Aftermarket stereo and remote start - regrets and issues

[ulemon]

Part 1/2 (This is a long read, and is also a rant but I seriously need some help/opinions about this)
So I bought the car in October 2019 - Its a 2013 RAM 1500 Tradesman with 150k miles as of right now (I bought with 139k)


It came with the 5 inch small stereo and after 2 months (December 2019) I thought I would treat myself to a nice stereo. I thought it was best to take it to a shop since I didn't know much about installing stereos. A shop will probably do a much better job than me. I went to best buy and talked to some teenager about installing some things and to be honest he had NO idea what he was talking about - I really was not confident in him and therefore I chose to call a place that specialized in stereo installs and tints. The shop sounded like they knew what they were doing over the phone so I went ahead and purchased a rear camera, stereo and remote start for about double what best buy would have charged me - I figured it was worth the extra since this shop specialized in radio installs, had 4.3/5.0 stars on google with 100+ ratings (DMH-C2500NEX, they charged me $600 + installation…. Best buy has it for $300). Well turns out they were complete ******* ****** and I had so many basic issues right from the start. The reverse camera disconnected twice - had to take it back but they fixed it. Then I asked them if they could have the center console USB work since they initially routed the USB apple car play to the glove box. They initially said no, I asked if there was an adapter that could make it work on 3 separate occasions and they said it might exist but they didn't know, so I said whatever just route a cable to the center console. They ******* drilled a hole in the CD player tray to route the cable to the center console and said it was good to go. I never approved them to drill a hole down there but whatever... Then I explained that when I said I wanted the USB to be routed to the center console I meant for it to be where the factory USB connection was. They did that by smashing out the factory system, drilling a few holes and had a cable loose hanging out of what they smashed out and drilled (it was so embarrassing to look at...). I explained that it should at least probably be secured in some way, possibly using glue or something. They said they could hot glue it, to which I explained I'm not sure if that would hold up during summer heat in the Boise, Idaho desert. Hot glue... we went with a better 2 part epoxy glue, but whatever the glue isn't the issue (but it still looked embarassing). Oh and by the way, turns out there is an adapter, which I found out a year and half after having the shop do the install. The reason I took my car to a shop was so I could have someone who would know these kind of things, now I am wondering why after asking several times I did not get a straight answer from them.


Now I had everything somewhat correct - USB (and aux) routed to the center console, remote start worked (VIPER 5902 system I think) and all is well. Actually not so much, a month after the install I decided to use the radio. Worked great for about 40 seconds then cut out, then worked great for 40 second then cut out. I thought there must be an issue with the antenna. I took it back to them and explain the issue. They looked at it and couldn't figure it out. They said 'it's supposed to be like that', 'sometimes it just does that, after market stereos aren't as good as factory'. 'My car does that too'. I rejected that something as simple as the radio wouldn't work and that they should look at the antenna. They replaced the adapter twice and the issue persisted. I explained that we were going to fix this one way or the other and I would not accept that the radio doesn't work. The shop owner asks 'Well what do you want me to do!? I don't know what's wrong with it' so I explained that I can buy some of the antenna parts and figure out which part of the system is not working. One thing they offered to do was to put a new radio in the car to see if that fixes the issue, I said okay we can try. Two employees looked in the storage room for about 5 minutes then I heard ‘no no not that one, lets just give him this one…’ They came out with a cheaper version of my stereo. And I had to firmly but politely explain they will not be putting that one in because it’s a cheaper version. They seemed upset that I would not let them put a cheaper version of my stereo in. At this point its becoming insulting. Any way I worked with the employee and we pulled out the radio and attached the antenna directly. It worked! So I picked up the parts to replace the factory antenna, at this point the owner sent me to some other shop to install the new OEM antenna equipment. At this different place, which accepts some work from the original shop the guy starts replacing the antenna from the outside and works his way in, getting finally to the back of the stereo and finds that for some reason, the Radio's antenna input is connected to the satellite radio antenna. He says: 'Oh... I'm sorry man. If I had known this is what they did I would have started here...' - I explained it wasn't his fault that the other shop did this and I'm just glad to have it fixed. He explained that the yellow connector is for Satellite radio and the gray one was for the AM/FM antenna. He connected the correct antenna and it stopped cutting in and out.

 

[ulemon]

Part 2/2
At the end of February 2020 I moved to Iowa to finish my school work, I now am in a different state and can no longer take my car back to the shop that installed the equipment, which is unfortunate (or maybe fortunate? The more they touched the car the more ****** up it might have become...) I start using the radio more and more after I moved and found that every time I started the car, it likes to switch the radio channel randomly... man that started to drive me nuts because every time I started the car I had to put it back to the channel that it started on. I asked around and someone mentioned that if I didn't have audio controls on my steering wheel to check that they didn't put the steering wheel controls adapter in with the radio... turns out they did! When I talked to them on the phone before the installation they asked me 'do you have buttons on your steering wheel?' to which I replied 'yes I have buttons on my steering wheel', I didn’t know they were talking about audio volume control switches? Which is why they put that module in.... okay whatever, the problem is fixed now. When having the module removed I also learned that they damaged the factory USB connection that goes to the USB for the factory radio, probably when making a cut to the metal that holds the factory stereo. It looks like only the electrical shielding is damaged and not the data and power wires though, but still, the shielding was coming out of the wire.


BUT THEN! The pandemic hits, I hardly drive my car and now it starts dying once a week if I don't drive it enough. It does this for a good 2 months and then the battery is completely done for, tested it at autozone and it came back as bad, not a huge issue, the car came with one of those battery where you put your own acid in. I figured I would put a new one in and the issue would be solved. It solved the issue for about a month, then the car died again. And again 2 or 3 more times. Took it to the shop they said the car was drawing 80 mA which wasn’t too bad and to just trickle charge it once a week. This works, but if I forget to charge my truck, the car will still die. I’m sorry but I should not have to plug my car in every week or two just to make it work correctly. And as time goes on its becoming irritating to have to remember to plug my car in on a weekly basis, I also don't always have access to the wall outlet for an overnight charge.


This is pretty much where I am at right now. I am getting sick of plugging in my car every week or two and I have had to buy a jump starter pack for the weeks where I forget. I did some googling and it seems as though the issue might be with how they did the remote start install. Several people have asked me if I installed it myself, and I have to explain no, but I would probably be better off if I had because the shop seems to not have done a good job. I contacted an OFFICIAL viper installer about 45 minute drive from me in a bigger city and explained the car keeps dying. They said they can take the system out and put it back in for $210 and that’s going to be easier for them then trying to figure out what the previous shop did wrong. Sounds about right to be honest. They explained that to be sure it’s the alarm system I can put it in VALET mode for a month and see if the car dies. If it stops dying then the issue is when the system is armed, and that some of the components related to when the system is armed are probably not installed correctly. So this is my new task for the next month, to see if VALET mode fixes the issue. Remote start doesn’t work in VALET mode . I had autozone test the battery and alternator last week and they both came back as good.



At this point I am at my wits end – this debacle is driving me absolutely insane. I have had this car for a year and 8 months and for a year and 6 months its been nothing but a huge project to figure out what they did wrong that’s causing the new issue. When do I call it quits, at what point do I just say ‘**** it, take everything out and put it back to factory because its not worth it anymore’. This car is an embarrassment at this point. I can only imagine what people think of my intelligence when I explain all the issues. I took work colleagues to lunch on my last day and had to explain why the radio AM/FM was cutting in and out – I bet they thought I was an idiot… and rightfully so? Every time I drive the car it’s a constant reminder of the installation that they did. At this point I almost don’t even want the car anymore, except I need it to get to school and I cannot afford to just buy a different car. What should I do? Should I have it reinstalled for $210? What if it does the same thing after the official VIPER dealer reinstalls it? At that point do I call it quits? I am so embarrassed about this issue that I sometimes tell people that the car came with it to avoid the embarrassment of telling this story. My parents and siblings are sick of hearing the story and so am I, the only thing is I am the one living the story. The story is 1 year and 6 months long and I am hoping to put an end to the story. Man would I like to stop telling this story.




Also, every time I lock the car the VIPER alarm chirps twice, and the factory car horn honks once. Is there a way to turn this off? After a year of it chirping loudly every time I lock the car I am also not a huge fan, it makes a lot of noise and I would prefer it were quiet. For example I do not want to disturb my neighbors when coming home at night. As if having to jump start it in the street isn’t enough of an eye sore for the neighbors. Please help me, please….


Small note: Back in the beginning Apple Car play gave me a lot of grief, it turned out that Apple Car play doesn’t play nice when you have a VPN on your phone, this was not the shops fault in any way, and is Apples fault. Once the VPN was removed it was fine. It’s kind of too bad though, since a VPN is good for security, but hey I like Apple Car play so the VPN remains removed to this day.

 

[HTXRamExp]

What an ordeal! Honestly, back to stock sounds like the best option at this point. I'm having similar headaches with another vehicle of mine, and my friends/family are also tired of the soap opera that is that car.

The used truck market is way up right now, so it might not hurt to see what a dealer would take for trade-in?

My truck was the first vehicle I ever did any audio/electrical installs/mods on. With no prior experience or knowledge on doing so, I read up on as much as I could on this forum and asked lots of questions. Thankfully there are lots of very smart people on this forum, kind enough to share their insight.

Doing it yourself, while intimidating, will ensure the job is done exactly how you want.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[ulemon]

Thanks HTXRamExp!

This is also the first car where I had any modifications done. Some how I knew better on my first car to not touch things, its odd how I knew better with less experience. Any how I think you are right about doing it yourself. Unfortunately at the time of the install I was also living in an apartment with no tools or space to work on the car. Which is also why I chose to take it to a shop, if I had worked on it in the apartment parking lot I would have probably had the property managers hounding me.

I am seriously considering going back to stock, since it turns out I cannot turn off the factory horn beep when locking unless I have the factory stereo... :/ (one of the smaller issues, but still) The VIPER can have the chirping turned off if they can reprogram the 'brain', but I would still be left with the factory horn beep which I would still prefer to not go off when I come home late. (EDIT: Turns out I can plug my factory stereo in, change the setting, cycle the power, then put the aftermarket one back in, I'll try this out at some point)

I am thinking I will give it one last shot and have the VIPER dealer attempt to fix the issue for $210. Because of sunk cost fallacy and that fact that most other 'real' issues have been resolved at this point I *think* this battery dying issue is the last one. But If the $210 fix from the VIPER dealer doesn't work, I'm definitely done.

EDIT 2: That picture sends shivers down my spine! ha ha

 

[HTXRamExp]

I think you have a good plan and understanding of what you're wanting to accomplish.

Swapping the radio to change the horn with lock setting is simple enough and the Viper dealer should be able to fix or verify it's not their system that is draining the battery as well as shut off the lock chirp.

Hope it turns out well, keep us posted.