"The dealership said my car is pre-wired for a cellular phone, so why do I have to pay for an installation?" Yes, some cars are pre-wired for a cellular phone. However, this wiring only fits, and only works with, the dealer manufactured, proprietary phone, available only through the dealership, costing a minimum of $1000, and frequently up to $2,000. This phone is typically a Motorola Star Tac and we have seen it available in AT&T, Sprint and Verizon formats. (Check with your dealer to find out what formats are available for your model.) It seems if you have Cingular (GSM) service you are out of luck. The manufacturer’s phone is built into the car, looks great and typically has nifty features such as stalk controls, consoles controls, and stereo mute. It may also integrate with the vehicle’s air bag system (calling 911 upon air bag deployment) and may even be voice activated. The down side is that you must use their phone and pay their price. On the other hand, if you already own a portable phone, no matter who the manufacturer is, or who the service provider is, we can install a hands free car kit in your car to work with the phone and service provider of your choice. The only exception to this is if the (phone) manufacturer does not provide a hands free car kit for your phone. > top
	"My car already has a car kit installed, can we use the existing wiring?" This is similar to the question about ‘pre-wired’ cars. Because the wiring of the car kit is unique to every model (even within the same manufacturer) the answer is, unfortunately no. You may be able to save money if we are able to use the same mount or antenna from your previous car kit, but this will be offset because of the cost to remove your old equipment. > top
	"Will it fit in my type of car? Where does it go? Will the car kit fit in my center console? We haven’t found a car or truck yet that we can’t install a car kit into. The cradle that holds the phone is usually put just to the right of the gearshift (see picture on home page) and positioned so it is easy to see and so that when your arm is on the armrest your hand naturally extends to the keypad. The kit can go in the center console if the console is large enough and we can get the wires to it. While this makes for a very "tidy" look and it is out of sight and out of the way, car kit installations done in the center console pose a couple of problems - they are more difficult to use and very difficult to see. Think about this for a minute, do you really want to be looking down and inside your center console to dial your phone while driving? We don’t recommend it, but we will oblige you if this is what you really want. Because a center console installation adds 1 –2 hours to the job, there is a $50 - $75 additional charge for this service. > top
	"Do you have to drill holes in my car? What happens when I need to turn my car in for a lease?" A very good and important question. The installation methods, techniques and equipment we use are designed so that when we remove your kit, your car looks like it did before we installed it. When we remove a car kit from a vehicle in which we have done the installation, it is very difficult, if not impossible to tell that a car kit was installed in the first place. Sometimes we do have to make 2 or 3 small holes to anchor your phone, AND in 15 years, we have never had a problem with a dealer or lease company taking back a car we have done an installation in. > top
	"The salesperson said the car kit already includes a mount, why are you charging me for another one?" Our technicians carry a variety of custom mounts ranging from 1" to 15". This allows us to give you the greatest number of placement options, allow us to give you a customized installation, and is part of our method to be as noninvasive as possible. The ‘mount’ included in the car kit is very limited, but will work ok if you either want to mount your phone so that it put holes in your dash or console, or if want to make the phone difficult to see and use. Once in while, there is a vehicle application for which the included mount works well, and in this case we are more than happy to deduct the price of the unused mount. > top
	"How long will it take to complete my installation?" Some cars are as fast as 1 hour, some take 3 hours. Plan on setting aside 2 hours for us to have your car, and please ask us when you schedule your appointment and we will be happy to give you a more exact length of time for your vehicle. > top
	"Can I use my call waiting and speed dial and other features in the car kit?" Virtually any feature or service available in handset mode is also available in the car kit. One of the few exceptions is Data/fax transmission, which often uses the same ‘port’ the car kit does. > top
	"Does having an antenna on the outside of the car help?" Almost always, yes. You can also improve reception with ‘stealth’ antennas. Most of time a dual band antenna is the best choice. For more information see ‘choosing your optimal antenna’. > top
	"How does a privacy handset work?" One of the nicest features of a car kit is the speakerphone capability. There may be times however, when you don't want the person in traveling the car with you to hear the phone conversation you're having. If it is offered by the manufacturer, a privacy handset is an option we can install to give you that capability. An alternative to this is to simply pick up the portable phone right out of the cradle. Your call will not drop and you can go back and forth between " handset " and speakerphone all day. Many people prefer the privacy handset because it keeps any radiated energy away from their head. > top
	"I read about a stereo mute feature on the manufactures web site. How can I get this?" A radio mute feature is an option that cuts the volume on your stereo when either your phone rings or you initiate a phone call. For those of us who like to drive around with the radio blasting, this is a nice feature. (Actually, even dignified people who listen to symphony music at moderate levels like this feature) Most, but not all, manufacturers offer this in their car kit and it can usually be added for a nominal cost. > top
	"I heard they had passed a law making it illegal to use the phone with it held up to your head while driving. Is this true?" As of this writing, we don’t know of any law in California requiring ‘hands free’ usage. Accord to the (CA) state offices, there is proposed legislation ‘on the table’, (whatever that means!) and the state of New York passed a law banning cell phone usage unless it is hands free. But the only law we are aware of regarding phone usage in California is that you can be charged with ‘reckless driving’ (or some equivalent) if using a phone adversely affects your driving. > top
	"What is 'roaming’?" Roaming is the ability to place and receive calls on cellular networks outside your home service area. All Los Angeles phone companies (carriers) have agreements or partnerships with similar phone companies in other cities so you can use your phone when traveling. If this agreement is with a phone company that operates on a different frequency than your home carrier, you will need a dual band phone, and if you want to use your car kit when traveling to these cities, you will need a dual band antenna. > top
	"Will the car kit drain my car battery?" No, a properly installed kit will not drain your battery. Some kits will charge the phone battery even with the ignition and the phone turned off. Charging the phone battery takes a very small amount of energy and we have not found it to be a problem. > top

After Installation FAQ's:

"Why is it I sometimes sound like I’m in a tunnel?" Though most people find their car kit provides at least good audio quality, there are times when you will hear echo or it will sound like you're in a tunnel. This, almost always, has to with the physical location (area) you're in. The way the car kit sounds should " mirror " the reception using the phone in portable mode. That is, where the reception is poor in portable mode, it will also be poor in the car kit. And just as at times you will get a clipping or fadeout sound in portable mode, and occasional echo or tunnel-like sound from the car kit is an unfortunate but normal part of wireless life. > top

Verizon - 800 MHz no gain ‘stubby’ antenna Andrew Products 7305-QRVerizon specifies this antenna for digital car kit use in LA. Verizon does have roaming agreements with some 1900 carriers, but unless you are driving outside CA this is the only antenna needed. If you drive extensively in rural areas that have analog only service, (Monterey, Sacramento, Bakersfield) get an additional 3db gain whip, which can screwed on and off in 10 seconds, for optional use in these areas.

Cingular - 1900 MHz, 3db gain antenna Andrew Products 19675 Like Air Touch, the phones Cingular, Los Angeles, uses only operate on one frequency, or ‘band’. Therefore, this antenna, which is 7 in. tall and does provide for gain to help in marginal areas, will cover all uses for Los Angeles Cingular customers.

SPRINT PCS: This is where it starts to get interesting. Sprint is a 1900 MHz system, so a 1900 MHz antenna would be a natural choice. However, Sprint has roaming agreements with 800 MHz analog carriers. What does this mean? If you have a dual band phone (such as a Touchpoint 2200) and you intend to travel in your car to areas with 800 MHz coverage, (Bakersfield or Monterey for instance) you need a dual band antenna. There are two choices: one is the high gain, 13 inch whip model, made by Antennas Specialists, which also has a shorter 3" whip which can be used at your discrection. The second is ‘the patch’ zero gain antenna made by Andrews Products. We have had very good results with the Antenna Specialists antenna. If you are concerned about the classic compromise - looks vs. gain, get this antenna and the shorter whip.

AT&T WIRELESS: AT&T uses both the 800 and 1900 MHz systems. In the Los Angeles, only the 800 MHz system is used, however AT&T is planning to put in a 1900 MHz ‘overlay’ so we highly recommend the dual band antenna. If you drive your car to Las Vegas or Arizona and want to use your car kit there, than you definitely need a dual band antenna. The same compromises for dual band antennas apply here, looks vs. gain. And again there are two choices: one is the high gain, 13 inch whip model, made by Antennas Specialists, which also has a shorter 3" whip which can be used at your discretion. The second is ‘the patch’ zero gain antenna made by Andrews Products. We have had very good results with the Antenna Specialists antenna. If you are concerned about the classic compromise - looks vs. gain, get this antenna and the shorter whip.

Mixed Use: If you have phones from different service providers and you are sharing the same car kit, for instance a Nokia 5190 (Cingular) and a Nokia 6162 (AT&T) , a dual band antenna is your choice. If you want a cover all bets for the future, install a dual band antenna, and then you can use whatever phone with whatever provider you like. > top

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