Kustom Kar Audio

This is my story about how Joe helped me out after starting my visit with Chris in Santa Rosa at the Kustom Kar Audio shop there… it’s a great story!
About 18 months ago I had Chris install an after-​market package in my Toyota Prius so I could plug my iPod into my car radio and listen to my own tunes. It worked like a charm… until about a week ago. All of the sudden, is started to skip, shut-​off, and cause me great disappointment as I drove on my long car rides and had to listen to the actual radio. Bummer. Of course I couldn’t find the receipt for the work, but I took a chance anyway and called Chris. I explained the problem to him, and he told me to come right over. I drove up to Santa Rosa, and Chris stopped what he was working on, and came out to troubleshoot the problem. He knew exactly what he was looking for, and determined he had to pull out the deck and replace a connector at the least, or possibly the whole unit at worst. When we came back inside, he looked up the package we had installed 18 months ago, and of course it was out of warranty! So he called a supplier and talked about the problem and determined that the connector cords were really designed more for iPods, and not for iPhones. The difference is that the phones get plugged in and out all the time, and over time, the connectors become dysfunctional. Ok… so, I’m out of warranty, it is broken by my misuse, and Chris doesn’t have the replacement parts to fix it… therefore, it is going to cost me more money, more time, and I don’t have access to my music and stuff… plus…who knows if it is even going to work?
Chris was nice enough to order me a new cord, and told me I could come back in a few days, and he’d install it. I got in my car and drove away, glad that I had a solution, but wondering about when I was going to have time to come back, and how much it would cost.
Then, my phone rang. I answered it and Chris told me that he called his other store in Petaluma, and that they actually had the cord! He said if I was available right now, I could drive down there, and Joe would put it together for me. I was blown away. Chris totally didn’t have to go that extra mile, on top of the extra mile he already traveled for me (and this was on a Friday afternoon, when most people are already checked out anyway). I said yes, and drove down to Petaluma. Joe couldn’t have been nicer, and took care of it in about 30 minutes while I shopped next door at the outlet stores. When I came back, I was amazed that it was all done, and there was NO CHARGE for the work! My iPhone works great now, and I just had one of the best customer service experiences of my life. Out of warranty, broken from my misuse, and I didn’t have to wait to get it repaired, and it cost me no money. Plus… it was all done with a smile, on a hot Friday afternoon, by the nicest guys I’ve ever encountered in a car shop!
Chris and Joe will never let you down. Go with their services if you are trying to decide… they obviously stand by their work. They are small local businesses that blow away the big national chains, and they actually CARE about your tunes, your car, and your experience! I’ll always go back to Kustom Kar Audio!

I went to Kustom Car Audio’s shop in both Santa Rosa and Petaluma. The Petaluma store manager, Steve is not very friendly and is lazy too from his work ethic. I came into the store and was looking to get a simple speaker installed in the doors and in the rear 6x9s. No subs or amps or anything hard. I know what tools are required (2) and don’t want to order and do it. I want a professional to be careful and remove the door and place the speaker without damaging anything.
Point being that I asked Steve to look at the door and speakers to give an estimate. He flat out refused. Saying I would probably not want to spend the money they charge to install them if I am going to buy garbage brand speakers to put in my car. I drive a late model BMW M3. I can afford to spend $ 150 to install some speakers. He insulated the cost may be several hundred dollars because they charge $ 150 an hour (may be $ 125, don’t recall). And it’s about an 1.5 per door, plus 2 for the rear speakers. He wouldn’t get up off his stool to even look at the car or do anything besides criticize what I wanted done.
I asked him if I could speak to the boss and he told me that he is at the Santa Rosa store. I went to speak to Chris and he was much more polite. Though still quoting prices in the $ 500 range for a few speakers installed. I was told that if I know so much about the install (I watched install videos) I should do it myself. I explained that I don’t want to buy the two tools and risk scratching anything. Further explaining that I thought his shop was there to do stuff others didn’t want to. What ever. He said it would be about $ 450 at the minimum.
I will not advertise another shop, but I thankfully found a friendly place with a good reputation. They were courteous and spent the time to make a reasonable estimate. Do yourself a favor and find someone else other than Kustom Car Audio. They want your money and will over charge without even providing a smile.

I was having trouble with the Bluetooth connectivity in our 2008 Escalade. Joe fixed the problem, explained how to fix it myself if happened again, and didn’t charge me a dime. He was professional, courteous, and friendly. I wish I had more work for him! They will now be our «go-​to» car audio specialists.

After years of whinging about my primitive stereo and inability to play podcasts and music via my iphone, I finally took action. My mechanic (Out West) recommended these guys, so I dropped by. The gal who assisted me was really helpful and just plain nice. When I brought my car in, I kinda changed my mind about what I wanted. By «kinda», I mean «completely». They were very patient and helped me figure out what would work best. And since I was primarily interested in listening to podcasts and picking up calls, they suggested one of the less expensive stereos, as the difference in sound quality would be negligible. Installation was quick! I recommend them.

Went in and saw Chris. He did a great job of telling me options and helped me make a great decision. These guys created an experience that makes me want to send my friends in their direction.

They are awesome! I was having an issue with my stereo not turning off, called Kustom Kar Audio and they told me to come down. I had my 3 children under 5 with me, didn’t even have to get them out of the car and they fixed the problem in 3 minutes! Wonderful customer service and knowledgeable staff! Definitely would recommend!

This is by far the best place to take your car if you have an issue with your sound system. I took my car there to figure out why my subwoofer wasn’t working and they found out and fixed it in a matter of minutes! I couldn’t have asked for better service from these guys!

I purchased a new CD player and speakers on Amazon, and called Kustom Kar for the installation. Chris made an appointment for me on short notice, and gave me a much better price than the store in Novato had quoted. He and Steve were very polite and friendly. They have a very comfortable and clean store with a large flatscreen and a variety of «guy» DVD’s to watch. They and the job was done in about an hour! My new sound system sounds great!

Above and beyond expectations! These guys put in a great stereo system and even did some other little things I needed with my radar detector etc… Very knowledgeable and GREAT customer service!