I recently bought a kenwood DDX8901HD Stereo and am currently setting up the installation. They are estimating a $330 total fee after all the parts but I was told by someone else that all he needed to put the stereo in was the PAC RP5-GM11 Wiring Interface. I was told with the purchase of the stereo would cost me $95 and they charge $125 for labor. Does anyone know where the extra $110 would have come from?

My car is a 2002 Monte Carlo LS with a Factory Amp, No steering wheel controls (although I'm looking to install some factory ones), and no OnStar system.

 

So the 330 was including the radio, pac interface, and labor? To me that seems like a lot but I just did it myself. If you can do that, it would be the way to go instead of paying someone to do it. You can find videos on youtube on how to do it. There maybe a thread on here. It is pretty simple to do though.

 

its not hard at all,just take your time and make everything look neat,i paid $250 for two 600watt massive 12's,huge ported box,1200watt amp,all heavy duty wiring and installation in a flea market in texas,if everything wasn't ready in an hour it was free,but he got it done in 45 mins

 

You just have to shop around. Even check out craigslist. I found my guy through craigslist and he did a better job than audioexpress he was even able to put in the switch to over right the brake so I dont need the parking brake on to watch movies. So he installed my Appradio2, my viper alarm, and my 12" sub all of which came out of my previous car and did it all for $150. So just shop around and see what kind of deals you can find.

 

Last aftermarket car stereo I installed was a JVC CD-player with MP3 support on my '94 Grand Am, probably around 2005-ish. I did the install myself, radio, install kit, wiring harness and antenna adapter, $150 shipped to my door (cheaper then buying the stuff locally).

With all the time soldering the wiring harness to the radio harness, then doing the install, I may have about 2+ hours in the job. I would think an install shop should do it all quicker/faster (due to more experience).

Something to keep in mind, it's been a LONG time since I looked at this gear, but I was considering an after market radio install on my Monte (I just wanted ability to play MP3s on CD). The wiring harnesses back in '08 when I got my Monte ran about $80-$150 (that did not include the adapter to all the steering wheel controls to work). Part of the reason was due to overcoming the door chime issue going through the radio and I believe most harnesses allowed you to remotely mount your factory radio elsewhere in the Monte to control to use the other functions it served.
So, back then, that pricing turned me off and I found a better answer, a factory '04 Cavalier/Venture Van MP3 radio (looks like factory and works like factory, add the MP3 feature I wanted, $50 via ebay and a case of beer to a friend with a Tech II).

If you are concerned about labor costs, do some reading and asking and price out the parts. Crutchfield: Car Stereo, Speakers, Home Theater, Pro Audio, 4k TV is a great resource and they help you get all the piece parts you need when ordering.