in my neighboorhood one night 2 years ago 24 cars were broken into, and all had their aftermarket stereos stolen. one was my neighboor. one thing i question is, why wasnt my $ 200.00 aftermarket stereo never stolen? that ill never know.

what i think though, is the stereo installers at the big auto aftermarket stereo installing companies, like the one that starts with a B. and B. ( i wont say names specifically ) have to ask you for your address.

so they know where you live right?

next, they know what you had installed, and how much its worth right?

third, it wouldnt take much for them to figure out if you have a car alarm right?

4th, if they can put the stereo in in 20 minutes, im sure they can remove it in 20 seconds, you agree?


so if guns should be taken away from legal owners to prevent crime, well, then i dont think people should be allowed to own car stereos.


BuiltToughF250

 

I agree with you on that, the guys that install them are unfortunately very, very good at removing them. I knew of people that did this, but they worked for a company named H--- b-- (also protecting names). What a shame.

'77 F100, 302 (the aftermarket Prodigy), C4
Cadet Second Lieutenant John F. Daly III
South Carolina Corps of Cadets, The Citadel
The TorqueKing

 

I had this happen to a buddy of mine. He had a Bronco II that he probably invested 3 grand into his stereo setup. I know, I was with him during many of the purchases. Well, to save a little money, the installer at the stereo place (One of those big chain stores) offered to come out to his house and install it at half the price. Being young and stupid, saving a few hundred bucks on installation sounded great! So, the guy installs all the stereo equipment. It sounded awesome!! You could hear rock music from 1/4 mile away in that thing!

Well, he had it about 2 weeks and then one morning he awoke to find his truck was broken into. The person who stole the stereo did a METICULOUS job at taking everything apart... removing all screws and knew exactly where everything was and what to take. Screws were all removed, nothing was torn from the interior... the only thing broken was the window. Well, cops looked into this guy and apparently he had been questioned in other burglaries of a similar nature, but nobody could prove anything. They dusted his truck for fingerprints but it was wiped clean!

Yeah, you have to wonder about any of these people who work in those stereo places. Like you said, they know where you live and what you bought... sounds like an illegal business opportunity to me!

James Kern
1970 F250 4x4

 

Thats also a reason why I usually leave the stock stereo setup in the car. Too much of a reason for someone to steal it! Its a shame its gotta be like that, but I guess people can't have anything nice these days. So for now, stock stereo is the way to go for me, and thats probably how its gonna be for a while. I would rather dump money into a setup at home, where it is somewhat safer.

James Kern
1970 F250 4x4

 

Something to think about is that the installation kits for these stereos are very good. They make it very easy to install as well as remove. I remember the days when you had to cut your dash and splice wires. Now, you get a adapter kit and there you go.

So if someone has stereo Y and you know what they drive, odds are you already know how it was installed.

If you install a 1000 watt system and you drive around with it thumping all the sheet metel, guess what? Someone is going to notice and they may decide that they need that stero more than you do.

You don't leave your $1000 shotgun in the rear window of your truck, so it's probably a good idea not to put that much money into a car system that can be removed. Car alarms are about like door locks on houses. They only keep the honest people out.

 

Same here. I know a guy whose kid had a job installing stereos, and then stole them back within a couple of days. he said "everyone at the shop does it." Some of the gear went right back into the store's inventory to be re-used. I also know some of this hot stuff was installed in cops' personal vehicles. This is the world we live in. Ever wonder why a lot of pawn shops are owned by ex-cops?

 

I think you guys are overlooking the most likely culprits - those little old ladies and geezers in the neighborhood watch program that have had to readjust their pacemakers repeatedly after one of those "stereo-speakers-on-wheels" has gone thumping and bumping by.

Ya'll just pushed gramma too far this time!

 

I didn't know you'd met my grandma too, Tim!

The Law
1989 F-250 HD 4x4
460, C6, BW 13-56, Sterling 10.25" (4.10:1), Dana 44 HD (4.09:1), twin K&N's, no muffler, stock lo-flo cat, Bosch Platinum Plugs (0.060") MSD 6A and TFI Blaster Coil

 

I'm no pro installer, but I can take my stereo out in 30 seconds. Just pop the trim plate out, slide the tools down and pull, unplug and your gone. Stealing the car itself is the same way, if you know the car and where the special parts are, you can easily steal it in under a minute.


Primary rig is Green Thunder:
95' F-150 XLT 4x4, 302, 5 spd, MSD 6A, Flowmaster Exhaust, Sunroof, Clear corners w/ Diamond headlights, CD player with 2 10" subs and some 32" BFG Muds .

Thats it for now, saving for a stang. Check out my Gallery for a look-see.


Justin - One Happy FTE Member

 

Here's what I did to keep my stereo: (works with cassette decks only). I had an old cassette that had about 2 ft of tape hanging out. Every time I got ut of the truck I stuck the tail end of the loose stuff into the tape deck door and put the cassette on the dash. To the thieves it looked like the deck was junk, and who wants to steal that? I know it probably won't help with dishonest installers making off with stuff, but it worked for me!

 

Wow, not a bad idea!! Give the illusion that its a piece of junk and they might not touch it.. although, people might not go near my truck in general judging by its appearance..

James Kern
1970 F250 4x4

 

In my younger days, I opted for the ear-damaging, glass-shattering sound of alot of equipment. After losing it twice to unknown thieves, I gave up. My solution now is much neater and nicer.

Alot of after market companies are now making rf converters for rca jacks to come right out of the back of the radio harness. You can add an amp or two, and with concealable speakers (in the factory holes, or subs under the bench seat) you can have a great sound with what looks like a stock system to the naked eye.

It also helps that I've now turned my attention to the sound QUALITY over the volume, but the concept still holds true.

Dave

 

I throw a sweatshirt over the dashboard and let it "just happen" to drape over the CD player. I only paid 100 bucks for it. I put my amp under my rear seat so you can't see it, but my boxes are in plain site. I have a toolbag laying on one and the other doesn't even look like a sub box (they both look different). I have a pic in my gallery.


Primary rig is Green Thunder:
95' F-150 XLT 4x4, 302, 5 spd, MSD 6A, Flowmaster Exhaust, Sunroof, Clear corners w/ Diamond headlights, CD player with 2 10" subs and some 32" BFG Muds .

Thats it for now, saving for a stang. Check out my Gallery for a look-see.


Justin - One Happy FTE Member

 

we had a shop underinvestigation before for this reason

every sterio the installed got stolen

found out that one of the installers was copying all the invoces and then few weeks later they were stolen


as for the time ine got stolen it was a 1974 bronco with about 2 grand of earth pounding sounds in it (this was in 1991 ) and one morning got up for work
walked out side and every door was open and the back hatch

walked to my truck and found my alarm laying in my seat with a mountain dew poored over it

everything but the radio itself was gone

the radio would have been imposable to remove without removing the windshield and the full dash because ihad it strapped in there good while i had the truck apart

i found out who did it, which the cops did NOTHING, and they got there payback because they stole my friends down the street radio too

all i have to say is the guy who stole it, his car ( 1971 mach1 ) was on fire one morning when he woke up