Protect your investment!
Sep 04 '00
I am going to take this a little off key but something everyone should consider when looking into installing a stereo system in a car.
The car audio market these days is booming. People spend thousands of dollars getting just the right sound in their cars. I see guys every day at local stereo shops dropping their hard earned money into the latest and greatest sound systems for their vehicles. However, everyone should consider one major factor before buying that high-end and low-end car stereo... Security!
We all see them driving down the road. The vehicles with a sheet of plastic covering one window that was broken out by the person steeling the car stereo. I've always wanted to stop those people and ask, "Did you have a car alarm?" Does it matter? Well, yes and no.
Many car alarms are marketed as "anti-theft devices". Keep in mind though, the "anti-theft" refers to the car and not the equipment in the car. It takes usually takes a considerable amount of time to disable a well installed alarm and make the vehicle driveable by a thief, but this is not necessary when steeling something out of the car. An average theft of a car's head-unit (the actual stereo portion in the dashboard) will take less than 30 seconds. Think about it. Late at night, it will take a person at least that long to wake-up, realize what is happening, and get to a window just to look at the vehicle with the alarm going off. Does this mean that alarms are worthless? Not at all.
Thieves want an easy target. If a thief is staking out an area, they will tend to focus on the cars with non-factory systems and no alarm. If they see that blinking light on your dash or in your door, they are MUCH more likely to pass your car up for an easier target that won't raise attention. However, if you have that top-of-the line system they have had their eyes on for a while, the alarm will just be a challenge to overcome.
Factory alarms vs. aftermarkert:
Newer cars with factory alarms tend to give the owner a false sense of security for their valuables. Factory alarms are meant to protect the car from being stolen. Most will only go off when a door is opened. More expensive cars may have an alarm that goes off if a window is broken. And almost all are tied into the central fuse block. This means, once someone has gained entry to the car, fuses can be pulled to stop the horn from blowing and the lights from flashing.
Aftermarket alarms vary. Some do the same thing as factory alarms. Most add at least a shock sensor which will cause the alarm to go off if the car is hit with enough force. More expensive alarms add motion sensors, glass-breakage sensors, voltage sensors (with a backup battery), pager alerts, and some go as far as alerting a central office of a break-in using GPS (many more options are available). And of coarse, you pay a good deal extra for all of these features.
The bottom line:
Before looking at that new stereo, look into protecting it with an alarm. Preferably an aftermarket one. Your salesman can help determine the alarm that will give you the right amount of protection. However, no alarm will make your car stereo theft-proof. There is ALWAYS a way around an alarm. A thing to consider is having your system professionally installed in an anti-theft manner. This involves using special screws and special mounting so your equipment can't be removed using traditional methods. Some shops will do it, and others won't, so look around. And keep in mind, it is not their car that a thief is breaking into, so they are not worried about breaking a few things to get what they want.
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Epinions.com ID:
Earthling
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Location: Mechanicsburg, PA
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