Car Toys

This review is for the Bellevue location. The Tukwila location gets 10 stars!
I had a remote start put into my 2012 CRV. When I made the appointment (at the Bellevue store) he told me it would be 3 – 4 hours. I was there for 6 and they still didn’t have it working. Not only that, they fucked up the wipers so that the intermittent would only go on the slowest level and the whole arm wouldn’t move down to constant or fast constant. Super dangerous during the heavy rains!
I go back (to the Bellevue location) and they spend 3 more hours and finally get it working. Then a week later, after not driving it for one day, the battery is so drained the car won’t start. I get a jump and take it back for the third time, but this time to the Southcenter location because it’s closer to home. (I work in Bellevue but was off work this day.)
I was waiting at the door when they opened, and explained the problem to the store manager, Will. I was a little hot because — NINE hours and a dead battery — but he never lost his cool. He was nothing but helpful and willing to make it right whatever it took. He eventually said if I could leave it for 4 hours right then he would have his guys uninstall the whole thing and reinstall it from scratch.
I could not believe he was going to undo and then re-​do something it took Bellevue 9 hours to do in 4, but agreed. TWO hours later he called me saying it was done. No friggin way! Darren, the technician that did the uninstall/​reinstall, said Bellevue had crossed two wires causing the battery drain. Will also gave me $ 115 back for my trouble.
The Southcenter guys are amazing! Super professional, knowledgable and customer driven. Go see these guys! (But avoid the Bellevue location like the plague!)
The only reason Bellevue is getting 2 stars instead of one (or zero) is because they were nice about it. They bought me lunch (at my insistence) when I was there for 6 hours, and the second time they vacuumed and wiped out my car as a ‘sorry’. But free lunch and a vacuum can’t overcome incompetence.

Their technician has such a terrible attitude.
We had a couple of questions and he was so unhelpful. He was obviously trying to make us buy their installation service.
If he were more approachable, we might have! But instead we went somewhere else.

Went in to look at a new radio for my truck, and learn what it would take to have a backup camera installed. The associate (Aaron) was very helpful and worked hard to earn a deal. He and his team-​mate Leon were also very helpful in setting up an installation time even when I changed the date multiple times.
When the equipment was installed, the assistant manager spent a good amount of time with me familiarizing me with my new radio — he was very patient and seemed to be happy to help; this goes a long way at placing the customer at ease. He made darn sure I understood how everything worked — even if this meant showing me 2 – 3 times. So far, we’re at five stars…
After the equipment was installed, there was a problem with the wiring. They resolved it quickly, but the troubleshooting process was a little less than what I would have expected. I do not feel they were dishonest in any way, just not very thorough. Later, I noticed that the wiring for the rear camera is under a lot of tension near the rear of the vehicle, and passes over a couple of sharp surfaces on the frame; over time, this will result in the insulation being cut through. I am just going to reroute to wiring on my own, as there is enough slack in the existing wiring harness to relieve the tension; then I will enclose it in some split-​loom. A suggestion would be to make some refinements to the QC process for equipment installations. This cost a couple of stars, but these are issues that are very very easy to resolve in the future, and I think this store has the right people in place to make this happen.
I foresee some new speakers in my future and plan to go to this store once again. I expect that this will be a five star experience.

Just got a brand new Pioneer Apple CarPlay system installed on my Porsche Boxster and it works great. The installer walked me through the various install options that were the best for my car and explained me in details what he was going to do. Once I gave him the go ahead he got the install done in just over two hours. One of the employee gave me a ride home so I could have dinner with my family while the work was being done, and Car Toys even offered to pay for my Über ride back to the store. When I got my car back the assistant store manager (Joe) sat next to me in and spent 20 minutes showing me how to use my new unit and telling me everything I needed to know about Apple CarPlay. Now that’s what I call great customer service! I’ll be back to Car Toys Bellevue next time I need new electronics for my car.

They told me and advertised in the store installation is included in the price and it wasn’t. I found $ 941.00 of extra charges as miscellaneous, no explanation at all. Some say shop fee, what is shop fee? Hum… I was showed on model on display, then a different one installed.

Great service, I might come again for subwoofer upgrade. :)

If our U.S. businesses gave us the customer service that we just got at Car Toys in Bellevue from Edgar Avanesyan, then our country probably wouldn’t have as bad an economy as they do. Edgar (and his sidekick Dan) turned the tedious task of replacing a broken phone into a blessing. Edgar is so knowledgeable about the plans, pricing, and phones offered, and he demonstrates that he truly cares for the customer. I have a degree with honors in General Business Management, and a lot of training in Customer Service, having served internal customers for over 30 years. I also worked in the cell phone industry for 15 years myself. I will tell you – EDGAR IS THE GO TO GUY FOR CELLULAR!!! Let me tell you from experience that today you are not just buying a phone or a cellular provider’s service – it is the CUSTOMER SERVICE that matters when you have an issue, or need to do a trade-​in. Car Toys truly is the BETTER WAY TO GO!!!

Just bought a m3 in seattle. Was planning on making the drive back down to southern California. The car made a loud constant buzzing sound and was super annoying. No way I was about to make a 18 hour drive with that sound. made a few phone calls to find repair specialists and many wanted to charge me $ 150 an hour labor just to even diagnose the problem. But cartoys took care of me and fixed it within 5 minutes. Huge shout out to Brad to fixed the sound and took care of the improper wiring which potentially could have short out my entire system. Saved our drive back and made it more bearable

I tried to install my fog lights and I gave up because I couldn’t figure out where two wires go. So I went to Car Toys in Bellevue which was closest to where I was and they took a look and told me it was going to take an hour to connect two wires. And it all totaled to 102 $. My mouth fell to the floor.
I ended up leaving and driving 40 minutes to Stereo Centro in Renton. $ 40 and the owner, Luis, wired up my fog light in less than 15 minutes. He did a beautiful job. I recommend going there because the prices are reasonable, hes very fast, and he exceeds expectations. Totally worth the hour and a half drive home in traffic knowing I saved myself 60 $ bucks.

Service is terrible. I walk in and not one of the employees acknowledge me. After I look to see if they have what I am looking for, I start towards the door. At this point one of the employees ask if they can help me… I reply stating you don’t have what I am looking for. He comes back with… maybe we have it in the back. I reply… how about some customer service… none of you acknowledged me when I walked it and they only acknowledged me when I was leaving. No thanks… I can find the door just fine.

Good service. The manager will try his best to please if your not happy with something. Hooked up my car with subs, fixed every concern i had.

Low integrity business that’s sketchy as f*ck, pardon my French.
I went in to get a remote starter installed to keep myself warm from the weather, but to get that done at a fair price (which IMO, is based upon the listed price of the item), I spent more than 2 hours haggling and I still feel like my wallet was lifted from my pocket. Granted, I can now remote start my car, but everything does not match up to what I was told prior to the installation. The guys were friendly, but don’t let the smiles fool you. Like TSwift has sung, they’re a nightmare dressed like a day dream.
Let me highlight a few of the shining moments Car Toys left me with:
— even though their signs clearly say installation is free and included, right out of the gate, they tagged two additional installation charges totaling around $ 250 on us until we pointed it out they that its stated that the service is free. In the end, they didn’t remove everything and still tagged us with this labor that’s extra and not included.
— the remote kit comes with lifetime warranty, yet tried to sell us a 4-​year warranty which we absolutely need and is such a great deal!
— was told that the 1-​way remote would send back a confirmation which it does not do. But honestly, why did I ever believe that when I asked another question 3 different ways and all the answers were different. Let’s not even mention the range of answers we got depending on who you talk to.
— was told that my factory key cannot be re-​programmed to lock/​unlock car while remote car is in effect nor remote start the car using my factory fob. Well, it’s able to do the first, so when I called back and asked if they could please include the start functionality into my factory fob since it’s looking like a possibility. Was pretty much told that since I’m a cheap ass that bought a lower-​priced module, it’s not capable and that if I wanted to do it, they’re willing to upgrade me for a sh*t ton of money. I’m pretty sure I was told it’s not possible because of my factory key, and not the starter module I chose during the buying process.
And there you have it! I’m not sure how you people do business — it must be hard to keep up with all the lies that have come out of your mouths. But cheers, to a warm car during the winter days.

Long story short, I had to spend $ 200 to FIX whatever Car Toys messed up when they installed my new stereo. I am never going back there again.
I am a young woman who has never done any sort of customization to her car. I went to Car Toys to get a new stereo and have it installed there — simple procedure that they do all the time. About a month after installation, I noticed my tail lights weren’t working. I do not drive the car every day because I bus to work, so it took me a bit longer to notice this. I took my car to the shop and they told me that my tail light relay was MISSING. An ENTIRE relay! It was actually not in the car, and that is why my lights weren’t working. All of this cost me $ 200, equivalent to the price of the stereo.
I went back to Car Toys, knowing that something must have happened because no one else had touched my car. The shop had also told me that the only way to access the relay is by removing the radio or dash. This relay was not really next to the radio (its positioned on the other side of the dash by the passenger seat), but in some strange way something must have happened when Car Toys installed my stereo, because NO ONE else had been back there. I brought documentation from the shop confirming the relay wasn’t there, and as this is a cheap part, there is no incentive for anyone to have stolen it.
Car Toys refused to reimburse or compensate me in any way for the extra $ 200 and the fact that I was driving an unsafe vehicle. At the end of the day, I don’t blame them because this relay is not related to the stereo. However, I know that something must have happened because no one else had done any work on my car, and my lights had no problems before my new stereo was installed. I am never buying anything from this company again, because spending $ 200 to fix whatever they messed up is completely unacceptable.

Excellent all around Kevin is the man very happy with my new phone upon his advice as well as my previous installs all very professional I will send all my clients to them highly recommend them Car Toys Rock!

OUTSTANDING! That would describe the customer service that I received from CarToys Bellevue on April 02, 2014. Both Alex and Clint provided professional and knowledgeable service. They went above and beyond the call of duty when installing my sub and amp. The install went longer than anticipated and were willing to stay long after the store closed to complete the install. I haven’t see work ethic like that in a long time. Impressive!

After bad experiences at the Totem Lake location I learned my lesson. Gabe at Bellevue car toys is the man to see. They fixed all the problems I brought them from the other store and made my system ROCK !! So now I am on my 3^rd install with them and its always professional and top notch. Wouldn’t go anywhere else… Hands down the best… Thanks Gabe

Spent just short of 3000 $ for system, after a year of problems with the deck I said just sell me a new one. Paid the 230 for the deck had the technician and salesman look at the existing system paid what i was told was the instal cost, booked an appointment. Car is in the service bay and manager is phoning about unforeseen costs associated with the install. After long discussion told them to just give me a refund and leave the old deck. last time I will ever walk through the doors of Car Toys.

Please see my review of the Southcenter location for background on the travesty that occurred.
I called the Bellevue location after being a victim of Retail Rape at the hands of the Southcenter team, lead by store manager Ryan. After making my case, Bellevue Store Manager Jason told me, it doesn’t matter who did what and why, I am going to take care of you and I hope in the end you become my customer. Now, I’m 100% man and 200% straight, but don’t pretend like hearing that wouldn’t make you have a tingle all the way through your sensitive regions.
Unselfish assistance, thorough trouble shooting and great documentation lead to a restoration of my cars audio integrity. The install manager Gabe broke my bucket down to the last compound and 6 Million Dollar Man style, rebuilt it with today’s technology. My man Scotty provided and unexpected comedic relief much like Scotty H in Moneyball and in the end, we made audio history.
I used to think I came out a loser on this deal, but it’s not whether you win or loose, it’s what you drive home and the Bellevue team made sure my car was competition caliber.
This is what service is about and every industry should take note of how you turn a wrong into a WIN!!!

These guys are great. Honest and professional. I brought my Airstream in to have LED ambient lighting installed inside. They explained how the install would go, how hard they would try to hide wires and holes, how they’d make sure the remote sensors were well placed. They exceeded on those promises. I couldn’t see any wiring and the lights just magically appeared where I wanted them. A perfect install on something I care very much about.
It took half they time they estimated so the price was lower than we had agreed to. They didn’t have to tell me that but they did, that’s how you run a business.
Lastly, when we were leaving the manager hopped in my truck and fixed my bluethooth and nav settings, no charge.
I’ll for sure continue to do business with this shop. They had a lot of other cool ideas I could do and I plan to take them up on them.

Well, it took a few tries but Car Toys came through and got the power locks on my husband’s truck installed correctly!
The original installation was not done correctly and did not last but a few months. We were not pleased. I complained and the manager, Jon, contacted me to try to rectify the mistake. I was impressed that the manager cared enough to go out of his way to make everything right! It turns out the truck had some faulty parts and not only did Car Toys replace those parts but since we had already paid once for installation, they did not charge us again. My husband was very pleased with dealing with Jon (and Andrew) and was happy they care so much about their work and reputation that they wanted to make sure we were 100% satisfied with the end result. That is rare these days to have a company actually care if you are happy with the work done.
I’d trust this Car Toys with our vehicles. My husband is already thinking about other projects he wants to do with his truck and going back to this Car Toys since they have proven they will get the job done and they will do it right.