amplifier so that it would not go so loud. Then I would have instructed my son that he was not to operate the system at loud volumes until I was comfortable with them. All of this being said, You are learning some valuable lessons. Good luck!

Re: Learned valuable lessons today!
 

even a million watt amp would have a volume control on it
you both sound like grumpy old men and i'm probably older than both of you

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I thought you were going to say the equipment was stolen.
I hope your son paid him the $235. I am not trying to bust your butt. I completely understand that there are two sides to every story, and my side might not be the right one. If my kid told someone he was paying $685 for something, you can bet that my kid would be doing it. 18 or not, my kid is taking care of what he tells someone he is going to do. I understand that you want what's best for your kid, but if he told the guy he was paying $685, then that's what he should do.
I have taken some personal law classes, and I understand that someone under 18 can get out of certain contracts, but that's for their protection. In this case it sounds like your son knew what he was doing, this shop owner wasn't trying to screw him over.

Re: Learned valuable lessons today!
 

Yes and I still am. I had not even thought of the safety issues. Thank you ranger danger. GTT

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Dont misunderstand me!!! I LOVE my rock and roll LLLOOOUUUUDDDDD!!!!!!! My home system is over 5000 watts and I crank it up regularly. The amp I intend to put in my Suburban is an ARC Audio 1100 watt 5 channel. My point is that at that age, I was not always able to determine the right time and place for it.

Rock and Roll = Led Zeppelin, Motley Crew, Van Helen etc.

Re: Learned valuable lessons today!
 

I once spent 2 days in 1977, sitting inside a speaker tower at a Led Zeppelin concert in Oakland CA. Of course I was under the influence of a few :metal: mind altering substances at the time. :ack: :alky:

Re: Learned valuable lessons today!
 

My son is going to finish paying the man. I just thought (and still think) that certain businesses should check with parents before doing rather expensive work like this. What if he had installed a couple of thousand dollars worth of stuff? Things would be different, I can assure you of that. I'm not made of money and I'm not going to go around bailing out my son on things either, but I wish the guy would have checked with me beforehand. GTT

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You are correct, sir! And I was grumpy for most of the morning. Again, I'm just gonna have to let it go and even though I don't like it and feel like my son wasted his hard earned lawn mowing money......it's not my money to control. There is a control knob on the stereo and the guy showed my son how he could turn the amp all the way off. GTT

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I have to say I don't think you can call it a safety concern, thats quite a stretch. You probably wouldn't say your son isn't allowed to drive a car if it could physically go faster than 55 and I don't see a difference. Most any half way modern cars stereo will play loud enough to block out most sounds from outside the car. Heck my friends 15 year old optima has half its speakers blown and if the windows are shut its still loud enough to not hear most of things mentioned. Anyway sounds like you came to the right conclusion in my opinion, of course you have to watch out for your kids but theres no reason to get crazy over something that is literally just a difference in opinion.

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Should the comic book store check with the parents before they sell a teenager a comic book? How about Best Buy before they sell the kid an expensive TV for his video game system? Or the bike shop before they sell a kid a $1,000 bicycle?
I have read some of your posts over time, I remember a few about your kid playing football, and you seem like a great guy with a great kid. I am not trying to talk down to you, just trying to show the other side of the coin.

I think kids need to talk to their parents before spending a bunch of money, not the shop owner talk to the parents to make sure the kid has the parents permission. I say this as a father with two sons. Two sons who can't save a dime, but they are only 8 and 9 and are spending it on legos and the like. I remember doing the same thing, and I think those wasteful years helped to teach me a lot of lessons which is why I work so hard today and don't spend a lot on toys. I love it when my kids see something new and don't have any cash because they spent it all the day before. Those are important lessons.

Re: Learned valuable lessons today!
 

turn the gain on the amp down and put a sticker over it, something that would show if tampered with.

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Good points and I can see things from your side. Although I wouldn't expect a store owner to verify with Mom & Dad before selling a comic book; I do still believe that they should check before what I would consider major purchases. For one thing, I would find it a little odd for teens to have hundreds of dollars of cash to spend on anything. I'm a high school math teacher and I've seen teens with large sums of money before. Where would a teen get hundreds of dollars? We report what we've observed to the high school principal's office and parents are notified that day. Most kids just don't carry lots on cash on them.

If I were a shop owner, I think I would think maybe Mom & Dad should approve BEFORE I install a stereo, a set of tires, a new exhaust system, etc. My thinking is this.....a TV or bicycle can be taken back and returned with relatively no problem on the seller if Mom & Dad make them return it. Items installed on vehicles, for instance, cannot just easily be returned. Just about as much trouble to return as it was to install. What if a kid goes to the tire store and has some new $$$ tires/ wheels installed, then Dad finds out later. What if a kid goes and has the local muffler shop put on some loud pipes on a vehicle, then Dad doesn't find out until he hears it rumble up? The kid should get parent's approval, but what if they don't and just go clean out their savings OR steal & pawn something and come home with expensive stuff that can't be returned?

Just not a good thing, in my opinion. GTT

Re: Learned valuable lessons today!
 

You said your self your wife went with him to take the truck to the shop.

I understand your reaction but it's at the wrong person. Your wife and you should have been talking to each other. The shop owner is not the one to be mad at he did as any shop owner would do. He made his customer happy!

He wasn't trying to make you happy.
Glad it worked out for you though!:chevy:

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Mom just followed him to the shop and was his ride back home after dropping the truck off, that's all.

I went with my son probably 6 months ago and visited with the guy at his shop and got a rough written estimate on a new system for the truck, so I knew about what it was going to cost beforehand. I was upset with my son for going down there on Tuesday (when I was out of town) and pulling the trigger on the install. I'm sure that he planned it that way on purpose. I probably would not have let him buy the "boom boom" amp & woofer, which was not on the initial rough estimate. BUT here again is where I am learning that I have to let him be his own person. GTT

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I'll add that when I turned 16, I sold my dirt bike and put a stereo in my car loud enough to where you couldn't hear the person sitting next to you talk. That was over 20 years ago and I still remember those days jamming and cruising down the road. Heck now I make a pretty decent living installing speakers in people's homes and businesses.

Sounds like your son has a pretty good head on his shoulders, works hard, and deserves to enjoy some of the fruits of his labors.

Re: Learned valuable lessons today!
 

Back in 1985, I saved up my grocery store money ($3.35 per hour) and put a system in my '73 Chevelle that was pretty loud. No boom boom amps & base in those days, just loud hair metal blasting out of those speakers. 1985-1988 were great high school and freshman year of college years for me and my music did figure in, most definitely. Certain songs still bring back very distinct memories to me. Great White, Dokken, Whitesnake, Tesla, LA Guns, and Cinderella were some of my faves in those days.

I can't relive those days through my son. He's gotta do things his way. I've gotta let him. GTT

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you know i myself never had a car without a booming system back in the 90`s and i loved it too. just teach him to have respect for other drivers. when at a stoplight or driving next to an elderly person, turn it down, he can turn back up when the light goes green.
now another thing that i had to learn the hard way, after 20 some years of the boomin system, i lost decibles in my hearing. Granted im sure there were other factors too such as working in bodyshops but i can mainly contribute my hearing loss to my systems. im not deaf by any means but i can tell the difference when talking on the phone when i switch ears.

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you guy's are too old! it isn't loud until "hairtrick". sounds like you got a great deal though.
this is loud! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvrSXhH_jIU

Re: Learned valuable lessons today!
 

Yep, that was loud. Yummy girl too! I imagine that I could think up a better way of messing her hair up though. ;). GTT

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I built my old car system up over a few years (81 Lemans early 90s),what i could afford.
still have it,it was still "new" to be loud then.
I remember when "twister" came to a local drive in,I ended up with all the kids in my car lol.
parents watching from outside,I needed a boost to leave lol.

I added a switch to turn off the base amp,instant off
1. I noticed i got charged up faster,off.
2. watch some amps have a "soft" relay type on,some don't.
But I could play a tune loud "no thump",get on the road,
away from the house,click/thump,so no fumbling around.

my trucks have an instant radio off switch.
79 stock it works with or without leaving the key.

Re: Learned valuable lessons today!
 

Well, I may have jumped the gun a little on my resolved misgivings about my son's stereo equipment issue from a couple of weeks ago. He got up this morning and headed to football practice and the subwoofer wouldn't play. My son called the installer himself because he didn't want me to get upset. The man says it's used and he's not messing with it. I called him myself and no answer/ no call back. I just got back from his shop and he's closed.

GRRRRRRR! This is not right!

Anyone got some advice? GTT

Re: Learned valuable lessons today!
 

make sure you got power to the sub. there should be an inline fuse next to the battery AND one near the amp if there isint one built in. then check the connections and make sure the + and - arent touching, then check the speaker wire connections. (to the box too) if the amp smells like burnt brakes or smouldering wires, then the amp is toast.

Re: Learned valuable lessons today!
 

Some advice....

Seems to me that you gotta start taking your own advice and let your son be the MAN for once in his life and let him do the things that he needs to do to survive in this world. One day you are going to be dead and he aint going to have daddy to do his deeds for him or have your advice. We all 'learn' from mistakes great and small.... (quiet or loud)....

So why dont you let him be a MAN and do his stuff himself. You raised an ADULT not a kid.... right?

Thats the problem with all of America right now, all the parents always wanting to jump in and get lawyers for their kids problems.... when a handshake deal used to be the way deals were made and real men made good on those handshakes! let them deal with their own lives!

Re: Learned valuable lessons today!
 

First off, thanks for your advice. I do agree with it, especially the last part. Handshakes should be enough, and for 99% of the deals that I do, that's enough and it should be enough for reputable business transactions. My son isn't quite a MAN yet, he's only 15 and won't be a legal MAN until he turns 18. I am proud of him for earning his own money and setting up the deal with the stereo on his own. What I originally feared had happened was that he had been talked into some stuff that he really didn't need AND now, less than 2 weeks later, some of the equipment has stopped working and the business owner is refusing to deal with him. I'm trying to stay out of it, but he's not grown yet and I'm not going to let someone take advantage of him and cheat him.

Thanks Bustamante, I'll look into the fuses. My son said that he did not smell anything burning, but he did say that the woofer felt very hot to the touch. GTT

Re: Learned valuable lessons today!
 

$635 is pretty cheap for an installed system like described. You may be dealing with "what you paid for" there.

On the contract issue; a 15 year old should be able to walk into a place of business and purchase something with cash in hand but any sort of credit is a contractual obligation. Upsells after the fact may not be legally enforceable.

Re: Learned valuable lessons today!
 

That stinks but I think with following bustamante's advice and posting your results, you've got a wealth of knowledge on this board to get this ironed out on your own. I know that's not what you originally paid for, but sounds like the install may need to be chalked up as another lesson learned. Especially on buying used car audio gear.

Car stereos are actually pretty simple setups so tracking down the culprit in a truck shouldn't be bad. Making sure you have power to the amp is the big ticket and check fuses/grounds first.

Re: Learned valuable lessons today!
 

Just got home from visiting with the owner of the shop. He said that the woofer was damaged most likely from "heating up, then cooling down." That's tech talk and I just don't know much about electronic equipment. I point blank asked him if there was any chance at some of the stuff that his friend "just happened to be wanting to sell" was possibly stolen. He assured me that it was not. He said that he usually doesn't warranty ANY work on electronics, but since it's been less than two weeks, he would get it taken care of. He and I are going to split the shipping on the woofer being sent off to be repaired.

He and I were talking when a mutual friend and long time business owner, Jerry, showed up at the shop and called us both by name and stayed a bit and shot the bull for a while. After Jerry left, I told the shop owner that if he was friends with Jerry, then that made me feel a lot better about this stereo deal that was just seeming to be going sour. He said he felt the same way and after seeing that Jerry and I are also friends, he agreed that he felt better too.

I think this will get resolved now for sure. GTT

Re: Learned valuable lessons today!
 

Beyond all the 'tech talk' see what just being a good human being can do for getting things done????

Somebody else mentioned 'lessons learned' and life is full of them for men and women of all ages from 15-115 until we get planted in the ground. Then God willing there will be so much more to learn beyond that!

Your son may have just learned the most important lesson of a lifetime when spending your own money - "you get what you pay for", and you just learned that "communication amongst friends can be very satisfying"....

good luck to you both!

Re: Learned valuable lessons today!
 

Sounds like words of wisdom to me. GTT

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Ask for receipts with serial numbers.
And one for shipping too, my friend owns a pro audio shop,his tecs can do some "sub" repairs in house.
You can check a speaker, subs have a big throw,so you can move it gently in and out.
Nothing hard that would leave a mark.
But any crunching binding = not good
Make sure the grill/seat/etc isn't touching.
The speaker baskets can get bent/ bind be sure nothing can hit the rim.
Was he implying "your fault "?
A professional installer should show your son, "it's limits"
If not be sure to ask.

Re: Learned valuable lessons today!
 

Thanks motornut. I asked about receipts and he said that HIS receipt was the receipt. I feel better after seeing that our mutual friend, Jerry, was very friendly with him. I KNOW Jerry is reputable at his auto body shop and if he is comfortable with this shop owner, then he can't be a dishonest guy.

He DID imply that my son had probably turned the woofer up too loud and made the comment that if he sent it in, it would come back as "customer abuse damage." What could I say to that? My son probably did crank it up, but that's kinda what it's made for isn't it?........how else does one make it bump and vibrate the coins in the cupholder? The owner of the shop made it do that the day that I went to preview what he had done even before my son ever saw the system in the truck. I didn't like it, but my son did and that's what started this whole thing.

I told the owner if he would fix the woofer and provides a receipt AND warranty on everything he installed, I would agree to go ahead and pay HIM and allow my son to repay me. That's our agreement for now. I hope it all works out. I'll find out in a couple of weeks, I guess. GTT

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Sounds like clipping. I guess he gets his first real lesson in stereo equipment.

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I have some free advice but no opinions. when my son was 16 he worked at local grocery store. bought a stereo system that was loud .couple of weeks later it was stolen out of his truck in front of our house. when thieves hear it they follow you home and come back later and steal it.i told him to turn it down before he gets home and make sure he was not being followed from now on.

Re: Learned valuable lessons today!
 

I believe you. Actually, three kids on my son's football team have had their trucks broken into and parts of their stereo systems stolen since school started on August 17. Gotta be someone with a connection to the team doing it.

Anyway, still waiting to hear from the shop owner about the repaired woofer. Ready to get this thing over with. Thanks for your advice. GTT

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AND we're still waiting.............................
GTT

Re: Learned valuable lessons today!
 

More than likely it's someone that knows someone that's in the social group these kids hang out with. Kids will tell anyone that listens "So & So" has a massive system in their truck blah blah blah.... Once others 'hear' the system, it can be anyone that know's, talks about, or has heard it.

I told my step-daughter when she was younger & tell my buddies teenage kids:

• Don't tell your friends about your alarm set-up if it has one (it should @ least have a basic set-up)....
• Don't crank your stereo system around large groups of people as it's just advertising there's expensive equipment for the taking.....
• Don't show your friends where any cut-off switches are....

Re: Learned valuable lessons today!
 

AND we're still waiting! Won't return our calls and they're always gone by the time I come by the shop after I get off work. Looks like I may as well write these guys off and move on. My son has a big black empty box behind his seats and an amp under the seat with nothing to amplify! I'm absolutely sick about how this has turned out. My initial suspicions turned out to be true, but I was nice about it and allowed myself to believe them and was fooled into thinking they were reputable and on the up and up.

Maybe things will work out with my son's stereo system, but if and when it does it doesn't look like it will be with these guys. GTT

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Sorry to hear about the train wreck with the stereo. On a side note. Did you catch that fish in your picture on a lake near Camden? Spent many hours at Harvey's grocery with Bobby and Minnie Mae.

Re: Learned valuable lessons today!
 

I sure did catch that 2+ lb. crappie at White Oak Lake near Camden. Drive right by Harvey's on the way; done it hundreds of times. Harvey's used to cut THE BEST steaks around and Mr. Bobby would always offer a soda or ice cream treat while you waited. Very nice man. Camden, Arkansas misses the Hildebrands and Harvey's Grocery.

We need more more good honest friendly businesses like his and less shoddy dishonest ones with crackhead employees like the stereo shop guy runs. Time for me to let it go and move on.

By the way, that's what I did with that fish. Turned him loose to bite again. GTT