In my years of driving so far (I'm now 23) I have NEVER really had any concerns about theft of any kind having to do with my cars (just something that never worried me). Now after putting some Volks on my car ()..it has all of a sudden became a really big concern of mine. I have wheel locks and the wheels are now added to my policy but I just also picked up an Avic Z2 and my question for you guys is:

What precautions do you guys take with your exposed double din head units? (besides tinting your windows)

Also... do you guys get it covered under your insurance too? I'm buying mine used...it it going to be a hassle to get it covered? Is it worth it with higher deductibles? Please chime in and discuss...

 

Misleading title thought I was getting a story.

 

This may sound funny but im a believer of "out of sight/out of harms way" kinda thing.

1 - Covering it up:
I have two vehicles with double din Nav units and in both of them we carry a cheap Walmart 18 inch x 18 inch black cloth towel (like a bath towel) that we simply throw over the screen when we park anywhere.

This keeps the screen out of view and its quite easy in a Z. Just put the car in 1st gear and then toss the towel all bunched up and bundled in front of the screen, it looks like it was just thrown there versus hiding something, but does the job of keeping the Double din out of view. I dont have a Double Din in my Z, but its similar in location to my wifes car. so im sure it would work as i described.

2 - Insurance:
My insurance company offers "audio coverage" for my auto policy. So i simply asked for 1000 bucks in audio coverage. it was an extra 55 bucks a year!! for BOTH cars with double din's.... so thats not bad.

I printed all my online receipts i could find for the unit and all its accessories i purchased from ebay/amazon/etc.... along with items i didnt have receipts for i provided pictures of the units and the units serial numbers/model numbers - close up pics. I expressed my concern for my agent verify with claims underwritting in making sure the pictures were acceptable. They agreed and wrote me back and email stating this, so i kept it saved/printed for my records just in case.

3 - Back strapping:

This is hard to do - well depending on the vehicle.
In both vehicles i back strapped the heck out of the double din nav unit. I purchased sheet metal strap - the thickest i could find and ran it to the dash MAIN/SOLID/STEEL structure in the dash. Its hard to do, because you ultimately want the shortest length possible with zero slack and you are best to drill and mount the strap into the steel structure of the dash using self tapping sheet metal screws. - this is usually quite difficult with the confined space of most dashes and limited access, but i have usually done it successfully on most vehicles - time usually takes me over an hour to successfully do so as well.......

Its found usually in the HVAC/air conditioning sections of home depot/etc:


The pre-fabbed pieces like this help too:


4 - Security Fasteners:

Now i have this last only because the Z double din head units screw into plastic center dash structure, some vehicles have metal mounting plates and security fasteners will really help, but in the Z i say - it doesn't hurt, but i wouldn't rely solely on it, because i think any thief would just yank and break the double din unit free from the plastic center dash and press on, or take the entire thing with them...

Security Fasteners usually have funny heads and special keys to remove:



Harbor Freight sells the tips :http://images.google.com/imgres?imgu...a%3DN%26um%3D1

Places (semi local companies) like Fastenal sells the screws/bolts/etc:
http://www.fastenal.com/web/products.ex?N=999600141

SEE ALSO:
http://www.brycefastener.com/ Kick *** company and products!!! see Key-Rex fasteners!

5 - Pager alarm:

Alarm system with two way pager so you can run out there and beat some a z z ......

**These are in no particular order
-J

 

read my thread I had an attempted break in

 

Take your stock radios faceplate, sand the back down a bit, put magnets on. Someone did that and it looked pretty slick.

https://my350z.com/forum/audio-and-v...em-stereo.html

Original:
https://my350z.com/forum/audio-and-v...installed.html

 

The false front face plates work well.

If you lock your faceplate in you'll end up with:

1. Broken window/scratched door.
2. Broken dash console.
3. Broken radio as they trash your radio trying to pull it out.

I went as low keyed as possible hiding everything behind stock speaker grills - and even the woofers in the Zenclosure are difficult to see. I specifically got the AVIC with the pop-out screen and the detachable face plate due to security concerns.

If you have an alarm make sure it has blinking lights to let someone know that it's there. Kids steal stereos and might think twice about a car with an alarm. The professionals steal the whole car and an alarm isn't going to bother them.

I keep my Z locked in the garage and have a pretty good alarm system.

 

First, park it in a locked garage. With the Volks and AV, get an alarm with motion sensor and remote fob that alerts you. Many cases you'll get discount on insurance. From what I've seen alarms systems are inexpensive, not sure installation costs though. Probably still cheaper than your deductible.

 

a high quality alarm with install will run about 500-1000 depending on the unit and car

 

I have a 'fakeplate' in my '03 Civic which covers my D3 up perfectly without any gaps or spacing. For my 350 I have a JVC KW-NX7000 which is a double din head unit that has a completely removeable faceplate (the entire screen comes right off). That, an alarm and hidden components make my car less of a target than others.

 

If they want it they'll get it..be cautious is the key.

Like Paul350z said. If they break in and they can't get it. They will tear the whole car up for justice.

I'd say go for the fake faceplate. Best idea. Main reason I refuse to go with a double-din. Too risky.

 

The best way to prevent theft IS prevention - if they are already in your car you WANT them to easily be able to remove your equipment. In the end, as much as it sucks, it is better for them to get your radio and NOT demolish the entire center stack of your car, then to not get the radio and break everything around it (and possibly vandalize the car further out of frustration).

If you don't want to add an alarm, at least install a blinking LED (or two) to make it look like you do have an alarm and always park the car in well lit places that would draw attention if the alarm were to go off.

 

three weeks ago i got my car broken into. i had an avic z2 stolen and a 1000watt kicker zx amp and a 850x4 kicker zx amp stolen from me as well. my insurance wouldn't cover the amps but they did cover the avic z2 because they said it was in the stock factory location. allstate seems to only have one aftermarket car audio plan and it just didn't seem worth it to me. maybe if i had 10 grand in car audio because it was like an extra 200 a month for the 3 or maybe 4 grand in car audio that i do have. i guess my prevention method now is going to be a car alarm with the lcd keychain that will go off if i am indoors next time it happens.

 

Where'd you have your amps mounted? I'm guessing/betting it was not in the rear chubby hole behind the driver seat or in glove box.

 

oh boy...trust me, i did that to my old 1991 Buick Park Ave a few years ago on THANKSGIVING and the next day i seen my window busted and my pioneer headunit was ripped out leaving me to replace my entire dash board. The towel just makes it more of "curiousity" for theives to wonder what you are hiding...i just wouldnt recommend this method cause of bad experience.

EDIT: The sad part is...most car audio thefts is from someone who knows you...

 

amps were mounted on my amp rack. so no they were not hidden really well. anybody with a flashlight could see in. i mean my windows were tinted in all but still you can see past that easy. i more or less had it out in the open because i show the car and i was worried about the dissipation of heat coming off of the amps

 

I found this in the UK. About $50 shipped but it almost looks as if it attaches with a suction cup or something????

http://www.xtrons.com/doce/productdetail.aspx?pid=41

 

The past car i had they broken into right infront of my house, the thing that sucks was for some reason the alarm didnt want to activated that night and screwed me over and took about 2 grand worth of crap. So when i got the 350 i got the Viper 5002 Responder 2-Way Security System and also got a the glass sensor. which is preety much like a little microphone in your car that picks up the sound of something hitting your glass. and sounds a warning and goes off if it happens again. and the good thing it shows you on the remote what made it go off and it beebs whenever your alarm throws out a cherp. They also have a tilt sensor that they make so when the car is jacked up it goes off also .

 

awesome little alarm here

http://www.zenesisalarms.com/zn502.htm

 

that alarm looks nice...are you using this alarm? care to give a short review? (pros/cons)