Theft: How do you minimize break ins?

I have 91 Accord with JVC Kameleon and Speakers. No alarm or no
keyless entry. I live in an Apartment complex. My radio has been
stolen once, the glass was just smashed in.

Any tricks you've used?

The two tips I've seen are also be a red flag at the same time. Rather
paradoxical:

1) Parking in a lit visible area. = Thief won't risk getting caught
vs. Thief will notice what you have even better.

2) Flashing LED/Alarm = Discourages thief = Encourages thief who
wonders what you're protecting.

3) Tinted windows = Low visibility = hiding something.

For those of you in Apartment complexes, where do you park your cars?

I just try to not park in corners, and to park in parking spots
facing apartments in plain view. I park near lights, but not right
under them. People must be really bold to be daring enough to still
in plain daylight, or is it really not that hard?

I'm actually thinking that the best course of action is to
psychologically just prepare msyelf and assume that it will happen
again sooner or later. At this point in my career, I can only afford
liability insurance, but hopefully in the future, I might just shelf
out the cash for a $50 deductible comprehensive coverage, it just may
be worth it for the peace of mind.

 

At least get an alarm installed. This way, if anyone tries to break in,
the alarm goes off and will probably draw attention. Then again, some
people simply ignore them.

You might also consider removing the stereo's faceplate and taking it
in your apartment at night.

I don't know how it is in other states and cities, but where I live,
Hondas seem to be targeted all the time for break-ins, stolen parts,
etc. I too have to park my car in the street, so I wont ever buy a
Honda or any other make that is notorious for theft and stolen parts.

 

buy a house / move to an apartment complex with attached garage.

Scott

 

I have 91 Accord with JVC Kameleon and Speakers. No alarm or no

Go with a stock head unit and make sure everything else is hidden. Or, if
you insist on an aftermarket unit, look into using a stock head unit face
(junkyard part) as a mask. Something you could even just velcro into place
at night. Or you could get more elaborate with it. I think this is the
biggest thing you can do. Thieves look inside for an aftermarket head unit.
If they don't see one, they probably won't break in. For instance, last
year there were a bunch of cars broken into in my complex. My car was
spared because, despite having 3 high powered amplifiers, expensive
speakers, and a sub, I was using the stock head unit at the time. The car
next to me had a crappy aftermarket head unit - it was broken into.

Even in the trunk, do a stealth installation (eg. grille cloth over a grille
cover on the sub; amps hidden from view) so that people can't see from a
distance that you have an audio system if you have to open your trunk.

And, of course, turn the volume down when you approach the apartment
complex.

By the way, I agree with you about the tinted windows. An awful idea if
you're trying to prevent your car from being broken into.

 

Where do you live? This was a real nightmare during the 80's into the
90's in NYC. I lost count of how many times my Rabbit was broken into
after about a dozen. The thieves would steal *anything*, not just
radios, e.g., my son's old winter jacket, a sweater, pack of cigarettes,
etc.

Forget the alarm - if it's anything like NYC it's either ignored or
people call in complaints about the noise. I had an '87 Acura Integra
stolen off the street after only 2 weeks. The alarm meant nothing.

Something that worked well for me was to have the new radio installed in
the glove compartment (on the Rabbit).

 

I live in Silver Spring, MD (essentially Washington, D.C).

 

I'm actually thinking that the best course of action is to

The paradoxes do have some truth to them. Just don't put anything in
a car that you're emotionally attached to -- there's no future in it.

I even had a head unit stolen after I had removed and taken the face
plate. Who the hell knows what they were going to do with it, without
the $150 face.

Also, after your car is broken into, expect the same guy to come back
in 3-9 months. The better theives have a tickler system, at least in
their head. Why do they come back? They figure by then you have
replaced your stuff, probably with something even better.

JM

 

one i would try would be to put an OEM radio in the slot, and hide the
good stereo in the center armrest, console, or whereever.

or... forgo the chameleon, and try to find a recent, working, "good" OEM
stereo that will suit your needs.

i likes the bright blue flashy ones. need to get one.

or not. in california, its normal to have some tint.

in a garage its a condo...

but i do have a blaupunkt colorado with the 10 disc changer. the
colorado has a tape deck head unit and detachable face. changer is in
the hatch, with 5% limo tint and a blanket over it.

i rarely use tapes, but... *hopefully* someone glancing at the headless
tape unit will realize its a "crappy" tape player and not a
"bling-bling" head unit with CD.

or not. i had a sanyo tape player head unit (old school "pull-out"
design) ripped off that really wasnt worth much of anything.

so.. either

"disguise/hide" the good stuff, go recent OEM with a decent amp, or...?

im leaning toward an ipod myself, with a "crappy" head unit and an
amp... if my blau 10-disc changer ever takes a dump on me.

 

i used to live on nob hill in san francisco. always well lit & plenty
of people about. cars used to get their stereos ripped all the time.
the theives used to commute from down the hill. bottom line is that
noone's going to confront a kid with a crowbar short of a cop. i even
had my stereo ripped /right/ outside my apartment. even if i'd caught
them doing it, i'm not sure i would have stopped them - you never know
if they have a blade or something more serious. just hide it somewhere
not visible from outside. or keep a rottweiler in the car.

 

I once thought that an Optimus stereo system would deter theft but some
crackhead stole it anyway.


A noisy alarm seems to work best.

I wouldn't trust a fake LED indicator. All one has to do it hit the car
on a walk-by to see that it's fake.

Be careful of sleazy car stereo shops. I've had a couple friends go to
places that took the stereo back just hours after installation. Nobody
steals the mounting hardware unless the system was left loose for easy
removal.

People who look in the windows of parked cars are sometimes thieves
taking inventory. Have the police visit if the activity doesn't look
like normal curiosity.

 

Put a sticker on your window stating that "disconnecting the radio will
disable it." - you can print something up pretty easily to make it look like
it came with the radio. Of course, some knucklehead might break in to see if
you kept the code in your glovebox.

Btw, parking or living in a 'nice' section may not help you keep your radio.
I live in a larger city near NYC and I've never had a problem where you
might expect it: Been to Brooklyn, Bronx, even Harlem fairly frequently -
nothing.
Wouldn't you know it: I parked my car in a 'nice' country area of
Connecticut and some country bumpkin stole my Radio, CDs, Radar detector and
sun glasses.
I don't think cars and their content are safe anywhere.

Good luck with your quest.
Remco

 

I keep a cassette tape sticking out of my cassette player. The idea is that
if someone sneaks a furtive glance at my dash, the first thing they'll see
is a dumb old tape. Hopefully they won't look much further.

 

If you make it a tape of Barry Manilow, I think you're on to something, Dee!

 

On a related note, I left a clothespin sticking out of my old GM
cassette deck--actually because it made the radio work if I recall
correctly, but after I fixed that problem it made sense to make it look
as if the sucker was busted. I should do the same with my current unit.
Don't know what one might do to a newer CD unit...

 

Majiin Will:

Maybe put an alarm inside the car so that when it goes off the thief is
deafened. Just make sure you disable it while driving!

When I lived in an apartment someone broke into my Mustang and tried to
steal my Alpine. They took half the dash apart and couldn't get it out so
they only took the knobs. Pissed me off because the unit was discontinued
and I couldn't get original replacements.

 

I used to have some experience in the type of person you are describing,
so I will try to let you know what that person is thinking.

To be honest, the well lit parking area tends to work well provided it is
well within sight of several apartment units. A thief doesn't want to wonder
if someone may happen to look out of their window.

Your average thief may just pass up a car that he believes has an alarm. But
you have to actually have the alarm AND monitor it. If the alarm goes off
every few days from someone palming the car and you become complacent about
these "false alarms" you'll probably get hit.

Tinted windows will help deter a thief if you use it in combination with the
well lit parking. A thief doesn't want to be seen peering into the car
trying to see if it's worth it.

Park the car as close as you can to your own unit. I'd also recommend
installing a pin lock in the apartment window closest to your car and
leaving it open (and pinned) a half inch or so. Increases the chances of
hearing something amiss.

Daring isn't really the proper term. If a thief believes he can get away
with a crime, he will commit one. The term is confident.

After saying all of the above, I'll qualify my opinion by stating that I
used to boost cars for a living. After spending 8 years as a "guest" of the
state of Texas, I decided it was no longer worth it. Since I've been out (10
+ years), I have had my own head unit, amp and box stolen in my own
driveway. I live in a small town in a middle - upper income family oriented
subdivision. My insurance didn't cover the theft (yes, I have full
coverage - including comprehensive) because when I upgraded the system, I
didn't get a rider on my insurance. The agent told me that had I done all of
the proper paperwork, it wouldn't have been a problem. They did pay me for
the cost of the factory head unit.
Your best bet to deter your average thief would be to utilize a
combination of the suggestions you have made above. You won't stop a skilled
or determined thief. I have actually stolen a '69 Camaro that had an alarm
and had a German Shepherd tied to it. On a side note, if anyone ever decides
to use a dog to protect their car - make sure the dog will attack someone
coming close. The dog in question walked up to me and then fell down (stun
gun). Most people tend to believe that the mere presence of a dog is a
deterrent. I own 4 dogs (2 labs and 2 golden retrievers) and while they may
sound ferocious, I doubt they'd actually attack someone. I chose not to have
my dogs trained because I live in a neighborhood where it wouldn't be out of
the ordinary for a neighbor child to kick a ball into my yard and run over
to get it.
FWIW, I don't have an alarm. I don't have tinted windows. I do have a
motion light by the driveway (but it's more for my convenience, since the
driveway is on the opposite end of the house from the bedrooms).I lock my
truck doors to discourage the punk kids who ransack cars for jollies these
days. But if someone wanted to break in - they would. I don't know about DC,
but here in South Louisiana, you can buy a slim jim at almost any flea
market or over the web.
Someone farther down this thread made a very valid point - if you don't
want to risk losing it, don't keep it in a car. It is your psychological
makeup that determines how you deal with it. I just decided that I'd take
the basic precautions (locking the doors and having my speakers in a
downfiring box, so they're not very prominent).I know from experience that I
can't stop a skilled thief, so I don't lose much sleep over it.
If you can afford it, I have seen car alarms that will actually
(somehow) determine when a person is within a certain proximity of the car
and emit a warning (the one that scared the sh*t out of me was at a club I
was going to. When I walked by, it said "stand back from this vehicle". It
was around midnight and the lot was full. I was just walking by and the
thing started talking. I don't know what it was nor did I try to find out.
Like I said, my past is just that - my past.
Hopefully, this will shed a little light on what you're wanting to know.

Me

 

I've found my solution is simply stealth..
I don't jam near my house, I don't open my trunk at home, I don't have an
alarm so the neighbors don't hear chirp chirp when I get in..
as far as the neighborhood is concerned, nothing is there..
I've even had my window broken, and my cigarettes stolen.. that's all ..
nice alpine in the dash and a couple grand in the trunk, they take
cigarettes (even had the key in the ignition..lol).. if noone can see it,
hear it, have any reason to think anything is there, noone will steal it.

 

I drive a 1991 Civc and have nothing worth stealing in the car.
No radar detector, after all it is a 1991 Civic. No cell phone.
No alarm system.
I don't even have a radio in the beast.

Everyone in my neighborhood knows I am a cheap tightwad, who else
would be driving a 1991 Civic?
Before that I drove a 1985 Celica into the ground. IF you don't have
$1000 stereo in a $500 car your chances of getting hit are minimal.
Of course the fact that I mounted flashing LEDs in the dash, and
above each door lock (both side doors, and the hatchback) might help.
An time the ignition if off, the LEDs flash.
IF I was going to go with an alarm I would add a wireless link so that
I would know when the alarm tripped. Then I would consider checking out
what was happening with a 12ga or baseball bat.
Terry

 

12 ga probably better idea considering you don't know what they are likely
to be carrying

 

The only problem with carrying anything is that you'll probably either get
it taken from you if you aren't prepared to use it or you will end up in
prison if you do use it. Either way, it won't help you keep your stuff.

Me