Car Toys & Tint Puyallup — Local services in South Hill

Would give zero stars if it were an option. Going to this Car Toys was a waste of time and money.

We brought in the first of four cars for our teenagers that are starting to drive to have a stereo installed. Car Toys did not have the one we wanted in stock, so we bought one with the installation kit someplace else and brought it to Car Toys to have it installed, and they were very happy to do the work for installation. The $2000 in parts we bought were the very same ones offered at Car Toys. Per their suggestions I took the old stereo out and tried to plug it in per the instructions. It wasn’t as easy as it looked so I stopped without changing anything about the car, stereo or kit.

We then brought it to Car Toys and asked them to complete the installation. We were told they would have no problem completing the install and would, at first, do a one hour diagnostic to figure out what it would take to complete it then give us a cost estimate for the total install. We were expecting 3-4 hours based on what they told us.

So after two of us driving 30 minutes to drop the car we left and drove the 30 minutes home. Not long after getting home we got a call saying the car is done. Great, one hour install and it’s done, right? So we went and picked it up, were told to pay $120, given our keys and basically pushed out the door. Got in the car and immediately noticed an ugly new microphone on the A-pillar. Got in the car and started to drive home, only to see that almost nothing worked. The stereo turned on and had sound, but that’s about it.

When we got home I called again and was told that the tech thought we only wanted the power connected and nothing else. Not only does that make no sense, it is obviously false since they also added that microphone (that wouldn’t have been necessary if the kit was installed right because the car already has one that the kit is made to use). An extra part of the kit that we bought for $120 was designed to integrate all of the existing systems like steering wheel controls and parking sensors. None of those worked. Even the hazard lights and lock switch (that is part of the stereo) didn’t work.

Against my better judgement we took the car back again and told they would connect everything with the same deal, $120 for another 1 hour diagnostic then they would tell me the cost to fix everything. A couple hours later we were called and told it was all done within an hour. So we drove the 30 minutes down again, and were again asked for money, given keys, and sent on our way.

The only thing they did was fix the hazards and door locks and moved the screen back an inch. Nothing else was fixed. So we are now out almost $250 plus a total of 8 hours of time between my wife and I driving back and forth and we have a barely functioning system. Most of the features of the $2000 stereo and most of the systems on the car tied to it don’t work.

Now we need to go spend even more money and time to find someone who can do the work done that Car Toys could or would not. Don’t waste your time...

Please see the update posted August 31, 2023 below. I was excited to finally have a new radio along with front and rear cameras. A tech was helpful explaining how things worked before I left Car Toys. While with the tech, I mentioned how bad the reception was on the radio stations. Turned out it wasn't the parking lot area in Puyallup but there was no connection to the car's antenna. A very simple fix. The very next day, before I called to ask about the bad reception, every time I drove the car, only the front and rear cameras would display. The volume and mute buttons worked but nothing else. I turned the power off and waited until the car was moving in a forward direction before powering up the unit. Again and again, only the camera views would display along with bad radio reception on every station. As of today, and after spending more than $2,300 dollars on a new after market unit with Car Toys, I have many regrets and am wondering if I should return everything and have them reinstall the former Honda unit. Along with those 2 major issues; it was not disclosed, prior to purchase, that although I was limited to choose from 1 of 3 units necessary to be in sync with my car steering wheel access, on a Honda 2018 CR-V, only the volume controls on the steering wheel would still be usable. I would have to purchase a Maestro system and have it installed to use the climate controls and many other maintenance and operation systems. There would be another part charge and about 2 hours labor according to the tech. No longer can I use the climate controls or calibrate a low tire or see GPS arrows from the dashboard controls. I feel cheated out of the ability to have made an informed choice. I unknowingly sacrificed many items that came as standard on this Honda vehicle for purchasing a new stereo unit. I'll be calling to find out what can be done to make these issues right. UPDATE! Car Toys helped with the stereo issues for almost 1 year. The employee who worked on my car and made the initial sale was fired. Not because of my issue; there must have been other problems that supported their decision. I have to tell you that CJ worked with for 1 year to get the problems fixed. The stereo was never going to work correctly with the Honda system for the year my car was made. CJ never gave up and he was moved to the Tacoma Mall Blvd store. Thru trial and error he figured out what was needed and repaired the issue. I was fortunate to receive help from Rick in the parts department at South Tacoma Honda. Due to Rick and CJ my car is now working fine. I received a refund for the stereo. Everything is back and working how it should! If it wasn't for CJ with Car Toys and Rick with South Tacoma Honda, I wouldn't be as happy!...

I will give two stars max: the stereo product is fine, but the whole transaction was spoiled by the poor/sloppy installation work. This was the 1st and last time I will give Car Toys a try. All I needed was a new stereo & speakers in my older Truck that used to be my daily driver. I wanted professionals to do it because I don't like pulling off door panels and I had preserved the very nice interior of my truck since it was brand new. I paid a full retail price for this job and I expected reasonable care, quality, and professionalism. I didn't notice right away when I picked up my rig because I was working and strained with transportation to and from, however, a few days later when I got a chance to look everything over thoroughly...I was very disappointed. Both the front and rear door panels were not put back on with care. The rear panels were not seated firmly back up to the door and the rubber weather stripping was caught underneath the panels in several places...so I did what I could to fix that and was able to make the panels fit much better. I found the same thing with the front door panels but can't do much about it as it appears some of the internal fasteners might have been damaged during removal & replacement...the panels have loose spots. Then I noticed what really upset me. This is a nice leather interior with wood panel inserts in the doors and dash. The wood panel inserts on both front doors were not firmly in place on one end, and sticking out just far enough that it caught my attention. As I looked closer it was clear that there is a plastic tab at both ends of the inserts to hold them in place, and the tabs at the front ends were broken off on both inserts (left & right doors). The other ends of the inserts are fine and hold the rear end of the inserts in place as designed. So the front section of both inserts cannot be secured to the door because they are broken. What bothers me the most is that if you are a professional installer and there is a part breakage like this...there is no way you would not know you did it...and not a word was spoken to me...I had to find it on my own. The overall impression I have of this experience is a careless and dishonest...