Security ideas

Hi there again folks!

I nearly have all the bits I need for my super-duper install now, I got the amp and sub delivered yesterday and am just waiting for the spare console moulding so I can build a dual-DIN hole in the dash of my Corrado. All this waiting however has given me time to cast my thoughts over the horrendous possibility of having my precious (and soon to be irreplacable) Empeg nabbed! What can I do to prevent this most heinous of crimes?

Obviously the answer is to always pull the unit out and take it with me wherever I go but we all know that carrying a car stereo around with you all the time is less than convenient. With this in mind, my ingenious plan was to buy one of those mini-safes you find in hardware stores and get it bolted to the chassis in the boot (or trunk for you Americans). I could then put the unit in it instead of carrying it with me thus making sure that I don't lose it/drop it in a puddle/get it stolen from me by a passing mugger. Sorted!

It was while researching this idea that one of my work colleagues pointed out that he had heard of safes designed expressly for this purpose but for the life of me I can't find any evidence of such a product on the net!

Does anyone have any clue where these can be found? or maybe you have a better security idea? Any input is welcome!

http://www.car-safe.com/

http://www.4wdworld.com.au/products/safe/

You could always get one of those laptop security cords and have it bolted to your chasis in you dash... then before you slide the empeg in you just clip the security lock on and slide the empeg in.. You'd probobly have to make a hole in the docking sled for the lock to fit though when you slide the empeg in... just an idea..

-Greg

Does anybody know of safe-boxes for convertibles?

Calvin

Wow, that was fast.

I do like the idea of a safe in the trunk. Years ago, I'd seen other cars with pullout stereos that have something similar. Pull out the stereo, lock it in the safe in the trunk, "stealth" the dash, and you're good to go.

Which is really the only other thing I would recommend as far as theft prevention: The Stealth approach. I did this on my VW GTI and now on my Honda (Pictures here). Highly recommended.

Stealth is good
try the din sized false air vents @ Halfords 4.99. They work a treat.
they may need a bit of trimming.
p

Ooh... I'll have to look out for these .

Is Halford's an east coast store thang? because I have never heard of it here in California.

It's a whole other continent! It's a car shop chain in the UK

- Trevor

ahh, guess I won't be keeping my eye out for that then

why would you need a different one for a convertable ?

dose anyone knwo of a stealth thing similar to the one tony has without the honda logo on it.. i love that idea.. but i wouldnt want a honda logo on my car, no offensive to honda just dosnt match the make and brand

Well, they're all nice ideas but none of them really solve my problem! The first one was close but I was looking for a safe that actually got fixed to the chassis directly rather than with a cable. Lets face it, cables are a cinch to snip with a set of bolt-cutters... O well, if I find anything I'll post it here but I suspect I'll be going down the DIY route and picking up an off-the-shelf safe from B&Q. (another UK chain store before anyone asks!)

Cheers!

dose anyone knwo of a stealth thing similar to the one tony has without the honda logo on it.

I know that the similar part in Volkswagen tend to be unmarked. Not sure how well
they'd fit other cars though...

/Michael

http://www.4wdworld.com.au/products/safe/

Thanks aplenty for this link, this is what I'll be using.
I'm considering a hidden setup either under a seat, in the boot, or under the dash/console.

I'm waiting for a reply about a custom sized unit with foam on all sides.

And Australian made! - Built to last!

dose anyone knwo of a stealth thing similar to the one tony has without the honda logo on it..

The idea is to get the corresponding part from your particular car manufacturer. For instance, I own a Honda, so I got my part from Honda. If you own a Volkswagen, get the corresponding part from Volkswagen. Etc.

Does anyone have any clue where these can be found? or maybe you have a better security idea?

Something like http://www.tuffyproducts.com/other/compact.html maybe? You would have to find a way to bolt it down.

-Mike

Looks like a wimpy lock that I could easily get through in a matter of minutes.

The price for that box ($106) is pretty steep as well. Might as well use a Pelican case bolted to the floor of your trunk. Then use some quality locks on the case.

As a followup to whomever suggested using some type of cable lock in behind the empeg when it's installed in the dash. STUPID idea. Not just a "bad" idea, but a STUPID idea. The primary impact of security is on a visible level. It works best as a deterrent. If you hide the security, someone will still break into the vehicle. And when the pull the deck out to find it's tethered, they're going to be pretty pissed off. They'll probably smash the deck and completely trash the inside of your car. Most modern cars can completely be written off if the interior is very badly trashed.

The best approach is a stealth one. Take the empeg out and put it somewhere else. If you lock it in a plain ans secure box in the trunk, no one will know exactly what is missing from your dash. They won't know if it's worth breaking into your trunk and will likely just pass by onto an easier mark.

Bruno

Looks like a wimpy lock that I could easily get through in a matter of minutes.

It shouldn't be. Tuffy is known for making very good in vehicle lock boxes. If you look through the rest of the site they make a ton of lockable compartments for convertible jeeps. I know a lot of people who have bought there stuff and I haven't heard of any of it being broken into.

Really, 99% of thieves won't be bothered to try to break any sort of lock. If it takes them more than two minutes they might as well just move on and try the next car. A small box like that or a surplus ammo box is a lot more subtle than something that looks like an actual safe. A thief might spend some time with that because it is more obvious there is something of value inside.

Regardless I agree that the box/safe/empeg should not be visible from outside the car.

-Mike

Well, the lock might have just looked wimpy because of the proportions of the photograph. For the price they're asking, I hope it's of high quality.

You can always put a sticker on it that says "diapers:used"

Bruno

Well, the lock might have just looked wimpy because of the proportions of the photograph.

Actually, from what I could gather, the only photos of the lock that made it look wimpy were ones of the inside of the casing. Sure, if that mechanism were exposed to the outside world, a simple application of harsh language would open it. But a properly-designed lock mechanism, if it's enclosed within the locked space, doesn't have to be industrial-strength to prevent entry.

The only goal of any lock is to make it more of a hassle to open than breaking into the locked object by brute force. If this container's lock succeeds in this goal, it doesn't need to be any stronger than it is.

If the lock can't survive the same brute force attack that the enclosure can, then it's the weak point. And the picture I saw looked like it would 1. be pickable, 2. fail with brute force.

But. There are plenty of less expensive boxes similar in design available elsewhere that can be bolted to the car, with or without locks. Something like this is what I'd consider a good candidate for mail-order anyway - not between countries.

How abot something portable and locakble? Using my previous suggestion of a pelican hard case. If you're currently using a pelican case for portability you can also use it fixed to the car's trunk. By installing a few bolts in the bottom of the car, each with a hole through it, perpendicular to its length. Put these UP through the bottom of your car. Weld them there or secure them with a low profile nut on the inside. Make sure there's enough length coming into the car to go through your pelican case. Put a few holes in the case to line up with the bolts. When you don't want to carry the case with you, put it in the trunk so the bolts go through it and into it. On the inside you put a coiuple of pins through the holes in the bolts. Now your empeg. Close it up and lock it with a pad lock. Done. It's fixed to the car until you unlock the whole thing and open it up again.

The drawback to the "unmodified" pelican is that you'll always have these holes in it... So you can forget about it being submersible.

Bruno

If the lock can't survive the same brute force attack that the enclosure can, then it's the weak point.

Agreed. That is statement I was trying to make.

My point was that the lock looked weak in the pictures only because you were seeing the inside part of the mechanism. I would hope that they designed it so that those weaknesses were not exposed to a brute force attack from the outside.

Picking is a completely different issue, though...

Even the most ordinary tubular locks are much more difficult to pick than standard pin or wafer locks. And I would feel confident in saying that Tuffy is likely to be using a high quality tubular lock.

By the way, where are you seeing these pictures of the interior of the locks? I'm not seeing them anywhere on that site. I'm probably just blind, though.

Well, I think I was looking at the Car-safe picture instead of the Tuffy picture, and this is the one I was thinking of:

http://www.car-safe.com/big6.htm#picture

Of course, now that I look at it, it makes it look like most of that is on the outside of the case not the inside. If so, then it does look kind of cheap and not to be trusted.

That picture is of the outside. Let me tell you what I could do to that baby with a chisel and a mallet. Pffft. Lock gone. But of course only the most determined thief would be carrying around the extra tools. My main point of contention with the Tuffy product was the price vs apparent materials.

Anything locked, out of view, in the trunk is at least 100 times more guarded than something left in plain view inside the car. An empeg on the seat for instance would be screaming "here! please take me!"

Bruno

Anything locked, out of view, in the trunk is at least 100 times more guarded than something left in plain view inside the car.

My first empeg was a replacement for a stereo theft where they got the subwoofer out of the trunk despite the fact that the stereo was a removable faceplate version and the face had been detached. So out of sight in the trunk doesn't necessarily mean it won't get taken.

Although they didn't take the amps hidden under the upholstery, that was good.

I did bring up the idea of a cable lock used in the car for those situations where you can't take it with you. I never said it would be a good idea to tether it while it is installed in the dash. I don't even think it is possible because of the size of the kensington lock. The best solution is to tether it to the lower part of the steering column and hide the empeg down there.

I disagree that hiding the deck is going to deter a determined thief. Look at Tony, he took his head unit out and put it in the trunk. The thieves saw that he had a head unit, then assumed it was either in the glovebox or the trunk and used a crowbar and messed up his car anyway.

Calvin

I didn't take my head unit out and put it in the trunk. I removed the faceplate from the CD player and took it with me. They smashed in anyway, took the sans-faceplate CD player, and took the subwoofer out of the trunk.

I've never had a full-pullout stereo stolen, I always take it with me.