CAR•TOYS — Attraction in Denton

I purchased a used Truck with a stereo already installed. It finally went out and I went to Best Buy in Highland Village / Flower Mound (You can see my review for them if you care) to look at new headunits. That was a joke and a whole other story. But, then I decided to go to CarToys and see what y'all had to offer.

I was always under the impression that CarToys was a boutique store that would have overpriced units and overpriced Installation Fees. However, I must admit, I had never actually gone to one. Never. I have been a music enthusiast all of my life. I have had an upgraded system in my cars since I was 16 in the early 90s (think S-10 Lowrider with two 15s and Fosgate Mosfet 45s and 150s.)

Now, it's 2024. I'm an old dude and don't have the time or patience to do this stuff.

Back to Best Buy: I walked in and stared at headunits for ten minutes before a teenager walked up and asked me if I had any questions. On my first question, the guy (kid) said "Yeah. No one knows anything about car stereos here." OK. I guess I'll just leave then.

Back to doing it myself: Checking Online Prices and Amazon, because....you know....that's what people do in 2024.

I was convinced that no one could beat the Amazon Price and I would just have to install it myself. OK. I'm up for it. I'm older, but still know what I'm doing. But before I do, I'll try to schedule the install at Best Buy. Yeah.....TRY. After getting transferred five times, I was told I can drive to the Cedar Hill or Mesquite locations. Because apparently the guy on the phone did not own a globe nor grasp the concept of how far the drive from Denton to Cedar Hill or Mesquite would be in Dallas Rush Hour Traffic. I'd rather have my fingernails pulled out with pliers. Oh... and I'd have to wait until next week because THE installer is off.

Alrighty, for poops and giggles, let me go to CarToys.com. I found the Pioneer DMH-W3000NEX for $15 less than Amazon. That made me happy. So, I decided to go to the CarToys in Denton, TX to get screwed over on the install price.

The second I walked in, I was greeted by a young man (Dang, I hate that I don't know his name now) who immediately said, "Yeah, we have that in stock. It comes with free installation. We can get you in tomorrow morning." Uhhhhhhhh...OK.

Installation Day: I showed up at 8:55am, and the store was already open. Good start. Same guy, "Good morning, Here for that Land Cruiser install?" Hell yeah, a great start. The guy that was standing next to him (Danggit If I forgotten his name too) started immediately typing my info into the computer and asked LAND CRUISER SPECIFIC QUESTIONS like "Does your Sunroof still work? I know that's a problem on these models." Wholly crap, the guy knows his cars! Yeah, this confirms it; I'm in the right place. I am extremely sensitive about my cars and this one is no exception. These interior parts for this 25 year old Truck are difficult to find now. I proceed nervously.

Handed him the keys and I said "There's an old camera that's still hooked up. It's horrible quality though. No need to hook it up. I'm just gonna rip it out and throw it away later."

Fast Forward to pick up: I was greeted again the second I walked in and was asked if I'd like a demo of the new stereo. Dang. The install was perfect. You could not even tell that anyone had been in my truck. (I'm a stickler for cleanliness and this interior was perfectly spotless - just as I had delivered it.) Installer walked me through the basics and I said "I've got it from here."

This entire experience with CarToys was a million times better than I had expected. Your guys went above and beyond. I am truly, truly impressed - And I am fully self-aware that I'm a very difficult person to impress.

Customer for life. No way I'm going anywhere else for Car Audio again. Future plans are to install a new amp and see where the stereo in my "new" ride takes me. I will be returning to CarToys to get it done.

Thank you, thank...

I have a breathalyzer thru Intoxilox that I was directed by then to get installed and calibrated thru car toys Denton tx. ( I did know I had other options ) Nor did I think a company employeed and certified for these installations and calibrations would not train their employeees properly. This story would be way too long from the beginning but I’ll start when they removed the unit from one vehicle to another. It took about 5 hours. When I went to start the car to leave the parking lot of car toys it would not start. And employee jumped it off and took it to the back again. A while later an employee cane out and told me my battery was too low and would not hold the charge of the unit constantly staying on... keep in mind this is a 2011 Buick Enclave I had purchased used but with the dealership inspection passed with everything about 4 weeks previous to the switch... so until I got to an oreilys I had to get the car jumped off everytime I shut it off. I mean does the unit use THAT much battery power? Is what I thought. But I have two children and in the middle of Texas summer I could not keep up with that rediculous sharade so I spent 125 on a brand new battery that same day. After the install of the new battery that the employee at oreilys installed. The car would not start still. He checked the voltage of both batteries. The new one was obviously great any the old one was at the quarter line of the read out. He told me in now way would the car die that fast even if I had left the old battery in the vehicle. But I kept the new battery anyways as it was already bought and paid for and just to be sure. However the problem of my car not starting everytime the ignition turned off was still an issue. I called back up to car toys. They then told me “well it could be a faulty unit then and we will have a new one over nighter for you”. Ok . No choice. When I brought my car up to have the new unit installed. Low and behold the car started, 4 hours later again. I went to leave the parking lot and my driver side blinkers (both front and back) and my driver side only air vents had not only stopped blowing cold with the ac ( probably 108 degrees outside without the heat index ). But it was now blowing hot air. Very hot air. I did not go far. I did a u turn actually and pulled right back in to tell them the issues. They once again pulled it around to the back. Another hour and a half, 3 men looking online and on their phone for trouble shooting (the back bay has clear glass window so you watch them.). An employee came to me and said they do not know what is wrong with my vehicle but it certainly has nothing to do with the install they just did and actually my vehicle has this problem a lot as they googled it and I would need to take it to the dealership. My jaw almost dropped to the floor. Litteraly my car was 100 percent in working condition before they installed and uninstalled and installed again. Oh and by the way they told me they did not do an inspection of my vehicle so there is no way to know if it was having these issues before I brought it back in for the new unit... a day later. I’ve necer been so irritated in my life! The only constellation they offered was for me to bring my car back again the NEXT day and they would look at it some more because it was close to closing at this point. As my car is under warranty unless the wires are screwed with I am NOT paying for the dealership fees. Ive just toughened thru the heat as long as my children and passenger are comfortable in the back and passenger side where the ac actually works. And when I’m able to take the unit out, then I will take it to the dealership. But I don’t feel like some of the employees at this location are qualified to work a toaster. Much less be messing with wires on a vehicle. And they should have done an inspection of the car before they spend 5-9 hours...

My brother recommended I use car toys-Denton, The guys were helpful and knowledgeable when it came to selecting speakers for an ‘02 Silverado that has a lot of sentimental value and a pristine interior.

They were installed the next day at a time that worked for me so that was great.

The cost of the speakers were about a third of what I ended up paying in total, which is fine but when I got my truck back there was a panel from my door sitting on my dash, wire clippings on the floor board, and a greasy smudge on my drivers side door window. I really value the interior of this vehicle but it felt like they just wanted me out the door. Again I don’t want to cause a scene or stir anything up so I put everything back myself and cleaned it up, but it was just kind of “meh” quality for a place that can “detail” your car.

Though I’d planned on returning for the purchase and installation of a stereo receiver, I’m a bit hesitant now.

UPDATE:

Upon further inspection of my newly "installed" speakers I've noticed one of my tweeters (driver's side door) is just hanging by speaker wire. (attached are photos)

What kind of half-assed job is this? I paid $300 to have these installed and now I feel like I've been fleeced. This place does not care about quality. Stay far away and hang onto your money. you can do better work yourself I'm sure of it.

2nd UPDATE: Daniel (Manager) called me this afternoon and genuinely apologized for the lack of detail from my order. In addition to correcting the issue he also detailed my vehicle and offered future services at a discount. I didn’t really write a review in hopes for that I just wanted everything done right the first time. I can tell he does care about the service they provide, they made it right in the end and everything looks great now. Thanks Daniel for...