I just had a Wayland ShoeBox sub and amp installed in my Insight. It was installed by Bay Car Stereo in Mountain View, CA. If you live in the Bay Area, then I would highly recommend these guys for your Insight audio needs. I'm always nervous about having someone else install stuff in my car, but these guys did a great job. Everything was wired professionally, and they have a very competent staff. Earlier in the year they installed a stereo headunit, satellite radio, and iPod adapter in my car also. That installation went well too.
I have the Kenwood Excelon KDC-X789 headunit. It's pretty nice. It has a lot of advanced features like support for satellite radio, high and low pass filters, and subwoofer controls. However, its still easy to use...which is rare for a high end headunit. I had the headunit installed for me, but it went it without modification. I could have done it myself.
I also have the Kenwood Sirius adapter "SIR-KEN1". I think there is also an adapter for XM Radio if you prefer that.
One word of warning. I previously had the Sirius antenna mounted on the dash. That worked 95% of the time, however sometimes it would drop the signal for a few seconds. Now I have the antenna mounted outside on the very top of the hatchback glass. That works much better.
1) Added dynamat and sound dampening material around the subwoofer. This helped to prevent the subwoofer from vibrating the body panels.
2) Added dynamat and sound dampening to both of the front doors. This helped to reduce road noise. The doors also make a solid "thud" when you close them.
Wow! This stereo sounds awesome now! I can crank up the bass to ridicuous levels, and it sounds great. (Although I usually keep it at moderate levels.)
Now that I've added all of this stuff to my car, I'll keep my eye on the MPG guage and let you know if the extra weight reduces my mileage at all.
jbrasure
How do you think they would do installing a MIMA system?
MAny people that are interested, just do not feel confident with the install, and I have been thinking that a good car audio shop should have no problems with it.
The instructions are on line @ http://99mpg.com/install/
What do you think?
If I was going to put a MIMA system in my car, then I suppose I would consider having these guys do it. They certainly have more experience than me when it comes to installing electronic gadgets. They seem to be good at removing panels, running wire, cutting plastic, and that kind of stuff. I think they would be capable of installing a MIMA system if you got one of their more experienced installers.
I kind of wonder if they would be willing to do it though, especially since it involves a high voltage battery. It definitely falls outside the type of installs that they normally do. I don't suppose it could hurt to ask them though.
James
Once the main switch is turned off, it is pretty safe in there, especially if you cover all the electronics with cardboard.
The next time you are going there, maybe you can print out a few pages of the instructions and see what they say?
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Good stereo installer, San Francisco Bay area
