Aspen Sound — Local services in Garden City

I never write a review on the day of a new purchase, I usually wait a week. This review has taken a bit more time to write. Bear with me and I’ll explain why I say you’ll never find a more dedicated team than the one at Aspen Sound in Boise, Idaho. I own a 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee and like most people, the stock radio just wasn’t cutting it. Aspen Sound had installed an upgrade radio in my 2007 Tiburon, went flawless. Walked in back in February of 2018 to upgrade the Jeeps radio. Met Austin and he would be my point of contact going forward. Told him that I was looking for something that was compatible with Apple Car Play. I had my eye on a Kenwood DDX9903S, researched it and just a matter of preference. Austin said they could install the radio but it would require a new bezel that included upgrading the ECU as well. The bezel is the face plate the radio resides in and the ECU is the Environmental Control Unit. This was because the new radio was a double din and the original bezel wouldn’t support it. I also had them install a backup camera. A day later and everything was spot on, better than I could imagine. Here is what sets this team apart from the rest of the competition and a shout out to Austin. Within just a few days the ECU started acting up. It would grey out the buttons and reconfigure itself for features my Jeep does not have. Spoke with Austin he said to stop by and he’ll take a look at it, did just that. They went through it with a fine tooth comb, verified every wire and checked the power source. They reset the unit and it was good to go. A short time later the unit started acting up again with the same symptoms, this time it went completely black. Austin said stop on by and I did so again. They went through and could find no reason for it to be failing. He figured it was a bad unit and he would get another unit ordered. New unit arrives in pretty short order and they got it installed. Again, verifying the wiring, power source and even burned the firmware. We are good to go… so I thought. The new unit was starting to reprogram itself with features I didn’t have and just acting pretty much like the last one. I spoke with Austin, he said to stop on by and he’ll check it out. When I got there, he mentioned that one unit might be bad, but two, what are the odds. He mentioned that he was going to order another Bezel and ECU interface that was made by a different company. I told him that sounds like a good plan and I appreciated him doing that. Within a week the new unit arrives, and I leave the Jeep for the day, just in case the connectors and or plugs are different. Picked up the Jeep the next day and it was spot on. It’s been two weeks and nothing as skipped a beat. No bizarre self-programming, no greyed-out buttons and no black outs. It worked as good as it looked. From start to finish it was almost 2 ½ months and not once did they ever give you that “sigh of here we go again”, you know the one I’m talking about. They worked the issue until both the issue was solved and I was satisfied. They were courteous, polite and beyond professional. This is the kind of dedication towards a customer most can only hope for walking into a store. This is the kind of dedication that the Aspen Sound Team in Boise, Idaho brings to the game. This is why I’ll only do my business with them when it comes to car Audio and...

I was searching for a car audio/video & sales/installation company for aftermarket upgrades to my 4x4 van. After visiting several local shops, I stopped by Aspen Sound in Boise. I was immediately greeted by Austin. I told him that I was not up to date on the latest car/audio products. I mentioned that my main concern was finding forward and rear cameras and a multi capable receiver w/Navigation.

Austin listened intently and he proposed several packages that fit my needs and budget. We settled on a package and I told him that I would be back in a few months to schedule an installation.

I came back a few months later and told Austin that I couldn't budget what we had settled on. I said that I needed to go with a less expensive system. Again, Austin spent quite a bit of time with me presenting products and prices that would fit my needs.

Without going into great detail, Austin set me up with a completely new front and rear camera monitor, built into a new rear view mirror. I'm holding off on the sound/nav system for now. I'm actually happier with the monitor in the rear view mirror, rather than on a receiver monitor screen that I was originally going to buy.

Along with the cameras, Aspen Sound installed fog lights and rear working lights. They also fabricated four on/off toggle switches into the dashboard. What is so nice is that I can toggle a continuous 7" view with the rear view camera or front view camera. Or, I can toggle both cameras on and have a continuous split screen of a forward and rear view at the same time.

The workmanship was flawless and looked factory installed. Austin informed me that Aspen Sound meticulously runs wire installations along the best paths, which usually follow OEM wires which prevent breakage or interference with objects which can cause damage or weak signal connections. Wire connections are also sealed wrapped to mitigate moisture condensation and broken lines. It takes more time, but it is well worth the money spent.

Even the location of the rear camera was well thought out by Aspen Sound. I have a large rear bumper with a 33" tire rack and a large cargo box. Austin and his tech guys spent much time with me on the phone and in person, assuring that the placement was perfect.

Most of all, I was impressed with Austin's product knowledge, listening skills and desire to make sure that I had the correct system that worked for me!

I absolutely will be back for more products and...

I chose Aspen because they were local, established, and had good reviews. I had them install remote start, a stereo, and an extra USB charger into my car.

The installation went fine, but as soon as the temperature dropped below 30 degrees, the remote start would no longer work correctly. The car would start, but it would only run a few seconds and then turn itself off. I scheduled an appointment and took it back to Aspen.

Austin replace the key fob, but this did not address the original problem as the car was receiving a signal to start it just wouldn't stay running. Austin then told me that it must have been "too cold" for the car to run at all. 30 degrees is too cold....? Huh. When I pressed him about fixing the actual issue, he deflected, made excuses, and made it very clear that he was not going to do anything else.

I Googled the issue, and determine that I needed to "re-learn the remote start unit to the cars tachometer signal", which took about 30 seconds from the driver seat of my car. Problem solved.

Unfortunately, as I drove away from the shop, my abs, traction, and airbag lights all came on. And then they went off. And then I hit a bump and they came back on. I have never had any electrical issues with his car before, and it seems more than coincidence that these issues popped up after the remote start work.

The stereo they installed also doesn't keep correct time.

Basically, the shop took my money, gave me a product that didn't work, gave me crappy customer service, and caused electrical problems with my brakes, traction control and airbag. I can't say anything positive about...