Can this custom enclosure be repaired?

[cfox10 10+ year member]

He shipped you a subpar box with pillows surrounding it. You'd be surprised at how well people on this forum package items. It's not a good excuse. He should have insured for the entire amount.

 

[dbeez 5,000+ posts]

It is salvagable but not going to be quick or easy.

 

[dbeez 5,000+ posts]

Also sub and box shouod have been shipped in seperate boxes he skimped on shipping and your gonna end up paying for it unfortunately.

 

[mlstrass 5,000+ posts]

chop mat/kitty hair on the back side to attach ring to enclosure. Glue ring together and use chop mat/kitty hair to build it up so it's level again. Not that hard at all IMO...

 

[phenryiv1 10+ year member]

chop mat/kitty hair on the back side to attach ring to enclosure. Glue ring together and use chop mat/kitty hair to build it up so it's level again. Not that hard at all IMO...

I am sure that if I had experience with FG this would be do-able. My only experience with fiberglass matting is in using it as an overlayment to build up and reinforce the floor in my Jeep (under carpet) and my race car (bare floor) by using the FG matting and impregnating it with POR15 in place of resin to add thickness to the floor in the area where my feet rest while racing.

If I had more experience in mixing up FG and using kitty hair (whatever that is) I would be more inclined to try this on my own but if I F it up then the whole thing is gone. Plus with time being of the essence (before my PP claim window expires) I am behind the 8-ball on doing something, and this weekend is taken up by my last points race before the series closes out for the year. I have been so busy on the track car that I have had a new HU sitting idle for 3 weeks waiting for install in my daily driver.

I had one member here PM me an offer to do the repair, so maybe I will follow up and see what the cost will be and then talk to the seller.

 

[Full Tilt 10+ year member]

I'd personally say cut your losses and use the insurance money to get a nice enclosure from one of our vendors, but that's just my two cents.

 

[bbeljefe]

First of all and for future reference... never ship a sub mounted in a box... or a crate. Any shock the box or crate takes is transferred directly to the sub and obviously, can cause damage. So add that you your woes about the box... you still don't know ( I presume you haven't played it) whether or not the impact that broke the box did any damage to the sub.

Subs should be shipped in the factory packaging (usually styrofoam or several layers of cardboard) or wrapped up in a couple of layers of bubble wrap so as to insulate them from shock.

That said, the box would be easy to repair for anyone with reasonable fabrication skills. It needs a new ring cut and installed which as has been mentioned, would need to be cut half in two and then filled once the pieces are in place. Also, if cosmetics aren't a huge issue, you could cut a new ring and install it to the face of the box without having to go to the trouble of cutting and fitting two pieces inside the box. That would serve the same purpose as well as being quick. Of course, if the rest of the box is as poorly constructed as the baffle... it may not be worth the effort.

 

[phenryiv1 10+ year member]

I'd personally say cut your losses and use the insurance money to get a nice enclosure from one of our vendors, but that's just my two cents.

The insurance money is capped at $100. That isn't going to go far.

 

[Full Tilt 10+ year member]

The insurance money is capped at $100. That isn't going to go far.

That'll pay for more than half of a nice enclosure from a professional vendor, or the entirety of one you could build yourself in a couple of days.

Enclosures don't normally cost $300.

 

[phenryiv1 10+ year member]

That'll pay for more than half of a nice enclosure from a professional vendor, or the entirety of one you could build yourself in a couple of days.
Enclosures don't normally cost $300.

Are you speaking about a rectangular(-ish) enclosure not costing $300 or something thatis custom-molded fiberglass in a vehicle-specific shape?

The enclosure was tucked into the side panel of the hatch of a 2008-2014 WRX/STi and would require a vehicle to make the mold, time to lay the fiberglass and to build the enclosure itself, and then would require additional time for the aesthetics portion (sanding, painting, or carpeting, in this case). I don't kno wthat I have seen custom enclosures such as this for under $300.

Here is the enclosure in the previous owner's vehicle:

Here are some off-the-shelf vehicle-specific options from mass vendors:

Wicked C.A.S.*::*MAGIC BOXES*::*Subaru*::*Subaru - 08+ Impreza WAGON /WRX/Sti 1X10 / 1X12 Sub box Subwoofer enclosure ($349 plus shipping)

SIH1008 08-2013 Subaru WRX / STI Hatch 10 Inch Perfect Fit ($329 plus shipping)

Neither of those are as "tucked" as the enclosure that I bought, which is part of why i went with it and not with one of those.

At any rate, if you feel that one of the CA vendors could replicate or improve upon what I purchased, I woudl be happy to be wrong in my assumption that $300 was a good price for a custom, vehicle-specific enclosure.

 

[Full Tilt 10+ year member]

Haha, I'm sorry. I was under the impression that you were considering getting a simple enclosure built instead of repairing your other one, I'm not exactly sure where I got that.

 

[bradl79 10+ year member]

I am assuming u didn't use paypal?

 

[phenryiv1 10+ year member]

I did use PayPal. The seller is NOT refusing to work with me. We spoke on the phone last night and then again via text message. He asked me to post up on forums to see if it can be fixed and if so to see how much it might cost.

I sent him photos, then also sent him links to the threads that I started on the subject- here, NASIOC [subaru forum where I bought it], and DIYMA.

I am trying to determine if it can be fixed (responses seem to indicate that it can be fixed but that it might not be cost-effective) and if so how much it will cost.

If it CANNOT be fixed, I am looking for suggestions on how would be the best way to handle resolving this. Do I return it all, and if so, at whose expense? What amount should he refund? Full price? Price minus shipping? Only the cost of the enclosure?

So at this point I am seeking opinions on what is a fair resolution to this. I have never had something arrive like this and NOT have been damaged by clear abuse in shipment AND not fully insured. If it were fully insured, then I would be fine just filing the claim on it, but as the item was under-insured, it is very important that the resolution is as fair as possible to me and the seller.

If this was a simple fix that I could do myself and it cost less than $100 I'd have him file the claim, give me the money, and I'd go on. But the fix may be more than $100 and may not be successful.

So any suggestions?

 

[mlstrass 5,000+ posts]

Kitty hair is like bondo/body filler but it's finely chopped up fiberglass instead. Mixes with hardener just like body filler. So it's easier then doing cloth and resin.

Sand it with 80grit and you're done. Pack it along the backside of the ring/box with your hand. Seriously you could fix that in a few hours...

You can get a quart at any auto parts store for around $15

 

[hispls 5,000+ posts]

I guess I made the mistake of going through a vehicle-oriented website and not an audio website. The seller was NOT the builder- he re-sold an enclosure that he paid to have made and used in his own car. I have no idea what he paid.
Now that I have it all apart I see that the back is fairly thin. If I end up keeping this I may have to add additional layers to the inside.

I hate to have to reverse this transaction. The only "winner" will be the shipping company. But if I can't use it and can't repair it in a cost-effective manner, I may have to go that route.

The point being that the onus is on the seller to make sure the buyer gets what he paid for in the condition specified. It is SELLERS responsibility to ship it safely and insure appropriately or repair or refund if he can not deliver the promised goods in promised condition.

You could likely salvage it with some fiberglass work yourself, but it really shouldn't be your problem for what you paid.