Rant mode on...

[Chris from Washington]

Insurance... first of all, you don't get what you paid. Thats called devaluation. It would'nt cover your man hours laboring over an install, that could cost $2K if a shop did it... that some douchebag destroyed in the course of five minutes.

Unfortunately, it seems alot of policies won't cover you at all, only stock equipment that came with the car. Even if they cover, it's only aftermarket securely mounted into stock locations... that leaves out amps and subs.

Then to top it all off...


Lets say you really cover your bases. Get your passive arming alarm system. Get your audio professionally installed, complete with full documentation of every single purchase and expense. Serial numbers, photos, everything.

You get a rider attached to your insurance policy, and also get this stuff added to a homeowners/renters insurance policy...

What will those policies cost you extra, yearly?
If after five years you have not yet become another crime statistic, you've spent quite a bit of money playing that lottery, haven't you? Murphy's law states that, as soon as you drop the coverage, you'd become a victim.

I guess my cumulative point, the sum of all posts I've made in this thread...

I'm a firm believer in Low Profile. No tints, no rims, stealth audio install, and faceplate outta the car. Decent enough alarm system, and saying a prayer every time the car gets parked.

I don't want to give anyone a reason, a hint, even a glimmer of hope... that he has anything to gain by busting into my shit. I believe thats the best overall deterrent.

Un-detachable faced headunits, seem to fly opposite of logic.

I have full coverage on both cars, and when the camaro got broke into all I had to pay was my deductible. Which I think was 100?

My insurance paid to have everything replaced, and also to have it installed (everything that was stolen I installed myself) I actually ended up with better equipment then what I had. I was pretty happy with how it turned out.

[smoker]

backup batteries on alarms are very easy to wire in and on our alarm installs (customer paying extra if they want it) we install piezos inside and out....ever try to sit in a car with those suckers blasing at you?

dual stage prox sensor can help too.....

[Darthness]

if somethign terrible happens to my car i'll just bury it and report it stolen. lolol but on a more serious note the first thing on my next car will be top end alarm on a backup battery.... i plan on doing 20+" wheels, a nice system, and dark tint. i'll make sure i pay the extra whatever ontop of full coverage to insure that stuff.. and maybe i'll invest ~$40-$100 or so on the glock protection plan too.

[GlassWolf]

an alarm is a good deterrant. It's always worked for me.
security codes are more effective than a removeable face since most dumbasses put the face under the seat, in the trunk, or in the glove box anyway.. and even if they take it, most people steal the radio itself just to spite the owner, or to locate a face for it later. either way it's not a perfect solution, and seeing a radio with no face is a big incentive to break into a car. it means more system in the trunk.

if you want a truely stealth system, you hide the entire radio with a retractable unit, or place it in the glove box etc..
Otherwise don't leave your car where it's suseptable to theft. It comes with the territory when you leave anything worth hundreds or thousands of dollars in a vehicle.

radio makers are probably tired of people with damaged face plates, lost ones, stolen ones etc.. contacting them for replacements. They need to find better ways to make radios more reliable and more convenient to the end user while still staying secure.
the removable face plate is an idea that's about 15+ years old now and it's getting long in the tooth.

welcome to the ever evolving world of car audio.

[Bwcad1]

i have full coverage on my stereo and supplimental insurance for the audio. if it gets stollen they will pay the 10 grand retail i have in there.

[Darthness]

thats another thing i may try... relocation of the head unit, or just go without one period ( and maybe hide a screen somewhere with a small pc somewhere else.. who knows.or hell.. get real creative... find mount a carPC in the trunk (or wherever) and use a PDA with blutooth technology to control the PC. thats a really expensive route though. HU relocation is probably the best bet... leave the stock one in place and move the deck somewhere accessable but unobvious.

[tomcat]

Nothing will stop them completly. My friend got his radio and 6x9s (thats all he had) stolen without any boken windows. They just used a slide hammer and yanked out his door and trunk lock. And that was an ordinary everyday 84' thunderbird, nothin special to look at. Almost better to have a trunk release button in sight, less damage done.

I dove around for a few years in a red firbird with a "look at me" loud exhust and a boomin system all on display in the back window. And nothin ever happened. I was really stupid and lucky back then.

Now my silver malibu doesnt even have a key for the trunk. Not that anyone would notice that car anyway. Heck I have a hard time finding it in the parking lots.

[Jonathan]

I like the fact that the DRZ doesn't have a detachable faceplate. I get tired of all that crap. Less to worry about, better performance.

If theft were really a priority, companies would stop making HUs look like a freak christmas tree and just make a plain looking head unit. Something like a Nak CD700 is an example of a high performance deck that looks stock. It's just unreliable . The Clarion DRZ isn't too flashy, but it's just shiny enough so that it doesn't quite integrate in most vehicles from that aspect.

[NViejeP]

Aftet my car's faceplate got jacked. I've just learned to take more caution, ALWAYS take the faceplate out, when I can, I take it with me. If not I lock it in the glovebox.

I also garage park. After I get my amp and subwoofer, it might be kind of scarier though. I might need to invest in an alarm before I pick up a subwoofer.

I'm not too worried about getting jacked at school because my school is in a nice neighborhood and theres almost always people outside and I dont think a thief would do it in front of people. I don't go to many bad areas very often. But I just never know.

[Darthness]

screw the idea of "bad areas" iti can happen anywhere, anytime, any place, to anyone....