Thread: Great anti-theft idea!!

okay, while lying in bed last night, I had this great idea pop into my head to protect your aftermarket, or even stock headunit!

Okay, first, get your radio and unscrew one of the chasis screws. Next, get some pipe strap, the metal kind with holes, like this:


If needed, use a washer, and attach one end of the strap to the headunit chasis. Install the until just as you would, and keep the strap behind it. Now, with the radio installed, find the strap behind the dash, and now locate a bolt/nut to attach the the other end of the strap to, out of sight. Best place is behind the dash itself, as level with the radio as possible. Pull the strap as tight as you can get it, and bolt it down. cut the excess off of the strap, and reinstall everything. This should greatly help in keeping your radio in your vehicle, and out of the hands of others.

Believe it or not, many headunits used to come with a metal brace for this exact purpose.

I actually asked a Kenwood dealer, why my last two headunits I purchased didn't come with it, and he said the thief could cut thru it using the same pliers that he cut your harness with, so it wouldn't make a difference.

But if you had it taught, you wouldn't be able to pull the radio out to access the strap. I know this isn't a fool-proof thing, but it'd help deter them.

(Reason I thought of it, is because my Volvo came with it on the stock radio. It was a total bitch to remove. Ended up cutting the brace an hour into trying to get it out.

I've had my car broken into two times now in a short period of time. Each time they tried to take my aftermarket head unit and failed. The unit that I have came with the car when I bought it, and the installer didn't use the typical sleeve, but brackets that look specific to the car and the head unit. They bolt to the side of the head unit, and bolt to the stock mounting position. I've had the faceplate ripped off (it's non-removable) and my air vents broken, etc. but the head unit was always there when they were done. And the faceplate was left behind too (luckily).

I believe if the head unit is even slightly harder to remove than normal, a theif (at least the crack addicts in my town) will give up pretty quickly.

Of course, I leave my doors unlocked now, as they always break my window glass, and that's the most expensive/hard to find/pain in the ass to replace item for me.

I have a nice anti-theft device , me running outside with a axe.
scares theives away every time.

I like the idea of leaving the head unit easily removable, but attaching razor blades to it

Yeh, thats especially great when someone goes to work on it later, and gets their hands sliced up! My dad worked at a stereo shop in his youth, and someone had done just that; he sliced right through one of his tendons in his finger! So yeh, I wouldn't do that...just get a good alarm, or a big dog to stay in your car.

Good idea.

However I think the theif would do more damage trying to get it out.

Id just let them have the stereo and avoid having them mess up the dash, console, ac controls, etc.

Thats what insurance is for. to cover the stereo loss.


I like that razor blade idea though.

But then again, if the guy had aids, that blood would be all over your car.

Maybe one day you guys will find razors when doing work under an engine bay, that would be nice.