REGIONAL EXCELLENCE GUIDE: Oxford Car Audio
With a history going back a generation or two, this spot in Marston, effectively a suburb of Oxford, has had the same flavour of business in it for ever. Starting as Marston Auto Parts, the previous owners sold it on as a true going concern that has evolved into one of the UK’s very best car electronics dealers and craftsman installers. But in living memory, it has always been a spot where you could take a car and have it come away with a solution for your problem or else a serious enhancement. It is just the level of complexity and awesomeness of that enhancement path that has become a world of music, movies (for passengers) and well-handled information.
The company has all the parts you may need already in stock. The walls of the workshop are festooned with the funny little widgetty bits that are hidden away when you interface a bit of kit with a modern car. It has been a decade since anyone ever ‘˜cut’ a wire in the loom of a car to add audio. The most would be a speaker wire or two on the OEM system being tapped-into to feed an aftermarket signal-smoother.
But the widgets are the least of it, as a wide selection of proper sound and information stuff from entry-level-but-still-better-than-your-car’s-factory-kit, all the way to musician-grade audiophile, is kept handy for customers to have a go on, experience and feel.
But no emporium is simply about the number of thingummies they have on sale, nor even if they are prettily displayed but crucially about the people. As the old saying used to be that ‘People buy from people.’ Nowadays, we know that the ‘˜people’ may be abused for their knowledge in a bricks and mortar shop and then Amazon used to deliver an item for a low price. But with your car, a decade or two of love of the subject and passionate craftsmanship ain’t something you can find at ‘80% off’ on Ebay. And that’s where expertise matters.
Which is not to say that the Oxford Car Audio folks are not competitive on pricecheck this video. It may be the best way to learn about why OCA are a ‘˜One Less Thing To Worry About’ issue when it comes to finding somewhere to sort your car’s audio or anything else that isn’t oily. (Maybe compressed air, mind)
If you want to find out about air suspension for your sick ride, if you are a major Japanese electronics company looking for a specialist install house to create your next crowd-boggling demo wagon, if you just want the speakers to sound nicer in your lease car then call them on 01865 769 911. You may have to wait a ring or two as they are often butt-upwards with their heads deep in the dash of a Mercedes or BMW, or Audi.
Oxford Car Audio, 8, Cherwell Drive, Marston, Oxford OX3 0LY
http://www.oxfordcaraudio.co.uk
And here is an example of how far out these guys can go..if you want. They can get your radio fixed, too..