I have not one but two excellent stories to share about this place. I live in Humboldt but I'm from Butte county and travel back and forth frequently. On a trip down over last summer I started having issues with my stock car stereo, I ended up buying a new stereo at Best Buy but no one could install it for me and I was driving back to Humboldt the next day, I called exotic car audio and he told me to come right in! He got my stereo installed (beautifully) and at a reasonable price. A few months after he installed my stereo it stopped working (unforeseen incident) and I had to take it to a place up in Humboldt for them to try to fix it (that's a whole other review, but they were only temporarily successful fixing it). My stereo stopped working again when I was back home and I called exotic car stereo, he again told me to bring it right in, he told me how he could fix it and I wouldn't have anymore issues after he made the adjustment (and I haven't). He told me the car audio place in Humboldt probably didn't know anything about my particular stereo. He also showed me an issue with my car that I didn't know about and was able to get fixed before any serious damage occurred. Plus I was on the road headed back up the mountain and had my 2 little dogs with me and he let them hang out with me in the waiting room. I couldn't ask for better customer service here. If you want quality work done with your car audio system then you should absolutely come here! read more

I have used Exotic for many things including keyless entry, auto start, new decks, speakers, and more. The prices and service are all great. They know what they are doing and are very profesional. If I ever had a question or issue I know I can call or stop by and get the answer I need without a fuss. I will be a returning customer for life! read more

Excellent and knowledgeable staff. Quick booking time, and finished my window tinting and keyless entry quicker then expected. Did a fantastic job, was patient and explained all my options and I never felt pressured. I was thrilled with the job done and would only recommend them :) read more

Exotic Car Audio & Security - Car Stereo Installation Near Me - Chico, California

I will always go to Exotic Auto in Chico from now on. They found a difficult wire I needed for my car and fixed it up in just a few days. They are super friendly, speedy, and will get everything right the first time. I will definitely recommend Exotic Auto to my friends and family. read more

So. My radio died. I love my 2007 CRV radio but needed to replace with a comparable one. We walk in and meet Alex and Tucker. Alex is the owner and makes you feel like if he can't figure something out - he will figure it out! He never gave up and Tucker was super helpful too. And when there were issues - Alex worked the problems and found solutions. He's very much on the customer's side. And we are very happy customers with a great unit. THANK YOU! read more

This was THE best experience I've had while searching to put sound in my car. I called many people about putting a screen in my car and just to make the stereo work since nothing in my car was working. Alex was very upfront with everything which is what I like he also was very respectful. He was also the only person that when they heard Porsche did not hike there prices almost 600 dollars. If you need any type of sound go to him he's an upfront person about everything and will treat you and your car with the upmost respect! Thank you again Alex! read more

Not sure where to start. These guys seemed good at the beginning and appeared to fix the issue with my existing remotely start and security system. Of course when I picked up my car Alex threw in a caveat explanation as to how he almost didn't take on the job due to what he explained was a shotty job by the original installer (as to cover his rear should anything go wrong). Nonetheless, he patched up the issue, at an additional cost than what I expected to pay, may I add. He indicated it would need an additional hour of labor so I did agree to pay that. So yes, it was working when I left but just over a month later it failed again. I took it back to Alex and he simply looked under the dashboard which took him 10 seconds to do and said it looked as though when he left it when I pulled it off his lot so it couldn't be anything they did wrong. Well the point is I didn't pay for a "patch" job. I paid for him to fix the issue and he applied a "patch" job to fix it, not a permanent fix. To say the least it's disappointing but if anyone can learn from my mistake, be aware. Good luck in your search. read more

I love this shop! Wonderful customer service, up front with costs/turn around times and outstanding work by Alex and Tucker! I have had a number of issues with an in dash back up camera that was installed improperly and upside down from a different shop. Exotic audio was able to correct the issues the same day and fast! This shop never disappoints and I will continue to bring any/all of my vehicles to them! read more

Awesome place, great service. Hooked up my back up camera perfectly with hidden wires. Will defenitely recommend to friends.

Alex is a true professional and easy to work with. I had power steps installed on my Tundra, as well as an LED bar and dash cam installed. Because he did such a great job, I brought my Malibu Wakesetter in to get the stereo sorted out. He gave me a number of options to work with, making sure to figure out what would work best for me and my budget. I would recommend his shop to anyone looking at vehicle or boat customization. read more

This place's prices are inflated and they overcharge for everything. I went in to check why my sub wasn't working and it only took the guy Alex like 5 min to tell me my amp was bad. He then wanted to sell me another amp for $900 dollars almost $1000 bucks. Saw the same amp elsewhere for $300. He then charged $70 for just looking at my car. He informed me that my back speakers were unconnected. I asked him if he could at least connect them for me since he was going to charge me $70. He said no it would be extra. Before going I wanted him to check my underbody neon lights because they stopped working as well. He said that for checking that and my sub it would be $160+ just for him to look at it. This place is ridiculous. Never going back. read more

Alex is a nice guy and is willing to make the time to take care of you, but when rating my overall experience, I spent at least $350 to get absolutely no where with my issue. My amp has been going into protection mode in and out and wanted to go to an expert in order to get some clarity on the problem. Figured that new rewiring should do the trick. He did a great job with the new set up and looks a whole lot better than it did before and worked like a charm. The next morning, the amp gets stuck into protection mode and I take my car back in. He charged me 60 bucks just to tell me that I have bad rca cables, but never had a definite answer to why my amp was doing what it was it was. What person wants to spend time and money to go to an expert to receive such an unsure answer that has the probability to cost me even more. He claimed that I had damaged sub terminals that would boot my system into protection mode if they were moved during transit. After 4 hours with my car, all he did was put duct tape on the terminals so they wouldn't move any further and that should be a temporary fix to my protection mode problems. On the way home, as I pulled out of the parking lot, the system shuts off again. Long story short, don't base your decision on going to this place based on the high reviews on Yelp. Im not just customer, I am a full time student who has been working hard just to get my sound fixed and got me no where with my problem. read more

I bought a NEW car radio, wiring harness and dash mounting stuff via Amazon. I made sure that I bought the largest most complete dashboard kit available, which cost me extra $. Alex did a very quick job removing my old AM/FM stereo/cassette and installing a NEW Boss AM/FM stereo/CD. Alex criticized my choice in the stereo I bought, acting like his installation would not last but that it would be the stereo's fault. I had searched ratings. I found some electrical stuff on my floor; cut plugs and Alex kept all the extra installation stuff I bought, which I did not appreciate, since I paid for them, or notice until I go home to Magalia. He charged me about $15% MORE than Geek Squad and others I had checked. Do over? I'd go somewhere else. read more

I just wanted to write a review for alex ...i was just thinkn about this the other day alex has put complete system after complete system in so many cars, alex i tell you thank you after every time i get a car back from you, always is a straight shooter, never over sells me on anything very knowledgeable an even recently hookt up a stereo on my bagger it was a cheapy i had pickt up an alex said il hook it up but you really should save some money an get something better but i had him just go ahead an hook it up ,i think it sounds ok but when i get some extra money il be buying from alex hes always treated me fair always went above an beyond. Hes very respectful an i just wanted to say thanks mr alex and soon i will be having you an your son do me a complete system an my wifes truck also...i hope if there are people out there that read these they see that alex knows his stuff i will go no where else read more

I wanted to give them a better review but they installed a faulty security system in my car. I called and brought the car in and was basically told it was user error. The last time i called i was told he would call me back and he never did. Finally i took my car somewhere else and they fixed the system. I had to pay exotic a couple hundred to install faulty equipment then had to pay someone else to install a new one exact same model but doesnt sound the alarm for no reason like the first. Pretty lame. read more

Exceptional service! Alex was is very knowledgable and gave great recommendations for our system. Very clean and professional installation.

I spoke to the owner Alex, on the phone who was very professional. I work two jobs and have little free time. Alex was able to accommodate my time frame and get my vehicle in and out in no time. He provided a true and correct estimate for parts and labor. When I came to pick up my vehicle, it was ready as promised and sounded amazing! The precision and detail of wiring was quite impressive. I would definitely recommend this shop for any car audio and security needs. Thanks Alex! You Guys Rock! read more

I had been calling around the Chico area looking for someone to put in a new stereo for my car. I wasn't really having any luck because every audio shop I called wanted to up-sale me on subs, speakers or 7" LCD screens that I didn't want or need. I finally called Exotic Car Audio and spoke with Alex. I told him I wasn't looking for anything fancy, just a clean and form stereo to fit the dash board. I wanted to face of the stereo to take up the area where the old stock stereo was and I wanted it to be Bluetooth capable. He scheduled me for the upcoming Saturday, so I only had to wait 2 days. The installation process only took a couple of hours and Alex was calling me to come and pick up my car. He sat with me for about 20 minutes to explain some of the setting on the stereo and he even hooked my phone up to Bluetooth. Aside from audio they also offer tint, security and many other services, call Alex before you waste your time calling around to other places, he is very pleasant to work with. I would highly recommend Exotic Car Audio and Alex to my friends and family in the future. read more

I'd give Alex 10 stars if available. He definitely lives up to his high ratings. I believe the low ratings must be false. Alex answered all my questions a few days ago when I went in to check out a backup camera for my 2007 Honda Civic. He was professional, friendly, very knowledgable and helpful. I just wish I had gone in 5 years ago when my car was newer. He and his service exceeded my expectations and I recommend him highly. read more

the only place I could find that installs idatalink maestro, no regrets they did an excellent job, fast,friendly and got me in the same day I called,definitely will go there again,5 stars read more

Great Job! Found Exotic Car Audio on yelp and went to the shop to see if they could do the upgrade I needed on my Lexus. Alex is a straight shooter and total pro. New system ROCKS! Highly recommend Alex and Exotic Car Audio. read more

Awesome service! Installed keyless entry as a Christmas gift for my spouse. He did an excellent job and it works perfectly! Thank you! I'll definitely refer my friend's and family. read more

To be fair, Alex is a nice guy and in general provides adequate customer service. As far as price, I didn't get any comparison estimates so I can't objectively say his prices aren't reasonable... They may or may not be. Where he falls short is in their quality of work. The wiring looks like a rats nest...seems like a little more time and care could've been taken to do a cleaner job. I also had him reroute some stock wiring in the vehicle. In order to do this he had to drill some additional holes in the frame work of the vehicle, not a problem however he wasn't careful when doing it and put several dents in the exterior of the vehicle. When I brought the dents to his attention he said he'd call and scheduled a paint-less dent removal company to remove the dents. Angry with his complete lack of care for my brand new vehicle, I chose not to wait and called and scheduled the repair myself. He broke plastic clips, trim pieces and scratched panels throughout the vehicle. To be fair, he paid for the dent removal and I agreed to reducing the bill $50 for one of the broken trim pieces. Why not just replace if you knew you broke it? I also made a couple trips back due to interior trim that wasn't reinstalled correctly. At one point I was driving and my instrument cluster fell out. As for the equipment it seems nice enough, however with my complete lack of confidence in Alex I decided to take the vehicle to another shop to have the issues resolved. They assured me that stereo and amp were good quality and then took the time to adjust the amp and stereo to enhance the sound quality, which I thought Alex would've done before I left his shop. Again, Alex was friendly, knowledgable and patient but his attention to detail, ability to do a clean and professional install was seriously lacking in my case. Overall, my experience with Alex and Exotic Car Audio was disappointing at best. I would NOT recommend them for your car audio and customizing needs. read more

Good overall experience with this audio shop. Alex was pretty knowledgeable and very helpfull. Highly recommend...