WSJ - Customizing Cars Gets Complicated

[Klaus]

Customizing Cars
Gets Complicated

Audio and Other Systems
Installed During Assembly
Become Hard to Untangle
By MICHELLE HIGGINS
Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
October 14, 2004; Page D3

When Ricky Harvey bought his new Mazda RX-8 earlier this year he wanted to add one thing that would make it perfect for him: A sophisticated in-dash satellite radio.

He was in for disappointment: There is no way to install a custom radio in the dashboard because the factory radio's unconventional design incorporates the air-conditioning controls into the same panel. "It made me feel like they were trying to inhibit me from doing something I like to do," says Mr. Harvey, of North Little Rock, Ark.

It is as American as baseball and lots of cup-holders: Personalizing a new car with add-ons. But the increasingly sophisticated design of cars is making it harder to make some time-honored modifications.

For instance, on the 2005 Chevrolet Cavalier, removing the factory-installed radio may cause the door chimes, and also the dome light, to stop working. The Infiniti Q45 comes with climate controls, dash vents and a reverse-view camera screen all incorporated into the radio design, making it difficult, if not impossible, to replace the individual parts with custom options.

It is virtually impossible to put anything but factory devices in a number of luxury cars such as the Volvo XC90, Mercedes E-Class and BMW 5 Series. That is because those vehicles use a computer network that doesn't have ports to plug in aftermarket gadgets.

Industrywide, about 40% of car stereos, 10% of speakers and 20% of amplifiers can't be repaired or upgraded by retailers, according to the Mobile Enhancement Retailers Association, a trade organization that markets mobile electronics.

The problem is twofold. In some cases, unconventional dashboard designs that combine multiple features into one panel -- like Mr. Harvey's Mazda -- make replacing individual parts problematic. In other cases, the customization problem lurks behind the panel where specialized computer networks hide. Installing a remote starter (which enables drivers to start their car without being in it) no longer is as easy as splicing a few wires. The changes require expertise in computer programming and engineering, and can cost a great deal more.

Today, 39% of 2005 model cars have integrated radio panels that make it difficult or impossible to replace the factory-installed radio, compared with just 9% of 1996 model vehicles, according to Victory Technologies Inc. of Stoneham, Mass., which supplies an electronics database to automotive retailers and manufacturers.

The increase stems from a combination of factors. To save manufacturing costs, auto makers are linking car entertainment systems with other vehicle functions through onboard computer networks. The most common installation obstacles involve audio systems, which no longer just play music, but double as vehicle control and message centers. Many cars come with a screen in the dash that displays radio stations and CD tracks, but also alerts the driver with a message when a headlight goes out or oil needs to be changed.

This reduces the number of wires and components needed to run such features and allows car makers to add more options, from navigation systems to on-road assistance to integrated cell phones. That makes it more difficult for mobile-electronics retailers to make products that seamlessly will plug into the vehicle.

It used to be that a professional installer could create a remote-start system for a vehicle simply by tapping into some wires. Now, car keys come with imbedded computer chips that send a signal to the vehicle in order to turn it on. These high-tech keys require installers to either mount a special device in the car to mimic the key's computer signal or actually hide the key in the car to get the remote start to work.

Barry Vogel of the Ultimate Edge, a mobile-electronics shop in Oswego, N.Y., estimates 75% of vehicles that roll into his shop require some type of installation interface to get a remote start to work. Such installation kits can cost from $65 to $120.

Car-audio retailers say the trend is cutting into sales by forcing some consumers to opt for factory-installed systems. Sales of car-audio components were $2.18 billion last year, down 7% from 2002, according to market researcher NPD Group.

It usually isn't impossible for consumers to get a different audio system installed in their vehicle; it just costs more. Last month, Bobby Martin III, a 24-year-old from Lemoore, Calif., paid nearly $200 to put a $350 stereo into his 2001 Oldsmobile Alero. Without the $120 "interface module" the car would lose its door chimes and car alarm. "I was either going to have to eat it without a CD player or pay the money," Mr. Martin says.

[Klaus]

Customizing Cars
Gets Complicated

Audio and Other Systems
Installed During Assembly
Become Hard to Untangle
By MICHELLE HIGGINS
Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
October 14, 2004; Page D3

When Ricky Harvey bought his new Mazda RX-8 earlier this year he wanted to add one thing that would make it perfect for him: A sophisticated in-dash satellite radio.

He was in for disappointment: There is no way to install a custom radio in the dashboard because the factory radio's unconventional design incorporates the air-conditioning controls into the same panel. "It made me feel like they were trying to inhibit me from doing something I like to do," says Mr. Harvey, of North Little Rock, Ark.

It is as American as baseball and lots of cup-holders: Personalizing a new car with add-ons. But the increasingly sophisticated design of cars is making it harder to make some time-honored modifications.

For instance, on the 2005 Chevrolet Cavalier, removing the factory-installed radio may cause the door chimes, and also the dome light, to stop working. The Infiniti Q45 comes with climate controls, dash vents and a reverse-view camera screen all incorporated into the radio design, making it difficult, if not impossible, to replace the individual parts with custom options.

It is virtually impossible to put anything but factory devices in a number of luxury cars such as the Volvo XC90, Mercedes E-Class and BMW 5 Series. That is because those vehicles use a computer network that doesn't have ports to plug in aftermarket gadgets.

Industrywide, about 40% of car stereos, 10% of speakers and 20% of amplifiers can't be repaired or upgraded by retailers, according to the Mobile Enhancement Retailers Association, a trade organization that markets mobile electronics.

The problem is twofold. In some cases, unconventional dashboard designs that combine multiple features into one panel -- like Mr. Harvey's Mazda -- make replacing individual parts problematic. In other cases, the customization problem lurks behind the panel where specialized computer networks hide. Installing a remote starter (which enables drivers to start their car without being in it) no longer is as easy as splicing a few wires. The changes require expertise in computer programming and engineering, and can cost a great deal more.

Today, 39% of 2005 model cars have integrated radio panels that make it difficult or impossible to replace the factory-installed radio, compared with just 9% of 1996 model vehicles, according to Victory Technologies Inc. of Stoneham, Mass., which supplies an electronics database to automotive retailers and manufacturers.

The increase stems from a combination of factors. To save manufacturing costs, auto makers are linking car entertainment systems with other vehicle functions through onboard computer networks. The most common installation obstacles involve audio systems, which no longer just play music, but double as vehicle control and message centers. Many cars come with a screen in the dash that displays radio stations and CD tracks, but also alerts the driver with a message when a headlight goes out or oil needs to be changed.

This reduces the number of wires and components needed to run such features and allows car makers to add more options, from navigation systems to on-road assistance to integrated cell phones. That makes it more difficult for mobile-electronics retailers to make products that seamlessly will plug into the vehicle.

It used to be that a professional installer could create a remote-start system for a vehicle simply by tapping into some wires. Now, car keys come with imbedded computer chips that send a signal to the vehicle in order to turn it on. These high-tech keys require installers to either mount a special device in the car to mimic the key's computer signal or actually hide the key in the car to get the remote start to work.

Barry Vogel of the Ultimate Edge, a mobile-electronics shop in Oswego, N.Y., estimates 75% of vehicles that roll into his shop require some type of installation interface to get a remote start to work. Such installation kits can cost from $65 to $120.

Car-audio retailers say the trend is cutting into sales by forcing some consumers to opt for factory-installed systems. Sales of car-audio components were $2.18 billion last year, down 7% from 2002, according to market researcher NPD Group.

It usually isn't impossible for consumers to get a different audio system installed in their vehicle; it just costs more. Last month, Bobby Martin III, a 24-year-old from Lemoore, Calif., paid nearly $200 to put a $350 stereo into his 2001 Oldsmobile Alero. Without the $120 "interface module" the car would lose its door chimes and car alarm. "I was either going to have to eat it without a CD player or pay the money," Mr. Martin says.

[Klaus]

Customizing Cars
Gets Complicated

Audio and Other Systems
Installed During Assembly
Become Hard to Untangle
By MICHELLE HIGGINS
Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
October 14, 2004; Page D3

When Ricky Harvey bought his new Mazda RX-8 earlier this year he wanted to add one thing that would make it perfect for him: A sophisticated in-dash satellite radio.

He was in for disappointment: There is no way to install a custom radio in the dashboard because the factory radio's unconventional design incorporates the air-conditioning controls into the same panel. "It made me feel like they were trying to inhibit me from doing something I like to do," says Mr. Harvey, of North Little Rock, Ark.

It is as American as baseball and lots of cup-holders: Personalizing a new car with add-ons. But the increasingly sophisticated design of cars is making it harder to make some time-honored modifications.

For instance, on the 2005 Chevrolet Cavalier, removing the factory-installed radio may cause the door chimes, and also the dome light, to stop working. The Infiniti Q45 comes with climate controls, dash vents and a reverse-view camera screen all incorporated into the radio design, making it difficult, if not impossible, to replace the individual parts with custom options.

It is virtually impossible to put anything but factory devices in a number of luxury cars such as the Volvo XC90, Mercedes E-Class and BMW 5 Series. That is because those vehicles use a computer network that doesn't have ports to plug in aftermarket gadgets.

Industrywide, about 40% of car stereos, 10% of speakers and 20% of amplifiers can't be repaired or upgraded by retailers, according to the Mobile Enhancement Retailers Association, a trade organization that markets mobile electronics.

The problem is twofold. In some cases, unconventional dashboard designs that combine multiple features into one panel -- like Mr. Harvey's Mazda -- make replacing individual parts problematic. In other cases, the customization problem lurks behind the panel where specialized computer networks hide. Installing a remote starter (which enables drivers to start their car without being in it) no longer is as easy as splicing a few wires. The changes require expertise in computer programming and engineering, and can cost a great deal more.

Today, 39% of 2005 model cars have integrated radio panels that make it difficult or impossible to replace the factory-installed radio, compared with just 9% of 1996 model vehicles, according to Victory Technologies Inc. of Stoneham, Mass., which supplies an electronics database to automotive retailers and manufacturers.

The increase stems from a combination of factors. To save manufacturing costs, auto makers are linking car entertainment systems with other vehicle functions through onboard computer networks. The most common installation obstacles involve audio systems, which no longer just play music, but double as vehicle control and message centers. Many cars come with a screen in the dash that displays radio stations and CD tracks, but also alerts the driver with a message when a headlight goes out or oil needs to be changed.

This reduces the number of wires and components needed to run such features and allows car makers to add more options, from navigation systems to on-road assistance to integrated cell phones. That makes it more difficult for mobile-electronics retailers to make products that seamlessly will plug into the vehicle.

It used to be that a professional installer could create a remote-start system for a vehicle simply by tapping into some wires. Now, car keys come with imbedded computer chips that send a signal to the vehicle in order to turn it on. These high-tech keys require installers to either mount a special device in the car to mimic the key's computer signal or actually hide the key in the car to get the remote start to work.

Barry Vogel of the Ultimate Edge, a mobile-electronics shop in Oswego, N.Y., estimates 75% of vehicles that roll into his shop require some type of installation interface to get a remote start to work. Such installation kits can cost from $65 to $120.

Car-audio retailers say the trend is cutting into sales by forcing some consumers to opt for factory-installed systems. Sales of car-audio components were $2.18 billion last year, down 7% from 2002, according to market researcher NPD Group.

It usually isn't impossible for consumers to get a different audio system installed in their vehicle; it just costs more. Last month, Bobby Martin III, a 24-year-old from Lemoore, Calif., paid nearly $200 to put a $350 stereo into his 2001 Oldsmobile Alero. Without the $120 "interface module" the car would lose its door chimes and car alarm. "I was either going to have to eat it without a CD player or pay the money," Mr. Martin says.