Best Buy Tech Experience

M

markie671

New member
Hey Family,

Just need real life experience regarding purchasing alarm systems from Best Buy, I read alot of mix reviews from them but of course nothing is standard across the board with experienced to in experienced.

Planning to purchase a viper alarm with remote starter that comes with geek squad installation.. Not a fan of local shops for warranty purposes incase I do move out of state at least Best Buy will be a universal type of warranty..

If you guys got it done by them please leave me a review on this..

Would really appreciate it..

I searched our thread and there is no solid information on it..

Thank you again..
 
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markie671 said:
Have you done this yourself?
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847b658db3c18456f3b5b5f377907062.jpg
a46e99e6f4c097d751efd788897d73f4.jpg


This was a month or two back i think

His service is awesome.. A lot of people that have done it this way can vouch for him.
 
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Which warranty are you concerned about - the product or the install? I'd check and see what both warranties say first of all. As far as the install goes, ask if you can see how they do them. Ask what kind of splices they use. If they use a quality crimp splice that's a good sign. If they use the poke in the wire splice - run like the wind. Look also to see how they put all that wiring back. Did they do it neatly or did they just push them back and slap the panels back on. Did they identify (label) the wiring they added so they can be easily identified should future troubleshooting be required? Will they provide a wiring schematic?

Most places do not have a repair shop staffed with techs that are going to fix problems or warranty issues. They are going to remove your unit and send it to the manufacturer. You will pay to have it fixed plus shipping and labor based on the warranty terms. You will also be without it for quite some time. I'd also check to see if your Toyota warranty is affected by an aftermarket install by non Toyota peeps. Better to know now then to have a dealer refuse to work some electrical issue because they see that someone has been in the wiring.
 
flyrv9 said:
Which warranty are you concerned about - the product or the install? I'd check and see what both warranties say first of all. As far as the install goes, ask if you can see how they do them. Ask what kind of splices they use. If they use a quality crimp splice that's a good sign. If they use the poke in the wire splice - run like the wind. Look also to see how they put all that wiring back. Did they do it neatly or did they just push them back and slap the panels back on. Did they identify (label) the wiring they added so they can be easily identified should future troubleshooting be required? Will they provide a wiring schematic?

Most places do not have a repair shop staffed with techs that are going to fix problems or warranty issues. They are going to remove your unit and send it to the manufacturer. You will pay to have it fixed plus shipping and labor based on the warranty terms. You will also be without it for quite some time. I'd also check to see if your Toyota warranty is affected by an aftermarket install by non Toyota peeps. Better to know now then to have a dealer refuse to work some electrical issue because they see that someone has been in the wiring.
Click to expand...

You do not want crimp connect alarm wire, most connections are tapping into OEM wiring so you certainly don't want to cut the wire in half and then make you connection. Strip back the OEM wire, poke a hole in the center then wrap, also known as a military splice is perfectly acceptable. Soldering after that connection is even better.

Toyota also cannot void your warranty based on the fact you have aftermarket equipment, its called the Magnuson–Moss Warranty Act.

To OP, I wouldn't judge Best Buy being able to handle it, its all about the tech. You'll find good ones and bad ones anywhere. Best Buy does require their techs to be MECP certified. Ask what their certification level is. You want either advanced or master MECP.
 

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I disagree. If you want a good trouble free connection, use a crimp connection that can be a better connection and protected after it's done. Nothing wrong with cutting a wire if you know what you are doing. That in part is the issue; as you have no real idea of someone else's competence. If you're going to trust your 40K vehicle to some kid at best buy or stereo shop you best see an example of their work.
 
markie671 said:
Have you done this yourself?
Click to expand...

Mark,

please look at my signature and shoot me a email.
[MENTION=136181]Drebels[/MENTION] did his install. There were complications and i we were able to work thru them. He was my eyes and ears from 3000 miles away. together we were able to get his install straight. He also soldered all his connections and i verified them thru photos and videos.

In the professional 12 volt industry, it is a long draw out debate on crimps vs solder vs military splice.

I am not going to say one is better than another. I can only say that in my 15 years in the industry. I did not have crimps in my shop, my toolbag, my home or purchased any in the last 15 years with one exception. Last year i had a client that insisted on crimps for the starter kill. he was paying the bill for installs on 500 cars, 3 wire gps tracking. he writing the check and he understands that they will be done properly and i can not warranty my work. once that was agreed upon. we had a deal.

Before i went to industry standard, i shopped in the home depot electronics isle and bought blue, red, yellow crimps, caps, butt and spade connectors. when i moved to atlanta, i found them in the garage and dumped them out.

I own 5 high end soldering irons, and my fav is still a cheapo $35 Power Probe PPSK. starts easy, gets hot real fast and super reliable.

I also use specialty cloth tape thats super expensive too and i only use snap on tools.

I have been to the north pole to do remote starters, 52 cars in 12 days. When you in a harsh enviorment like that where remote starters are a necessity. You need a system that works 100% of the time. You will not find one shop in Ankorage or Fairbanks that doesnt solder. The ones that didnt are no longer in business.

I hope this makes sense to whomever is reading it.
 
Tuco Ramirez said:
I would let a circus chimp install anything before letting Worst Buy touch it. Good installers don't work there.
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You my friend are a genius.

Although Jesse Lappanen is a best buy Master mecp, he is not in the geek squad install Bay. He actually is a contributor to the mecp study guide.

4dab51764e000b3f74439b7082a55219.jpg


Sent from my ONEPLUS A3000 using Tapatalk
 
I can vouch for [MENTION=93434]gshadow325[/MENTION].

He is a solid dude, and has helped me in the past.

You can't go wrong there.
 
gshadow325 said:
Mark,

please look at my signature and shoot me a email.

[MENTION=136181]Drebels[/MENTION] did his install. There were complications and i we were able to work thru them. He was my eyes and ears from 3000 miles away. together we were able to get his install straight. He also soldered all his connections and i verified them thru photos and videos.

In the professional 12 volt industry, it is a long draw out debate on crimps vs solder vs military splice.

I am not going to say one is better than another. I can only say that in my 15 years in the industry. I did not have crimps in my shop, my toolbag, my home or purchased any in the last 15 years with one exception. Last year i had a client that insisted on crimps for the starter kill. he was paying the bill for installs on 500 cars, 3 wire gps tracking. he writing the check and he understands that they will be done properly and i can not warranty my work. once that was agreed upon. we had a deal.

Before i went to industry standard, i shopped in the home depot electronics isle and bought blue, red, yellow crimps, caps, butt and spade connectors. when i moved to atlanta, i found them in the garage and dumped them out.

I own 5 high end soldering irons, and my fav is still a cheapo $35 Power Probe PPSK. starts easy, gets hot real fast and super reliable.

I also use specialty cloth tape thats super expensive too and i only use snap on tools.

I have been to the north pole to do remote starters, 52 cars in 12 days. When you in a harsh enviorment like that where remote starters are a necessity. You need a system that works 100% of the time. You will not find one shop in Ankorage or Fairbanks that doesnt solder. The ones that didnt are no longer in business.

I hope this makes sense to whomever is reading it.
Click to expand...
He will even text you pictures of the dinner he is having!
 
Nothing wrong with soldering, however, few people know how to do it properly or have the right equipment to a good clinched connection followed by a good solder joint. Also, soldering under the dash of a 4Runner makes it more of a challenge.
 
Superjet said:
You do not want crimp connect alarm wire, most connections are tapping into OEM wiring so you certainly don't want to cut the wire in half and then make you connection. Strip back the OEM wire, poke a hole in the center then wrap, also known as a military splice is perfectly acceptable. Soldering after that connection is even better.

Toyota also cannot void your warranty based on the fact you have aftermarket equipment, its called the Magnuson–Moss Warranty Act.

To OP, I wouldn't judge Best Buy being able to handle it, its all about the tech. You'll find good ones and bad ones anywhere. Best Buy does require their techs to be MECP certified. Ask what their certification level is. You want either advanced or master MECP.
Click to expand...

You're partially right, Toyota can't deny you warranty based solely on the installation of aftermarket components. But Toyota (and the dealership) can and will deny your warranty claim if you do not follow their guidelines.

For example, I had a Tundra a month back that some shop had thrown an alarm in, the vehicle was having issues with a cascading network failure on the CAN-Bus, specifically a cluster of modules located on a certain chain. After determining the fault to be related to the CAN-Bus (an odd voltage spike causing modules to shutdown on the communication bus) and finding that they had an alarm system soldered into the CAN Hi & CAN Lo Bus lines, I had to inform the customer that to go further they would have to pay us additional diagnostic time to continue (because I wasn't getting paid for the hour and half I put in because it was being done under the assumption of warranty).

The first part of the diagnostic would have been about an hour or so to remove all their aftermarket wiring and return the vehicle to stock to continue diagnosis (non-refundable to the customer should the issue be covered under warranty as Toyota will not reimburse a dealership for this type of work). IF the issue was on the Toyota side, the subsequent repairs would be under warranty, but removal and re-installation of the alarm system is the customer's responsibility. IF the customer declines to pay to have the alarm removed by us, they are more than welcome to do so themselves or by the shop that installed it; but we cannot further diagnose the vehicle until it is returned to a factory state (ruling out aftermarket components) and thus warranty will not apply at that time. In this guy's case he took it back to the shop that did the install because they warrantied their installation work and we haven't heard back from him if his CAN Bus issues were solved or not.

The Maguson Moss Act is not a "get out of free" jail card to wave when you've damaged your vehicle because you installed aftermarket items and do not want to take responsibility. It's a protection put in place to prevent baseless discrimination simply because a customer has installed aftermarket components (i.e. "We're denying your warranty claim on your engine blowing up because of a defect in the oil pump because you installed an LED Light Bar). It does not absolve a customer from having to follow a company's warranty guidelines and/or procedures to obtain warranty on specific items (i.e. in this case since there was a question of whether or not their alarm system being wired into the CAN-Bus was spiking the line and causing their concern, to continue further under Toyota warranty the customer is responsible for returning the vehicle to a factory state so we can confirm that the issue is in-fact a Toyota-related defect).

Post Note-

I'd be careful about soldering unless you know exactly what you're doing, some of these wires in today's vehicles are very thin and sensitive to variances. For example CAN lines are running on only about a +/- 1v range have to be twisted in a specific turn rate to maintain accurate communication. Improper soldering of those wires could cause resistance in the CAN Bus that could wreck havoc on your vehicle. Just something to point out.

Because of this Toyota has actually gone away from soldering as a repair method and adopted a crimp style repair specifically meant for aluminium wiring (I guess it's very sensitive to being crimped improperly? I'm not sure the reasoning). The method isn't bad and works well, but makes for a bit of a bulky repair.
 
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gshadow325 said:
You my friend are a genius.

Although Jesse Lappanen is a best buy Master mecp, he is not in the geek squad install Bay. He actually is a contributor to the mecp study guide.

Couldn'tcareless.jpg[IMG]

Sent from my ONEPLUS A3000 using Tapatalk[/QUOTE]

So ONE guy there knows how to do things properly. SOLD! My opinion is totally changed now.
Click to expand...
 
Tuco Ramirez said:
So ONE guy there knows how to do things properly. SOLD! My opinion is totally changed now.
Click to expand...
Lol, Jesse is a good guy. Most best buy guys are beginners with only a year or two under their belt. Most end up leaving for better jobs.

Some best buy are better than others though.

Sent from my ONEPLUS A3000 using Tapatalk
 
I have no interest with wiring the alarm my self because of where I live and I just want to do it.. I appreciate everyone's input but I'm really after owners who had Best Buy install their alarm.. and yes I'm sure Best Buy will have good and bad techs same goes for every company..


Sent from my iPhone
 
Superjet said:
Best Buy currently has 126 master certified techs
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They must keep them on ice like the other Winter Soldiers. 126 techs but they have 1600 stores. :dunno: While they may have them, the unfortunate truth is that I have not seen anything good come from a BB install. It's not just them, plenty of others are guilty.

The OP should do it himself and know it is done right.
 
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