Well..
in my truck, my cd player is a 6-disc in dash factory unit.. that is more than adequate for my needs.. as it plays mp3's. Nobody is going to attempt to steal that thing.
Then, my actual radio listening experience is my XM unit, which if stolen, becomes immediately deactivated and never allowed to be used again.
Also, I take it out when I get out of my truck.

Actually looking at buying the Pioneer GEX-XMP3 right now.. as a portable and in truck unit.
$180.00 shipped from Abe's of Maine, nice!

I suppose that young kids still want the booming loud audio systems, so they are a target. -shrug-

Having said that, over the last few years, I've not run across as many loud, obnoxious car stereos as I had previously.

Well when you can't just steal a head unit and put it in any other vehicle on the road it's kind of pointless.

discount sushi: Well when you can't just steal a head unit and put it in any other vehicle on the road it's kind of pointless.

Pretty much. A lot of manufacturers aren't making their stereos to fit in the usual 'din' slots anymore, so maybe even aftermarket stereos might be going the way of the dodo bird at some point.

The nav systems that aren't embedded are still fair game though.

also, a lot of control functions are being built into the stereo as well. My car has settings for the change oil light built into its stereo.. so i really can't change it out, lest i still keep it installed in the trunk or something.

Yeah, i think the head units are becoming obsolete for new vehicles. the amps and speakers however..

Yeah, this started in the late 90's. Car mfgrs started making the stereos multitaksers. Not just for the obvious stuff such as nav systems. For a few years Honda had linked the stereo to a number of basic & additional features on the Civic. You could replace the stereo, but you still had to keep the factory unit connected & crammed up underneath the dash. Otherwise the factory security, keyless entry & all of the dashs lights were rendered useless.

Dr.Knockboots: Having said that, over the last few years, I've not run across as many loud, obnoxious car stereos as I had previously.

They've been replaced by loud, obnoxious exhaust systems. When the ricer/tuner movement took off the avg kid spent less on audio & more on perf mods. A lot of them got tired of replacing stolen gear every 3-6 months too.

Interesting article.

I saw a video ad for an aftermarket mp3 player that could be installed in a BMW. That works because BMW opened up their in-car bus. My car is closed (as far as I know) and the integrated control/display system handles navigation, some car-related features, alert messages, and sound. You can't just pop it out and install a better sound system.

great. How am I gwinta fence deez ate trax, now?

This sounds like good news until you realize a broken window and ripped-up instrument panel is less serious than having the catalytic converter sawed off your exhaust system.

I tried stealing a car radio once...damn CD player just had a bunch of crappy middle-eastern hip hop...worst waste of 20 minutes ever.

/nothing's obscure

I have a great stereo with a cassette player. I leave my car unlocked frequently & parking change has been stolen, gas has been siphoned, but stereo is safe.

Theft has just become more sophisticated. For instance you could listen to that 6 min clip on the NPR site for free. Or you could have iTunes rip you off of 99 cents if you get it from there.

"But the aftermarket stereos that people bought to replace the factory-issued ones could easily transfer from one car to the next. For example, if thieves steal the factory stereo from a Volkswagen Jetta, they're going to need a buyer with a Volkswagen Jetta, and all a thief can offer is the stereo the owner had to begin with."



/five years

Well when you have The Club auto security waiting for an intruder, car thefts tend to reduce.

Half the time they don't even get the damned stereo out...they just manage to destroy it and mangle your dashboard.

I don't understand why bikes are still stolen. Can there be that much of a demand for parts that a locked bike will disappear in 15 minutes on any university campus? Not even good bikes.

It's getting harder and harder to even find a place that will install an aftermarket car stereo. The new cars have them wired so weird it's an impossible job. And they're integral to the electrical system in some cases so you end up messing up the airbag or somesuch if you pull the factory radio. So the installers have to really know what they're doing. People who really know what they're doing aren't cheap.

I told youse guys. Volvo. Radio has a code. Registered. Every time power is disconnected, system is useless. Unless you have the code. Takes a full ID and registration for the dealer to unlock it.
On the downside, all it plays is Swedish can-can....

Can I still discover someone's stereo?

Rozinante: I don't understand why bikes are still stolen. Can there be that much of a demand for parts that a locked bike will disappear in 15 minutes on any university campus? Not even good bikes.

??? They don't chop them like cars, they sell them to used bike shops (who may or may not know they're stolen) who then resell them.

Who cares about CD changers when you can bring 160GB worth of mp3s with you and listen to them via FM radio?

PokeyMon: I told youse guys. Volvo. Radio has a code. Registered. Every time power is disconnected, system is useless. Unless you have the code. Takes a full ID and registration for the dealer to unlock it.
On the downside, all it plays is Swedish can-can....

My '89 Chevy had that. Nobody would steal it. I even left the doors unlocked. I was considering leaving the keys in the ignition.

BobtheFascist: They've been replaced by loud, obnoxious exhaust systems. When the ricer/tuner movement took off the avg kid spent less on audio & more on perf mods. A lot of them got tired of replacing stolen gear every 3-6 months too.

I'm still waiting for that fad to hit Tennessee. Every punk ass redneck and inner-city street thug still think their tiny dicks can be compensated for with a stereo system. The only loud exhaust systems I hear are on motorcycles.

pnjunction: Rozinante: I don't understand why bikes are still stolen. Can there be that much of a demand for parts that a locked bike will disappear in 15 minutes on any university campus? Not even good bikes.

??? They don't chop them like cars, they sell them to used bike shops (who may or may not know they're stolen) who then resell them.

Who buys a used bike? (unless it's especially good) You can get a 'used' cheap bike at a police auction for $5.

PokeyMon: I told youse guys. Volvo. Radio has a code. Registered. Every time power is disconnected, system is useless. Unless you have the code. Takes a full ID and registration for the dealer to unlock it.
On the downside, all it plays is Swedish can-can....

I have a Chevrolet Aveo, and it's kinda like that. It was a PITA to get the dealer to give me the code after the battery was disconnected for some other service. It's a piece of crap radio too, so I don't know why they think anybody would want to steal it.

The radio/tape deck in my '88 Bronco II is the stock Ford unit.

I leave the doors unlocked. Nobody ever messes with a beater.

JohnBigBootay: It's getting harder and harder to even find a place that will install an aftermarket car stereo.

So true. My car is a 2000 model and it was a pain to replace the head unit and speakers. When I sell that car the new owner will get a nice stereo as a bonus.

My previous car was broken into. They got my head unit, amps, and sub. Plus they broke windows and ripped up my dash pretty good. All in all, about $2,500 worth of damage. Thank God for insurance.

So it's back to stealing watermelon then...?

Sun Worshiping Dog Launcher: BobtheFascist: They've been replaced by loud, obnoxious exhaust systems. When the ricer/tuner movement took off the avg kid spent less on audio & more on perf mods. A lot of them got tired of replacing stolen gear every 3-6 months too.

I'm still waiting for that fad to hit Tennessee. Every punk ass redneck and inner-city street thug still think their tiny dicks can be compensated for with a stereo system. The only loud exhaust systems I hear are on motorcycles.

Don't know where in TN you live, but here in the Nashville area, it's been here a while. They sound like hacked-off bumblebees in a tin can.

Well this is good news. What's a steer-eee-ou?

My car alarm was stolen.

1. Steal car stereos
2. ???
3. Wait, what?

JohnBigBootay: It's getting harder and harder to even find a place that will install an aftermarket car stereo. The new cars have them wired so weird it's an impossible job. And they're integral to the electrical system in some cases so you end up messing up the airbag or somesuch if you pull the factory radio. So the installers have to really know what they're doing. People who really know what they're doing aren't cheap.

On the plus side; if you try to do it yourself and farkup beyond belief, you can just smash a window and file an insurance claim.

/Might has well get SOMETHING from the service you've been paying for not to use...

Rozinante: I don't understand why bikes are still stolen. Can there be that much of a demand for parts that a locked bike will disappear in 15 minutes on any university campus? Not even good bikes.

The one time my bike was stolen in college, it turned out that someone just needed to quickly get from point A to point B. I actually found it neatly parked in the bike rack by the library (literally the last bike rack where I looked, expecting a thief to be less intellectual). Guess at a private school, people can already afford bikes better than my rusty old thing.

On the other hand, I once saw a classic "everything but the front wheel that was locked to the bike rack stolen" in the now-bulldozed residence area known as The Ghetto. The thing about that was that it was literally fifty feet from Campus Security headquarters, which has someone in it 24-7.

/Also, just wrapping a broken lock chain around your bike and the rack had astoundingly good results

FTFA

As Corum gets the basic radio to work, you can hear what car manufacturers had to offer in the early 1990s: flat, crackly, uneven sound.

But it doesn't take long before he finds the wires to an amplifier hidden under the back seat, a subwoofer bolted to the floor and a couple of speakers that had lost their connection.

"That's much better, right?" Corum asks, pulling his head out from under the dash.

Rich, thumping music fills the car, as if it had just rolled off the factory floor.

Does that make any sense at all?

I bet nobody is stealing television sets either.

Yesterdays CRT models are obsolete.

Todays giant flatscreen sets are too much like work to load up and haul away while remaining intact enough to sell.

I think property crime in general is going down.

pnjunction: Rozinante: I don't understand why bikes are still stolen. Can there be that much of a demand for parts that a locked bike will disappear in 15 minutes on any university campus? Not even good bikes.

??? They don't chop them like cars, they sell them to used bike shops (who may or may not know they're stolen) who then resell them.

If it's an middle to high end bike, they can make more money by selling the components on Ebay. Bike parts are surprisingly expensive on the higher end.

put. the fork. down.: Sun Worshiping Dog Launcher: BobtheFascist: They've been replaced by loud, obnoxious exhaust systems. When the ricer/tuner movement took off the avg kid spent less on audio & more on perf mods. A lot of them got tired of replacing stolen gear every 3-6 months too.

I'm still waiting for that fad to hit Tennessee. Every punk ass redneck and inner-city street thug still think their tiny dicks can be compensated for with a stereo system. The only loud exhaust systems I hear are on motorcycles.

Don't know where in TN you live, but here in the Nashville area, it's been here a while. They sound like hacked-off bumblebees in a tin can.

Just outside of Memphis. The rice burners around, but they're nothing compared to sound systems you can hear coming a half-mile plus down the road.

Maybe I should move the hell away from Memphis...

Old Fart here. I don't care if someone steals that POS radio in my car(s). I never listen to 'em anyway. I don't _need_ pointless whiny thumpby bumby noise to drive from here to there.

When you can buy a decent aftermarket stereo that plays MP3 discs, has an AUX input for MP3 players and a USB input for flash drives for under $150, why would you have to steal one?

This article is completely accurate, except that car stereos still produce terrible sounding audio. It's just less awful then the AM radio the author had in his first car he bought in 1930

Fireproof: Rozinante: I don't understand why bikes are still stolen. Can there be that much of a demand for parts that a locked bike will disappear in 15 minutes on any university campus? Not even good bikes.

The one time my bike was stolen in college, it turned out that someone just needed to quickly get from point A to point B. I actually found it neatly parked in the bike rack by the library (literally the last bike rack where I looked, expecting a thief to be less intellectual). Guess at a private school, people can already afford bikes better than my rusty old thing.

On the other hand, I once saw a classic "everything but the front wheel that was locked to the bike rack stolen" in the now-bulldozed residence area known as The Ghetto. The thing about that was that it was literally fifty feet from Campus Security headquarters, which has someone in it 24-7.

/Also, just wrapping a broken lock chain around your bike and the rack had astoundingly good results

Of course it was at the last place you looked. Why would you keep looking for your bike after you've found it?

Hrmph, someone attempted to steal mine out of my car 2 weeks ago. They broke the passenger window and jacked the hell out of the dash, but never got the whole radio out. Maybe that's why the amount actually stolen is less, they are harder to get out.

Sun Worshiping Dog Launcher: move the hell away from Memphis

Good plan.

BobtheFascist: They've been replaced by loud, obnoxious exhaust systems.

You mean whistles that go WHOO WHOO?!

Rozinante: Who buys a used bike? (unless it's especially good) You can get a 'used' cheap bike at a police auction for $5.

Plenty of people. Most people buy them at shops rather than police auctions (who get the bikes when they raid some shops).

kabloink: If it's an middle to high end bike, they can make more money by selling the components on Ebay. Bike parts are surprisingly expensive on the higher end.

I suppose, but most people don't ride anything even close to expensive around here. I can't imagine selling parts from a crappy $100-250 bicycle from a department store, but I guess it could go down.

I got the "Premium" 6 disc changer with my VW but I still went out and bought an in-dash Nav and iPod control. The factory one had AUX in, but this is much nicer. I really hope it doesn't get stolen.

BrianJLG: So it's back to stealing watermelon then...?

I am soooooooo getting flamed for this.

I don't know about stealing but I think shooting out the speakers is going to be popular real soon here in Southern California, the capital of the third world. One car will have gangsta rap, played by some cracker whigga, the next one will have rachero music, Mexican singing with a German beer hall oompah band accompaniment, the next one will have that Middle Eastern atonal wailing that they get from putting camels up in the stirrups and doing Pap smears on them. All of this is played at a volume that allows everyone in a 6 block radius to appreciate them as musical connoisseurs. All it would really take to push you over the edge is somebody in a Continental playing Lawrence Welk while peering out through the steering wheel.