HELP!! CAR BrOKEN INTO!!!
 

Picture says it all. I woke up this morning to see that my WHOLE center console was just taken out. They weren't happy with just my Alpine. Wondering where I can get a new one. I searched and the only real one I found was on ebay but it is reversed from what mine looked like. Any and all help is appreciated- 99 EX.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/JDM-9...spagenameZWD1V


Tried to put picture up, but it kept saying it was too large even though the pic is only 19.2 kb and the limit is 400!? I tried both jpg and gif formats... a bad day only seems to be getting worse.

RE: HELP!! CAR BrOKEN INTO!!!
 

Just went to a shop in my neighborhood, he said it would be around $600-$700 for a used one installed and that it would take 2 days labor. Does this sound right?

RE: HELP!! CAR BrOKEN INTO!!!
 

buy the part and put it in yourself it isnt hard 2 days labor is a little extensive. Mine was broken but i didnt have to replace all the climate controls. the reason all the controls are on the opposite side on the ebay one is because it came out of a right hand drive car.

RE: HELP!! CAR BrOKEN INTO!!!
 

ya dito.. right hand drive.. if it was cheaper id buy it... just to be different ;) but OUCH 400bucks

im sure you can find cheaper! and to swap that piece out.... 1-2hours tops! its only 4bolts holding that piece in!


simply unscrew drivers side lower dash trim/under steering wheel..... 3 philips screws and a few clips...
then wires of course.....

then just drop the glove box door thiers two rubber bump stops... just work one out then the other and the glove box door should just flap down towards the floor...
then i belive thiers a few screws holding on the center trim panel with the cig lighter plug. remove screws and pull that panel off... THEN youll see 4 small bolts holding the radio bracket in.... simply remove them and pull the unit and reverse to put the new one back in.... ALSO thiers one other small thing that will make it ALOT EASIER! follor the AC/heater control wires and youll see a cable clamp that holds the wires to a bracket..... if ya cut that zip tie off youll have ALOT more play for the AC wires so you can pull the unit out and reinstal ALOT easier! thats what i did!


and id say THIS TIME when instaling your replacement radio USE the rear strap! if you use a metal strap that comes with your radio that will prevent your radio from being stolen ALOT EASIER!!!!

thiers a rear bolt in alot of radios.. bolt the metal strap/brace to it and then bend it around so you can brace the radio to a real metal brace behind the dash!

this will take you more time BUT think of it... it will also take the thief alot more time!!!! then only thing they will do is cause damage and maybe get your faceplate if you leave it on.......

then well.... ya still have to fix the damage they did BUT they dont get the real hardware!!!!!

and depending on how insecure you are about future theft... you came take further precautions.. like bracing the TOP of the trim ring....... and as always!!!!!!!!

buy a alarm and instal properly! glass breakage sensor also highly recomended!

RE: HELP!! CAR BrOKEN INTO!!!
 

Thanks for the advice guys. I was mad because I left my car there and he never called me back, so I went there after 4 hours, got my car and took it to a place that's farther but I trust more. I don't even know why I needed to leave it there, or even why I did. He said he was still waiting for word on the part from 3 people and now said it would be $500-$600. I'm still waiting for his call. Anyone considering Mr. Kustom on Irving Park in Chicago should be wary of this. I then took it to MPH but the guy who has the connects wasn't there so I'll be waiting for their call as well. As far as installing it myself, it doesn't look that bad and if the price of MPH isn't good then I might just do that. The only problem is that I have not been able to find the part. Still the only one I can find is that reverse one. I will definitely take those anti-theft tips into consideration. I'm just going to park it in the garage and I should think that it would be safe. Regardless, what is a good alarm? I just care that I can press the button to arm it without it making noise.

RE: HELP!! CAR BrOKEN INTO!!!
 

most alarms work great as long as instaled properly... like covering ALL the wires and instaling the alarm high up in the dash... that way prevents someone from just reaching under the dash and rippen wires loose to stop the siren...

and also most alarms have silent arm buttons so you dont get that siren chirp when arm/disarming...
but who cares about a little chirp ;) thats nothing! also have the alarm led visable.... seems like most the time in thefts thiers two things that save ya... one that led blinking... and also the shock sensor chirping when car panel is hit!
most thieves know about those cheap @ss blinking fake led alarm... but thiers always that start hitting the fender harder and harder till it chirps a warning chirp... and harder and the alarm will fully trigger.
and then you want to instal the alarms siren in a hard to reach location that way they cannt just pop the hood and rip it out or cut the wires for it.
just remember again.. what takes you along time to instal will also take the thieve just as long to try to disable or remove

RE: HELP!! CAR BrOKEN INTO!!!
 

Cool, Thanks. There is a cool guy by my house who is going to be able to do it for $270. Considering all the other prices I've heard, this is much better. The climate control won't come in until Tuesday or Wednesday though. Hope it goes smooth, he told me things like this happen 3-4 times a month but this is the first one that looked as professional. They cut it out exactly and unplugged the wires instead of just ripping them out. They knew what they were doing. I'm guessing that whoever did it was watching me for a little bit for research.

RE: HELP!! CAR BrOKEN INTO!!!
 

i wouldnt say that! lets face it....... anyone that has ever had or helped a friend instal a radio in one of these knows how to quickly remove the radio.... and they can also just go to thier local library and check out the chiltons books and just read how to do it.... or even go to junk yards....
and also unless the radio instal was A TOTAL HACK JOB...... all radios are simple plugs... even your factory radio has a quick disconect plug on the back of the unit. but they realy dont need the radio harnesses.... anyone can buy those off ebay or directly from manufacture... i just bought a new trim ring for my clarion radio... and 6months ago i even bought a trim ring and security release keys for a sony radio...


ripen out a radio is realy not as hard and most people think!!!!!!!


ever see those BAITCAR videos.LMFAO a kid broke into the car and riped out the radio in under 30seconds with nothing more than a screw driver!

just remember... the more time it takes for you to instal your radio will be alot harder for it to be stolen.....
suprise the thief with a REAL security back up and they will be REALY FUSTRATED!!!! and they will only work on jacken around in your ride for only about a min or two TOPS ast least if they are smart! but some thieves are REALY ballzie!!!!!!!! they will work on it for along time until they are scared off..... and if thiers no alarm system to draw attention to them... well thats when they are realy ballzie!!!!

RE: HELP!! CAR BrOKEN INTO!!!
 

So now I'm thinking of what I need to do to install the new alpine I'm going to get. I've never installed a head unit before but I've been reading the forums and I think I've got it. I have to buy the wire harness, but since the wires were cut, I will also have to buy the factory wire harness too, right? How do I get the wires that were cut together with the new wire harness? Can I twist them together or do I have to solder them?

RE: HELP!! CAR BrOKEN INTO!!!
 

first of all can you get a picture of the damage?

i thought you said ya thought it was a pro.... pros dont chop wires unless they have to! if yours was already aftermarket then they woulda either unpluged your aftermarket harness or cut the radios harness between the adaptor harness.


but if they did cut the factory wires which if they did they definatly arent pros!!!! then you got a job at hand to wire up the radio! if it was choped then ya wont need a adaptor harness for your radio...

but two things youll need if the wires arent cut, 1 dash instal kit, and 2 adaptor wireing harness. both should be readibly available at any store that does instals.... best buy, circuit city, HHgreg i think. hell even walmart should have the kits..
tho realy not sure about the dash kit.... cause mine already came with a sony radio in it BUT my lower tray part just sits in thier loosely. :( but my new radio just bolted into the factorys cage. tho i never instaled a cable strap on my radio cause i park in my garage every night and im out in the country alittle, and when i work they have cameras all over the parking lot.... and most important i have a nice paging LCD alarm system ;) so if im close enough to my car and someone bumps it it sends me a signal telling me someone bumped my car or hit it hard enough for the alarm to fully trigger ;) BEST ALARMS EVER MADE besides the ones with low jack of course.LOL but those are no good when ya live out in the country of course......