Troubleshooting Your Car Audio Product Before Requesting a Return

At Big Jeff Audio, we’re committed to helping you get the most out of your gear. Before starting a return, we ask that you take a few minutes to troubleshoot your item. This helps prevent unnecessary returns, ensures quicker resolutions, and gives our support team a clearer idea of what’s going on.

Below are some general steps for troubleshooting common product types:

🔊 Speakers & Subwoofers

• Check wiring: Ensure proper polarity and a secure connection at both the amp and speaker terminals.
• Inspect the speaker itself: Gently press the cone—if you hear scraping or feel resistance, the speaker may be damaged.
• Test with a different channel: Move the speaker to another working channel to rule out amp or wiring issues.
• Look for amplifier clipping: Excessive gain can cause distortion or damage—adjust settings and re-test.

🔌 Amplifiers

• Verify power and ground: Make sure connections are tight, clean, and using the proper gauge wire.
• Check the remote turn-on wire: Confirm it’s receiving 12V when the head unit powers on.
• Inspect the fuse: Both at the amp and near the battery—replace if blown.
• Look for overheating: Allow the amp to cool and check for proper ventilation.
• Test with a known good sub/speaker: This helps isolate whether the issue is with the amp or the connected equipment.

🔋 Batteries

• Check voltage: Use a multimeter to check resting voltage. Most lithium batteries should be above 12.8V when charged.
• Inspect terminals: Ensure they are clean and tight.
• Verify charge method: Not all batteries can be charged the same way—confirm your charger is compatible with lithium or AGM.
• Avoid mixing battery types: Never mix AGM and lithium without proper isolation—this can lead to failure or charging issues.

⚡ Alternators

• Measure charging voltage: It should read around 13.8V–14.8V with the vehicle running.
• Check belt tension and alignment: A loose or misaligned belt can prevent proper function.
• Inspect all grounds and charging wires: Make sure nothing is loose, corroded, or undersized.
• Verify pulley ratio: High-output alternators may require specific pulley sizes to charge at idle.

📻 Head Units (Radios)

• Check the wiring harness: Look for bent pins, loose wires, or poor connections.
• Test the fuse: Both the inline fuse and the fuse on the back of the unit.
• Inspect ground and battery connections: Confirm the head unit has a good ground and constant 12V.
• Reset the unit: Many head units have a small reset button that can resolve software hiccups.
• Try factory settings: A factory reset can clear up software or configuration issues.

🛠️ Still Need Help?

If you’ve completed basic troubleshooting and still believe your product is defective, we're here for you. When submitting a return request, please include a short description of what troubleshooting steps you’ve taken—this helps us speed up your claim and better assist you.

Questions? Reach out to us at [email protected] or call 737-BIG-JEFF for further support.