What unique anti-thief methods do you use to protect your $$$ car audio in your ride? I have seen speakers (Jensen 6x9) chained to the vehicle. Didn't work, they took the whole truck. All heard of double edge razors superglued to the back of the chassis of the stereo. I have also seen mounting brackets welded to the dash (Mustang).
Stealth install, never leave car in bad areas, alarm or blinky light on dash, no cranking tunes near where I park, always lock car, never leave tasty items in sight in car, remove HU face even if I leave in car. I even throw stuff on floor to make car look like owner is cheap if I park in a place like that.
Don't really have a problem with that here, the stuff is so cheap to buy I'm not sure why kids would even bother. Plus they catch them here every time that happens, but usually they are after business not car stereo in a single car. I remember back in the 80s it was rampant, the stuff was so expensive we used to bolt everything in so it took a lot to get out. Used to always bolt speakers from top in rear deck, bolted amps and mounted with lots of screws or more bolts because cars had steel to bolt to back then. I installed and we would double nut bolts so they would spin. I installed amps in closed boxes that took a lot to get apart with fans for cooling. Always put the strap on back of deck, would attach under dash so you could not get to it behind HU....often if it took too long they would give up and run. Used to put screws in with drills real tight and many of them, so could not get out by hand. People did not have cordless drills back then.
Today it is so cheap to buy you are a total idiot if you actually think it is worth taking the stuff out of a car. I can see some large items someone might take for cash, but you would have to locate them first. A loud car might have a $100 amp in it....I can buy 1KW class D amps all day on ebay for 100 or so. I used to have systems with 75x2 amp on subs that you could hear a mile away, yes a mile could hear the bass and tell the song. It will cost you thousands if you get caught and that record maybe hundreds of thousands later on in life. If you are going to do crime there are other things to do that have much better ROI. Another reason I detest our poor liberal run public education system as well as what they do to law enforcement. I still have to pay in my insurance any time something in this town gets stolen.
Don't really have a problem with that here, the stuff is so cheap to buy I'm not sure why kids would even bother. Plus they catch them here every time that happens, but usually they are after business not car stereo in a single car. I remember back in the 80s it was rampant, the stuff was so expensive we used to bolt everything in so it took a lot to get out. Used to always bolt speakers from top in rear deck, bolted amps and mounted with lots of screws or more bolts because cars had steel to bolt to back then. I installed and we would double nut bolts so they would spin. I installed amps in closed boxes that took a lot to get apart with fans for cooling. Always put the strap on back of deck, would attach under dash so you could not get to it behind HU....often if it took too long they would give up and run. Used to put screws in with drills real tight and many of them, so could not get out by hand. People did not have cordless drills back then.
Today it is so cheap to buy you are a total idiot if you actually think it is worth taking the stuff out of a car. I can see some large items someone might take for cash, but you would have to locate them first. A loud car might have a $100 amp in it....I can buy 1KW class D amps all day on ebay for 100 or so. I used to have systems with 75x2 amp on subs that you could hear a mile away, yes a mile could hear the bass and tell the song. It will cost you thousands if you get caught and that record maybe hundreds of thousands later on in life. If you are going to do crime there are other things to do that have much better ROI. Another reason I detest our poor liberal run public education system as well as what they do to law enforcement. I still have to pay in my insurance any time something in this town gets stolen.
My truck system was made large enough that it's just too much trouble to remove. The amps/speakers are in one large box that completely fills the extended cab area and takes a professional with tools to remove - and a dolly to carry away. Amps are internal. HU is cheap enough to replace, and hangs part way out the dash - it looks like it has been stolen several times.
The other alternative would have been to booby trap it. And I still might someday - with a nice visible easily removable biat amplifier. Rigged to do Nasty Things (t.m.) when someone hooks it up.
The other alternative would have been to booby trap it. And I still might someday - with a nice visible easily removable biat amplifier. Rigged to do Nasty Things (t.m.) when someone hooks it up.
jol50's recommendations are golden.
I've got a system worth about $4K in my car and the stealth install has been the saving grace. I've got a 9 year old head unit (Sony CDX-C880) that is the only piece that you can see. I've got a Dynaudio front stage behind the factory grilles, processor + MD changer + CD changer behind the factory side panel, amps on the back of the rear seats (with a vanity cover). For the most part, someone looking into the trunk would only see the sub enclosure without really getting into the trunk.
I'm even thinking of going back to my IB subs that mount under the rear deck as the JL Audio box is visible when the trunk is open.
I wonder, though... would welding an amp into the metal of the car work? That would be the ultimate deterrent, but it might pick up a wee bit of noise..
I've got a system worth about $4K in my car and the stealth install has been the saving grace. I've got a 9 year old head unit (Sony CDX-C880) that is the only piece that you can see. I've got a Dynaudio front stage behind the factory grilles, processor + MD changer + CD changer behind the factory side panel, amps on the back of the rear seats (with a vanity cover). For the most part, someone looking into the trunk would only see the sub enclosure without really getting into the trunk.
I'm even thinking of going back to my IB subs that mount under the rear deck as the JL Audio box is visible when the trunk is open.
I wonder, though... would welding an amp into the metal of the car work? That would be the ultimate deterrent, but it might pick up a wee bit of noise..
I love my IB and it is visible so I'm careful when I open it. I do keep a milk crate in there to kind of cover it. Most of the time I use the other two trunks for stuff....the back doors Lol, put a child seat in the back that is a good deterrent too. The only thing visible is my HU, my EQ is hidden. You could get my amp off of the baffle, but would have to remove the entire thing to get the subs out....and 30+ screws to do it if you can find them. When I swap amps I'll mount them from inside or do something different. The light in there is not hooked up so it is dark and hard to see the equipment, I plug it in if needed.
On the other hand nothing in my car is really expensive or I bought used and did not pay that much. Another thing I have done is put vaseline on the backs of equipment, you can even put it on tape and wrap it around so it slides off and leaves goo if someone grabs it. Don't put much on it can get hot and run....depends on your install. Here if you put something like a blade there you can get in trouble, then again who will report it? One car I put metal strips over the amp so you had to take them all off to get it out of where it was. Just need something you can't take off by hand mostly, most don't bring whole tool kits with them. That reminds me, I use a lot of torx screws even sheet metal or square drive deck screws work nice. I still do that. I have a whole box of SS square drives I got on sale cheap. If they can't tear it out put half of one type screw in and alternate with another, I did that on subs all the time. Since mine are back mounted I didn't bother. I've drilled holes in amps so I could put 4x the screws in it, but you better have lots of wood behind it too so it can't be forced out. Same with bolts in amps and small ones can be cut off if they can get to them.
Most amps are aluminum, some you can ground so I doubt it would matter but it is harder to weld aluminum and you would have to find someone who could...and would have to be welded to an aluminum car. Better to make a bracket over the amp and bolt in with lock nuts that take a while to get off, not the nylon ones. An amp with a flange you can just bolt a plate over the flange. (or like me just put 20 screws in it)
Lol, put a child seat in the back that is a good deterrent too. The only thing visible is my HU, my EQ is hidden. You could get my amp off of the baffle, but would have to remove the entire thing to get the subs out....and 30+ screws to do it if you can find them. When I swap amps I'll mount them from inside or do something different. The light in there is not hooked up so it is dark and hard to see the equipment, I plug it in if needed. On the other hand nothing in my car is really expensive or I bought used and did not pay that much. Another thing I have done is put vaseline on the backs of equipment, you can even put it on tape and wrap it around so it slides off and leaves goo if someone grabs it. Don't put much on it can get hot and run....depends on your install. Here if you put something like a blade there you can get in trouble, then again who will report it? One car I put metal strips over the amp so you had to take them all off to get it out of where it was. Just need something you can't take off by hand mostly, most don't bring whole tool kits with them. That reminds me, I use a lot of torx screws even sheet metal or square drive deck screws work nice. I still do that. I have a whole box of SS square drives I got on sale cheap. If they can't tear it out put half of one type screw in and alternate with another, I did that on subs all the time. Since mine are back mounted I didn't bother. I've drilled holes in amps so I could put 4x the screws in it, but you better have lots of wood behind it too so it can't be forced out. Same with bolts in amps and small ones can be cut off if they can get to them.
Most amps are aluminum, some you can ground so I doubt it would matter but it is harder to weld aluminum and you would have to find someone who could...and would have to be welded to an aluminum car. Better to make a bracket over the amp and bolt in with lock nuts that take a while to get off, not the nylon ones. An amp with a flange you can just bolt a plate over the flange. (or like me just put 20 screws in it)
Electrify everything. Door handles. Put handles on the box and make something that "looks" like its the way to take the system out. Use a 50,000 volt coil or the transformer from a strobe light. "IF" they walk away they will be in a world of hurt.
I always thought Flame throwers underneath the doors would ether kill them or make them wish they where dead.
I always thought Flame throwers underneath the doors would ether kill them or make them wish they where dead.
Not something I would do unless you can be 100% sure it won't harm anyone. Especially in the US, you'll get sued if any injury happens as the result of your protection system.
I read an article a long time ago where someone had placed traps at the bottom of his windows to his house to thwart thieves. Guess what happened? Someone tried to break into the house, walked into the trap. House owner gets jail time and huge fines, thief goes free and gets multi-thousand $ settlement for injuries.
I read an article a long time ago where someone had placed traps at the bottom of his windows to his house to thwart thieves. Guess what happened? Someone tried to break into the house, walked into the trap. House owner gets jail time and huge fines, thief goes free and gets multi-thousand $ settlement for injuries.
You could make a tazer out of a small transformer. I did in middle school with a 9v battery many years before the tazer. I like the grease idea, pretty hard to grab something or use a tool and it might leave fingerprints. Now if you had a sub box you could just hook a really loud horn up to it if removed.
man i really have to secure my system, amps are just laying on the floor behind my front seats...
what i did in the past was use 6" long bolts, and fill in the "dome" head bolts, where the philips slot is...
if they could eventually get vice grips around the dome, theyd have to sit and unscrew a 6" fine thread bolt ...with a siren pointed at their head.
use a bolt of good metal and you cant break the bolt by gripping it with vice grips and twisting back and forth.
id probably go one step farther this time and apply solder or epoxy to the threads at different intervals....and install like 20 nuts on the bolt....lol that'll get emmm.
i should reverse the power wire colors in the amp just incase, like that rockford dude....hmm good idea.
what i did in the past was use 6" long bolts, and fill in the "dome" head bolts, where the philips slot is...
if they could eventually get vice grips around the dome, theyd have to sit and unscrew a 6" fine thread bolt ...with a siren pointed at their head.
use a bolt of good metal and you cant break the bolt by gripping it with vice grips and twisting back and forth.
id probably go one step farther this time and apply solder or epoxy to the threads at different intervals....and install like 20 nuts on the bolt....lol that'll get emmm.
i should reverse the power wire colors in the amp just incase, like that rockford dude....hmm good idea.
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