Apple CarPlay Archives - Perfectionist Auto Sound and Security

Enjoy Your Car Stereo Today and Pay Later with Acima Credit Leasing

05/14/2021 By John Schwartz

If you want to upgrade your car stereo or outfit your truck with a new set of wheels and tires, drop by Perfectionist Auto Sound and Security and ask about our Acima Credit Leasing solutions. Purchasing through Acima allows you to enjoy new technology like Apple CarPlay, better sound with a subwoofer, or improved styling and performance with vehicle upgrades while making easily manageable payments over a few months.

How Does Acima Credit Leasing Work?

Unlike a credit card, loan or financing that charges you interest, Acima is a leasing program. They charge a lease fee on top of the price we quote you on your upgrade. We can help you complete the simple application process and establish your eligibility, usually in a few minutes. Best of all, no credit history is required to qualify! Most applicants qualify if they have an income of $1,000 or more each month, can demonstrate at least three months of history with their current employer, and have maintained a checking account in good standing for 90 days .

You can choose from leasing packages as long as 24 months, and have the option to pay off the lease in as little as 90 days with a 25% discount on all outstanding payments. Feel free to drop by and ask us about lease length options.

Who Owns the Products Purchased with Acima?

In the simplest of terms, Acima buys the products we’ve helped you choose to upgrade your car or truck. Once you complete the payment schedule or select to pay off the lease, the products become yours.

Speaking of products, you can choose from items like an upgraded radio with Bluetooth, smartphone integration technologies like Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, or a subwoofer system to improve the way your music sounds. We also offer suspension upgrades and truck accessories; lighting upgrades for cars and trucks; and a wide variety of audio upgrades for motorcycles, side-by-sides and boats. Acima limits the amount of labor on the invoice to 30% of the total amount, so you can use it to cover the cost of having our expert technicians integrate your improvements for optimized performance and reliability.

Upgrade Your Vehicle Today!

If funds are a little tight but you are dying for some great music or a remote starter for your car or truck, drop by Perfectionist Auto Sound and Security in Anchorage and ask us about using Acima Credit Leasing. We can help you complete the no-charge application form, and then will work with you to pick the right enhancements for your vehicle. For more information or to schedule a personal consultation, give us a call or send our team an e-mail using our contact page.

Stereo and Lighting Upgrade for Anchorage Chevy 5500 Truck

02/26/2021 By John Schwartz

A commercial client from here in Anchorage recently visited Perfectionist Auto Sound and Security to inquire about upgrading the stereo and lighting on his 2020 Chevy 5500 HD truck. After talking with the client about how he wanted the music to sound and his lighting upgrade goals, we inspected the truck to come up with a plan.

Chevy 5500 Stereo System Upgrade

We started by removing the factory radio in the vehicle’s dash to make way for a DMH-2600NEX multimedia receiver. This new radio features a 6.8-inch touchscreen display and includes Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone connectivity. Our team used a PAC RP5-GM51 RadioPRO5 interface module to connect the radio to the steering wheel’s radio control buttons. In addition, we added a Momento MR-C200 camera on the rear of the truck so the operator can see behind the vehicle when parking.

For the rear audio system, we started with a Pioneer MVH-S322BT digital media receiver. The radio is installed in the same panel as power inverter controls. We added a USB port to the power panel so he can charge his phone.

Our technicians created custom speaker enclosures that mount to the curved portion of the box where the walls meet the roof for rear speakers. Each enclosure houses a pair of Morel Maximo Ultra 602C coaxial speakers. We finished the enclosures in a black truck bed liner coating.

Truck Lighting Adds Safety

We started the lighting upgrade by replacing the headlight bulbs with Lucas Lighting L3-series LED bulbs. The high-beam bulbs were replaced with L4-series LED modules. Next, we replaced the low and high-beams with a set of Lucas Lighting L3-Series LED bulbs. We also added bulbs for the turn signals.

The icing on the cake for the lighting upgrade would be a Rigid Industries 20-inch 122313 LED light bar. This bar is part of the E-Series Pro line and includes both driving and spot beam patterns. We mounted the light in the front bumper and added Rigid’s 40284 security hardware kit to reduce the chances of it being stolen. Our team wired the relays for the LED light bar into the high-beam circuit.

Alaska’s Truck Accessory Experts

After finishing the stereo system upgrades and checking the light bar’s alignment, we had this Chevrolet 5500 HD work truck ready to return to the client. Upon his return to our store, we gave him a tour of the upgrades we’d installed and helped him pair his smartphone to the new radios. He loved how everything worked and couldn’t wait to fire up the monster light bar at night.

If you’re interested in upgrading your work truck with improved lighting or a better audio system, drop by Perfectionist Auto Sound and Security in Anchorage. You can also get in touch with our team by calling 907-563-8112 or by sending us an e-mail using our contact form.

The Advantages of Soundproofing Your Car, Truck or SUV

08/03/2020 By John Schwartz

One of the most significant upgrades you can make to your car, truck or SUV is to have it soundproofed by Perfectionist Auto Sound and Security in Anchorage. Installing sound-absorbing material not only makes your vehicle quieter, but it will also improve the performance of your car stereo, the clarity of your Bluetooth hands-free system, and can make the vehicle more comfortable. Many of our clients choose to upgrade their vehicles with soundproofing to create a more luxurious feel. Curious? Then you’re in the right place.

What Is Automotive Soundproofing?

When your car or truck rolls off the assembly line, there are often small panels or patches of butyl or vinyl attached to the floor and door skins. The added mass from these panels reduces the metal’s ability to vibrate. The result is diminished sound energy transfer from outside the vehicle into the interior.

We take sound deadening seriously. We worked with the fantastic team at Mobile Solutions in Arizona to develop our very own sound absorption solution. It’s called SoundShield.

SoundShield combines a 1.5 mm-thick layer of dense butyl rubber with a 3 mm-thick closed-cell foam topper that prevents buzzes and rattles. The materials are bonded to a flexible aluminum sheet that adds structural stability to malleable components so it can span openings in doors and trim panels.

Soundproofing Makes Your Car, Truck or SUV Quieter

If you want to reduce exhaust, wind, tire, road and mechanical noise in your vehicle, our team is here to help. You can decide how far you want to go. In most upgrades, we treat the inner and outer metal door skins, since they are the primary source of sound energy transfer into the vehicle. The floor, firewall, trunk, rear fenders and the roof are also prime candidates for noise control. You decide how quiet you want the vehicle to be, and we will deliver.

Improve the Performance of Your Car Stereo with Sound Deadening

When a speaker is installed in the door of a car or truck, the inner metal skin acts as the mounting baffle. Since automakers are primarily concerned with assembling the vehicle rather than optimizing the audio system, this part of the door is typically full of holes that let the sound coming from the rear of the speaker cancel with the sound from the front. The result is that the audio system will play louder with less power. Bass and midbass from the door speakers will be improved dramatically (often as much as a 10 dB gain). Finally, because the speakers in the door (or rear deck or rear side-panel) don’t have to work as hard, the system will be more precise, and distortion is reduced.

Improve Bluetooth Hands-Free Clarity

When you’re talking to someone using Bluetooth, the system transmits the noise in the vehicle as well as your voice. If the interior of your car or truck is quieter, your voice will be clearer. In many cases, once a vehicle is soundproofed, many clients report that people can’t tell the caller is using a hands-free system. A bonus is that voice recognition and accuracy of Apple CarPlay and Android Audio are also improved.

Improved Comfort in the Summer and Winter

It’s no news that it gets good and cold here in Alaska in the winter. The thermal barrier added by SoundShield helps your climate control system warm your vehicle up faster when it’s cold out, and keeps heat out in the summer. SoundShield is popular with custom car and hot rod owners, as high-horsepower engines and large exhaust systems can turn a vehicle interior into an oven.

Upgrade Your Comfort at Perfectionist Auto Sound and Security

If you want to improve the performance of your car stereo, make your vehicle quieter inside or improve your comfort, drop by Perfectionist and talk to one of our Product Specialists about soundproofing your vehicle. You can also reach us by e-mail using our contact form to schedule a personal consultation.

Premium Audio and Radar Upgrade for Anchorage Porsche Cayman

12/16/2019 By John Schwartz

A long-time client of Perfectionist Auto Sound & Security in Anchorage recently dropped by the store to inquire about upgrading the stereo system in his 2007 Porsche Cayman. He wanted the audio system in the Cayman to play louder, deliver smoother frequency response and produce more bass. The client also wanted a high-performance radar detector and laser defense system. After a thorough inspection of the vehicle, our team put together a bespoke solution that would meet the client’s expectations.

Porsche Cayman Stereo System Upgrade

The first step was to remove the majority of the interior from the vehicle so our technicians could run Stinger speaker cables and Digital Designs interconnects. Once the wiring was in place, we treated the floor, cargo area and doors of the vehicle with sound deadening to reduce noise transfer and improve the performance of the stereo.

Next, we installed a Pioneer AVIC-W8500NEX multimedia receiver in the dash. This premium source unit features a 7-inch capacitive-touch display and includes both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone integration. The smartphone features allow the client to use the voice recognition technology built into his phone to make calls, send text messages and choose from dozens of entertainment options.

Audiofrog Speaker Upgrades

The most-important part of an audio system upgrade is the front speakers. This client chose a set of Audiofrog GB60 woofers and GB10 tweeters for the system. Our fabrication team created custom mounting adapters out of HDPE plastic to attach the new speakers to the factory mounting point in the door. A set of Morel Tempo Ultra Integra 5.25-inch speakers in the rear speaker locations helps wrap the sound around the driver.

System Subwoofers and Amplifiers

Porsche Stereo — The custom Porsche crest was integrated into the enclosure.

After building a shallow enclosure for a pair of Audiomobile GTS-Series 10-inch subwoofers, the guys set to work on the custom trim panels. They mounted the woofers to a panel that is wrapped in perforated gray vinyl. Our team used our Glowforge laser to create a Porsche emblem in a piece of acrylic plastic. The emblem is centered between the subwoofers, and we built up the area around the emblem for a smooth, finished look.

The trim panel around the subwoofers features a pair of inserts at the rear of the vehicle that mimic the accent lines on the factory plastic panels. To continue the theme, we added raised sections to the rear edge of the panel to match those in the aluminum trim at the back of the cargo area. We also added a removable panel with a custom laser-etched badge to make it easy to access the engine oil and coolant fill points.

The sound system in this Porsche is powered by a pair of Digital Designs amplifiers and a digital signal processor. A D6.500 six-channel amp powers the woofers and tweeters in the doors and the rear speakers, while a DM1000a monoblock feeds each of the subwoofers with 500 watts of power.

A Digital Designs DSI-2 signal processor handles dividing the audio signal from the Pioneer radio into appropriate frequency ranges for each speaker. We also set the signal delays and equalization for each channel to produce smooth and natural sound with excellent imaging.

K40 Radar Detector

Our team integrated a K40 RL360i radar detector and laser defense system into the Porsche to protect the driver from getting speeding tickets. We mounted the front and rear radar antennae to the chassis of the vehicle, using custom aluminum brackets. We concealed the radar antennae behind the plastic bumper covers and mounted a pair of Laser Defusers just above the outside air inlets in the front bumper. These Defusers prevent officers from measuring the vehicle speed using LIDAR until the client can confirm speed and cancel the scrambled laser signal transmission.

European Car Upgrade Specialists

With the upgraded stereo system dialed in and the radar and laser system tested, it was time for the owner of this cool Porsche Cayman to return to Perfectionist Auto Sound & Security to pick up the vehicle. The client was happy with the upgrades and anxious to get out on the road to try them out.

If you are interested in a radar detector or upgraded audio system for your car, drop by our store, give us a call or click here to send us an e-mail.

A Woman’s View on Apple CarPlay and Android Auto

12/30/2015 By Morgan Nicholson

Ladies, imagine driving in your car and being able to use many of the features on your iPhone or Android without taking your eyes off the road or being distracted. I want to tell you about a technology that will allow you to do just that.

Apple CarPlay And Android Auto

Apple has created a product called Apple CarPlay that is compatible with any iPhone 5 and newer (iOs 7.1 and newer). Google also created a product called Android Auto that works with Androids using 5.0 and newer. Another perk is how easy these products are to use and the fact that they won’t require any training to use them.

Smartphones Have Become A Vital Tool In Today’s World

Many of us, including me, rely on our phones for many different things. On a daily basis, I’m using my phone to schedule meetings and events; communicate through texts, email and phone calls; get directions to my destinations, and so much more. Honestly, I’d be a little lost without my phone and definitely wouldn’t get as much done.

Multi-Task Safely Using Your Smartphone

I spend a good amount of time in my car, and I know many women who spend hours each day in their cars, driving kids around, traveling for work and just running errands. Thankfully, now I can continue using my phone and many of its functions while I’m in my vehicle. I get two things done at once – accomplishing work and going where I need to be. It feels great! Who doesn’t love a little multitasking?

Numerous Time Saving Features All Controlled By Your Voice

Some of the features that come with CarPlay and Android Auto include the use of Google Maps, sending and receiving text messages and phone calls, having reminders and upcoming events read to you, use of iTunes, access to your phonebook and favorites, Siri, and weather reports. They are also compatible with other apps, including iHeart Radio, Spotify, Stitcher and more. All of this is done through Bluetooth, hands-free! All you have to do is plug your phone into the USB port that will be installed in your vehicle, and the rest is done through voice commands.

A Look At How This Technology Can Help You

Picture yourself on an average day. You need to get many things done and have only so many hours in the day. You hop in your car and plug your phone into the USB port. You’re taking the kids to school and heading to work. To start the day off with your favorite song, you tell your radio, “Play ‘Hello’ by Adele” and, just like that, your music begins playing. Then you remember that the night before, your friend texted you to see if you’re still on for dinner tonight, but you forgot to respond. No need to touch your phone. You just say, “Send a text to Ally Wilson—7 p.m. at Sacks Café works great!”

Maybe it’s the weekend, and you want to take the family out for a little adventure. With all of the outdoor activities to choose from in Alaska, you decide to go kayaking at a place you’ve never been before. Halfway through the drive, you begin wondering if you made a wrong turn (I’ve definitely done that before!). To get directions to your destination, you tell your phone, “Give me directions to Jewel Lake.” Now, you have turn-by-turn directions being read to you, and you’ll get to your destination safely and on time.

Get This Great New Technology From Perfectionist Auto Sound And Security

You can get this amazing technology by purchasing a new radio head unit for your vehicle from Perfectionist Auto Sound and Security in Anchorage. They sell Pioneer Nex and AppRadio models that work specifically with these products. Doesn’t a car ride that is safer, easier and more enjoyable sound great? Their team would like to invite you to stop by their store in Anchorage, Alaska, to answer any questions you may have and to talk about which products will be most beneficial to you personally.

You can also contact Perfectionist HERE to schedule a no-cost consultation. They really are perfectionists – and ready to provide you with the best experience in car audio products.