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Hey all,

I've been having a debate in my head about what form of security for head units is the best... now before I get the standard responses.. I know that any good head unit runs the risk of theft.. and I should have an alarm etc etc...

BUT, just wondering if anyone has any opinions about what is less likely to tempt a thief to break in:

Alpine/Pioneer with the faceplate gone.
Or Eclipse, with no removable face, but their ESN system active.

On one hand, I think that good thiefs know what ESN is and know (I hope) that they won't be able to use the HU if they pull it... on the other hand, even a blank face kind of screams "I had something worth removing the face plate"...

Blah, anyways... just wondering what other folks around here have experienced. With the exception of my HU, my system is VERY stealthy... so I don't want to give a thief a reason to break-in and find everything else :P

Thoughts?

The majority of stereo are NOT "good thiefs" and DO NOT know what stereo has what security features. Do you think the local crackhead is going to think "Hey that's an Eclipse CD player, it has ESN". No. He's going to see a full unit and steal it. The same thief might look in the car, see no face, and realise he can't sell it at a pawn shop for $10 for his next rock.

I have always thought removeable faces were best.

I have always thought removeable faces were best.

X2, I'm sure most people have no ideal about ESN, they will just see the whole unit, and go ahead and pull it out. Removing the faceplate I would say is the best way to go.

x3. If the HU doesnt have the faceplate, its useless.

The difference is that if your Eclipse unit is stolen, they will replace it unlike Alpine and Pioneer. That, to me, is more comforting than just taking a faceplate off. I don't know a lot of people that actually carry their faceplate with them, as I wouldn't or couldn't in the workplace and the places I go to. Thieves know (assume) that most people just put the faceplate in a glovebox or center console, so regardless of whether they get the head unit or not, they'll likely break your windows and tear your dash up trying to steal it anyway. It happens quite often. I've even seen people that steal the faceplate and trash it just because the person pissed them off, rendering the entire head unit useless and having to go through a bunch of hassle trying to get a new one. That's why it's critical to have an alarm and also insurance that covers these things. You can also use star screws or even allen screws to ensure that the thief can't take the unit out with a simple screwdriver or a nut driver/wrench, as Onyrmark has shown with his system.

Interesting thoughts... Also my car (Mazda3) has a HU that is kind of integrated into the dash... I may consider leaving it in and just power it, as a giant paperweight/clock.

Then mount the new HU elsewhere in the dash. With the faceplate off, it might not be readily apparent that there was an aftermarket unit in there. Kind of like this:



All of the dash kits for the 3 look kind of mediocre anyways... so this might be okay. Kind of weird having 2 HUs there though.

If the stock HU is a pain in the arse to get out, you might as well just leave it and put your new HU like shown in the pic. If the dash requires extensive modification to fit a new HU, it might be more of a pita than to put it in a diff location.

With the HU down there, you might have to be in D to put a cd in.

Yeah that does look semi-irritating to mess with controls and CDs with in park.

I've always thought it would be cool to have a company make "covers" that go over HU's when the faceplate is off, and have it look like the stock radio on the outside. Of course it would be extremely difficult with every car and dash kits and such, but would be a cool product.

The difference is that if your Eclipse unit is stolen, they will replace it unlike Alpine and Pioneer

I'm assuming that you need to by it brand new, and have the S# and what not. But if it was used would they still do the same thing? I do put my faceplate in the glove box, locked up tho. I know they can still get in but it will take a lil more time. When I'm at home I take my faceplate in. Any were else it goes in the glove.