Terms of Service

These Terms of Service apply to SMS Car Audio product purchases, quotes, estimates, deposits, appointments, installation, diagnostics, DSP tuning, programming, electrical work, custom fabrication, Lit FX products, subwoofer enclosures, special orders, shipping, local pickup, and website use.

By placing an order, paying a deposit or invoice, approving a quote or render, authorizing work, leaving a vehicle or product with SMS, or using this website, the customer agrees to the applicable written quote, invoice, work order, product page, policy, manufacturer terms, provider agreement, and these Terms.

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Non-Waivable Legal Rights

Nothing in these Terms limits a right or remedy that cannot legally be waived. Where applicable law requires a cancellation, refund, disclosure, repair, replacement, warranty remedy, shipment-delay option, or other protection, SMS Car Audio will follow that requirement.

If a written quote, invoice, manufacturer warranty, financing agreement, or applicable law provides a more specific controlling term, that term applies to the extent required.

Customer Authorization and Approved Scope

A customer can authorize work through a signed document, electronic approval, text message, email, online checkout, deposit, invoice payment, or other clear written or electronic confirmation accepted by SMS.

• SMS is responsible for the products and work included in the approved scope.
• An estimate is based on the information and vehicle condition reasonably available before work begins.
• Hidden damage, incorrect previous work, missing parts, factory-system differences, water intrusion, damaged wiring, incompatible equipment, or other concealed conditions can require a revised scope.
• SMS will obtain customer authorization before knowingly performing chargeable work beyond the approved estimate or scope, except when immediate action is reasonably necessary to protect safety or prevent additional damage and the customer cannot be reached.
• Customer-requested changes after approval are change orders and can require additional products, materials, labor, design time, payment, and scheduling.

Quotes, Estimates, and Product Recommendations

• Quotes and estimates are based on the vehicle, equipment, photos, measurements, manufacturer information, supplier availability, and customer goals provided at the time.
• A quote can expire or require revision when pricing, availability, manufacturer specifications, shipping, taxes, labor, vehicle condition, or project scope changes.
• Online availability or a product recommendation does not guarantee vehicle fitment until the relevant vehicle, factory audio package, dimensions, interfaces, and system requirements are verified.
• SMS can correct obvious typographical, pricing, specification, availability, or product-data errors before fulfillment. If an order cannot be completed as accepted, SMS will provide the cancellation, refund, substitution, or delay options required by the applicable order and law.

Deposits, Payment, and Vehicle or Product Release

• Installation and DSP-tuning appointments generally require a 50% deposit.
• Custom, personalized, one-of-a-kind, and certain special-order products require full payment before production or ordering.
• Unless SMS agrees otherwise in writing, the remaining balance is due when the approved work is complete and before the vehicle, product, keys, removable panels, or completed custom work is released.
• SMS can retain possession of a vehicle or product for unpaid authorized charges to the extent permitted by applicable law.
• Returned payments, chargebacks, financing reversals, storage, towing, rescheduling, or collection activity can create additional lawful charges.
• SMS will provide an itemized invoice or work record describing the products, services, materials, and labor included in the completed transaction.

Appointments, Cancellations, and Vehicle Preparation

• Installation, DSP tuning, fabrication, diagnostics, vehicle inspections, and larger planning sessions are performed by appointment.
• A missed appointment or late cancellation can result in forfeiture of the appointment deposit.
• The customer must provide accurate vehicle details, all required keys and remotes, adequate fuel or battery charge, and access to the work areas.
• Personal property, cargo, tools, valuables, and child seats should be removed from the areas SMS must access.
• Undisclosed previous work, warning lights, water leaks, electrical problems, damaged trim, security systems, or vehicle faults can change the project scope, schedule, and price.

Customer-Supplied and Third-Party Equipment

SMS does not install products that were not purchased through SMS Car Audio.

• SMS does not provide product warranty coverage for merchandise purchased from another seller.
• SMS cannot verify the authenticity, condition, prior use, completeness, compatibility, warranty eligibility, or seller support of outside products.
• Existing third-party equipment already installed in a vehicle can require paid inspection and can require correction, removal, or replacement before SMS continues work or tuning.
• SMS can decline diagnosis, integration, programming, removal, reinstallation, wiring, repair, or tuning involving outside equipment when safety, quality, compatibility, missing information, or support concerns exist.

Vehicle Condition and Pre-Existing Issues

• Previous wiring, corrosion, water intrusion, weak batteries, charging-system faults, brittle trim, missing clips, damaged panels, warning lights, software issues, and factory-module problems can affect installation.
• SMS is not responsible for unrelated pre-existing damage or vehicle faults unless specifically retained to diagnose or repair them.
• Panel removal has inherent risk when heat, age, ultraviolet exposure, prior repairs, broken clips, adhesives, or brittle plastics have weakened the vehicle before service.
• SMS can photograph or document pre-existing condition, disassembly, wiring, measurements, serial numbers, diagnostic results, and completed work for legitimate service, quality, warranty, insurance, and dispute-resolution purposes.

Installation, Fabrication, and Service Standards

SMS performs approved work using the information, products, methods, tools, and professional judgment reasonably available for the project. A vehicle-audio result depends on the complete system, including source signal, speaker locations, equipment condition, installation space, enclosure, electrical supply, vehicle acoustics, and customer operating habits.

• SMS does not guarantee a subjective sound preference, specific sound-pressure level, competition result, exact frequency response, cosmetic perception, or performance beyond the written project scope.
• Custom fabrication can include reasonable material, grain, texture, color, handmade, and fitment variation consistent with the approved design and production method.
• Minor non-structural cosmetic variation in handmade acrylic or fabricated work is not automatically a functional defect.
• Any written SMS workmanship warranty is limited to the scope and period stated on the invoice, work order, quote, or other written project terms.
• Later modifications, third-party work, collision, abuse, water intrusion, normal wear, vehicle faults, or operation outside product limits can end or limit applicable workmanship support.

DSP Tuning, Programming, and Diagnostics

• DSP tuning and programming depend on the installed equipment, source signal, speaker locations, wiring, polarity, mounting, vehicle acoustics, software, and approved tuning scope.
• DSP cannot correct a clipped or incomplete source signal, leaking speaker mount, weak electrical system, unsafe crossover, damaged product, unsuitable enclosure, or incorrect final load.
• Diagnostic, testing, programming, removal, reinstallation, and troubleshooting time is billable unless SMS agrees otherwise in writing.
• Diagnostic labor can be due even when a fault is intermittent, no fault is reproduced, a product is not repairable, or the cause is outside SMS work.
• Software, firmware, mobile applications, operating systems, and third-party cloud services can change after installation and are not controlled by SMS.

Custom Products, Lit FX, and Special Orders

• Personalized, built-to-order, vehicle-specific, engraved, laser-cut, CNC-cut, 3D-printed, acrylic, enclosure, panel, bracket, adapter, amplifier-rack, lighting, and other one-of-a-kind products are customer-specific.
• Personalized and one-of-a-kind Lit FX orders require full payment and customer approval of the production render.
• The standard Lit FX production target is seven calendar days after render approval unless the product page or quote states otherwise. Carrier transit time is additional.
• Custom and special-order products are non-refundable and non-cancelable after approval, ordering, cutting, programming, or production begins, except where applicable law requires otherwise.
• Customer-requested artwork, names, logos, and graphics must be supplied or authorized for the intended use. The customer is responsible for having the necessary rights or permission to request reproduction.
• Autotech alternators and other application-specific custom products are subject to the lead-time, fitment, final-sale, and hardware requirements stated on the product page or quote.

Shipping, Pickup, and Order Delays

The Shipping and Local Pickup Policy controls processing, shipment estimates, delay notices, local pickup, vendor-direct orders, damage claims, address errors, and return-shipping procedures.

• Production or processing time is separate from carrier transit time.
• Carrier estimates are not guarantees by SMS.
• When merchandise cannot ship within the promised or legally applicable period, SMS will provide the delay, cancellation, and refund options required by law.
• Customers must inspect shipments promptly and retain packaging for damage, missing-item, or incorrect-item claims.

Returns and Warranty Support

The Warranty and Return Policy controls standard product-return review, final-sale categories, manufacturer warranty processing, SMS workmanship review, shipping damage, and support procedures.

• A manufacturer product warranty is controlled by the manufacturer's written terms and claim approval.
• Manufacturer warranty does not automatically include diagnosis, removal, reinstallation, shipping, programming, fabrication, or retuning labor.
• SMS must have a reasonable opportunity to inspect an alleged workmanship issue before another party alters the work, except when immediate safety action is necessary.

Electrical and High-Power Systems

• The customer must operate equipment within the approved impedance, voltage, crossover, thermal, enclosure, and power limits.
• Batteries, alternators, cable, fuse protection, grounding, distribution, and charging voltage must be compatible with the exact system and battery chemistry.
• Advertised amplifier, battery, or alternator ratings do not eliminate the need for actual current, voltage-drop, thermal, and duty-cycle planning.
• Failures caused by low voltage, improper charging, incompatible battery chemistry, incorrect wiring, inadequate fusing, poor grounding, clipping, overpowering, or operation outside product limits can be excluded from warranty.

Financing and Third-Party Payment Services

Snap Finance, Acima, Shop Pay Installments, payment processors, and other providers are independent third parties with their own applications, eligibility rules, leases, loans, installment agreements, fees, APRs, payment schedules, privacy practices, and account-servicing procedures.

• Provider approval does not confirm product fitment, project approval, appointment availability, or SMS acceptance of the project.
• Lease-to-own transactions do not transfer ownership until the customer completes the agreement's ownership requirements or exercises an available purchase option.
• The exact provider agreement and checkout disclosures control the customer's payment obligation.
• Material changes to a financed order can require refunding and creating a new transaction.

Review Financing and Lease-to-Own Options

Photos, Video, Documentation, and Marketing

SMS can create internal photos, video, measurements, and records for estimating, installation, diagnostics, quality control, warranty support, training, security, insurance, and dispute resolution.

Public marketing use of clearly identifiable customer information, personalized details, or license plates is separate from internal project documentation. SMS should obtain permission before intentionally publishing that identifiable content. Customers can request that their vehicle or project not be used in future public marketing, subject to SMS retaining internal records for legitimate business and legal purposes.

The Privacy Policy explains information collection, cookies, service providers, data requests, and marketing choices.

Customer Responsibilities and Safe Operation

• Use the vehicle, audio, lighting, camera, and electrical equipment safely and lawfully.
• Do not operate audio or lighting in a manner that obstructs visibility, distracts the driver, interferes with vehicle controls, violates noise or lighting laws, or creates unsafe conditions.
• Follow manufacturer instructions, volume limits, break-in guidance, charging requirements, memory-card maintenance, fuse ratings, and fastener-recheck instructions.
• Stop using equipment and contact SMS when there is smoke, overheating, burning odor, electrical arcing, repeated fuse failure, battery swelling, abnormal voltage, water intrusion, or another safety concern.
• Maintain access to required controls, fuses, batteries, service panels, and emergency equipment.

Third-Party Products and Services

Manufacturers, distributors, carriers, financing providers, payment processors, software developers, mobile applications, mapping services, and other third parties control their own products, availability, outages, updates, approvals, delays, warranty decisions, and terms. SMS is not responsible for a third party's independent act or failure beyond the responsibility imposed by applicable law.

Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, SMS is not liable for indirect, incidental, special, punitive, or consequential damages arising from a product, service, vehicle downtime, software issue, lost data, missed event, lost revenue, carrier delay, financing decision, or third-party service.

To the fullest extent permitted by law, any SMS liability arising from a specific product or service is limited to the amount paid to SMS for that specific product or service. This limitation does not apply where prohibited by law or to liability that cannot legally be limited.

Indemnity for Customer-Supplied Content and Instructions

To the extent permitted by law, the customer is responsible for claims arising from artwork, logos, trademarks, copyrighted material, measurements, instructions, or other content the customer supplies or directs SMS to use when the customer did not have the necessary rights or when the information was materially inaccurate.

Governing Law, Severability, and Changes

• Unless another law must apply, these Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Louisiana.
• If a provision is found unenforceable, the remaining provisions continue to the extent legally permitted.
• SMS can update these website Terms prospectively. The terms accepted for an existing paid order or approved project remain subject to that transaction's applicable written documents and law.

Questions Before Ordering or Authorizing Work?

Contact SMS before checkout, approval, or disassembly when fitment, compatibility, payment, custom work, shipping, warranty, or project scope is uncertain.

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