Frequently Asked Questions

We are at #129 10985 38 St NE, Calgary, AB T3N 1E7, in the Jacksonport industrial area of northeast Calgary. The unit number matters — the building has several bays, so look for unit 129. If you cannot find us, call (368) 210-7200.

Monday to Saturday, 10:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Closed Sunday.

Booking ahead is best. Installs run in bays and a busy day fills up, so a booking is the only way to be sure of a slot. That said, if you just want something looked at or a question answered, drop in and we will take a look. Book online any time.

Everything is quoted per vehicle, because the vehicle decides most of the work. Tell us the year, make and model and what you are after, and we will give you a price before anything starts. You approve it before we begin.

Eight things: car audio, CarPlay and Android Auto, dash cams and backup cameras, remote starters, auto electrical, ambient lighting, headlight upgrades, and vehicle security. All of it is 12-volt work fitted at the shop — see everything we do.

Usually yes. Replacing the speakers alone is one of the most common jobs we do, and in most vehicles the factory head unit stays exactly where it is. Whether you get the full benefit depends on what is driving them — see car audio.

Not always. Some speakers work well on factory power; others only make sense with an amp behind them. We will tell you which situation your car is in rather than selling you an amplifier you do not need.

It should not. Retaining steering-wheel controls and factory features is normal on most vehicles, but it depends on the car and what interface it needs. We confirm what is retained before you book.

Yes, in most cases. Depending on the vehicle we can either keep your factory screen and add CarPlay and Android Auto behind it, or fit a new touchscreen head unit. An older car does not mean going without maps, music and calls on a proper screen — see CarPlay and Android Auto.

On a lot of vehicles, yes — that is often the tidiest result, because nothing about the dashboard changes. It depends on the hardware your vehicle takes, which is the first thing we check.

Both wired and wireless are possible; which you get depends on the hardware your vehicle takes. We will tell you which applies to your car before you book.

We hardwire them. The cabling sits behind the trim and the camera runs off the vehicle rather than tying up a 12-volt socket — see dash cam installation.

Not when it is wired properly. A hardwired camera with a voltage cut-off stops drawing before your battery is too flat to start the car. The same wiring is what makes parking mode work at all — it will not run from the lighter socket. Done badly, that is exactly why people think dash cams kill batteries.

Yes. Adding a reverse camera to a vehicle that never came with one is one of the jobs we do most. Where the image ends up depends on what your vehicle has — see CarPlay and screens.

Where the vehicle supports it, yes — the camera feeds straight into the display you already have, so reversing looks the way the manufacturer intended. If your car has no screen, or the factory one will not accept a camera feed, we fit a head unit that will.

On many vehicles yes, with the right interface. It is vehicle-specific, so tell us the year, make and model and we will confirm before you commit to a head unit.

Most vehicles can take one, but the module and bypass needed vary a lot between makes and model years. Give us the year, make and model and we will confirm exactly what fits and what it costs before you book — see remote starter installation.

We are a Compustar dealer, and we also work with Fortin and iDatastart systems — both are widely used for the interface side of modern vehicles.

A properly installed remote starter integrates with the factory wiring rather than cutting into it. Warranty terms are between you and your manufacturer, so if that is a concern check your own warranty documentation — and ask us how we would do the install on your vehicle.

No. A security package is a separate system from a remote starter — you can have either on its own, or both fitted in the same visit. See vehicle security.

No alarm can guarantee that, and we will not tell you otherwise. What a well-fitted system does is make the car a harder, slower, noisier target and give you warning — which is a different and more honest claim.

Sometimes. It depends what the factory system actually covers on your vehicle and what you want added — shock sensing and immobilisation are common gaps. We will tell you plainly if we think you already have enough.

Yes. Diagnosing a system that is misbehaving — including one someone else installed — is part of what we do.

Yes. A battery that keeps going flat is usually a symptom, not the fault — often a parasitic draw somewhere in the vehicle. We measure and trace before replacing anything, rather than guessing — see auto electrical.

Yes. A lot of our electrical work is sorting out a previous install — we diagnose what is actually there before deciding what needs redoing.

No. Our electrical work covers 12-volt systems — accessories, electronics, wiring, power and grounds, fuses and battery drain. Engine, transmission, ABS and check-engine-light diagnosis are a mechanic’s job, and we will say so rather than take the work.

That is the whole point of doing it properly — even light, no visible strips, no wiring on show. See ambient lighting.

Often yes, but the housing matters more than the bulb. A bright LED in a housing never designed for one can scatter light and make seeing worse — see headlight upgrades.

Because where the light goes is what you actually see by. A poor beam pattern puts light in the sky and in oncoming drivers’ eyes instead of on the road, no matter how many lumens it claims.

In many cases yes. We are happy to fit equipment you already own once we have checked it is a sensible match for the vehicle. Tell us what it is when you book so we can quote the labour correctly. If it is the wrong size, the wrong power or something that will not work properly in your car, we will say so before fitting it rather than after.

Yes — dash cameras and wireless CarPlay units are on our products page, and we fit plenty of equipment customers bring in as well.

Some models are listed on Amazon and some are not. Where a listing exists we link to it from that product page. Either way, the installation is booked separately with us.

Contact us for current availability — stock is not something the website tracks, so we would rather check for you than have the site tell you something out of date.

Book online any time, call (368) 210-7200 during shop hours, or email info@rccarentertainment.ca.

It depends entirely on the job and the vehicle — some are an hour, some are a full day. We tell you how long yours will take when we quote it, so you can plan around it.

Our installation workmanship carries a lifetime warranty — if something we installed develops a fault, bring it back and we will put it right, for as long as you own the vehicle.

The equipment carries whatever warranty the manufacturer gave it. That is separate from our installation warranty, and it varies by brand and model — ask us about the specific product.