Don't get anything installed by Strathfield! - Page 2

ltd · 12-02-2008, 10:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cleutin

dont use an Auto Elec. yes they know car electrics, but they know all when it comes to Aftermarket installation, they chop plugs, strip wires, ive seen "twist n tape" jobs with no solder

Sorry mate, let me qualify my statement a bit. The auto elec I go to is also a good mate, and he hard wires everything including soldering the base of the wires to the plugs to prevent any deterioration of contact over years. Furthermore, he checks every circuit before plugging anything in and as an auto elec he is earning more than 100k per year plus car and petrol for a big european dealership. I have never had a problem with anything done except when Ford has organised stuff and had third party installers come in. Furthermore, third party installers are paid on a job number basis and tend to rush whcih is why they often do damage to the trims of cars.

**Stav** · 12-02-2008, 04:46 PM

I've been installing since 1991. I have worked on no less than 150,000 cars in my time so far.I have found alot of installers who can't and very few installers who can.
People like to go the cheaper option and hope things work and if they don't work ,they hope the company is good for backup warranty.Alot of people go for image of bigger looking places for feeling more secure.
For a good installation 150 to 200 dollars is fair for a proffessional to come to you,do an excellent job and warrant the job.If the job requires fascia/surrounds then the customer should be aware of the costs.

I have seen alot of poor workmanship and can honestly say that the top installers here in Sydney I can count with both hands.The rest..live on cuting prices,cutting corners and pushing reptable business to extinction. I was recently asked by a Sydney ford dealership to match their installers prices.They were ridiculous and once I found out who he was I knew he was a half baked installer.Unreliable ,poor workmanship but cheap as chips.

I suppose the bottom line is go with people who are capable and people who care.

**Stav** · 12-02-2008, 04:56 PM

I must also add that Ive seen some good and some poor work from Strathfields.Depends on who you get.

AWD Chaser · 12-02-2008, 05:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stav

I've been installing since 1991. I have worked on no less than 150,000 cars in my time so far.

Far out - Thats like 8823 cars per year, or 169 cars per week, or 24 cars per day, or 3 cars per hour (on an 8 hour day).

lol...

kremmen · 12-02-2008, 08:12 PM

Strathfield did my install, mostly coz i couldn't be arsed. I supplied HU, Speakers and Hard Drive.
They installed Hard drive in the glovebox, custom fascia, custom fit my amps and subs in the boot. dude took 8 hours on it and did it perfect, I hung around for the last 3 hours of it. I thanked him for taking so long and taking care with it, and his reply was "all I do is work on pieces of Sh!t all day, so its a pleasure to work on classic, plus the boss pays me the same wage anyway so I upgraded all your wiring and took my time". Only charged 300 Bux.
He owned a commodore, but he was still alright....

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Cleutin · 12-02-2008, 09:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ltd

Sorry mate, let me qualify my statement a bit. The auto elec I go to is also a good mate, and he hard wires everything including soldering the base of the wires to the plugs to prevent any deterioration of contact over years.

why solder the wires to the plugs? the point of using the plugs is so you dont need to solder and allows for a cleaner install and removal when you upgrade gear or sell the car.

Quote:

Furthermore, he checks every circuit before plugging anything in

thats just common sense. EVERYTHING gets tested in an install. im rather insulted that you would infer that only "your mate" does

Quote:

and as an auto elec he is earning more than 100k per year plus car and petrol for a big european dealership.

i dont care that he earns 100k + Benefits, i was earning 40k as a 1st year apprentice + benefits
[quote]

Quote:

I have never had a problem with anything done except when Ford has organised stuff and had third party installers come in.

Ive done a lot of installs for car yards. and ALL installs be they for a car yard or a "joe bloggs" gets treated with the utmost professionalism and care for the car. be it a $500k Ferrari or a $500 bomb. its someones pride and they ALL get treated as if it was my own car.

Quote:

Furthermore, third party installers are paid on a job number basis and tend to rush whcih is why they often do damage to the trims of cars.

Get your facts right. WE DO NOT GET PAID BY THE JOB. we are paid by wage or salary depending on postion held - Installer, apprentice or Workshop Foreman. I could do 1 job a week or 100 jobs and i would still get paid the same.

hanky · 12-02-2008, 10:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stav

I must also add that Ive seen some good and some poor work from Strathfields.Depends on who you get.

Have to agree there, I worked as a workshop foreman for strathfield for about 4 years and saw many good and many bad fitters. I was lucky enough to work with good managers who backed me up when I insisted on a "no discount policy" on labour and always gave my fitters more time than they needed. With quality work you will always get repeat business.

**Stav** · 12-02-2008, 10:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kia Chaser

Far out - Thats like 8823 cars per year, or 169 cars per week, or 24 cars per day, or 3 cars per hour (on an 8 hour day).

lol...

Yep..thats why my ticker gave way 2 years ago and took a forced vacation in hospital!! I was doing 5am starts till 10 pm knock offs. Slowed down since then..alot..(as you do)heehhe

Airmon · 12-02-2008, 10:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stav

Yep..thats why my ticker gave way 2 years ago and took a forced vacation in hospital!! I was doing 5am starts till 10 pm knock offs. Slowed down since then..alot..(as you do)heehhe

Are you sure mate? From what I've seen you just keep getting faster!

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stockel · 13-02-2008, 12:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cleutin

Just how us installers do it anyway... never cut plugs off - EVER

just remember tho, when you stuff it up and need us to fix it, it will cost more cos we have to clean up your mess.

Seriously though, if people take thier time I don't know how they can stuff these things up, although unfortunately sometimes people are a little over confident but if they take thier time and don't 'guess' anything and think logically they will be fine.

This is assuming that they correctly identified that they could do the job in the first place, which is a problem in itself I guess.

Cleutin · 13-02-2008, 07:59 PM

every model of car is different. so i test every wire in every loom. even if i know the pin positions off by heart, even if i have just removed an aftermarket unit and putting a new one in - i still test EVERYTHING.

Do it Right, Do it Once. No guess work.

samftr · 13-02-2008, 08:20 PM

I've done a few cars so far over the years, a few of them have been rush jobs fitted by "professionals" which were just beyond a joke. Also a lot of people who do it themselves are just installing a moving fire hazard with not installing insulation where wires rub, no fuses, the list goes on.
like cleutin said, do it right and dont guess. Otherwise that blue smoke that makes IC's work will magically escape

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**Stav** · 13-02-2008, 08:30 PM

Proffessionals rarerly stuff up. Connectors are secondary to soldered joints. they work themselves loose ,cause earthing problems and generally are to be used only if there is no other option.

StealthAu · 13-02-2008, 08:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stav

Proffessionals rarerly stuff up. Connectors are secondary to soldered joints. they work themselves loose ,cause earthing problems and generally are to be used only if there is no other option.

Agreed, but you will rarely find a proffessional at the place you buy your stereo from.

Zed7fiddy · 13-02-2008, 08:51 PM

lol, I swear it was Strathfeild in Morayfeild that screwed the speaker into the door trim, then cut the screw through to the other side of the door, straight through the $1000 a litre chameleon paint!

badefghia · 13-02-2008, 08:52 PM

I had a mate have his head unit installed by them and they forgot to tape up the wires with electrical tape...It shorted out the headunit and he took the car back and they said we wouldnt have done that our installers are not that stupid and they wernt going to replace the head unit my mate had a few unkind words to the manager and he walked of...He then thew the headunit through the managers cars front window and after a few words with the manager he recived an updated new head unit...

Cleutin · 13-02-2008, 09:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 84RGE

lol, I swear it was Strathfeild in Morayfeild that screwed the speaker into the door trim, then cut the screw through to the other side of the door, straight through the $1000 a litre chameleon paint!

I know who that installer was.

Stefan · 13-02-2008, 09:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stav

Proffessionals rarerly stuff up. Connectors are secondary to soldered joints. they work themselves loose ,cause earthing problems and generally are to be used only if there is no other option.

I'm no expert but I'm pretty sure the heat from soldering caused copper wires to become brittle which causes obvious problems not associated with connectors. No factory wiring is soldered for this reason....I'd be steering well clear of anyone trying to get at my car wiring with a soldering iron.

andrewr · 13-02-2008, 09:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stefan

I'm no expert but I'm pretty sure the heat from soldering caused copper wires to become brittle which causes obvious problems not associated with connectors. No factory wiring is soldered for this reason....I'd be steering well clear of anyone trying to get at my car wiring with a soldering iron.

Theres different types of connctors and differnt types of solder.

IMO those coloured plastic crimp connectors are rubbish, I never use them. There are some crimps that have 2 crimp parts, one for the wire and one for the sheath. They fold out and over in an m shape and look oem. They should come with a rubber cover. Those ones are good, secure and will last.

I also solder a lot in my car. Otherwise I'd have 15 billion crimp connectors, it would be rediculous. Make sure you use soft solder. I have never had a soldered joint fail. The heating and cooling of the copper wire will make it softer, not more brittle.

cheers
andrew.

**Stav** · 14-02-2008, 07:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stefan

I'm no expert but I'm pretty sure the heat from soldering caused copper wires to become brittle which causes obvious problems not associated with connectors. No factory wiring is soldered for this reason....I'd be steering well clear of anyone trying to get at my car wiring with a soldering iron.

I can asssure you that the finisished solder joints I do go rock hard like tin.The join is better than factory wiring. My factory wiring connectors on my wagon lost 0.5 volt from my fuel pump relay to the pump.I found that the factory connectors had too much voltage drop. As soon as I soldered a wire and bypassed the factory connectors I could hear my pump spin faster as I tapped this wire onto the power connection. I8n saying that,it is not practical to have no connectors as I mentioned before.

If the copper wires are being weakened in all these years since 1991 I have never seen it .I have seen many connectors fail though .

mutanti · 14-02-2008, 07:50 AM

Strathfield Shepp Did mates Car Many Years ago and put a nice crack in the dash, then denied it....
Ive done many Installs Myself over the Years and have fixed some of their crap.
When I Purchased an alarm 14 years ago for my XF Ghia Fitting was part of the cost so I thought bugger it.
Ended up going back 3 times and they still hadn't fixed it, Every time it rained alarm would go of - Bonnet switch was in gutter which shorted every time it rained was just the first of many problems so I just fixed it myself in the end.
Waste of Time And Fuel going their to get it resolved through them.

I always solder my wires with Heatshrink, Found way to many connectors that have shorted or come apart etc over the years of fixing other peoples crap.
Ive never had any issues with any of my own work.

StealthAu · 14-02-2008, 07:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stefan

I'm no expert but I'm pretty sure the heat from soldering caused copper wires to become brittle which causes obvious problems not associated with connectors. No factory wiring is soldered for this reason....I'd be steering well clear of anyone trying to get at my car wiring with a soldering iron.

You are right, you are no expert. I have read some stupid posts on this site, but soldering copper makes it brittle?

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mutanti · 14-02-2008, 08:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stockoau

You are right, you are no expert. I have read some stupid posts on this site, but soldering copper makes it brittle?

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I agree with you Stockoau.

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BlackLS · 14-02-2008, 11:04 AM

LOL how are the copper pipes in your house joined!

FGII-XR6 · 14-02-2008, 11:19 AM

in all fairness it comes down to a branch to branch thing. we have 2 strathfields here and i have heard good reports about one and bad about the other.

stockel · 14-02-2008, 11:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stockoau

You are right, you are no expert. I have read some stupid posts on this site, but soldering copper makes it brittle?

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??? were the other stupid posts yours also?

As you claim to be such an expert on the subject feel free to enlighten him, this is what most people with something useful to add do, they feel no need to over compensate and put other people down.

Why don't you make him less 'stupid' by explaining your reasoning, rather than coming across like a 'stupid' 10 year old.

X000BOSS · 14-02-2008, 12:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BlackLS

LOL how are the copper pipes in your house joined!

twisted then wraped with good quality insulation tape

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StealthAu · 14-02-2008, 12:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stockel

??? were the other stupid posts yours also?

As you claim to be such an expert on the subject feel free to enlighten him, this is what most people with something useful to add do, they feel no need to over compensate and put other people down.

Why don't you make him less 'stupid' by explaining your reasoning, rather than coming across like a 'stupid' 10 year old.

If you think my post seemed stupid so be it, I didn't realise an expination as to why soldering copper doesn't stuff it was required seeing as the majority of auto electricitions, electricians, technicians and even plumbers have done so since there trades have been around.
There are just somethings that I don't think need a detailed expliation, this was one of those such non-brainers.

**cs123** · 14-02-2008, 12:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stockoau

If you think my post seemed stupid so be it, I didn't realise an expination as to why soldering copper doesn't stuff it was required seeing as the majority of auto electricitions, electricians, technicians and even plumbers have done so since there trades have been around.
There are just somethings that I don't think need a detailed expliation, this was one of those such non-brainers.

Some types of wire cannot be soldered. I'm not sure if any of this wire is found in automotive application. The wire I have seen is typically used in applications where flexibility is required such as handset cords. The symptoms are as described. The wire breaks. They are impossible to tin.

I'm not sure on the correct techniques for soldering and crimping. No doubt places like Utilux would have them published. I do remember being taught not to tin coper wires then use a crush connector on them as they would be susceptible to working loose.

I am quite surprised that with all the talk of soldering vs plug in connectors that nobody actually sources the correct plug and uses that. Go figure?

FGII-XR6 · 14-02-2008, 12:55 PM

I agree I am originally an electrician and a few points

soldering has superior electrical qualities to any compression type of joint
soldering is less prone to joint breakdown due to corrosion
the heat and cooling process will anneal the copper this is the process of using heat and cooling to make the metal maleable (softer and more pliable)
automotive wiring is stranded to overe come breakage caused in single strand conductors

to call the comment stupid may have been a bit strong though. uninformed or missinformed is more the case. there are a lot of " experts " ( where X is the unknown quantity and a spurt is a drip under pressure) out there and they prepetuate myths causing more harm than good

Quote:

Originally Posted by stockoau

You are right, you are no expert. I have read some stupid posts on this site, but soldering copper makes it brittle?

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