Okay I was wondering since this is the electronics section...What methods do you people use to keep your $1500.00 + stereo system from being stolen.

Alarm system?
LoJack?
The Club?
Ignition disabler?
Remove the Coil Wire?
Hidden Switch under the dash?
When Pulling into parking spaces do you make sure to turn your system way down?

I have already had a car stolen and all my Funcky Junk ripped out once and would like to avoid it again.

 

click here for My Special Alarm System

 

SIGN ME UP!!!!!!!

 

 

I would recommend the last option u listed to everyone..

Alarm, club, switch are useless. Lojack can be helpful... u could try a removable steering wheel ...

But I guess , if a thief wants your car bad enough, they'll take it somehow....

 

only the last option is about the stereo. lo jack, alarm, club, coils.... don't protect your stereo!!! someone could still break a window and steal the radio

4 things i can think of...

1. you mentioned turn it down when near your destination. gets less attention.

2. tint your windows real dark. might not be legal but if they can't see it how do they know they want to break a window and steal it?

3. don't go around showing off your system. hey everybody come look at my cool system, now leave it alone while i go shopping.

4. if you have a detach face take it with you. don't put it under the seat or in the glove box. thieves look there hoping you were lazy.


if you don't like those, don't get a system or just hope and pray it's still there when you get back...

 

get a rider on your insurance policy to cover the stereo. that way if it magically disappears, it can magically reappear.

 

get it installed where it would be a pain to remove... something custom perhaps...

 

hey, vimean happens to be an installer at sound of tri-state why not take it to him and he can make it a pain in the ___....

sorry just tryin to help ya out

oh ya and brasscorpion too


Jeff

 

• ALWAYS use common sense. Don't 'bump' where you live, esp. if you live in an apartment
• If at all possible, avoid putting any stickers on your car (be it performance or audio) they just scream "steal me! steal me!"
• If you go to car shows/soundoffs, I suggest removing your license plate temporarily. This will at least make it hard for people to remember your car is packing what gear(s)
• Consider getting dark limo tint and car cover. Remember - out of sight, out of mind.
• when you go to a mall or a store, turn down your system at least 2 miles BEFORE you get there. When a thief hears you bumpin down the road, he will follow you till you park and jack your equipment when you leave. Anybody who's desperate for money will do ANYTHING to steal something.
• Please Please Please install an alarm. I know about 30 people who pack thousands of dollars worth of competition-grade Audio Equipments in their SPL vehicles and they don't even have a $100 car alarm How stupid can you be..
• 'modify' your car alarm.. It might be an overkill, but I'll install 10 additional siren around the car - two inside the hood, two underneath beside the cat, two in the trunk, and four in the cabin. Thieves don't have enough time to cut all those wires while they're blaring 130bD.
• I betcha right now I can guess where you all have your alarm brains.. they're under the dash. right? that thing can be disabled in less than 5 seconds! Don't be a fool, move that brain somewhere hidden. Mine has mixed wire colors and false wires all around, Not even a professional installer can unload it.
• modify your Kickpanels to hide the hood release latch under the dash. Mine is covering the whole thing so you will have to reach inside the kicks to pop the hood. One time I took it in for an oil change it took the guy about 10 minutes to figure out where the hood release is This is extremely important so that the thief can't disconnect your +12 source and disable your alarm.
• I can't emphasize enough how extremely important security screws are. These are oddly-shaped head screws that you can get from any hardware store. Nearly ALL thieves carry a flat screwdriver and/or phillips screwdriver all the time. A hex or square head screw will definately slow them down. If your amp is bolted to the amp rack like this, there's NO WAY they can take your equipment.. but make sure your amp rack is bolted as well.
• Ask your insurance provider if they can cover your equipment.
• Be careful on who you show your system to... remember that every person is a possible thief. Even people who post here.
• Don't leave anything "interesting" inside your car (cellphone, jewelry, heck even a quarter) this will only attract passerbys that can possibly lead to theft.
• make sure all your fuses are good and have the right rating. Moreover, make sure your equipments are FUSED. In worst case scenario, after an equipment is stolen, wirings short out literally putting the car on fire.

The next time you roll down the parking lot, remember to keep them bass down cause having a system is like having sex--- you'll never know when you're gonna get jacked

Additional Tip: For those of you with websites about your ride... BE CAREFUL! That website can easily turn into a 'shopping catalog' for a thief. Try not to list personal information on the site (ie what city you live in, what school you go to). If you have any pictures of your ride, always blot out the licence plate. Also, if you have your own domain name try to use a different mailing address then the one your car is located at (ie Use a PO Box). Remember that's public information and can easily be obtained by doing a "WhoIs" report (http://www.netsol.com/cgi-bin/whois/whois).

ALSO-- Manual fuel cut off switches.....hey they cost a freakin dollar. Invest in them. Its a simple cut and splice between the fuel pump line and will ____ the hell out of anyone attempting to move your car.

Speaking of the hood, Hiding the hood pop switch is a step in the right direction but will only stop petty kids who are just f'ing around in the game. The real vulnerabillity is in the line that connects the lever to the hood pop mechanism...in most cars these are routed throught the driver side fender. Pull the plastic molding back strip the insulation and get a plier to pull the wire inside and POP ....you have an open hood.
solutions? reroute the wire somewhere else or add additional lines to confuse.

The main point is no matter what you cannot stop someone from getting into your car. You can SLOW them but not totally stop. There are big holes in the side of the car covered with glass....i believe people call these windows. Since it is imposible you to stop someone from getting in one should focus on slowing them down as much as possible as well as preventing the moving/disabling of the car.

An expensive alarm won't do much for you. They are all the same with some added bells and whistles. All you really need is a starter kill, and dual stage siren....an expensive alpine alarm with LCD screens does not do anything if it can be yanked from under the dash.

BUY A PEDAL LOCK
[someone] has thought many hours about this and still have yet to figure a way around it. The infomercial is correct. That pedal is made of some hard freakin steel. And even if you could manage to break the pedal off youd have to sit with your ___ facing either up or our of the car for a long period of time....not something smart to risk..

Record time sawing through a steering wheel....48 seconds.

I don't know if alarm stickers (such as "Protected by Viper", etc) is a good idea or not. Some say it's a good deterrent, some say it makes it easy for code scanners to 'unlock' your code. If somebody knows more about this issue, please shed some light...

Another security feature that you can get is Wheel Locks. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/e...item=1846139244 I don't know yet if it can be defeated, but it's worth a try.

LoJack is also a good investment. Although they run around $600 installed, you might get something in return from your insurance company just for having it. Also see 'peace of mind'

IMO, the *only* equipment that you cannot protect is your subwoofers. Whether you put a grille or not, if a thief can't pull it out, he will stab it with screwdriver. (reconing a sub is way cheaper than replacing it)

 

i got that from another site

good info...

 

dude, that was informative as hell. lots of great ideas. thanks!

 

Damn good info. Thanks!

 

Great stuff. Very good info and very appreciated.

A lot better than some a-- just posting "lock your car!!!".

The remote self installed kill switch in the fuel line is my next project. I may install an additional hidden one on the ignition line as well.

Also 1 or 2 alarm sirens inside the cabin of the vehicle is a good one also. Especially if I can get the thing up to 150+ dbl.

Since the Automatic tranny is an ECT I wonder if a Kill switch in that line would also stop the vehicle from shifting???