[timuseravan]

In my swift, I just take the face plate and put it in the glove compartment. Any thief would assume I have taken it away

[straight6]

Somebody tried yanking open the left side door of my neighbours car and mine with a screwdriver. Seemed to be a desperate and amateur thief. I'm going to activate touch and movement sensing alarm.

[sumeethaldankar]

Modern cars have factory fitted touch screens. Apart from basic security measures like parking in well lit and safer areas what other things can be done to protect these integrated expensive head units of today's cars?

[DrBoom]

Originally Posted by gunbir

Hmm... Interesting stuff...

Well, let me tell you guys something you dont know.

Keep your system discreet.
How? Go for a stealth install. Try and use stock locations and keep things like subs and amps out of view. Speakers installed in parcel trays of small cars are soft targets as they can be removed in an instant.

Thieves know this: Where theres a sub, theres an amp, and maybe an eq or dsp. Try and keep your sub out of sight. A reason why we prefer box installs where the sub box sits in the boot with nothing visible in the parcel shelf. See the spare wheel well install thread for a fully discreet install.

Secure the HU!!
Most installers install the head unit in the standard sleeve that comes with the HU. All thieves have the so called 'keys' required to unlock the HU and in a lot of cars its very easy to forcibly push out the HU by getting one hand behind the dash. If your car has a removable center facia (Getz, Optra etc), you need to ensure your HU is installed from behind the facia and held in place by screws (see the Getz thread). You can also attach a pull contact sensor to your HU and integrate it with your security system. So if someone yanks out your HU, he will set of the alarm. This is especially useful when you hand out your keys to strangers in Valet type situations. Here is what a pull contact sensor looks like:


Be discreet!
When you approach your parking spots, whether its outside your home, office or at the mall: Dont play your system loud. Dont show off. Thieves are hanging around, waiting for you to 'declare' your arrival with loud thumping of your subwoofer... its like taking candy from a kid. Parking attendants are usually involved in thefts. They also have a master key for most common cars like marutis. There is NO exception, they always DO have theys keys. If you have act discreet, have a discreet system, with no speakers or subs visible, and your HUs faceplate is removed, you will reduce 90% possibility of a theft.

Your car is easy to break in: Get Insurance
Whether it takes a ruler, a master key, a blade or just a piece of wire to break into your car, know that your car is very easy to break in. While modern cars like the Getz, Aveo etc are a bit more difficult to break in, its still possible. Make sure you have insured your IEC system. That way even if it does get stolen, you get the money and go out and buy the latest model.

Secure all windows
Secure the quarter glass windows. On some cars it is childs play to remove the beading and glass from outside. If you afford it, use Llumar / 3m kind of security film on all windows. Increases glass strength by 200% in some cases and makes it near impossible to break the glass.

Intrusion Alarm Systems / Central Locking Systems
Most entry level systems are more of central locking systems and less of alarm systems. Spend a couple of thousand more and get a higher model which can have a ultrasonic movement sensor. While all systems cover the doors, boot and dicky, sensors like ultrasonics ensure that theres an alarm even if none of the doors were opened... if the thief entered through a window. Also go for vibration sensors and glassbreak sensors. Your regular installer has NO clue how these things are installed. Most manufacturers offer free installation so make sure your system is installed by the manufacturers OWN installer. Take time to understand the system so you will have zero false alarms. There are newer GSM based systems out there (I have one) which use a standard SIM card to relay all alarm messages via SMS to your cellphone. You can also arm/disarm and immobilise your car via your mobile. This is good if your job keeps you on the move or you travel a lot.

In the end, its all about making things difficult for the thief. He will just go for the softer target. So is your car a soft target?

Hello. Thank you for a very informative passage on keeping your ICE secure from theft.

The last and most important point to having ICE sound systems in cars is the owners behaviour. You may have the best alarm and theft prevention measures in place but if you "pound' in car parks and down the main streets on a busy Saturday nights were the young crowd gather, you are certainly attracting attention and that also means attracting attention to shady characters who raise their eye brows when they hear your system boom!
I had a friend who had 4 15 inch subwoofers and his system was considered one of the loudest in the area, but he made a rule to turn his system to minimum level 5 kilometres from his home. He did not have alarm nor any fancy install. He used stock locations to mount speakers and his rear parcel tray was covered with speaker grill cloth to hide his component speakers. His trunk area was nearly all accommodated by the huge box which housed 4 15 inch subwoofer and amps were mounted behind the box. Nobody else knew he had a cranking system in his car as he kept it all stock from the outside with no fancy brand name stickers (another give away to potential thieves) Hope this also helps our members here about 'booming responsibly.