Factory amplifier in stock base non JBL 2nd gen Tacoma?

Hey TW, looking for your input. I recently purchased all new speakers and tweeters and installed them myself. I planned to install the HU (Alpine ILX-650 and KTA 450 + all appropriate hardware to retain back up camera, steering wheel controls, xm, etc). However, I found a shop in town that would do it for $100-200.

When I picked up the truck, he insisted that I didn't need the KTA 450 amp because my truck had a factory amp built in and therefore didn't install it. I was thrilled thinking I saved $200 and the $160 he charged me seemed like he essentially "saved me more than $40" by not needing the KTA and the associated wiring.

Do you think this is possible? The truck stereo gets loud, but does distort at high volume which makes me skeptical that maybe its not amped and he just didn't want to do it and charged me the same amount he quoted me anyway? For clarity, I installed new kicker tweeters, and alpine JL Audio C1-690x and JL Audio C2-650X in the rear. I've had amplified rockford fosgates in a car years ago and seemed a lot cleaner than this.

I'm thinking about going to another installer in town and having them review the wiring. But even if this guy lied, what would I do about it?

Anyway, is there a simple way to pull the deck out and review the wiring to see if the speakers are in fact amplified by what he states is a factory amp "located somewhere up in the dash" ?

Thanks for your input!

 

If is is the amplified system (JBL) you would have JBL logo on the factory radio and a subwoofer against the back wall behind on the passenger side.

even if it is the JBL system, the amp is
1) puny in power compared to the alpine power pack
2) designed for 2ohm speakers, not 4ohm like you installed (which cuts roughly half the amp’s power output, making it distort at much lower volume

As for a simple way to pull the radio,
Get a pry tool or butter knife and pop loose the AC controls, then remove 4 10mm bolts holding the bottom of the radio and pull the whole thing out

 

Thanks for the reply. It’s definitely not the JBL version. No logo, no factory sub, and cheap paper speakers.

There’s no reason it would have had a factory amp. But I also can’t understand why he would have lied.

is there a way to know if the wires are going to an amp if I pull the HU out of the dash?

 

If it’s not JBL, and he didn’t install the alpine amp, then there’s no amp for it to be going to.

 

And as for “extra wiring” the alpine amp literally is designed to use existing wiring and not need anything extra run through the vehicle or to the battery.

 

This is all I see. I’ll probably have to take it to another installer and get them to do it correctly. Sad you can’t trust people to do it right.

 

And as for checking if he lied, did you get an itemized bill, or even just a written form with what services he performed?
Or just “install - $200”

if he wrote down that he did work that he didn’t do and charged you for it, then you’re set. But if it was just a single labor charge, not much you can do