Radio-Active Car Audio

Auto Radio Service, Auto Accessories, Stereo and Home Theater Systems,

About us

Radio Active Car Audio has been in business for over 15 years. Our staff members have decades of experience in every type of car audio design, brand or solution and we take great pride in maintaining happy customers from our excellent service, a very knowledgeable staff and only the best in products and craftsmanship.

Business highlights

21 years of trusted experience

Services we offer

Car Stereo Sales, Service, Custom Installations & Auto Accessories including Backup Alarms, Car Security Alarms, Reverse Cameras, & Marine Audio.

Amenities



Accepted payment methods

American Express
Discover
MasterCard
Visa

Photos of past projects

Reviews

4.611 Reviews
Number of StarsImage of DistributionNumber of Ratings
5
82%
4
0%
3
0%
2
9%
1
9%


Rating CategoryRating out of 5
quality
4.5
value
4.7
professionalism
4.5
responsiveness
4.9
punctuality
4.9
Showing 1-11 of 11 reviews

wanda F.
10/2018
1.0
car stereo installation
  + -1 more
We walked into this business, there was no one at the front desk.... then the phone rang and a gentleman came from the back room. I spoke to him twice he never addressed me.... he answered the phone and never acknowledge we were standing there. We decided to leave because he was on the phone and never properly address or acknowledged the fact that we were standing there. We decided to try again, this time he came out and stated he did not have time to help us because he was working on a project that was 5 days behind. I stated to him that I spoke to him twice the first time we came in and he said he was to busy to address us. We left this business and again, I will never go back to this company and suggest that no one else goes either. After we left out the second time he locked the doors and turned off the OPEN sign in the window. I am not sure of the gentleman's name, but he was EXTREMELY RUDE.........
Description of Work: Wanted my speakers check.

Rating CategoryRating out of 5
quality
1.0
value
1.0
professionalism
1.0
responsiveness
1.0
punctuality
1.0


Response from Radio-Active Car Audio
Sometimes a low review does a business a favor and it is worth more to have it up here than to have it removed. This reviewer is doing us a favor and if she really wanted to hurt us, she should remove the review because it shows we are real and that we can’t and should not please all the people all the time! Unfortunately, when this potential client / reviewer arrived at our location, all staff (including sales staff) were tasked to work in the workshop to complete a customer project which spanned the entire work week and was to be delivered later that evening. We cut it close, having to put in overtime several days that week to complete the project by the requested due date but were able to deliver it later that evening to an ecstatic client who wrote us a 5-star review on another review platform. Indeed, we were not able to hear this reviewer come into the store over the noise of power tools, instead hearing the phone extension faintly ringing in the workshop and came up front to answer it out of courtesy to that caller, where it was less noisy. To our surprise, there was someone waiting at the counter, having left the front door unlocked, when we should have closed the sales floor... We indicated we would be with the the reviewer shortly (which they missed) as we picked up the phone to triage that issue/take a message. The reviewer was clearly displeased that they were waiting, their attempts to hail us were not heard over the noise in the shop and of all things, we were answering the phone before attending to a walk-in customer! The reviewer walked out of the store at this point. Once the phone call was quickly dealt with, the reviewer reentered the store and began to make their displeasure known with the staff of how they handled the situation and it all goes downhill from there to this review. We have learned to ensure we close up and lock the showroom in the event all staff have been recruited to complete a challenging project and deliver to that client as we have promised them.

Melvin T.
06/2018
5.0
car stereo installation
  + -1 more
I took my vehicle in at 1:30 pm. The problem was diagnosed and options were presented.without pressure. Even with having to make a bracket in order to get the speakers to fit properly, I was still able to pick up my vehicle later in the afternoon. Although I selected lower end speakers, the sound is much better than the factory speakers. I would definitely take my car back if I needed car radio repair.
Description of Work: Speakers replaced in front doors of 2011 GMC Acadia.

Rating CategoryRating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0

Yes, I recommend this pro
$240

Martha M.
11/2016
5.0
car stereo installation
  + -1 more
Great. Professional business presentation and great work.
Description of Work: We purchased a back up camera for a truck from them and they also installed it.

Rating CategoryRating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0

Yes, I recommend this pro
$1,400

Margie G.
02/2016
5.0
car stereo installation
  + -1 more
My turn signal was working on the outside but was not making a clicking on the inside & then the radio went off.. Had my car at a different garage for 1 1/2 days prior, paid a hefty sum to determine that the radio produces all the technical noises in the car. Left the 1st garage paid for 5 hrs of service, went to Radio Active told him the problem, he knew the cause. They were very helpful and cordial. Replaced the data interface the same day in 1 1/2 hrs. The original garage quoted me their cost to replace the interface at $150 more than Radio Active.
Description of Work: Installed a data interface for an aftermarket radio

Rating CategoryRating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0

Yes, I recommend this pro
$300

Heather C.
01/2016
5.0
car stereo installation, home theater design
  + 0 more
unknown
Description of Work: This was my second time getting work done at Radio-Active. The first was for a new sound system (apple carplay bluetooth radio and new speakers) and this most recent visit was for remote-start. I thought all car audio shops were filled with greasy sales guys who would talk down to me as a woman, but it's not like that at this place at all. It's a breath of fresh air! The rep talked me through all of my options and wasn't salesy or pushy at all. I was early for my consultation, and the woman at the front even offered me a drink while I waited. I really appreciate the level of service they provide and have already been recommending them to friends. Thank you Radio-Active! ps. I'm loving my remote start on these cold mornings!

Rating CategoryRating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0

Yes, I recommend this pro

BONNY C.
10/2015
5.0
car stereo installation
  + -1 more
. I called Radio-Active Car Audio, and spoke with the manager, Ash. He was cordial and polite, and asked me to bring the car and the parts to his shop. The charges were less than half I had been quoted by the local Toyota dealer, and took about an hour.
Description of Work: Installed two rear speaker grille covers on my 2004 Toyota Camry.

Rating CategoryRating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0

Yes, I recommend this pro
$100

Karen S.
01/2015
5.0
car stereo installation
  + -1 more
unknown
Description of Work: Quick to schedule. |Very quick to install Sirius radio |Best price compared to a number of other locations. |

Rating CategoryRating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0

Yes, I recommend this pro

Timothy M.
12/2014
5.0
car stereo installation
  + -1 more
unknown

Rating CategoryRating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
punctuality
5.0

Yes, I recommend this pro

Jeff H.
12/2011
5.0
home theater design
  + -1 more
Overall was a great experience. Had to wait a bit longer due to long lines but a lot of people seem to trust this location too. It was worth the wait. The results were far above my expectations, it was a very clean install and other than a non-factory head unit, you may not even know I have anything installed in there until you turn it on and it comes to life. You may not find the cheapest prices in the store but they are highly competitive when as you realize you are getting quality components and not just a cheap spin-off from Walmart. From this perspective, the price is not high at all and well worth it if you love music and want your car stereo installed right the first time. I absolutely believe in their work and I will be going back for my next upgrade for my new car alarm with backup sensors and a backup / reverse camera!
Description of Work: I received a new head unit HD receiver, iPod cables, new wiring, in-dash storage compartment and was connected to a large sub-woofer, amp and was able to keep my on-dash sub control knob. System has a nice remote control and the sound is simply amazing.

Rating CategoryRating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
4.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0

Yes, I recommend this pro
$350

Randy O.
01/2010
5.0
car accessories
  + -1 more
I was very happy with the overall job. I shopped around at a few local mobile audio dealers and some of them seemed not even interested in talking to me. I guess I did not look like their 'normal' clientele since I am mid-40's and don't have my pants hanging around my knees w/ dreadlocks! :) One concern that I had is that the markup on the DVD player was quite large in my opinion. I talked to the owner afterwards and he indicated that he needed that level of markup to make money. I still believe it was a bit excessive. Next time I will shop those components more aggressively with respect to pricing. I was very pleased with the installation job. They got everything looking just like I wanted it. I will most likely do more business with them in the future.
Description of Work: Installed DVD player, 2 - 7" color monitors (in headrests), and associated components in my 2007 Toyota Tundra. Also included 2 wireless headphones.

Rating CategoryRating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
4.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0

Yes, I recommend this pro
$1,450

Tony S.
02/2009
2.0
car stereo installation, car accessories
  + 0 more
Someone took my car joy riding and wrecked it while it was stored at RadioActive of Garner. A couple months ago I took my car Radio Active Car Audio to have a iPod controller installed. I had to bring the car in early and leave it over the weekend. I was impressed with the installation and the friendly staff. They truly did a beautiful job on the install. BUT when I drove my car off the lot I noticed the trip computer said the car was getting 9 MPG and when I had dropped the car off it said 27 MPG. I've never seen the gas mileage rating this low and the only way to get the average this low would be to floor the accelerator at every traffic light for some time. When I stopped to fill up with gas the same day I noticed the passenger rear panel behind the wheel was popped out of place as though it had been banged from beneath. I looked up under the panel and sure enough there were scrapes and fresh gravel embedded in the plastic. I called the manager Cengiz Gilas the next day and explained that someone had been joyriding in my car while it was stored at his shop. He told me right away that nobody had driven the car. I explained that I was able to get the panel back in place with a screwdriver and I wasn't looking for any compensation from him but that he needed to know that someone DID drive my car hard and ran off of a curb or something. He then told me "I appreciate you giving me that information". One month later I had to have my car towed because I suddenly had terrible grinding metal noise coming from the passenger side of the car. I received a call from a technician at the Saab service department who told me "You've wrecked this car. You ran off of something and tore all of the fender skirt to shreds. I can see damage and scrapes from the front all the way to the back". I said "No, I've never run off of anything. I'm sure of it". Then I remembered the previous damage that occurred at RadioActive. He went on to say that the fender skirt would have to be replaced, the front wheels were severely out of alignment and the rear passenger rim was bent and would need replacement (otherwise it would wear the tires and brakes unevenly and could never be rotated to the front). So the total cost to me (see uploaded receipts from repairs) is: $177 fender repair, $125 realignment of wheels, $210 replace rear rim for a total of $512. Bottom line: Radio Active and Cengiz did great work and even worked with me on several visits to get the iPod controller to work properly (though to this day is still doesn't charge the iPod) but I would never recommend them due to the damage done to my car.
Description of Work: Install a Harmon Kardon iPod display and controller as well as run permanent power to a Garmin GPS and hide the wires.

Rating CategoryRating out of 5
quality
1.0
value
5.0
professionalism
1.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0

$300

Response from Radio-Active Car Audio
[Member Name Removed] and Angie's List users, We are sorry to hear that [Member Name Removed] had a bad experience with Radio Active many years ago. He experienced his issues under: 1) Old business ownership no affiliated with Radio Active 2) Management / customer service that is no longer with Radio Active 3) Technicians / staff no longer with Radio Active During the transfer of the business, the prior owner of the business indicated awareness of this situation but did not respond to it on here. They noted that the MPG indicator likely changed because the vehicle was left to idle for an extended period of time. Current staff believe that this was the technician's attempt to keep the battery charged while working on the vehicle and it is normal behavior for the MPG indicator on a vehicle to decrease due to the vehicle idling. One can read numerous accounts of vehicle owners observing this same thing across many makes and models of vehicles where a reduced MPG is observed after the vehicle is left to idle for an extended period of time. Radio Active has been under new ownership as of mid 2014. We appreciate [Member Name Removed]'s feedback and frustration and want to clarify how we would not allow such a situation to happen. The current business operations employs procedures to ensure that such an incident: 1) Will not happen with appropriate policies in place as well as appropriate staff training 2) We have electronic surveillance of the facility and grounds that can not be tampered/altered would be able to determine which staff violated policies if such an event did happen (and appropriately reprimand or dismiss them) 3) The insurance policy or the business would cover the customer's losses in such a case Our policy is that all vehicles are connected to a battery charger while in our custody to ensure this or other issues do not happen. There still are situations where vehicles must be disconnected from the charger and run off the charger outside the building to test remote starters or during extended audio tuning sessions so as to not expose the entire building to hazardous exhaust fumes. Vehicles are driven from the showroom parking to the garage entrance, so vehicle mileage from intake to return to the customer should only change minimally as road testing is seldom required to diagnose issues in our industry.

    Contact information

    320 McCormick St, Garner, NC 27529

    www.radioactivecaraudio.com

    Service hours

    Sunday:
    Closed
    Monday:
    Closed
    Tuesday:
    10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
    Wednesday:
    10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
    Thursday:
    10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
    Friday:
    10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
    Saturday:
    10:00 AM - 5:00 PM

    Licensing

    Insured

    Eco-friendly Accreditations

    LEED Accredited Professional
    No
    Energy Star Partner
    No
    EPA Lead-Safe Certified
    No
    Use Green Products or Work Practices
    Yes
    State Contractor License Requirements

    All statements concerning insurance, licenses, and bonds are informational only, and are self-reported. Since insurance, licenses and bonds can expire and can be cancelled, homeowners should always check such information for themselves. To find more licensing information for your state, visit our State Contractor License Requirements page.

    *Contact business to see additional licenses.


    Service Categories

    Auto Radio Service,
    Auto Accessories,
    Stereo and Home Theater Systems,
    Auto Alarms,
    Window Tinting,
    Home Security Systems

    FAQ

    Radio-Active Car Audio is currently rated 4.6 overall out of 5.

    Sunday: Closed

    Monday: Closed

    Tuesday: 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM

    Wednesday: 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM

    Thursday: 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM

    Friday: 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM

    Saturday: 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM

    Radio-Active Car Audio accepts the following forms of payment: American Express,Discover,MasterCard,Visa
    No, Radio-Active Car Audio does not offer free project estimates.
    Yes, Radio-Active Car Audio offers eco-friendly accreditations.
    No, Radio-Active Car Audio does not offer a senior discount.
    No, Radio-Active Car Audio does not offer emergency services.
    No, Radio-Active Car Audio does not offer warranties.
    Radio-Active Car Audio offers the following services: Car Stereo Sales, Service, Custom Installations & Auto Accessories including Backup Alarms, Car Security Alarms, Reverse Cameras, & Marine Audio.

    Contact information

    320 McCormick St, Garner, NC 27529

    www.radioactivecaraudio.com

    Service hours

    Sunday:
    Closed
    Monday:
    Closed
    Tuesday:
    10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
    Wednesday:
    10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
    Thursday:
    10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
    Friday:
    10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
    Saturday:
    10:00 AM - 5:00 PM