NYCe MaXiMa

iTrader: (9)

I live in NYC and cars get robbed all the time.

I purchased an Eclipse 3413 MP3 deck from Don but have yet to install it, it's been sitting for some time. I'm going to be re-doing my stereo in the next few months and I'm considering selling it because i can't remove the faceplate.

Do theives really pass on cars without faceplates showing?

i have not had any break-ins yet, but it's the factory non-bose CD headunit. My windows are tinted but you can still see inside and i park on the street frequently in not so pleasant areas.

As I type this, there is a stripped 4th gen standing about 30 feet from where my car is parked in Brooklyn.


I have a Viper Vx791? or whatever model alarm with the pager but it isn't enough range and time for me to run out of work or class and make it to the car anyways.

Basically
I still want a nice MP3 deck for ~$230 and i'm scared to put in the Eclipse because I can't remove the face. Should I look at some Alpines? (no Pioneers).

slickrick

iTrader: (12)

why no pioneers? well eclipse has the security thing, im not sure whats its called. but they replace your h/u if its stolen for up to one year after you buy it. and i believe if the h.u is jacked it is rendered useless also. but im sure guys who own eclipses will chime in shortly. back in hs when i knew shady people they would go to sawgrass mills mall in florida (one of the largest in the nation) and jack car audio. they said if a face plate was missing they wouldnt even bother with the car. but i guess every thief is different.

SzeMan4

eclipse is all i have to say. They use ESN. What happeneds when you first install your eclipse hu it asks for a key disc that disc becomes your key if the head unit is ever disconnected from the battery. So if it is stolen it won't work for anyone but you. So the robber hooks it up then after messing with it the head unit will say call 1 800...... thinking they will get the problem fixed but eclipse has a log of you serial code and will know it was stolen. No one has ever touched my eclipse head unit and i have parked in some real ghetto places. So me removeable heads are stupid cause most people if will throw them in the truck under the seat etc.... and will be found by the robber. Plus it is a pain to carry it around everywhere you go. It also adds another thing to not work do to connections from the repeated off and on of the plate. A connection between the face and head unit are bound to happen. I feel confident that my setereo will never get stolen. Also when the car is off the ESN light blinks on the head unit and at night u can really see that it is "armed" i guess. If i was a robber i wouldn't mess with it and i would go for an easy target like pioneers or any other "slide in" installations. On the max you can actually bolt the head unit to the chasis. Atleast i did so you can't just slide it out.

NYCe MaXiMa

iTrader: (9)

I am well aware of the ESN thing but it doesn't help me if my deck is jacked. Not like I will get it back..lol

I am sure that most theives don't even know about it..



no Pioneers because almost everyone I know of with a Pioneer had the issue of the faceplate buttons wearing down. It is pretty crappy quality in my mind, unless the newer models use some better buttons. My DEH P9200 practically lost ALL of it's buttons and finally the display didn't light up anymore. Friends with 7300s are having the issues too and they barely even touch the display because they are scared the buttons will wear off and they are half way there..

just seems like Pioneers are more for looks.. I don't care about that as much as I care for function, reliability and bang for the buck.

But yeah, I'm still not feeling safe with the ESN thing. Maybe a robber won't realize it's a Eclipse deck until after they broke into my car.. they might take something else, or still attempt to take it since they probably don't know about the security feature ...
I rather not have them mess up my dashboard and center console plastics attempting to rip it out when i bolt it into the car.

I don't want it to look like i have an aftermarket deck in there at all...

SzeMan4

ha....then don't get one easy as that

Kojiro_FtT

Yeah dude, thieves don't know about the ESN thing. And if a thief is smart enough to do his research and knows about the ESN, then he probably knows a way to bypass it as well. That was my deciding factor as well.

Don't install the Eclipse, get an Alpine IMO.

Conrad283

iTrader: (2)

If you don't show it off then they'll never know it's there. Most of the time thieves don't go looking for a target. They pick a target that exploits what they have. I have a ~$6000 system, but rarely blast it so no one knows it's there. Which is the way I prefer it.

Hope everything works out Steve

SzeMan4

conrad that is exactly what it is......NO way to bypass ESN if you pic the most unpopular CD as your key and keep it out of your car. I park around OSU campus and my car has never been touched. I don't blast it in the area, and i have seen people walk by and look in my car. Not a finger on my car. Hey like i said the eclipse head unit also blinks and at night u can see it, and i don't think most head units do that. But i understand your worries.

Nismo

iTrader: (18)

My window was smashed because I didnt remove my face. Lesson- show nothing of interest

Kojiro_FtT

Um, sorry dude. You have tint and rims; believe me, they know you have a system. A thief would b-line for a car like yours in a dark parking lot. You are just lucky enough to not have been hit yet. Good luck, and be careful.

MacAlert

iTrader: (1)

My sis' factory upgraded Monsoon sound system blinks at night too. Steve, I really wouldn't be to worried about keeping the Eclipse HU. I too have one in my car and am not worried. It all comes down to you.

Pearl96Max

iTrader: (151)

ESN cannot be bypassed.

Will you get your radio back? No you will be shipped a new one.

Like posted above it comes down to what you feelcomfortable with, but I would never let a Potential robbery run my life.

--Don

MacAlert

iTrader: (1)

That's what insurance is for. If it gets taken, file a report. Doesn't insurance cover this stuff?

DaBoxSE

iTrader: (5)

Hey Steve, hows it going? I have a Panasonic CQ-HX2083U. It is a single DIN touch display that has no visible buttons...When it is turned off, the entire screen is black, so it looks as if there is nothing there. Its an Amazing deck that looks Beautiful IMO. Plus, you can set the screen and touch button color to match you dash lights. It is also a removable face, so you can take it out if you like and it has a blinking security light when you remove the face. just my .02 I will have pics soon.

Tony Fernandes

1) Theives don't use the stereos they steal. They sell them for $20 to someone that doesn't know a thing about ESN.

2) Removeable faceplates are only good when you remove them. You CAN keep them under the seat, in which case the thief will steal that too. BUT, if there's no face plate on the stereo they "might" not even bother with your car in the first place. Even if they steal your stereo and leave the faceplate, what good will a faceplate without a stereo be anyway?

3) ESN is a good thing within the first year, but it still won't pay for your broken window, dash, and anything else damaged and/or stolen during the break-in.

Really, it's just personal choice. A combination of parking spot selection, not showing your system off, not having anything of value visible in the car and a good alarm is your best bet.

Hope that helps.

Tony

NYCe MaXiMa

iTrader: (9)

thanks for the feedback guys..

anyone that lives in nicer areas of the country want to buy a nice Eclipse 3413 MP3 deck? brand new in the box.. give me a good offer

as much as i'd like to keep this deck from all the positive things i heard about Eclipse units as far as sound quality goes..
i would rather play it safe..

thanks

DaBoxSE

iTrader: (5)

Wow, when did you get a 5th gen?? We both have come a long way from the 3rd gen days

NYCe MaXiMa

iTrader: (9)

Clark, like 6-7 months ago?

yeah, definitely a long way since those 3rd gen days..
wish i had that 3.5 though..

mdwst51

I used to be about removing the faceplate like it was my job. That habit lasted for all of 3 weeks then I got lazy and never remove it anymore. Unless I'm somewhere really ghetto or at a mall or theatre.

zboy

iTrader: (2)

My cousin had a blaupunkt stereo with a fold-down face that has the removeable keycard so you cant use the stereo without the card..the stereo got jacked anyway, even with the big sticker that says its useless without the card.

And I think blinking lights on stereo's are a joke. The clarion I have right now has one too (but I keep that feature turned off). Seems like only expensive stereo's have them though..so I think a blinking stereo would be a good way to advertise you've got a nice one