Hi,

As a seasoned veteran of car stereo theft (a victim, I should add, not a
perpetrator) I normally buy car stereos with a removable front that I take
of and keep with me when leaving the car.

However, I notice that a lot of aftermarket head units these days have a
motorised front panel which presumably does not detach from the unit itself.
Do these units offer any protection from theft, or are we supposed to ensure
that our cars cannot be broken into in the first place? (As the owner of a
rather ancient mx5/miata, the latter option is not really open to me)

Thanks

Andy

"Andy Fish" wrote in
:

Hi,

As a seasoned veteran of car stereo theft (a victim, I should add, not
a perpetrator) I normally buy car stereos with a removable front that
I take of and keep with me when leaving the car.

However, I notice that a lot of aftermarket head units these days have
a motorised front panel which presumably does not detach from the unit
itself. Do these units offer any protection from theft, or are we
supposed to ensure that our cars cannot be broken into in the first
place? (As the owner of a rather ancient mx5/miata, the latter option
is not really open to me)

Thanks

Andy

Good question. I used to buy units with removable faceplates for the
same reason, but rarely removed them and took them with me. It was just
too much of a hassle. I think manufacturers realize that most are as
lazy as I am and are going toward flip faces. But I did come up with an
idea that may help you.

Finally realizing that a removable faceplate does me no good anyway, I
bought an Alpine CDA-7998 with the Fantom Face to replace the theft
deterrent stock head unit in my Mini Cooper. I then cannibalized the
front face from a stock head unit and use that as a cover when I park in
a dangerous area. From the outside, it looks stock.

I put up some pictures of the procedure he

http://home.comcast.net/~sfconnell/m...plate/home.htm

I was thinking about the fake faceplate idea as well. If the thief sees that
it's only some cheap looking "factory head unit", he might figure that it's not
worth his time. I guess you could put some fake faceplate with some cheap
looking tape player with ugly nobs or something, and make sure the rest of your
stereo is well hidden behind factory grills or factory looking grills, or some
type of phantom grill, like the 6x9 panels in some cars (there isn't a
protruding grill.) Also, don't "advertise" your stereo to people that might
want to steal it. If you go bumping down "shady-ville," criminals could
notice, and bye-bye stereo.

The average thief can spot a HU with a hidden face like your 7998 just as
easily as they know that most people who remove their detachable faceplates
don't bother to take them out of the car. The home made stealth faceplates
are an excellent idea. Extremely few thieves bother with stock systems and
won't even bother with your car unless they see something else of value in
plain sight.

Eclipse offers their ESN (Eclipse Security Network) plan which says that if
the stereo is installed by an authorized dealer and is stolen within one
year, they'll replace it. While nice, it doesn't pay for your broken
window, torn up dash, and anything else they happen to steal while inside
your car. The Eclipse decks use a "key" CD that you have to insert into the
player if it is ever disconnected from power. Without this CD, the unit
will not power up. It's a great idea, but most theives either don't care or
count on selling the deck to a unwitting buyer for $20.

Don't show off the system. Use a reputable installer. Park in well lit
areas. Park in your driveway instead of on the street. Remove the face
plate. Keep other valuables hidden. Invest in a good alarm. Buy a house
with a garage!!

Tony


--



What's more likely? That an all-powerful mysterious god created the
universe and then decided not to give any proof of his existence? Or, that
he simply doesn't exist at all? And that we created him so that we wouldn't
have to feel so small and alone. -Eleanor Arroway, Contact

"Andy Fish" wrote in message
...
Hi,

As a seasoned veteran of car stereo theft (a victim, I should add, not a
perpetrator) I normally buy car stereos with a removable front that I take
of and keep with me when leaving the car.

However, I notice that a lot of aftermarket head units these days have a
motorised front panel which presumably does not detach from the unit
itself.
Do these units offer any protection from theft, or are we supposed to
ensure
that our cars cannot be broken into in the first place? (As the owner of a
rather ancient mx5/miata, the latter option is not really open to me)

Thanks

Andy

Thanks to everyone for the advice

I am skeptical about code or key-based systems because, as you said, a thief
will sell it "as seen" and not care if it works.

I have done a bit more googling and realised that removable fronts are
probably still the norm - I think I had gotten a wrong impression by just
looking at a couple of units, so I think I will buy one of these and carry
the front with me like I have always done. I have only ever had one stereo
stolen under these circumstances.

I take a very different approach to car security than most, and I think this
is mandated by the fact that the car is old, insecure, and not worth a fancy
alarm. For me, the feeling of freedom in having an open top car is the not
just about driving around with the top down, but also parking it somewhere
and leaving it with the roof down and doors unlocked, knowing that the car
would be so easy to break into that it's pointless trying to stop someone.


"Tony Fernandes" wrote in message
...
The average thief can spot a HU with a hidden face like your 7998 just as
easily as they know that most people who remove their detachable
faceplates
don't bother to take them out of the car. The home made stealth
faceplates
are an excellent idea. Extremely few thieves bother with stock systems
and
won't even bother with your car unless they see something else of value in
plain sight.

Eclipse offers their ESN (Eclipse Security Network) plan which says that
if
the stereo is installed by an authorized dealer and is stolen within one
year, they'll replace it. While nice, it doesn't pay for your broken
window, torn up dash, and anything else they happen to steal while inside
your car. The Eclipse decks use a "key" CD that you have to insert into
the
player if it is ever disconnected from power. Without this CD, the unit
will not power up. It's a great idea, but most theives either don't care
or
count on selling the deck to a unwitting buyer for $20.

Don't show off the system. Use a reputable installer. Park in well lit
areas. Park in your driveway instead of on the street. Remove the face
plate. Keep other valuables hidden. Invest in a good alarm. Buy a house
with a garage!!

Tony


--



What's more likely? That an all-powerful mysterious god created the
universe and then decided not to give any proof of his existence? Or,
that
he simply doesn't exist at all? And that we created him so that we
wouldn't
have to feel so small and alone. -Eleanor Arroway, Contact

"Andy Fish" wrote in message
...
Hi,

As a seasoned veteran of car stereo theft (a victim, I should add, not a
perpetrator) I normally buy car stereos with a removable front that I
take
of and keep with me when leaving the car.

However, I notice that a lot of aftermarket head units these days have a
motorised front panel which presumably does not detach from the unit
itself.
Do these units offer any protection from theft, or are we supposed to
ensure
that our cars cannot be broken into in the first place? (As the owner of
a
rather ancient mx5/miata, the latter option is not really open to me)

Thanks

Andy

"Andy Fish" wrote in message
...
Hi,

As a seasoned veteran of car stereo theft (a victim, I should add, not a
perpetrator) I normally buy car stereos with a removable front that I take
of and keep with me when leaving the car.

However, I notice that a lot of aftermarket head units these days have a
motorised front panel which presumably does not detach from the unit
itself.
Do these units offer any protection from theft, or are we supposed to
ensure
that our cars cannot be broken into in the first place? (As the owner of a
rather ancient mx5/miata, the latter option is not really open to me)

Thanks

Andy

I think Kenwood makes a flip face that is also detachable.

Actualy they still detach
The one problem is alot of face plates will work on any deck of that
model so faceplates get stollen during the day and a deck without a
faceplate at night when they have more time.
I always recommend an alarm even a basic one will do, in my experience
theifs will not bother with an alarm when they can wonder 2 cars over
and steel a deck from a car without an alarm


--
Gmac
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