Hurley’s Auto Audio

These guys have been around since 1968! I feel so comfortable going to Hurley’s because you’re talking about almost a half century of superb quality audio installations and expertise. That’s just not something you’re going to find very often anywhere let alone the DC metro area.
This is the only place I have ever (or will ever) take my cars to upgrade my audio systems. They did my Pioneer head set, Focal front speakers, with steering wheel controls, rear view camera, and front emblem HD lights to absolute perfection. Stellar job all around.
The owner has a dynamic personality and is very friendly and funny. Hurley’s definitely has a family feel with big business results.
Bottom Line: These guys are the premier car audio installations experts in the DC metro area hands down. I highly recommend that you at least go visit the shop before handing your baby over to some teenager at Best Buy.

I did not want to leave a negative review but based on the experience I’ve had and poor customer service, especially the overall cost that I just found out about, I do want to share my experience.
The job was done poorly and had to be redone. The owner promised to fix the issue. We came 3 times! (3 times we scheduled an appointment) and nothing was fixed — one time the car was sitting all day at this place and no one got to it. No one even called to let us know that it won’t be done.
Let me tell you, we don’t have every weekend available to drop it. In the end of the day, after some emotional talk, the owner did the right thing and refunded us the labor part of his job (not the full refund of course), and we had to take the car to the other place to fix it. It is one more weekend without the car and broken family plans; we were told that everything needs to be re-​wired, and the job costs twice as much as we were refunded, will take longer than was estimated in the beginning.
I regret the day I wanted to change the speaker system in my car, I wish I went with factory speakers. Very bad experience.

Several months ago I left negative feedback that was premature and unfortunate because I’ve since learned what a high quality shop Hurley’s Audio is and, Gary’s absolute attention to providing outstanding customer service. Let me explain. I asked Gary to install a high-​end Sirius XM aftermarket module in my car. It was professionally done and the car was delivered on-​time. But, shortly thereafter I started experiencing numerous system functionality outages with the «UNIT» that were not Hurley’s fault. These outages required that I return the car to Hurley’s over a period of several months. Gary worked with me and willingly fixed my radio each time at his expense. But as I said earlier, the problems I was encountering resulted from undisclosed and hidden manufacturer design flaws that Gary could not be possibly aware of, even after talking with the manufacturer several times. Finally, after a pointed discussion with the manufacturer they admitted they were at fault and we’ve since solved the problem.
Throughout this entire process Gary and Hurley’s has never waivered in their desire to fix my Sirius XM. I can absolutely say without hesitation as I came to know more about their business practices and committment to customer service that this is the best audio shop on the East Coast! I highly recommend you seek out and consider Hurley’s Audio for all your audio installation needs!

My original review was not a pleasant one… I was mis handled by Gary on the phone… So much so I decided to go into his shop and confront him. I did and he apologized for mis treating me on the phone. I gotta say, I was impressed with the way he handled things! Everyone has bad days… And I caught him in the middle of one. Gary turned an angry customer into a solid sale. I’m glad we had the opportunity to discuss things face to face and I’m glad I didn’t just leave things as they were.

I have a Unilocal account now neither for outstanding services and goods or just outrageously horrible… and this place is just unreasonably sad… i payed over 2k of just installation services because i have a high end system installed in my car… but yet my system sounded bad and i confronted the owner with a very disappointing and angry threatened respond… im not a violent person so i do this instead lol

Gary and the team are great at what they do. I highly recommend!

We purchased blind spot monitoring and a back up sensor for my son for Christmas and chose Hurley to install. I will tell you that our experience was really good with these people. Straight shooters, reasonably priced — they got everything done and it looks and works great. They also were helpful in connecting us to an auto body guy who did work on our car for a lot less than we had already gotten a bid for. I would definitely recommend these folks.

They installed an Infinity Basslink for me many years ago so when the the ground wire became unplugged from the wiring clip I figured they would fix it real quick.
After making a morning appointment and showing up as the only customer in the shop, I showed a picture of it to the older guy with mustache. He looks me dead in my eye and says «…this is gonna take about an hour and a half but I’ll only charge you $ 100…» I walked out.
Went down the street and got a wire clip for $ 1 (see pic) and fixed it myself in 3 minutes… with slacks and dress shoes on. using the screwdriver on my keychain.
Disgusting.

Hurley’s installed back-​up sensors on my Ram 1500 pickup about almost 2 years ago. Did a great job of installing the unit, and it worked well until this week. Drove-​in to let them know of the problem, and they fixed it while I waited. Apparently, a wire had been crimped. My guess is that this may have been done by the dealership when the truck was last in for service. Great product and customer service.

I’ve had a series of work done by Hurley’s over the years. It has involved audio and detection equipment including parking sensors/​cameras on high end cars. While Gary and the main shop manager (s) take pains to find out exactly what you want on the install and do a good job on the install, something has always been off. Reconnecting wiring on car equipment was reversed so functions were opposite (up is down), trim lighting disconnected…
Now Gary and the managers take the time to fix things and are cool about it, but the fact is that QA is non-​existent and the jobs are sloppy/​rushed to the point of forcing one to return. I would still use Hurley because A.) They are conscientious about trying to do the right/​best thing and fixing problems with no hassle, B) Most of the equipment I have being installed is only done by a few shops in the area, and C.) they are the better ones in the NOVA area.
They could be better if they inspected or checked out functionality more thoroughly before returning the car to the customer.

I would give negative stars if I could. My experience with this shop has been nothing short of a complete and utter nightmare.
I took my 911 Carrera to Hurley’s to get a new aftermarket headunit/​GPS/​iPod hookup/​handsfree mic installed. When I asked them why the price of their headunit was over $ 500 more than the EXACT SAME headunit on Amazon, the owner* (*a friendly, but slick-​like-​a-​used-​car-​salesman gray haired older man,) got very defensive and said that the added price was to cover installation. If so, then why was I additionally charged a separate installation fee? But I digress. The problems with the install were as follows:
–Following initial install, he audio balance (acoustics, power feed, etc.) was very unbalanced, and FM radio reception was terrible. When I took it back to get fixed, I was treated like I was a troublemaking jerk. You would think that having just spent more than $ 1500, you’d get some good service, but I guess not…
–The center console looked like it has been carved open with a hatchet in order to install the ipod hookup wires. I now cannot put coins in there, as they will fall through the giant plastic gash.
–The hands-​free cell phone mic has a very loud «metallic echo» for people on the other line, so bad that it is essentially not usable. Total waste of money. When I tried to get them to fix it, they were very dismissive, and said it sounded fine when they tested it (I immediately re-​tested it and showed them it was not working properly, and they blamed my cell phone. Unbelievable!).
In addition to all of the above horrors, I was constantly being upsold on all sorts of ridiculous, and potentially illegal-​in-​Virginia products (laser/​radar detectors/​jammers, trunk mounted traffic camera strobe light reflectors, etc.).
All in all, I would HIGHLY recommend everyone stay far, far away from this place. Unless you just have a high tolerance for pain, and way more money than brains.

Hurley’s installed a passive keyless entry and keyless start system in my car that I bought online (I confirmed that they could install it before I bought it), and I had a great experience. I called around town, and this was one of the only places that would install something they did’t sell. I just handed over the system, told them how I wanted it configured, and they took care of everything for a great price. All of the staff that I talked to was knowledgeable and very friendly. They even offered me a ride around the corner to where I work when I dropped off my car. All in all, I couldn’t have asked for better.

I don’t know what all the bad reviews about this place are, but a lot seem like people not understanding the features, or limits of putting an aftermarket stereo in their car.
I went into Hurley’s looking for a simple part that would help me with a project (bypassing the headunit and wiring my iPod directly to an amp) after the stock CD player in my Porsche Boxster died. After talking to their knowledgeable staff about this idea, I wound up buying a new head unit for my car instead. Their staff was professional, and knowledgeable about their products, and helped me identify a unit that fit my needs perfectly, they even gave me a deal on last years model that was still in their shop!
After I told the staff I was installing it myself they went above and beyond to ensure I had all the knowledge to tackle the job. I installed it, and it sounds amazing! I will be back next time I’m looking for car audio stuff!

I’ve known Gary for about a year now. I’ve brought my car in twice to have work done and each time he has done an expedient, clean job at a fair price. I recommend him to anyone in the area. In addition once you get to know him, Gary is full of wit and humor.

These guys are like good used car salesmen. Their schmoozing skills are good enough to make you think you’ve had a better experience than you have, except that, you eventually figure out that the experience you’ve had wasn’t all that good.
When I’d gotten my current car, it was as a replacement for one that had been stolen from in front of my house. Hurley’s was the only place in the area that was listed as selling a GPS-​enabled anti-​theft and tracking system that I was interested in. Because they were the sole provider, I went to them for service.
The alarm unit they installed was problematic — very temperature sensitive. I’d had the unit installed in early winter and didn’t encounter the temperature problem until the late spring. Basically, any time the temperature hovered around 72 degrees, the alarm would start to go off for no reason. I brought it in several times for them to address the issue. Ultimately, they replaced the entire system to address the problem.
Happy that they’d been solicitous about fixing the issues with the faulty alarm system and, frankly, being snowed by their schmoozing skills, I went back and had an aux-​port module added to my stock stereo. A few months later, the unit faulted (seemed like it had loosened from the jarring driving conditions in the DC metro area). I brought it back and they re-​seated the module. Things were fine for a few more months, but eventually it unseated again. I brought it back, one more time, and again they re-​secured it. However, several months later, the unit had, again, unseated itself. I was tired of the problem and getting no resolution, so I stopped coming back (and resolved never to come back).
Recently, I went to Sonic Sound in VA for audio work on both of my current vehicles. It was a much better experience (so far). Overall, two stars is probably an overly generous rating for my experience with Hurleys, but, sadly, as crap as my experience was with Hurley’s, it was still a lot better than what several people I’ve talked to have gotten from other shops in the DC area. So, because it wasn’t nightmarish — just very annoying — I’m giving them two stars. If I could give one and a half, I would.

Got my Bluetooth and iPod connection installed on my Cayenne there. Good people and very knowledgable.

My first Hurleys experience was when they installed an aftermarket in-​dash navigation/​CD changer unit in my 2007 BMW Z4. They were rather expensive, but quoted me even more for the extra work it would take for them to get my steering wheel remote controls for the CD changer to work. I decided to live without that, and also loosing the car speed/​volume sensor function. Especially as they didn’t tell me all this until AFTER the unit was installed!
The unit didn’t fit well into the dash and looked scruffy. Also it wasn’t the best I could have picked. However it was the one they reccomended.
When I called again a few months later to see how much an upgrade to my Porsche Boxster’s speakers would cost I got some kid talking crap to me on the phone. It was obvious he was making it up as he went along. It sounded so unprofessional I just hung up and gave up on Hurleys.
What a bunch of over priced cowboys they are!
Use them at your own risk!

A top outfit.
I just upgraded the stock stereo (Business CD) on my 2001 BMW E46 M3 convertible. I’ve had the car since new and it was time to modernize the radio: add iPod, Bluetooth, handsfree …
Hurley did a terrific install. The unit (Pioneer) works and sounds great. They ordered and installed bezels that match the dash. The directional mic is tucked away on top of the rearview mirror with wire concealed in the windshield frame. Three hours in and out with no scratches or dings. Tidy job.
I estimate that the cost of using them was about $ 200 more than doing this myself. From my experience this was a good value. Unless you are a trained and practiced installer, you will spend more time/​money than this surfing the web to determine wiring harness, bezels etc. before you even begin figuring how to conceal wires in the windshield or remove the stock unit without scratching the dash.

I stopped in here last week to ask about wiring my 2004 BMW for iPod integration. All I was after was an auxiliary jack, though if the price was right something that would also charge the iPod would be a bonus. While the salesperson I spoke to was pleasant enough, he never looked at the car itself and quoted me $ 360 to put in a DICE unit– $ 160 for the unit, $ 200 for installation.
I had done some reading online about the various options before heading over to Hurley’s, and $ 360 seemed like an outrageous price; people were getting the official iPod kit provided by BMW put in by dealers for around $ 260. When I asked the salesperson why the labor was so much when people I had spoken to made it sound like a pretty quick installation, he claimed that «Those cars aren’t prewired, so we have to spoof the CD changer.» When I asked him to elaborate, he said that they would have to trick the car into thinking that it was equipped with a CD changer, which is «complicated,» thus justifying the high labor cost.
I knew as he was saying all of this that he was full of it; my car has a little button on the inside of the trunk saying it’s prewired for a CD changer, and other people online said they had done this same installation in under an hour. I’m female, and I don’t know whether this guy was trying to scam me for more money on the assumption that I wouldn’t know what he was talking about or what, but an older gentleman was there that I took to be the owner, and he heard everything and didn’t say anything to contradict the salesperson I spoke to. I was happy to pay a fair price for installation if it meant getting a professional job done and having the wiring set up the way I wanted it, but if I couldn’t even trust this guy to tell me the truth about what needed to be done, why would I trust him with my car?
The end result of all this was that I went to a couple of other places and got quotes (Angel’s over in Alexandria quoted the same job at $ 260, which was more in line with what I’d been reading), then wound up buying an iSimple unit at Best Buy and installing it myself. The most extensive work I’ve ever done on a car was to change a tail light, and installing the appropriate hardware to use my iPod through the stereo took me all of forty-​five minutes; that’s how «complicated» the install was. The car was prewired for a CD changer, and aside from pulling back some carpeting in the trunk, it was completely plug and play.
I’ve never written a Unilocal review before now, but the way Hurley’s tried to scam me out of hundreds of dollars really ticked me off. I only wish I had called the salesperson out on his dishonesty on the spot. Hurley’s may do a fantastic job on your car once they have it, but I wouldn’t take their word for it when they tell you what needs to be done and how much it should cost.

This place is great. Good Work. Fair Price. They really know what they are doing and I will always trust my cars with them. I have a complicated stereo system that they did not install and they went right in a diagnosed the problem a came up with a solution. It was great. I highly recommend them.