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Original poster

Do you hide radio ?

45 replies

Rosamund1 · 27/02/2018 08:48

DH always insists on the car radio front panel being put into the glove compartment when we leave the car and gets upset if it is left on display. I humour him, but nowadays surely thieves and druggies are better off stealing phones and laptops and don’t bother with car radios.

Do you take out your radio?

OP posts:
PaperdollCartoon · 27/02/2018 08:49

Don’t think I even knew I could... the only car radios worth stealing these days would be ones too in built to easily steal.

TheHulksPurplePants · 27/02/2018 08:52

Any thieves are welcome to mine. It's crap. Be a good excuse to buy a new one.
(On the other hand I'm shocked my paranoid South African DH doesn't do this! It's right up his secure everything alley!)

dantdmistedious · 27/02/2018 08:53

You can't take mine out.

TellsEveryoneRealFacts · 27/02/2018 08:54

We did this in the 90s.

seagulltargetpractice · 27/02/2018 08:55

A v retro practice, from before car alarms and integrated stereos were around.

reallybadidea · 27/02/2018 08:56

Does he use a crook lock too?! Grin

Scribblegirl · 27/02/2018 08:56

My dad still does this. But this is a man who taught me how to double declutch when I passed my test in 2008, so he may not be living in quite the same century as the rest of us Grin

BikeRunSki · 27/02/2018 08:56

I have n’t find this for about 15 years, maybe more. My car radio doesn’t come out now anyway.

minniemummy0 · 27/02/2018 08:57

If you have a removable front, I don’t see why you wouldn’t, takes two seconds. You’re probably right but I don’t think he’s being unreasonable either.

Pfftkids · 27/02/2018 08:58

Didn't think you got removable ones anymore. Unless it's a bose sound system I doubt people would care and even at that you don't see many people in the pubs selling knockoff radio's anymore

RollTopBath · 27/02/2018 08:59

I didn’t realise you could still get separate radios.

BluthsFrozenBananas · 27/02/2018 08:59

I remember back in the 90s car radio theft was a big problem, especially as the thieves usually smashed their way in so not only had you lost your radio you also had the trouble of getting a window replaced. When the radios with removable front panels came in most people either hid them in the glove box, or took them out of the car when not in use.

However I haven’t heard of a car radio theft in years, surely all cars have radios as standard now so there must little to no market for stolen/second hand ones.

fobiddenfruitcrumble · 27/02/2018 09:00

I had friends at university who used who had a special piece of cardboard to put in front of the lcd display on the vcr so thieves peering in the window wouldn't know we had such electronic finery Grin

Original poster
Rosamund1 · 27/02/2018 09:03

@Scribblegirl - what is double declutch?

It has a removable front and as a PP said takes 2 seconds, so it’s a small thing and easy to humour him. It’s not a Bose level one, but is a step up from the original the car came with.

OP posts:
Original poster
Rosamund1 · 27/02/2018 09:10

@forbiddenfruitcrumble Grin the cardboard is hilarious.

OP posts:
Scribblegirl · 27/02/2018 09:13

It's what you had to do to change gears in cars before synchromesh. Only relevant for cars made before about 1970-something I think. I must admit I haven't had to use it in the decade I've been driving, funnily enough, but dad insists it's a 'life skill' 😂

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double_clutch_(technique)

GrockleBocs · 27/02/2018 09:16

Oh but anyone breaking into the car would surely look in the glove compartment or under the seats to check for the bit the comes off Confused
When I had a removable car radio our neighbourhood thief used to check whether I'd left it in the car regularly.

Luckingfovely · 27/02/2018 09:17

Is your car and car radio (and husband) from the 90s? Wink

No, this is not normal practice any more.

morningconstitutional2017 · 27/02/2018 09:20

I don't think that my radio is removable. I must add that many years ago when we drove an old mini pick-up we got back to find wires hanging from the dashboard as some daft bugger had pinched it.

However we had the last laugh as it didn't work - so the thief had wasted all his time and effort.

PiffIeandWiffIe · 27/02/2018 09:21

Does he use a crook lock too?

Physical locks are coming back now that remote keys can be spoofed so easily.

SlothMama · 27/02/2018 09:21

My flatmates car was broken into twice less than two years ago, the first time they took the radio she'd left in the second time they left it behind. So they are still stolen occasionally! I'd hide it because if it was to be stolen he'd be pretty annoyed after he asked you to hide it. I would be in his shoes

SleepFreeZone · 27/02/2018 09:22

I didn’t think those clip off front radios still existed! I think we need more details. Is this a very new car with a very expensive system in it or is this quite an old car with one of those radio/cassette players in it? 😜

rothbury · 27/02/2018 09:22

No!! Don't hide Sat Nav either. Does anyone? Unless you live in a high crime area of course.

DerelictWreck · 27/02/2018 09:26

Surely it just makes it more attractive to steal? Thief looks in, sees empty radio slot so knows it's detachable and on offer somewhere in the car!

DisgraceToTheYChromosome · 27/02/2018 09:27

You can still buy them, as part of the market for putting 5kilowatt sound systems in rusting Corsas. DD had one in her 1st rustbucket.