to circuit city to have a stereo installed. The previous owner had done such a poor job of de-installing whatever stereo was in there that I was unable to ascertain what the heck had happened. After research I determined that the wiring runs through the security and console mounted fader and was not clear. As I result I went to Circuit City and had them install the stereo for $90 extra (installation should be free) due to 're-wiring'. I explained to this young man in detail my concerns prior to finalizing the deal and, after examining the situation, he assured me there was no problem. Should take a couple hours he stated. Three hours later
he is still attempting to get the head unit in. Finally, he reaches the point where the stereo will power up and run all 4 speakers, but, the anti-theft alarm comes on arbitrarily, even when the car is going down the street and the power antenea doesn't work, thus rendering the radio worthless. He was so brain dead (I could see it in his eyes) that he was toast. I said I'll bring it back tomorrow, I think he got in over his head and was all alone here. So I drove the car home and every 3 minutes or so the alarm comes on, the only way to stop it is to stop the car, get out, lock the doors and then unlock and proceed for another 3 minutes or so, plus the door locks now want to operated the power windows. Anybody ever heard of this kind of thing? Of course I intend to go back tomorrow for satisfaction but, hell, I could of screwed this up myself for free.....rats....

The problem is mentioned in your first sentence; Circuit City. Your car was most likely built before the "tech" was born. If it's not a cookie cutter Scion, Honda or whatever is trendy among the teenage crowd, they won't have a clue.

I've seen several so called professional installs by the chain stores ( and a few by fly-by-night independent shops) and all were hack jobs at best.

Get whatever refund you can. If you don't want to tackle yourself go to a reputable shop thats been around for a while. Chances are they will still have the info you need, either in a manual or filed away in someones head! Go during a slow time and just pick their brain. Might even get some tips to do it yourself. Buy some wire, crimps and connectors from them while your at it.

Some one here might just have that tidbit too.

Good luck man!

yes, I intend to get satisfaction on this. It's just that effort does not equate to result and Circuit City is culpable here. This is not a matter of esoterics, like I don't like the way the thing sounds..this is sheer ineptness and they will make it right. Glad to hear this is not a singular event...appreciate the feedback

You should really contact your indie for a refernce or at least call around to some experienced indie shops and get references for someone with experience inside of these dashes. The last thing you need from Circuit City is a fire under the dash . From what you describe they are just hacking/ chasing wires trying to get a clue. The wires on a MB are colored different from Jap/ US cars. Good Luck.

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If it ain't broke take it apart and find out why.

1983 300SD, 4 speed
1994 C280
1987 300TD wagon
1996 HD Road King

Ride in Peace Eric Peterson, Harley of Macon

while I don't fear a fire there will be hell to pay if they don't straighten this out tomorrow. I am pretty good at raising it...especially since I went way out of my way to determine that this was beyond my scope, which, as it turns out, wasn't.....especially compared to what these cats did(n't) do...should be fun in the AM...I kind of dig these kinds of events...sometimes....I feel it helps them as an organization to do better in the future, for others sake...just the kind of good natured cat I am I reckon.....

My radio was a big mess, so I got a good multimeter and went to work. I decided to do away with the fader as it was broken. I ended up rewiring the front speakers and getting the radio to work. It took a few hours, but it was free. And now if I wanna change radios, I know what The heck I did back there and it wont be a quessing game at what some numbskull did to my car.

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1984 300SD Orient Red/ Palomino
1989 560SEC
2016 Mazda 6 6 speed manual
1995 Ford F-150 reg cab 4.9 5speed manual

LOL!

I took my 1989 300E to Circuit City a little over a year ago for a new stereo install. Had the same problems you had with the installation including no power antanna. The Techs had no idea how to wire it. Did not have the alarm problem. I finally asked for the lead installer to fix it and it was OK after that. Whew!