Security and theft deterrents
 

So one of my xj's got broke into last night and they stole my deck. I was wondering what kind of anti theft devices people have come up with besides an alarm. Any pics or info would be great. I know I could buy a car alar, but I also want to see other ways people have done it. Thanks for the help.

Well, I suppose you could leave rattlesnakes crawling on the dash, or place welded wire mesh over all the glass so that breaking a window doesn't help them get in.

Seriously though, the biggest part of security involves increasing the likelihood of getting caught, or making it such a pain in the butt that it's better for a criminal to find an easier target.

I would suggest getting an alarm that has a very obvious visual indicator. Think very bright blinking light. I would also suggest getting a head unit with a removable face... and then making sure to remove the face. Are your windows tinted? Not being able to easily see what's inside is also a deterrent.

NRA stickers and your local county sheriffs association stickers on the windows help too :)

The stereo that I have actually has a blinking red light when the faceplate is removed. Works great. You can make a blinking LED with some know how amd Google.
I personally suggest an alarm though. My '87 Ranger was broken into, doing $2100 worth of damage for a $100 CD player. After the body shop was done, a call to Crutchfield and 2 days later a new Viper alarm was installed. And now i get a discount on my car insurance! :gunsmilie:

They somehow got in through the driver door, so no broken glass. The deck does have a blinking.light but this night my wife happened to have left it on. Windows are not tinted also. I was trying to see if people have ever ran a dummy factory deck than relocated the aftermarket one.


Here's my plans for the next couple weeks:

-Limo tint entire truck
-possible deck relocation
-Aftermarket 2 way pager alarm
-Also add a few blinking l.e.d.'s around the truck.

Any other tips? I work in a lube/tire shop and saw a Guy rigged his truck up to only start when you push in on the cigarette lighter. Thought that was pretty cool.

"Any other tips?"
http://www.ratworxusa.com/App_Images...Buck-1-box.jpg

I guess you don't live in Texas, this stuff works every time. Seriously, park in an accessable well lit area if someone wants your stuff, it's gone but they don't want to get busted (or dead) doing it. FWIW, Tinted glass & what not makes it look like you have stuff worth stealing.

I know you said your glass wasn't broken, but as far as removing that as an option, you could always use somehing like this:

http://www.solarx.com/residential/sa...ecurity/ultra/

It's developed to protect glass during hurricanes...

When I first got my XJ, I toyed around with the idea of not having a radio at all. I would just wire up a 5 channel amp and speakers, and then run a patch cord to the inputs. The other end of the patch cord would be up near the center console and be a standard 1/8" stereo headphone plug to plug into my phone.

My phone (Samsung Focus running Windows Phone 7.5 with built-in Zune player) has about 600 songs on it, and a built-in FM radio with preset ability. I never go anywhere without my phone, so I'd never leave it in the XJ at night.

The other idea I had was to get a cheap bluetooth capable head unit, and put it anywhere. Under the seat. Up under the dash on the passenger side. Where ever. My phone would automatically connect through bluetooth to the head unit when I got in and stream the audio wirelessly to the head unit. All song changing, playlists, and volume would be controlled through the phone.

I live in AZ so the castle doctrine does apply here. My other xj has tinted glass and mirror commercial tint on the back half. That one hasn't been touched.

dont limo tint.
very bad idea for driving at night.

you can get a lower percentage tint and still not be able to see in from the outside.
and most states limo tint is illegal. esp on front doors and obviously a big no for windshields..

I had limo on my old truck on everything even the visor strip. I only had an issue in very low lit areas like parking lots. Other than that I loved it. I was also thinking the commercial mirror tint on it. Can see out but not in.

Attachment 121406 Mine has factory mirrored tint. With factory security alarm (key-less entry) My sub is mounted in the cargo space in the rear, the other six new speakers are in the factory locations. All the speaker grills are painted to match the carpeting. The amp is bolted down under the rear seat. So looking in there is nothing to see and obvious to steal. That is why I will not use a sub enclosure sitting in the back. It just tells people, there is something to steal in here. You can't tell I have $1800 worth of stereo equipment in my jeep. Until you hear it.

We know now & we are on our way to snatch it!:zorro::batman::ninja::alien::shaun:
jk / LOL

If I want what's in your rig I can get it.


But if the guy parked next to you is an easier target I'll take his stuff.


I'd say the only thing mentioned in this thread that is nearly fool proof is the rattlesnake idea.

Is your mirror tint one way tint? I had a tint Guy look at mine cus I wanted the one that got broken into tinted just like it and he said the previous people used commercial mirror tine than but a 20% film over the mirror on the inside of glass so literally night or day you cannot see through the glass at all. But from inside looking out it looks like 20% tint. Wired.

IV got an 88 4 Dr and a 90 2 Dr that didn't come with factory keyless.

I found a cheap "crime stopper" brand car alarm for $36 online and was going to install one on both. Does anyone have any tips on install or wireing and placement of the impact sensor. I was thinking somewhere in or arround driver door.

I live in AZ so the rattle snakes wont be hard to find but do you have any ideas on how to tame them? Lol

Get one while it's young and show it lots of love and attention? LOL


I think about the best you can do is keep valuables out of your rig and make it harder to get in to tha the next guys.

When I lived in the city I never left anything in my cars because I knew if anyone wanted it bad enough they would get it.

BTW when was the last time you heard a car alarm go off and someone didn't ignore it? I have zero faith in them. As I modify my rig more and more it becomes more of a target for joy riders. So I'm thinking about a hidden kill switch.

Likey this?
https://www.cherokeeforum.com/f2/how-make-homeade-immobilizer-your-jeep-53380/

Oh that's just cool!!!:thumbup1:

I have seen on YouTube where people rig the alarm siren to engage their train horns. That would make me poop myself if it went off while a theft attemp.

I kept getting my decks stolen so a friend put in straight edge razor blades in the wiring and secured with electrical tape so when they reached in to pull out, they cut their hands up wide open. Funny thing it only happened ONCE after he installed the razor blades.

Get a well worn old leather holster (w/o a gun in it) and a few empty .38 or .44 boxes and leave them on the dash.

Problem solved.

I know you where kidding. Because my dogs hear every thing that goes on around my house, And let me know. (In fact it drives me nuts at times, people walking by, critters in the yard.) They would be outside in a flash. And they aren't real friendly, to people they don't know. But worse case scenario, Should it happen to me. I would be handing in the biggest bumped up insurance claim, I could. I also have several motion lights around my house. And my jeep is parked under one of them.

Are there any lockable consoles or storage containers for Cherokees that can be bolted down and locked????? To per-say keep your radio or gps in.

Yes there are they are just pricey.

Makes me want to break in a steal the gun...
:gunsmilie:

Yeah, far more effective than the rattlesnake I'd imagine...

While the vehicle is in motion that seems like a rolling bomb. I'd assume its propane lines ran with a relay controlling outpulut and spark??? Probly not too hard to do.

The idea is that with an empty holster (read "w/o a gun"), any would be thief is going to wonder where the owner is with the gun.

So IV decided I'm going to get the viper alarm with shock sensor and an additional proximity sensor so if anyone comes close to the driver door it will warn them

Thre was a modded out civic that was always parked on the street in my friends neighborhood. All through highschool I would drive past it at least for times a week. And all through highschool I tried as hard as I could to set off the proximity alarm by driving too close. It was a fun game and I think the owner just got complacent cause he never came out to see what the problem was. Never saw the car get broken into, but my friend hit it with his pathfinder while trying to set off the alarm.

That's so damn funny. Hopefully I don't have people doing that.

Has anyone relocated their stereo deck in a Cherokee? I was trying to find a convienent place but havnt decided yet.

How big is your center console, jam it in there. You can even close the lid & cover it up.

IV got the full size center console. I thought about running the deck vertical and cutting a square out for it to lay deep down in there. But my concern is the function of the radio. Do you think the remote would work with the Console closed?

Depends, is it IR or RF?

I'd assume IR? Its the same style remotes they all come with

IR is pretty much line of sight, door would have to be open so they could "see" each other.