How long have you been in the industry?
3 years professionally, but I've been taking my family's cars apart since I was 15.
How many years have you been MECP certified? How long have you been Master certified?
I've been MECP certified for 2 years, Master certified for 1.
What is the year, make and model of the most difficult car you've ever worked on?
Well I guess that depends on how you define "difficult." The car that I've had the most "fun" with to say the least, would have to be a '98 Buick LeSabre. This came in for electrical system diagnostics and was the most interesting troubleshooting experience I've ever had. This car just had problem after problem, it seemed like the more we fixed, the more apparent other problems became, but eventually we got everything squared away and customer left happier than a pig in mud.
Give us a rundown of the system installed in your vehicle right now.
Currently it's a factory Rockford Fosgate 6 disc MP3/WMA changer, feeding an Alpine PDX 400.4 and a PDX 600.1. 6.5" Kappa component speakers replace the factory component setup in both the front and the rear. A 10-inch shallow mount Kicker CVT 10 hides underneath the rear right bench in a custom-molded enclosure provides the king kong, and a Parrot 3200LS hands-free kit keeps me legal here in California. Factory Sirius satellite radio, a Peripheral PXAMG iPod interface, and my Slacker G2 personal Internet radio player provide me with practically an infinite number of tracks to listen to, while a Garmin Nuvi 750 mounted in a OEM flip up dock get me where I'm going. The goal when putting my system together was to keep the OEM look and feel going, while significantly improving it in every way possible. In the immediate future I plan on adding a Rockford Fosgate 360.2 and a back up camera with a hidden screen in the sun glasses holder.
Name the top five artists in your MP3 player at the moment.
Death Cab for Cutie, Anti-Flag, NOFX, Saosin, and Rise Against. I'm going to throw in Frank Sinatra too. You have to have some Frank.
What is your favorite tool to use in the installation bay and why?
As cliche as it may sound, my DMM has got to by far be my favorite tool. There are just so many things you can do with a meter; I don't know how anyone could prefer any other tool. I think the world would be a better place if everyone knew how to properly use a meter, and actually used it.
What's the best advice you have ever gotten in your installation career?
It's hard to pin point the single best piece of advice I've ever received, but I'd have to say that some of best words have been from my Dad: "Measure twice, cut once."
Who inspires you to further your skills and your career in mobile electronics installation?
The industry as whole inspires me to keep on learning and furthering my career. There are a lot of bad apples out there that bring down the image of what we're so passionate about. The more we educate ourselves, the better we can guide others onto a path of success. I'd say my family is my biggest inspiration though, there's nothing better than knowing you've made the loved ones in your life proud of the person you've become.
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