La Jolla Audio

I first came to Unilocal looking for a reputable car audio installer in the San Diego County area. I found La Jolla audio and went to the store and met Scott Cairncross the owner and manager. I showed him my 2013 Range Rover Sport GT and asked for a sub woofer installation in the rear of the vehicle that would interface with the stock system. What I really wanted to do was replace all of the stock speakers and ad amplifiers and subs and have it professionally tuned. However, when I received the three estimates, I was totally shocked at the cost he was wanting to charge.
I then told him that I would be in touch. And I did what everyone usually does I went shopping at the other audio installation places in San Diego. What I found at the other shops was a lack luster desire to one demonstrate professionalism and two dedication through their crafts. And what I mean by that is just the mere cleanliness of the stores that I visited. Not to mention the sales people that had little to no interest in customer service or performing the estimates for which I was asking. I won’t mention any names, (the store right behind the old San Diego Harley Davidson dealership), but when you want someone’s business you’re going to go out of your way to earn it.
I then went back to to Scott at La Jolla audio and told him «OK I appreciate your patience. Now Im ready for you to install my sub woofer.» He laughed and said «I get this all the time after 29 years people are quite shocked at what I charge.» He then goes on to say, «I am not here to install a stereo in every car in San Diego County.» By taking this approach Scott ensures only the most serious of clientele and the most serious of audiophiles come to his store.
I am here to tell you through this review that Scott and his staff of professional installers do nothing but the absolute best work I have ever seen!
If you want it done right and you’re not afraid to shell out a few extra hundred dollars to make sure it’s done right, then go to La Jolla audio.

Scott and his crew do an excellent job. I just got a backup camera installed on my 2014 merc. They don’t come in cheap but you get what you pay for.

This place is the difference between a mechanic servicing your car, and getting customer service from your mechanic! They were able to diagnose what was wrong with my car’s aux port on the phone (whereas the first mechanic I went to elsewhere told me he could fix my car, kept it for 3 days, then told me he couldn’t fix it –_​-​) and give me a quote. I was told it’d take a day or 2 to order the part then another day to install, but they were able to get the part and install it the same day! Plus they saw that my aux cord was broken so they replaced it for free! They were extremely nice on the phone and in person.

5 stars all around! This is as good as it gets! Thanks to Unilocal and all the great reviews this was how I found La Jolla Audio. They are truly a 5 star shop! My son has an older F150 that had the original cassette player/​radio that wasn’t working correctly. I didn’t want to put in a new high tech looking system that would take away from the original look so when my husband met with Scott he told him that they make stereo systems to look like the original. Boy was he right! The face of the system looks like the old school radio but the sound is so 2015 and beyond! What a GREAT job they did and we are so pleased… so pleased that when he dropped off our truck with a home delivery service (on 4^th of July weekend!) we decided to get the same thing installed in my 1978 VW Bus! I can’t wait to see another one of his creations!
Most definitely the best audio install company around!

Had problems with a custom install done by another shop. My good friend told me about La Jolla Audio and the incredible job they do. He was right! These guys really know what they are doing. They were able to diagnose my system, discover the issues and came up with a solution that totally fixed the problem. They even had one of their employees take me to lunch while I waited for them to finish. I will use La Jolla Audio for all future car audio and radar installations.

Excellent service. Upfront. Honest. Attentive to detail. I needed my Sirius antenna adjusted so it would work. Before I came in here it would cut out every minute or so. I drive a cabriolet and figured the reception was just bound to be low grade.
After visiting these guys, Sirius is now functioning properly. The antenna was not set properly, it was attached on the drivers side under the wiper blade and under a metal bracket. Scott and his guys showed me the error, corrected it and sent me on my way.
There is no up sell, no marketing, just excellent work. I plan on having my rear camera replaced with La Jolla Audio after this experience.
Porsche Carrera S Cabriolet Sirius Antenna Fixed.

TL;DR Version: I had a couple of initial hiccups with their installation, but Scott and the team made everything 100% right. It was a toss-​up between using La Jolla Audio and another shop, and I’m really glad I went with La Jolla Audio.
Longer Version: I’ve been wanting a new stereo for my car for a while now, and spent a bunch of time visiting various audio shops around San Diego. When I showed up at La Jolla Audio, Scott was pretty different from everyone else I had visited. He spent a lot of time talking about options with me, then offered to take me to the work area in the back and show me the rest of his shop. At the time, there was a BMW M Series, a couple of Ferraris, a Porsche, and I believe a Bentley as well. Given the caliber of cars he was working on, I was very pleased to feel like Scott valued my potential business, despite the fact that my car isn’t fancy schmancy. Scott just really made me feel welcome, seemed really honest, and was mostly super excited to talk about his business and all the cool stuff he was installing.
Fast forward a few months, I finally decided to pull the trigger. I had the Pioneer NEX 4000 stereo installed, along with a backup camera and two custom mounted USB ports. When I went to pick it up, Scott and I discovered that one of the USB ports didn’t have power. We also discovered that the head unit had been installed in such a way that the screen was not able to properly move so that I could access the ports behind the screen. Finally, we discovered that the defroster couldn’t be completely turned on (I assume the head unit was ever so slightly blocking the dial from turning all the way). In any case, it was late in the day, and Scott told me to bring it back at my earliest convenience so that he could fix it.
When I brought the car back, not only did Scott do the work for free, under warranty, he also gave me a loaner car to use while my car was being worked on. AND, my rear-​view mirror happened to have fallen off the previous morning, and Scott also fixed that for FREE (even though I told him before I left I would pay for that). Did I mention that all of this was done on New Years Eve? Seriously, these guys are awesome!
The Bottom Line: The initial installation was mostly great, and for the small issues that did come up, Scott honored his warranty and fixed the issues. In fact, he and the team went above and beyond. I hope that this review comes across as what it is, which is a GLOWING review for La Jolla Audio.

La Jolla Audio is hands down the best place to take your car to for anything from car alarms to audio of any kind. They were initially recommended by my BMW dealership and have done work on all of our cars including a Mercedes, Prius and of course the BMW. The service is second to none and they even support their work years after they completed it, almost always at NO charge. This includes pick-​up and drop off at your house while you are waiting to get the work done. If they don’t have something they research it and find a solution and are beyond patient when it comes to meeting your needs. Before you get your next car’s audio system you should DEFINITELY consult with La Jolla Audio on what to include and what NOT to include.
Donald is simply amazing as are the rest of the staff. If only other businesses could learn from these guys. This is how to do customer service and care right!

Was there today and they could have EASILY created a situation where they could have charged me a few hundred dollars, but instead, Scott, spent about 15 minutes figuring out exactly what was wrong and fixed it and didn’t even charge me. What a fair guy. The Porsche dealer wanted to charge me $ 160 just to look at it.
When I have an issue or want something fixed, I will go to La Jolla Audio in a second!
Thanks again Scott!!!

I recently had window film added to my fleet: F150, Cayman S, GTI, civic. They did a great job and as always, I felt I really got my money’s worth. I previously had nice sound systems installed in an MPV, F150 and GTI. The systems are superb. The reason I go to LJA is that they know what equipment and techniques work and what leads to problems. For instance, on one of the cars I wanted certain mid range speakers. They knew that the speakers are a little heavy and that installing then at the back edge of the doors would put a lot of strain on the hinges and might lead to wear and slack in the door hinges over time. They recommended different speakers. The installation of all 3 systems was impeccable. They also know which amp and speaker combinations work together well.
I also enjoy seeing the many high end vehicles in the shop having high end work of all kinds.

I had a great experience with La Jolla Audio. I called them because my 2003 Mercedes needed a new CD player to replace the original one. I talked to Gary over the phone, and he had a refurbished CD player that matched mine. I set up an appointment the next day and had it replaced while I waited. The price for the exchange was very fair. All in all I am pleased I found this business (although it was actually hard to find because Santa Fe St. is a little frontage road along Interstate 5). Don’t be scared away by the dingy tiny office and unimpressive front to the business. Once you get inside they will take good care of you.

Gary did a great job verifying a defective CD Changer from my wife’s SLK-​230, and another unit I bought on eBay. He installed a refurbished unit while we waited and was very professional & personable. I highly recommend this place for repair /​replacement of older car audio equipment. This was the 2^nd time we came here (originally for defective car radio in 2008) and I will continue to do business with them going forward. Thank you for great service!

I recently took my 9 year old Mercedes into La Jolla Auto Body for detailing. I was delighted that Jorge was able to remove all the dents and dings. My car looks almost brand new inside and out. I am very happy with both the price and how quickly it was completed.

The people working at La Jolla Auto Body are so nice and honest. I took my car here for a second opinion and they charged half of what the other place wanted to charge me and had my car ready to go in no time!

Pros: the most professional installation talent in San Diego
Cons: nothing
I recently had La Jolla Audio install front/​rear blackvue dashcams in my Porsche Cayenne GTS and Tesla Model S.
They did the most professional and esthetic installation possible. I don’t think anyone has installed these 2 channel dashcams from BlackVue in San Diego, but the installers at La Jolla Audio are really technically gifted engineers and had no difficulty in figuring out how to implement these systems.
I can say without hesitation that their work looks OEM factory installed. They are that good.
Some may focus on just the cost of an install, and not take into consideration the value of having a hassle-​free, OEM factory level of installation that is backed by the best of the best. Everything «just works», and looks great.
So while La Jolla Audio might not be the cheapest, they are the best value. Also, the cars where delivered cleaner than they went in as La Jolla Audio washed and detailed both cars prior to delivery at no charge, and I had never asked. Very nice touch and shows how much pride they take in what they do.
Additionally, I had a small dent on the hood of the Tesla, which is all aluminum — nothing to do with the dashcam install, but La Jolla Audio indicated that they may be able to fix it, and they did; perfectly by the way, for $ 125. The quote from Amato’s body shop was $ 800… so they are not only A+ installers, but have access to talent that can take care of minor dings on aluminum body parts as well (a rare capability).
I will have them work on my Viper as well.
Scott and his team are honest, sincere and 100% transparent. Great value. Highly Recommended. You will not be disappointed.

I went to La Jolla Audio to get a new auxiliary input on my 2009 Toyota Corolla. They were so nice and helpful. They replaced it in 30 min and even put new screws in my bumper that was falling off! I highly recommend them! Great people and great service!

I bought my Mercedes from an owner who had a sub woofer installed by La Jolla Audio a few years earlier. The sub woofer was not working when I bought the car but the owner said it was new enough that I thought it worth my time to have them check it out to see if it was a blown fuse or maybe some other quick fix. I also wanted a charging iPod cable installed. I took the car to them in July of 2013 and they said the sub woofer was blown and would need to be replaced. While I wasn’t happy to hear that I decided to have them replace it and have the iPod cable installed. They replaced the sub woofer with the exact same model and brand and installed the iPod cable so that it could be accessed through the center console. They warned me that the center console was not the best location as the cable gets pinched by the console lid and eventually ruins the cable. I thought the warning a bit odd since they were the ones suggesting the center console as the installation location.
Sure enough, after about 3 months the cable wore out and the iPod rendered useless. The sub woofer’s output also seemed extremely weak and my first thought was that it was blown. I’m a middle-​aged white guy who isn’t bumping house music so I was suspicious that this sub woofer model was defective. I finally made it back to LJ Audio in March of this year to have both looked at and I didn’t know what to expect. Would they be cool and at least give me a discount on the repair work or would they say everything was out of warranty and charge me full price? I decided if it was the latter I would not have anything repaired and go elsewhere.
Upon arriving I was warmly greeted by Donald Fong who was not the guy who helped me in 2013. The first thing he did was look up my previous invoice and what it revealed was that I had been there in January of 2013, not July. As soon as I heard that I thought I was sunk since it was now over a year. Expecting to hear that I would be paying full price I prepared myself to disengage as gracefully as possible. I was more than a little surprised when I heard Donald confirm that indeed I was over the 1-​year warranty mark but that he would replace and relocate the iPod cable for free as well as check out the sub woofer’s performance to ensure it was functioning properly. They addressed everything right then and there without needing an additional appointment and I drove out of there 1.5 hours later shaking my head about how easy that was. Donald is a real pro who gets it. He earned my future business that day and I’ll definitely be back.

I brought my Lexus RX in to La Jolla Audio to get some audio upgrades. There was no bass with the stock system and I heard that these guys did some top notch work on high end cars. I worked with Joel and he was great. I learned a lot about the current day audio components and how they work. It was almost as educational as it was helpful. These guys know their stuff and I felt comfortable to give them the ok to make some upgrades.
My hope was to have a great system, but do so without any big boxes, or amps showing. They did a fantastic job of hiding all of the components and new sub woofer. The work looked very clean and to most people, they think it came this way from the factory. I am very pleased with the sound and have never heard anything with less distortion before. I have full use of my trunk and have everything hidden (amp, processor and new sub woofer box).
These guys do quality work. Noah is fantastic to work with on the installation side too! Trust them on their recommendations and you can’t go wrong.
I should also add that they go out of their way to be open around your schedule. They even gave me a ride all the way back to Carlsbad from their La Jolla shop. On another occasion, they drove me to a near by rental car location. They are very accommodating and treat you very well. In the end, you will just start thinking about what car you will buy next and how quickly you can get it in to these guys to work on cause they truly do some great work.

These guys are good. So good that sometimes an appointment needs to be booked well in advance. But their attention to detail is second to none.

I was referred here by Dave’s Auto in PB on Lamont to fix a faulty aux input jack. I spoke in person with Donald and he quickly identified the problem with my aux connection, called a mechanic friend of his at a surrounding dealer, and had the part shipped to LJ Audio just a day or two later. I showed up for a quick and painless install — loved the free wifi and got some work done on my computer! Loved the fact that Donald happily let me explain my issue, even though I could tell he knew I had no idea how to explain what he knew was wrong. He actually resolved my issue for half the price the Toyota dealer originally quoted me.
Just wanted to give a shout out to Donald’s exceptional customer service. HIs demeanor with customers and genuine attitude was unforgettable. I look forward to referring anyone in need to LJ Audio in the future! Hats off to Donald and LJ Audio.