Removal

There is a cost associated with removing a remote starter. Depending on the original complexity and the quality of the installation, this can vary but is usually 1-2 hours of labor. Our shop currently charges $75 for this type of work so you will have $75 -$150 dollars for removal.

What Is The Starter Coming Out Of / Going Into?

This is the most important question. Remote starter installs varies greatly from vehicle to vehicle. Most newer vehicle will need some type of transponder bypass/interface to allow the remote starter to do its job. If the old and new vehicles both take the same interface, all is well. If they do not then you will need to buy a new bypass at a cost of 75-150 depending on the vehicle.

Reinstallation Harness Kit

Some shops might say that you don’t need this. And they are correct…. You don’t NEED it. But trust me you want it. When we install a remote starter into your vehicle, all wires are cut to custom lengths. We don’t coil up wires and you don’t end up with a rat’s next. The downside is that this harness is not going to fit properly in any other vehicle.  To re-use this harness would mean patching it up and extending this wire and that wire. It is not a good solution. The correct solution is to buy a reinstallation harness kit. This kit consists of the same harnesses that came with the original starter. We can now start over from scratch and custom cut every wire leaving a clean and tidy installation. Cost = $30-$70 (We now charge $50)

Reinstallation

This is a real hard one to gauge without knowing what vehicle it is going into. Assuming a super simple and straightforward install, our guys would be able to do the job in about 2 hours (This is soldering every connection and completing the job to our high standards). Other vehicles may take as long as 5 or 6 hours (Before all the “experts” jump on this, we do things to a very high standard at Mobile Edge. And yes it takes us longer to meet this standard. We don’t apologize or make excuses for this). It is important to keep in mind that it would take just as long to install a new unit so the cost here is kind of a wash… Cost = $150-$450

Warranty

Most remote starter manufacturers will only warranty the unit in the vehicle that it was originally installed in. Removing the unit from one vehicle and installing it into another essentially ends the warranty. Our vendor is no different. HOWEVER… Since we are a unique shop, we do things a little differently. If you have us handle the entire project from removal to reinstall and use a reinstallation harness kit, we will extend your warranty to your new vehicle.

Convenience

Many times, buying a car is a spur of the moment thing. You are “just looking” but we all know how that can work out. Next thing you know you are sitting at the F&I guy’s desk. If you want to transfer the remote starter, you’ve got to coordinate the removal and it just becomes a hassle. Sometimes a good approach is to use the starter as a negotiation tool. Ask for a couple hundred extra on your trade because of the remote starter. In many cases if you tell the dealer that you will make the deal today if they give you extra for the remote starter, they will.

Conclusion

We’ve provided you with the information you need to make an informed. Taking a look at the best case scenario, properly reinstalling a remote car starter into another vehicle may be as little as $250. I can tell you from experience that this is rarely the case. It is not unusual to need a different interface and labor is typically 3 hours or more. In most cases, if the remote starter in question is a lower cost unit, it generally isn’t worth the trouble. On higher end units, you can save a good deal of money by transferring the remote starter into your new vehicle.  Hope this helps!

Memphis PR1X1000 Amplifier. Manufacturer claims this amp puts out 1000W @ 1 ohm , 580W @ 2 ohms and 320W @ 4 ohms

Boss CX2000M amplifier. Labeled as a 2000W amp, Online retailers claim an output of 1000W @ 2 ohm and not stable at 1 ohm.

Rarely does a week go by that we don’t have a customer bring in a “monster” amp and wanting a wire kit or subs to go with it. Printed clearly on the amp are the words 1000 WATTS or 2000 WATTS. We’ve even seen “5000 WATT” amps! Usually these amps were purchased at a truckload sale, flea market, or discount superstore. They are typically very inexpensive, usually under $150. Do you think that these amps can produce 5000, 2000 or even 1000 watts? Mobile Edge recently tested one of these “2000 Watt” amps from a company called Boss along with a Memphis PR1x1000 amp and we had some eye-opening results!

Amplifier Fusing

The Boss CX2000M Amp is fused at 50 amps

Without switching on our Oscilloscope we could clearly tell you that the Boss amplifier is not capable of producing even the 1000 Watts that the manufacturer claims.  How do we know this?  All you need to do is look at the fusing.  Fuses are designed to limit the amount of current that the amplifier can take in (in part to protect the amp).  Simple physics says that if the input is limited, so will the output. The Boss CX2000M is fused at 50 amps.   Using the formula below, you will find that the amp could not produce more than about 405 watts of sustained power. The formula for determining power is:

For our purposes, we will use a DC voltage of 13.5 which is typical of a vehicle’s alternator (and will be referenced below).  AB Amplifiers typically are between 50 and 60% efficient. We can give the Boss amp the benefit of the doubt and go with 60%  Plugging in the numbers we get:

Under most circumstances, this amplifier could not produce more than 405 watts for a sustained period without blowing fuses.  This is quite a bit less than the 2000 watts on its label!

The Memphis PR1X1000 Amp is fused at 120 amps

Moving on to the Memphis PR1X1000 amp you can see that it is fused at 120 amps.

For class D amplifiers, you use an efficiency constant of about 80%

Assuming the same input voltage of 13.5V and 120 amps of current draw, we can plug in the numbers:

The maximum sustained power that the Memphis PR1X1000 should be able to produce before the fuses blow is about 1296 watts.  Nearly 30% more than the manufacture specifies.

Testing Equipment

Power Supply

1000 CCA battery

There are several tools that are needed to properly test the output of an amplifier.  First of all, you need a solid power supply.  We’ve got this covered with a 50 amp Power supply charging a series 31 1000 CCA farm and truck battery.  This setup gives us the power we need to test all but the largest amplifiers without worrying about significant voltage drops.

TPI440 Oscilloscope

Fluke Digital Volt Meter

We use a TPI440 Oscilloscope to see where the signal clips and read the voltage just before clipping. This gets connected to the speaker outputs of the amplifier.  A Fluke Digital Volt Meter is used to measure and monitor the input voltage throughout the testing.   These units are considered industry standards and are used on a daily basis at Mobile Edge.  They are used for everything from system setup to circuit testing and signal identification when doing OEM integration work.

Test Bench w/JVC deck

Fluke Digital Volt Meter

We use a standard JVC cd player to supply the signal.  Our test bench has a complete Ohms Law pie chart for quick conversion of volts, amps, watts, etc!  Test tones are generated by the CD104 Test CD.  This disc has been used since the early 90′s for system setup.  For our test on these amplifiers we will be playing a 40 hZ test tone.  Every good shop has at least one copy of this CD if not more!

1600 Watt Dummy Load

This is a custom bank of 16 four ohm, 100 watt resistors.  We have 4 banks of 4 resistors each and they can be wired to derive a 1, 2 or 4 ohm load.  This “dummy load” does a decent job of simulating a speaker.  While a speaker is a reactive load and this is not, it gets us into the ball park.  We have it mounted to a 3/8 piece of aluminum to help disperse heat.  When used for a time, these guys get hot!

Aside from testing amplifiers, we use this during system setup.  It takes the place of a speaker during the earlier stages of tuning.  This way we don’t need to be blasted out for hours while setting up a system not to mention it allows the new speakers to be broken in more gently!

Amplifier Testing

The first thing that we do to test the amplifier is to determine the clipping point of the head unit’s RCA leads.  We want a strong undistorted signal going to the amp.  Once we find the clipping point of the deck, we back down the volume slightly until there is no distortion.  The amplifier testing is done with the volume set at this level. (Note that this step was not shown in the above video but described in this link)

We use the CD104 test cd and set it for the 40hZ track.  The CD player is set to repeat this track over and over.

After hooking up the amplifier, we set the gain to minimum, crossover point to about 100hZ and all subsonic filters and bass boosts to off/min.  The amplifier is connected to the dummy load.  In the case of the Boss CX2000m amplifier, we wire the load for 2 ohms.  The manufacturer states that the amp is not stable at 1 ohm thus producing max power at 2 ohms.  For the Memphis PR1X1000, we wire it for 1 ohm since this amp is stable at 1 ohm.

The next step is to test the supply voltage.  In each case, the input voltage tested at right around 13.5 Volts.  This is a very common voltage range found in vehicles while running.

Finally the oscilloscope is hooked up to the speaker outputs of the amp and set for AC voltage (speaker outputs are AC).  The Oscope will show the frequency, in this case 40hZ along with the voltage.  It also shows the waveform being generated by the amplifier.

We slowly turn up the gain control on the amplifier and watch the waveform.  Eventually, the waveform will start to distort or flatten out.  This indicates distortion or clipping and that the signal is no longer clean.  We back the gain off slightly until the waveform is clean again and read the voltage.

In the case of the Memphis amplifier, the undistorted voltage was 34.9 volts.

This formula for power is simple and the same whether  Class AB or Class D:

(Test was done with amp wired to a 1 ohm load)

Do the math and you will find that the Memphis amp produced 1218 watts.  That is 121.8% of the power that the manufacturer states in their literature, manuals and website.

The Boss amp did not fare so well.  When tested, it produce an undistorted 25.11 volts.

(Test was done with amp wired to a 2 ohm load)

Again, do the math and the 2000 Watt Boss CX2000M amplifier produced a whopping undistorted 315 watts!  Doing a little more math and you will find that this is only 15.75% of the power that is stamped on the amp and only 31.5% of the power that the manufacturer claims!

The Insides of the Amplifiers

We thought it would be interesting to take the amplifiers apart and see what they looked like inside.  The CX2000M is much larger and noticeably lighter than the Memphis PR1X1000.

The Memphis PR1X1000 on the Left and the Boss CX2000M on the right. Both have the lids off to expose the insides.

It is easy to see that there is a lot more going on inside of the Memphis amp.  There is not a lot of space.  That is not the case with the Boss amp. Inside the CX2000M you’ve got plenty of room!

Memphis PR1X1000 Opened Up

Boss CX2000M opened up

Amplifier Testing Conclusion

This post and test was not meant to put down any specific amplifier.  The only reason that we used the Boss amp was because a good customer had one lying around and volunteered it’s use.  The purpose is to point out that not everything is as it seems in the world of car audio.  There is no required governing body for car audio ratings.  There are no testing laboratories that manufacturers have to send their equipment to.  Any manufacturer can claim any power rating that they want.  It’s that simple. (It is important to note that there is an industry standard called CEA 2006-B.  Manufacturers are not required to take part in it.  When comparing 2 amplifiers that are rated by CEA 2006-B guidelines you can get a good apples to apples comparison. Also, almost all of the reputable industry manufacturers use Cogent Laboratories in Chandler, Az for their testing and independent validation.)

The Memphis amplifier clearly puts out nearly 4 times the power of the boss amp yet both manufacturers claim 1000 watts.  The Memphis amp exceeds this rating and the Boss amp barely puts out 30% of the claim.  When making a purchasing decision, it is important to understand the quality of the product you are buying.  It is important to trust the product and the retailer you are buying from.

Imagine if the customer that bought the “2000 watt” amp decided to go out and get two subs that could really handle 1000 watts each.  They would be wasting an obscene amount of money BIG subs and the end result would be very poor.    What they really should get are two 150-200 watt subs.

I know that the argument can be made that the Memphis amp is more expensive than the Boss amp.  This is absolutely true.  A quality product that produces lots of power costs more money to build. If you look at typical street costs for each of these amps and do the math, you will see that the Memphis amp is much cheaper when you consider dollar per watt.  Also important is the dealer selling the product.  It is unlikely that the flea market vendor or discount superstore employee selling the “monster 2000 watt” amps will be able to provide the expertise necessary to design and build a great system.  But I’d bet your local Memphis or Hertz/Audison dealer will!

All that aside, don’t you like the idea of getting 21.8% more than what you are promised?

I welcome your reasoned and well thought out comments!

Mobile Edge Owner Mitch Schaffer with JVC Vice President Bill Turner after a round of golf at the Journeys at Pechanga

It all started earlier this summer when Mobile Edge was featured in an article in Dealerscope magazine.  One of the photos that was used showed our head unit display filled with JVC decks.  A few days after the article was published I got a call from Bill Turner, Vice President of Mobile Entertainment for JVC.  I’ve know Bill Turner from his days as National Sales Manager for Orion Car Audio back in the 90′s.  He called to thank me for effectively supporting the JVC brand at Mobile Edge.  We spoke for quite a while and I shared with him what we were doing with our website and with social media in our store.

It was about a week later when Bo Lamar, Eastern Regional Sales Manager for JVC, called and asked if I would be interested in joining them from November 9 – 12 in Temecula for the 2012 dealer preview.  Of course I was interested!  They booked the flight and reserved the room and last Wednesday afternoon I left for the airport.  One cancelled flight and 12 hours later, I arrived at the resort.

This golf course was absolutely beautiful. Pictures do not do it justice. It is important to note that the incredible surroundings did not improve my golf game!

The resort was beautiful.  It has a large casino that I tried very hard to stay out of and excellent restaurants and lounges throughout!   The good folks at JVC took care of everything!  They treated me like Mobile Edge was a 5 million dollar account (we’re not!!!!).  They listened to my ideas and cared about what I had to say.  On Friday, they treated me to the a round of golf at the Journey’s at Pechanga, rumored to be one of the top 5 public course in the country.

Never saw a sign like this on a PA golf course!

The product preview meeting was exceptional.  I had to sign an NDA (non disclosure agreement) so I cannot mention specifics, but I can say that 2012 will be a tremendous year for JVC.  We spent most of Thursday going over what the future holds for JVC and let me say that the future looks bright!

That evening at dinner, I had the pleasure of speaking with Chad Vogelsong, General Marketing Manager for JVC.  He is the brains behind most of their marketing efforts including the 60+ regional Facebook Pages and the annual “Turn Me On” videos. We talked about how Mobile Edge and JVC can partner up on some Facebook promotions.  Believe it or not, at 2300 fans, Mobile Edge is among the most popular Facebook pages for any car audio store in the country.  Because of this, Chad felt that Mobile Edge would be an interesting testing ground for some of the promos that they plan on running.   If you have not “liked” Mobile Edge or JVC PA on Facebook, be sure to do it now and be eligible for some great deals and giveaways coming up very soon!

This was a great opportunity for Mobile Edge and shows that some large companies really care about their dealers in smaller markets.  If you are in the market for an audio upgrade, I recommend JVC and if you are in the area, I invite to to check out their lineup at Mobile Edge.

On the ride to the airport I saw the USS Carl Vinson docked in the San Diego harbor (You can see it in the background). The day before, the supercarrier that dropped off Bin Laden hosted a basketball game. 

Now those discounts are being passed along to you!  Imagine getting a Memphis amp and sub and a box for $149!  We’re not talking about “Phony Explode” brand either!  This is quality equipment.  How about a matched pair (4 channel and a 500 watt mono amp) of Memphis amplifiers  for $319?  That’s $319 for 2 high quality amps and we’ve got 6 sets for sale!  Two 12″ subs with a 1000 watt amp and ported enclosure for $299.. Got that too!…. 500 Watt Memphis Amplifier for $179?  Stop in and see for yourself!

Everything comes with a warranty and in many cases that warranty can be doubled just by letting us to the dirty work and professionally installing your equipment in your ride!  We even have special deals on amp wire kits!

The Fine Print:  There are no rain checks. When they are gone, they are gone. Short term layaways are available.  Some items are B-stock, but all items come with a warranty!  Many packages are a one of a kind so get ‘em while their hot!  These deals are available ONLY at the store.  they are not available via internet or phone!

Check out this video with a small sampling of what we have available as of 10/26/2011.  We have many other deals and specials available at the store!  Stop in before it is too late!

Two years ago in early November, Mobile Edge ran it’s first Coats For Kids drive. We made arrangements to have any coats distributed locally in Carbon and neighboring counties. We had hoped to collect a few dozen coats. Were we in for a surprise! By the end of January, we had collected close to 200 coats. We realized that we were on to something sweet! Last year, we ran the promotion again and by the time it was all said and done, we had collected nearly 300 coats. In addition, we collected dozens of beanies, scarves and gloves.

What Is Coats For Kids?

As the owner of Mobile Edge for nearly 20 years, I’ve always said that I’ve never once sold something that people actually need! Not one single time (Lets face it, neither has Apple!). I sell products that people want…. things that make them happy and things that make life more comfortable and convenient. One of the truest examples of this is remote car starters.

My store sells more remote car starters than you would believe. Good economy or bad economy… It doesn’t matter. We sell and install a LOT of them and we have since 1994! It stands to reason that if someone cares that much about staying warn, they must have some outdated children’s coats or know someone who does.

We decided to tie these things together. Bring us a new or gently used child’s coat and we will give you up to $50 off the cost of a new remote car starter! There is no catch. No hidden agenda. You have something that can help other people (coats). We have really great car starters that will keep you warm and comfortable and we have a means to distribute your coats to children who need them. Everybody wins! You save money and make some room in you closet. We get to make another happy customer and a child somewhere in our area will be warmer this Winter. Think about it… It make sense to me!

But I Don’t Have Any Kid’s Coats?

Bring us one of your own. As one of the ladies from a local charity told us: Mommies and daddies need to stay warm too! (We honor the discount for any coat)

I Really Don’t Want A Remote Starter?

No problem. We will happily take all of your unwanted coats, beanies, gloves, and scarves. It might be 17 degrees out the day that you drop them off, but I promise you will leave our shop feeling all warm and fuzzy inside!

Help Us Reach Our Goal!

Our goal this year is a lofty one. We want to collect 500 coats. Plain and simple. So if you are reading this and in Carbon or surrounding counties, why not share this on your Twitter feed or Facebook wall. We’re making it simple for you to make a difference in local children’s lives. Spread the word!

Press From Previous Years Promotions

TV13 coverage from 2009

WNEP Coverage from 2009

2010 Times News Article

 Late 2010 Times News Article

It was around this time that an ex-employee who now works for a chain of car dealers called me to let me know that they had just traded a vehicle “that I just might like!”  The vehicle turned out to be a 2008 Lexus IS250.  It was in excellent condition, had been serviced meticulously and the price was right.  We took delivery of the vehicle a few days later.

The next thing that we did was to lay out a list of criteria that the demo system needed to meet.  This is what we came up with:

1. It had to retain factory radio.  This system needed to show off the capabilities that exist for factory integration.
2. The vehicle needed to remain as factory looking as possible.  I wanted there to be very little, if any indication that an aftermarket system existed.
3. Sound quality was to be much more important than SPL.  We wanted it to sound great and get loud if we wanted, but this was not going to be an ear-shattering system. Sound quality was the primary goal.

We spent the following week determining what we could do with this vehicle.  As we learned more about it , we quickly realized that we had made the right choice.  The front doors were equipped with 3 way component speakers.  There was a woofer in the bottom of each door, a mid in the center and a tweeter in the top.  The back doors housed a 2 way component set.

We also found that the vehicle was equipped with a factory amplifier located in the rear of the trunk.  After spending a good deal of time with the oscilloscope and RTA, we figured out what each of the wires did. Turns out, the front doors were bi-amped.  This meant that the amplifier was sending out low frequencies to the woofers and a shared mid/high signal to the mids and tweeters.  The amplifier also supplied a sub signal to the factory “subwoofer” located in the rear deck.

This presented a small problem to us.  In order to supply the amplifier with a full range signal, all of these frequencies had to be combined.  Audison BitOne to the rescue!  The BitOne is an amazing product that we will cover in detail in a future post.  In addition to re-combining the audio signals, it acts as a multi-channel 30 band EQ, time alignment device, provides an auxiliary input (or 2) and is the ultimate line output converter  (among other things).   We’ve used plenty of BitOne’s before, but this time we were really going to put it through it’s paces.  This vehicle was the perfect playground for the BitOne.  As an added bonus, the DRC (remote control unit) for the BitOne fit nearly perfectly in the factory change holder to the left of the steering wheel.

When it came time to pick speakers, the decision was simple.  We wanted the ultimate in high end sound from a 2-way system.  That narrowed the search to the Hertz Mille MLK2TW 2 way component set.  We mounted the woofer in the factory woofer location and the tweeter in the factory midrange location.  Great care was taken to make sure the speakers were aimed properly for the best imaging possible.   The back speakers remained stock and play off of the factory amplifier.  There is a small twist here.  The rear speakers would not be part of the main system.  For critical listening, the rear speakers would be turned off completely.  In the event that there would be a rear seat passenger, the rear speakers can be engaged to provide sound to the back.

Again, the sub proved to be an easy decision.   We wanted very defined and clear bass.  We also knew that this single sub would go into a small sealed enclosure in the trunk so it had to handle a good deal of power.  This lead us straight to the Hertz HX250.5 10″ subwoofer.  This sub handles power, works great in a small sealed box and sounds fantastic.  A custom fiberglass enclosure was built into the driver’s side of the trunk.  When you open the trunk, you would not know that the sub is there unless you were familiar with a Lexus IS250 trunk.

For amplification, we  went to the Audison LRX5.1K.  This 5 channel amplifier is an all in one solution designed specifically for bi-amped systems with a sub.  Channels 1 and 2 provide 60 watts to each of the tweeters.  Channels 3 and 4 send 170 watts to each of the doors woofers. A massive class D channel provides 750 watts to the subwoofer.  These power ratings are for the way that we chose to configure the system.  The amp can produce more power when being driven to lower impedances.  We chose not to do this to maximize sound quality and system headroom.

At Mobile Edge, we believe in sound deadening and encourage it in all of our jobs.  To be able to demonstrate exactly what proper sound deadening can do, we turned to Hushmat.  Hushmat is a leader in vehicle sound control.  We treated nearly every surface of the Lexus with Hushmat Ultra.  Three of the doors were treated, inside and out.  The driver’s side rear door was not treated with Ultra so that we could show customers the difference that it can make by doing a simple “knock” test.  The difference is truly amazing.    In addition to the Hushmat Ultra, we installed Hushmat Silencer Megabond in each of the 4 doors.  What Ultra does for low frequency vibrations, Silencer does for higher frequency noises such as road and wind noise.    When the vehicle was reassembled and we took it for the first ride, the noise floor difference was nothing short of astonishing!  An already quiet car is now nearly dead quiet while cruising down the highway.  Imagine what this did for the sound.

We installed a few other tricks into the vehicle:

1. We added Bluetooth handsfree that works through the factory radio and outputs through the vehicle’s speakers.  This system is truly remarkable in both ease of use and sound quality.
2. A custom usb port was installed into the factory cigarette lighter location.  Looking at the port, you would think that it was there when it left Japan.
3. An iStreamer device was installed to boost the output level and overall sound quality of an iDevice.  In addition, the iStreamer will charge the device while it is in operation.  We have used the iStreamer in several vehicles and find the improvement in sound from an iDevice to be remarkable!
4. We added an Audison 1.4 farad capacitor to improve overall sound quality of the system.  This is recommended in most every system that we do.
5. We made a customer Lexan panel to go into the factory skihole location.  It was engraved with “Mobile Edge 2010 Retailer of the Year” and backlit in red neon.

After the installation was completed, it came time to tune… and tune….. and tune some more.  Fortunately, Mobile Edge has all of the necessary tools to toon any system the right way.  We spent hours in the trunk with the Oscope getting the levels just perfect.  Once that was complete, we moved on to the driver’s seat with laptop and RTA in hand.  While the BitOne is a very  complex and detailed device, it takes a lot of time to properly set it up.  Crossover points need to be set, tested and changed.  Each output channel has it’s own 30 band EQ.  Time alignment has to be set up and then slowly dialed in to perfection and all of that is for the driver’s listening position.  Much of this has to be calibrated specifically for other listening positions.  In our case, we set up a passenger’s seat listening position for when we are demoing the system to clients.   When it was all said and done, we probably had close to 40 hours of setup and tuning in this vehicle.  It wasn’t until we were completely satisfied with the results that we announced the vehicle’s completion.

The Lexus rivals the sound of most high end home hi-fi setups.  The imaging and staging in this vehicle are nothing short of amazing.  The singer sounds as if he/she is hovering over the center of the hood.  You can pick out the locations of the other musicians across the top of the hood.  Fidelity and sound quality far exceed what you would normally come to expect from a high end car setup.  Don’t take my word for it.  Stop in sometime and take a listen for yourself.  This is not a boom system, but I would submit that this very well might be one of the very best sounds systems that you have ever heard.

Take a look at some of the build pictures below. Click on any picture to open up the slideshow.