I think that's it and his web site is petersautoradio.com.

I don't know a good litmus test. You hope that they've done your car before, and in a metro area like SF that's probably acceptable (but every good installer has to do every car for a first time). You want him to understand the OEM interface rather than just wanting to throw a piece of gear at it. You want him to approach noise in a system as an intellectual challenge, not as something that can't be figured out (X5s often require some noise t-shooting as a standard part of the OEM interface).

When I spoke to Rick a few weeks ago I was helping someone else find a good installer for an OEM interface with a G35 in the bay area. I talked to Rick and it turns out he already knew the DSP bypass trick that I got clued in on here, so I'd say he is more familiar with BMWs than I am.

A policy that I follow is to make sure the customer isn't stuck with whatever he buys. If the customer returns within 30 days and expresses any desires for changes, there's a stated policy for exchanges or returns as needed (not applicable to certain custom jobs). I doubt most shops have this as stated, but make sure that you'll get some post-install support if there are things that you want to change about the sound or tune differently.

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musicar northwest, portland oregon

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