[Shubz]

I have been a regular customer for my ICE needs at this place. Last week I fell for AVH-P3490DVD HU for my i20 and got it installed. Initially the output was good (to my satisfaction at least) but when I was fiddling with the settings, I figured that the connections were all wrong. The coaxials were connected directly from the HU which made it sound like an old radio. I went there the following weekend (that is last saturday) and the main mech found that the connections were reversed/not connected well etc.

So they took it down and reconnected it right. Good news is that everything is working as expected.

Now the bad news: The tuning of the whole system was completely messed up (according to my aural judgement). The bass thumps like someone is beating a hollow drum. When I brought it to their notice, they did some tweaking on the amp and then started saying the following:

1) your car is too small for a unit like this. (Please note I had all these installed at their place --
Front door: 260W 6-1/2"(165mm) 2-Way Component System
Rear Door: 220W 6-1/2"(100mm) 2-Way Coaxial Speaker
Subwoofer: JBL GT5-1204BP 1100W 12"(300mm) Band-Pass Subwoofer Box
Amp: JBL GT-X646 800W 4-Channel Power Amplifier
They had also put in a Hi/Lo converter.

2) You need to cut the parcel tray and get a mesh put up for the bass to be equally distributed.

A let down this time as the same small car was working to perfection (the front components/tweeter in combination with amp/subwoofer was giving the right kind of output without the drum beating thump)

Now I am looking for another installer to get the settings right. I don't want to go there for this reason at least.

Am sorry to be putting up a negative feedback but I couldn't help. Otherwise Kumar and Suraj are very friendly and they do give everybody their due attention. Price wise they are quite good as well.

[sagarpadaki]

Originally Posted by Shubz

I have been a regular customer for my ICE needs at this place. Last week I fell for AVH-P3490DVD HU for my i20 and got it installed. Initially the output was good (to my satisfaction at least) but when I was fiddling with the settings, I figured that the connections were all wrong. The coaxials were connected directly from the HU which made it sound like an old radio. I went there the following weekend (that is last saturday) and the main mech found that the connections were reversed/not connected well etc.

So they took it down and reconnected it right. Good news is that everything is working as expected.

Now the bad news: The tuning of the whole system was completely messed up (according to my aural judgement). The bass thumps like someone is beating a hollow drum. When I brought it to their notice, they did some tweaking on the amp and then started saying the following:

Am sorry to be putting up a negative feedback but I couldn't help. Otherwise Kumar and Suraj are very friendly and they do give everybody their due attention. Price wise they are quite good as well.

Suggest you goto satya(evo) and get the tuning done from him

[Shubz]

Originally Posted by sagarpadaki

Suggest you goto satya(evo) and get the tuning done from him

Did just that today and boy! I am so impressed! He did a fantastic job with the tuning and he was so patient unlike my earlier experience! I wish I had gone to Satya for my HU too!

[rakirank]

Went to the Autoshop today for Roots relay kit. It cost Rs 750/- including fitting in my Esteem.
The job was done quickly & efficiently.

I had another problem (a goof-up that was caused elsewhere) which they readily helped resolve. This was quite a nice gesture on their part.

Their updated contact numbers are as below.
41104109 & 40919018.

[hrman]

I had visited Sachin's autoshop in April for getting the following done on my Rapid:
1. Reverse Sensors
2. Audio system
3. Sunfilms. (this was when it was still legal to install sunfilms on cars..

Overall, I would rate their work 8 out of 10.

Sunfilms had some very faint bubbles. I took it to them after a week . They asked me to wait a couple more weeks and if it did not go away, they will replace. By the two weeks had elapsed, SC verdict meant I had to shod them off. It did take them a long time to install as the installer guy had gone for a longish lunch.

Audio was set up well. Am not an audiophile, so whatever was installed was good for my regular use. I got Infinity Primus Components for front, Infinity Ref Coaxials for rear and a pioneer HU- 2490UB.

Reverse sensor was done ok.
Suraj and Kumar are the nicest blokes around (I saw this mentioned somewhere on Dear Sam's thread, so I got to experience it as well)

Their pricing is reasonable, although the variety of HUs is a bit limited. Its better to reach their shop when it opens else it gets too crowded and parking is a bother. I would surely recommend them.

[goandude]

Visited the shop in March to get my speakers upgraded after scouting around for best prices and I must say Sachins offer a very good deal. got JBL 609 components in front and JBL 699 ovals on the rear parcel tray along with front door damping. I must say the workmanship is good and the whole experience very satisfying. I was there on a weekday so it wasn't crowded and had adequate time to discuss and audition other products too.

The SQ of the upgraded speakers with OE HU is good if not great.

Highly recommended.

[Ajith-s]

Went to the Autoshop after 3 years. (3 years back I had gone to put sun film on my Logan. Had also got my ICE done here 5 years back.)

Went to get reverse parking sensors fitted into my Civic (2009 SMT, pre-owned bought last week). I got the sensor type that displays on the rear view mirror. Cost Rs.2800.

The place was so crowded that new customers were driving around looking for place to park.

As usual they did a good job, though it took 2 hours +.

...

I also asked for a set of fog lamps. They did not have in stock. They arranged an "imported from Thailand" one - but it was not the right size. They have promised to try to get and is quoting Rs. 6000. I may call them and say no to this as some more research is showing that it is on the higher side... any suggestions?

[neil.jericho]

So I finally decided to take the plunge and replace the stock ICE on my Fiat Punto. I had got the reverse parking sensors & Osram NBs added at Sachins and a friend of mine had ICEd his Figo here as well so I knew about the quality of work and the reasonable pricing. Having sampled these speakers before and after doing a ton of research I had mentally settled on either an all Infinity Reference setup or an all JBL setup (for speakers on the doors though I was leaning toward the Infinity) with the JBL X646 amp along with a HU that had Bluetooth functionality.

Deciding the setup
I was there before the shop opened and hence was their first customer of the day and interacted with Sooraj. He recommended a HU at first (for the life of me, I cant recall the model) and then also suggested the option of the JVC KD-R746BT that comes with an Android app (not tested this yet). He initially suggested a JBL setup but then found that the X646 wasnt in stock and that they wouldnt be getting it for another couple of weeks. He suggested the Ground Zero Iridium GZIA 4115HPX 4 channel amplifier instead. Now I had read quite a bit about Ground Zero subs but I didnt know too much about their speakers or amps.


While discussing the options of other speakers I enquired about Ground Zero and Sooraj confirmed that they had ones that would fit the Punto. I auditioned the speakers and quite liked them and found that the 5 1/4 speakers at the rear were actually rated at 70W RMS which was double of the nearly equally priced JBLs. Hence I decided to change to a complete Ground Zero set up along with damping for the front two doors. The damping was of some unknown brand that they import but it seemed of reasonable quality based on what I had read about damping mats as part of my research.


The set up is
HU - JVC KD R746BT
Front Speakers - Ground Zero Iridium GZ A61C 2 way component set (100W RMS - 400W peak)
Rear Speakers - Ground Zero Iridium GZ A51 3 way coaxials (70W RMS - 280W peak)
Amplifier - Ground Zero Iridium GZIA 4115HPX
Damping - Front doors
Dashboard fitting panel
Ground Zero wiring kit

Total cost - 29,500

Installation

The installation took longer than I expected at just over 3 1/2 hours but the workers were meticulous. Once the other cars started coming in, some of them moved to finish the work there but there was always someone working on my car and the others chipped in when they were free. I was with them the entire time so I could see the quality of work. Once the work was completed, Sooraj came and checked everything and did the tuning as well. I had taken pictures but my phone has conked out so I will have to post them later.


The Experience
Im thoroughly enjoying the new experience of listening to music in my Punto. I listen to a lot of Jack Johnson, Zack Brown Band, Dave Mathews Band as well as a bunch of assorted stuff and by fiddling around with the settings Im able to arrive at just the right sound that I am looking for based on the music genre. The addition of a subwoofer would complete the setup and is something I should be doing in a couple of weeks.


Overall thoughts
* Im a music lover but Im not that much of an expert when it comes to audio systems so honestly I couldve been equally happy with an Infinity Reference setup or a JBL setup (though I have found these to be a tad 'bright').
* Pricing was excellent as always. They gave discounted rates up front and dont use the old trick of installation is an extra that they remove to make it seem as though you are getting a good deal.
* They dont push you to take anything that you dont need. They take time to understand your requirements and your budget and recommend accordingly.
* Thumbs up to the quality of work and the staff. As a side note I noticed that the staff have remained more or less the same in the last 2 1/2 years which says a lot. Gave them a good tip at the end of it as I was happy with the work.
* A friend of mine who owns a Honda City was looking for alloys and I spotted a set that we had seen in Michelin Tyre Empire (HSR layout) a few days earlier and the price was much below the best price that Tyre Empire gave us. My friend immediately came and got the alloys fitted for ~ 21k.
* Just as a point of reference I had visited the Reliance Autozone in HSR to find out what they recommended but the staff there werent the least bit interested.
* I would probably knock half a brownie point off only because the HU comes with only blue lighting and I was told by Sooraj that the HU had inter-changable lights and I wanted the HU to match the orange interior back lighting of the dash. Its a small thing but half a brownie point lost nonetheless.
* Ive always walked away a happy customer. The owners are very friendly and approachable and knowledgeable (except for the minor thing about the HU lighting this time).
* Overall - Highly recommended.

[blorebuddy]

I have been a regular customer first for my swift in 2007 and again for my figo. Got Seat Cover, Sun Film done for both of these cars. Recently got the headlight bulbs upgraded to OSRAM NB. Though the owner is good and suggests you the right thing, you have to watchful about the employees who is actually doing the job. They might do small mistakes which you may not like happening for your car. Price offered is not the best but not overpriced also.

[samm]

Originally Posted by blorebuddy

Recently got the headlight bulbs upgraded to OSRAM NB. Though the owner is good and suggests you the right thing, you have to watchful about the employees who is actually doing the job. They might do small mistakes which you may not like happening for your car. Price offered is not the best but not overpriced also.

Hey, I'm thinking of upgrading headlights to NB+. How are these bulbs, especially for highways? How much did it cost?

[blorebuddy]

Originally Posted by samm

Hey, I'm thinking of upgrading headlights to NB+. How are these bulbs, especially for highways? How much did it cost?

I have just upgraded and not gone on the highways yet. will keep you posted.

[blorebuddy]

@samm - initial observations in the city driving - Definitely it is better than stock bulbs. I can see the car headlight under the street lights which is a new experience for me Blueish white light gives very good visibility even when its not on high beam and there is a careless driver on high beam in the opp direction.

It costed 1100 Rs for the set

[blorebuddy]

Here is the update on Highway drive. It is better than the stock bulbs but still it is not great when oncoming driver is with high beam on. Still the same problem of temp. blindness.

[shyamk]

May be OT, but no amount of headlights can prepare us for the high beams on highways.

However, I did learn a trick from a friend of mine on a drive to Munnar in 2001 (before it was a four lane highway, the road from Bangalore to Madurai and beyond was a single lane carriageway ;-)). We need to train our eyes to move away from the high beam and concentrate on the shoulder of the road.

If you notice, on almost all vehicles, the left side light has a longer throw that the right. If you train your eyes to use that illumination, driving with high beams in front of us is do-able.

Shyam

[arun_josie]

Originally Posted by blorebuddy

Here is the update on Highway drive. It is better than the stock bulbs but still it is not great when oncoming driver is with high beam on. Still the same problem of temp. blindness.

Osram NB - Also, the visibility is poor when it rains.