Do you think detachable faceplates help?

[CluelessSi]

What you guys think? I got my car cd-player stolen twice.. both times i forgot to take the face plate off...
now I take it off.. most of the time i try to take it with me if I had a bag... sometimes i put it in the glove... i try to hide my cds as well but not always..

[whitak24]

i never take the faceplate off my cd player. it is just way too big of a hassle.

i don't want to lug the thing around with me, and i know of more than one person who has had a radio without a faceplate stolen.

if i think of it, i hide my cds, but other than that, i don't worry about it.

of course, i think that when you drive a gray 92 buick regal, you're not the first on theives hit list :heh:

[WhiskeyPapa]

Yes, even if you leave it under the seat. Why? Because then the thief can't easily tell if it's a $1,000 car stereo (which may be worth poking around for the face plate) or a $150 stereo. They'll just move on to an easier target.

It's like the old joke about two guys running away from a bear. The first guy asks "Why run? We can't outrun a bear." The second guy answers "I don't have to outrun the bear, I just have to outrun you!"

You don't need to make yor car "theft-proof", just less appealing than the next car.

[CluelessSi]

yea... my friend's car just got his window busted last night... in front of his complex... good thing the alarm went off.. I want to get an alarm but my car is quite old.. might change it in a year or so....

[Merlin]

In my opinion, they work. I've had faceplate radios since about 1993 and have always driven convertibles (the easiest target known) The key was to buy the smallest factplate abailable, it's much smaller than my cell phone, such that it represents no hassle whatsoever to just put in my pocket. It is very rare that I try to simply stash it in my car.

As a convertible driver nothing terrorfies me more than someone slashing a hole in a $1,000 top to get at a $300 radio so I make damn sure that nothing is visible in the car at any time.

[Burzhui]

Originally posted by DarkFury
Detachable face plates SUCK (in my personal opinion)...

For starters, once you detach them, they are vulnerable to being damaged outside of the car... and do you know how much it would cost to get it fixed if you did something "dumb" like accidentally drop it on the sidewalk or spill some liquid on it?

Personally, they are only a moderate deterrent to theft... I would rather invest in a good alarm system with plenty of warning flashers in the car to alert everyone to the fact that the car is alarmed.

That way, the average thief will pass up your car to hit something "easier". Just my take on it...

LOL you are definatelly not a new yorker... no one cares about a flashing car here, no one ...

[brainsmile]

no one ever takes them off anyways

[Speedfreak]

Originally posted by kb0wwp
Yes, even if you leave it under the seat. Why? Because then the thief can't easily tell if it's a $1,000 car stereo (which may be worth poking around for the face plate) or a $150 stereo. They'll just move on to an easier target.

It's like the old joke about two guys running away from a bear. The first guy asks "Why run? We can't outrun a bear." The second guy answers "I don't have to outrun the bear, I just have to outrun you!"

You don't need to make yor car "theft-proof", just less appealing than the next car.

Exactly, I take mine off, but just stort it in the glove box. Besides, with mine there is a code you have to put in the next time the thing is powered on after being disconnected.

[coleslaw]

I have one of those nifty JVC Kameleon CD players. The faceplate is a a translucent black color and allows light from the display to shine through when turned on, but appears to be completely black when off. The control pad pops out when the power is on, too, and retracts behind the faceplate when it is off. Pretty nifty.

[i6s1]

My friend has the best method. He took a knobbie, and cut the first inch off with a bansaw. Then he mounted it in a piece of plywood covered with vinyl. He cut the plywood so that it fits right into his dash. The vinyl blends right in. He just puts it in place when he leaves the car and it looks like he has a $15 stereo.

[dbax791]

I think they work. I had a car stereo stolen (fortunately it was insured) and replaced it with one with a detatchable faceplate. I always just put it in the glove, and it was never stolen.

I heard this story once (and I'm sure its an urban legend) about some guy that had his own homemade car-stereo security system. Supposedly he mounted fishhooks on the back of his stereo deck and when a thief tried to steal the stereo, the dude found him grimacing in pain with his hand caught in the chassis. Kinda gross. :eek:

[Tommy Boomfiger]

Originally posted by i6s1
My friend has the best method. He took a knobbie, and cut the first inch off with a bansaw. Then he mounted it in a piece of plywood covered with vinyl. He cut the plywood so that it fits right into his dash. The vinyl blends right in. He just puts it in place when he leaves the car and it looks like he has a $15 stereo. i did something similar for a friend's e36 bimmer. i fixed the stock faceplate and buttons of the stock radio onto a leftover piece of carbon fiber. i took that assembly and hinged it over the opening. then i put a modded headunit chassis inside the hole, recessed and lowered so the cover would open upwards, then slide in above the new headunit. the cool thing was that the new unit was one of those el kamelean units that turn blank when you turn off the car. i also made it so most of the buttons worked which frustrated other who didnt know :P

[Nanotech9]

anyone notice that theres probably 100 different faceplates for sale on ebay? hehe.

[CluelessSi]

Originally posted by DarkFury

It's only to keep the "honest" people "honest"...

The problem with "New Yorkers" is that they probably just ignore (or are oblivious) all of the crap that is goin' on around them (as in the sound of a car alarm going off is a "normal sound")

Where I am currently... a car alarm generates attention...which is what a snatch and grab artist DOESN'T want.

Hey... depending on where you are, your mileage may vary. :shrug:

hehe yea i am from NY and that is why I am not so sure about alarms working... but i guess it will alert me if I near the car and also if the theif is in it for the steroe then they will not know how to kill the alarm.. but if they are in it for the car then... *sigh*...

[MJordanash]

I take my faceplate off and usually keep it with me or store it elsewhere. Only takes a few seconds to do, and it hasnt gotten stolen. Friend just got his CD player stolen last week...Weird but that was only the second time he didnt take the faceplate off.

[poiselle]

I got my CD player stolen while actually graduating from high school because I was an idiot and did not take the face off. I bought a JVC with detachable face recently and I ALWAYS take the face off and with me. It has a stupid hard plastic case which I use since DF is right and dropping the damn thing would suck. I am kind of skeptical of the El Kameleon thing. It seems to me that a criminal with a 4th grade education is still capable of utilizing general relativity if it means stealing something more effectively and I think they will quickly recognize them for what they are and yank them since they are expensive. They may have the code system or something in addition though.:shrug:

[Tommy Boomfiger]

my problem with the el kamelion thing is that almost every single car sold in this country has a radio. and they are always in the same spot. if a thief looks inside a car and sees a shiny black rectangle right where the radio is supposed to be, they will most likely know its one of those disappearing faceplates.

[mojo]

Originally posted by Burzhui


LOL you are definatelly not a new yorker... no one cares about a flashing car here, no one ... nobody in california either

[g222leav]

Originally posted by CluelessSi
What you guys think? I got my car cd-player stolen twice.. both times i forgot to take the face plate off...
now I take it off.. most of the time i try to take it with me if I had a bag... sometimes i put it in the glove... i try to hide my cds as well but not always..

well, http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/Pioneer/CDA/CarProducts/CarProductDetails/0,1429,1983,00.html

that's my deck, i usually detach it and stash it in the car cause i wouldn't want to damage it like DF says. but i also have an alarm which does something i think. i've been broken into twice for my radar dectectors (which i don't use/need anymore) but never for my deck. my buddy had his stolen along with his burned cd's. so i guess it is case by case.

i remember when i was in high school, i did a report on car alarms, and the one reoccuring theme was....making it more difficult for the thieves. basically, they prey on the weak and defenseless, like hyeanas or something. as long as you don't present a "potential" to be a victem, you should be ok.