Thieves would also steal the entire stereo head unit – so many had an additional anti-theft feature.
If you wanted to remove the head unit you had to enter a code using the front plate buttons before you uninstalled it. If you didn’t it would “brick” itself to discourage theft.
I might be a bit dumb here, but I never got the detachable radio idea/need?
The radio interfaces were not exchangeable between different brands, right? Or was there an universal interface that I am unaware of?
Wouldn’t a bad actor need to dismantle the entire radio head as well, for the interface part to be of any good use?
It wasn’t so much to not steal the interface, it was to not steal the whole unit from the car.
If the front was left attached, a thief would break in and steal the whole radio.
With the front off, it’s basically useless to steal the in car part.
its anti theft because the unit doesnt work without the face and they were married with a code. car radio theft was rampant in the early 90s
Thieves would also steal the entire stereo head unit – so many had an additional anti-theft feature.
If you wanted to remove the head unit you had to enter a code using the front plate buttons before you uninstalled it. If you didn’t it would “brick” itself to discourage theft.