PURPOSE BUILT AUDIO

They use CCA (Copper-Clad Aluminium) wiring because it's cheap. CCA has significantly higher resistance than real copper, generates more heat under load, and the aluminium core corrodes when exposed to moisture. Over time, connections oxidise, resistance builds, and your amp works harder than it should. You paid for 1000W — you're getting 600W at the speaker. Worse — CCA is a genuine fire risk. The higher resistance generates heat at connection points, and combined with poor crimps and cheap fuse holders, this creates hotspots that can melt insulation and ignite. There are documented cases of vehicle fires caused by inferior CCA power wiring in car audio installations.

Fitment centres need to run power cable from the battery through the firewall to the amplifier in the boot. Their solution? Drill a hole straight through the firewall with no planning. They hit wiring looms, brake lines, and ECU harnesses they can't see behind the panel. Sharp metal edges slice through cable insulation over time with engine vibration. No grommet, no sealant — water gets in, exposed copper touches bare metal, and you now have a dead short that can cause an electrical fire while the car is parked. This isn't theory — it happens. They also leave the hole unsealed, letting engine fumes, water, and road noise flood your cabin.

This is one of the worst shortcuts in car audio. Fitment centres tap into your factory speaker wires and use a cheap high-to-low converter (line output converter) to feed your new amplifier. This takes an already-processed, EQ'd, compressed factory signal and degrades it further. You get noise, distortion, and a signal that's been butchered before your amp even sees it. Your R15,000 amplifier is now amplifying garbage.

Fitment centres wire it up, turn it on, twist the bass knob, and hand you the keys. No time alignment. No crossover tuning. No frequency response correction. Your sub is fighting your door speakers. Your tweeters are harsh. The soundstage is in your footwell instead of in front of you. They don't own a measurement microphone because they don't know what one is.

A universal "one-size-fits-all" premade MDF box from a catalogue. They don't calculate anything — they grab whatever box is in stock and bolt your sub into it. Wrong internal volume for your specific subwoofer. Wrong port tuning (if it's even ported). Rattles against your boot trim because it wasn't designed for your vehicle. Built with staples and PVA glue. The subwoofer specs call for 28 litres tuned to 32Hz — they gave you a 45 litre box tuned to who-knows-what because that's what was on the shelf. Your sub sounds boomy, muddy, one-note, and imprecise. You're hearing the box resonating, not the music.

Grey imports, parallel imports, Takealot specials, or Chinese clones with fake branding. No factory warranty. No local support. When it fails in 6 months, they shrug. Some sell refurbished units as new. The Rockford Fosgate amp you think you bought? Check the serial number — it might not be in their system because it's not a genuine unit, or it was never intended for the South African market.

Cut factory wiring looms. Drilled through panels without grommets. Tapped into CAN bus lines incorrectly. Used scotch locks and electrical tape instead of proper connectors. When your vehicle goes back to the dealer, they see the butchered wiring and void your electrical warranty. You saved R2,000 on the install and lost your R50,000 warranty coverage.