Apr 10, 2013
This has been the Year of the Mercedes for StereoMan. Typical year I work on maybe three or four all year. This year I’ve seen five already! And while each one has presented its own unique challenges – Mercedes are never simple, that’s why B*$t B>y won’t touch ’em – they’ve all come out fine.
Today’s Mercedes was a 350ML – the big SUV model. It was amazing how everything just seemed to go right: the radio popped right out, the dash trim came off without cracking the wood finish, there was plenty of room in the dash, the wiring was easy to figure out, the radio fit really nicely, and the dash insert seemed to help the fitting rather than hinder it. Customer was very happy, especially since the cost was much lower than the worst case I had estimated.
Customer emailed me the following note, reprinted here with his permission:
We have a 2003 Mercedes ML350, that the radio finally died. Well in checking for replacement radios?there was NOTHING that would replace the stock unit. I called ?StereoMan? and his knowledge about the audio systems was impressive. Steve also could not find any product to replace my radio?but after research, advised me of radios that he found that he could custom fit to my car.
I ordered one of the radios and had Steve install the unit. The final product looks better than the original! His charge for the install was even lower because he said he didn?t run into any problems. Quality work from a very honest man. I highly recommend Steve for any audio work/problem you may have. He worked magic for us!
Mar 6, 2013
Bummer: horrible icy cold windy wet weather, working on three cars today.
Consolation: two ten dollar tips in one day.
Feb 25, 2013
StereoMan loaned his car battery charger to a customer a few days ago. No problem, said StereoMan, it’s so seldom needed, just hang on to it til you get your electrical problem fixed.
Yesterday, StereoMan was out on service call installing a car stereo, and the customer’s car had a dead battery. Oops.
Today, StereoMan has a dead battery. Oops! Oops!
Feb 12, 2013
Why do people act so surprised when they find out I have a one week backlog on service calls??? They think I’m just sitting here twiddling my thumbs waiting for their call! News flash: StereoMan is in demand. He’d be glad to help you, but you have to wait your turn!
Feb 4, 2013
1. Customer buys new wireless printer and tablet computer from Best Buy. Unable to get it connected to her new computer, she calls Geek Squad. They come out, fiddle with it for a while, then inform her that they shouldn’t have sold her that computer with that printer.
2. Customer returns tablet computer, as advised, and gets a new laptop, as advised. Still unable to get printer and computer to communicate, she calls Geek Squad again. They come out, fiddle with it for a while, then announce that the problem is her Internet Service Provider!
3. Unable to change Service Providers, since she lives in an apartment complex, she calls StereoMan.
4. StereoMan gets computer and printer to communicate, customer is printing documents in one hour.
Jan 24, 2013
My 10:00 appointment was very happy that I fixed his subwoofer in 15 minutes flat, working in this horrible cold windy rain. Defective fuse holder. The fuse was good – he had checked that himself – but the holder had a bad contact on the downstream end. Cheap fix. Those are the best. Especially in this weather!
Jan 17, 2013
Today’s conquest: 1966 Magnavox “Astro Sonic” Normandy model console stereo. It was in remarkably good shape, just needed cleaning, lubrication, a new stylus (“needle”), and some mechanical adjustment. The owner thought it had the greatest sound EVER. Amazing. He was half the age of the console.
Jan 14, 2013
So this guy calls this morning, wants to know how much to install a car stereo. So I told him it’s typically $35. Then he tells me it’s going into an ’85 Saab. Well, it may take some extra time, I advise him, ’cause no one makes a wiring adapter for a 30 year old Saab. Then he tells me, oh by the way, he’s got two pairs of speakers, a subwoofer, and a five channel amp he wants installed in the same vehicle. Heh. A full day’s work, I tell him. So how much will that cost, he asks. Well, says I, I charge $36 an hour, so . . .
And he says, oh, he thought it was a flat rate. He’ll think about it.
Two hours later, he calls back. How much just to install the car stereo? So I told him . . . and then he asks can I do it tomorrow. Without batting an eye (or looking at my schedule) I tell him no. I learned a long time ago, there are some jobs that are better not to even begin.
Jan 8, 2013
Customer was an hour and a half late for her 11 a.m. speaker install. Naturally, it started to rain as soon as I started working on her car. By the time I was done, I was drenched, and the car was also not completely dry. “Oh those new speakers sound great,” she said. Can you put some new speakers in the back too?”
Heh. I asked her if maybe she’d like to come back another day. She was very understanding.
Jan 4, 2013
StereoMan is a little damp.
