# Removing will disable car audio sticker?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/removing-will-disable-car-audio-sticker/194989>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [August 13, 2003, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/removing-will-disable-car-audio-sticker/194989 "2003-08-13T19:33:55Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Mini-Thud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/779978/32.png) [@Mini-Thud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mini-Thud)\
**Post date:** [August 13, 2003, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/removing-will-disable-car-audio-sticker/194989/1 "2003-08-13T19:33:55Z")

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Aright, here’s the deal. My brother has a mitsubishi mirage, 2001 and on the passenger side door there is a sticker that says: “Warning, removal will disable audio”. Now, obviously removing the sticker isn’t going to stop the audio in the car from working… its just a sticker. However, do they mean that removal (smashing) of the window will cause audio in the car to be disabled? If so, I don’t think thats going to stop someone from smashing the window to break into the car to steal stuff, or the car itself.

I’m curious as to what this sticker is actually referring to. And audio in the car I’m guessing is the radio/speakers/deck and stuff of that sort. Anyone know exactly what this refers to?

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**Author:** ![bernse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@bernse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bernse)\
**Post date:** [August 13, 2003, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/removing-will-disable-car-audio-sticker/194989/2 "2003-08-13T19:36:16Z")

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Removing The Stereo, not the sticker.

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**Author:** ![shelbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3d9bf3/32.png) [@shelbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shelbo)\
**Post date:** [August 13, 2003, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/removing-will-disable-car-audio-sticker/194989/3 "2003-08-13T20:13:21Z")

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When the power is cut to the stero receiver, it defaults to a non-operational mode. You then need a special code to re-activate it. Same thing happens if you change the car battery. His owners manual should have the code. If not, the dealer will.

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**Author:** ![postcards](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8e8cbc/32.png) [@postcards](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/postcards)\
**Post date:** [August 13, 2003, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/removing-will-disable-car-audio-sticker/194989/4 "2003-08-13T20:14:33Z")

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Pull the unit from the dash and it needs a code punched in to reactivate it.

Of course, a wiseacre thief could still break your window, steal the stereo and leave a sign of his own:

“Just Checking”

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Mini-Thud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/779978/32.png) [@Mini-Thud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mini-Thud)\
**Post date:** [August 13, 2003, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/removing-will-disable-car-audio-sticker/194989/5 "2003-08-13T20:20:36Z")

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Oh, so its to protect the stereo from being stolen?

So if they do break your window, and grank the stereo from your dash then it won’t work when they hookit up to something else?

Hmm, nifty… I guess.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Mini-Thud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/779978/32.png) [@Mini-Thud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mini-Thud)\
**Post date:** [August 13, 2003, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/removing-will-disable-car-audio-sticker/194989/6 "2003-08-13T20:22:24Z")

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err, typo.

Grank is gank…

hah, and I just almost made the typo again, caught myself before posting it though. Lol