Should I renew my tracker subscription?
Discussion
My subscription is due to expire on the 13th of January this year. I've only ever been alerted by tracker once and that was when the car was on a recovery vehicle.
£149 does seem like a lot of money for an annual subscription with them. My insurance is also due to expire in June and that's when I'm thinking of selling the car also (if not before if a decent offer comes along).
Do any of you guys have trackers fitted? What would be your suggestions?
£149 does seem like a lot of money for an annual subscription with them. My insurance is also due to expire in June and that's when I'm thinking of selling the car also (if not before if a decent offer comes along).
Do any of you guys have trackers fitted? What would be your suggestions?
Let me know when its up and when your selling ill view it then have it away within 24hrs
Tbh id re subscribe and if you sell its peace of mind for the buyer, High end cars can be targets and with out a tracker son ins companies might not insure. Plus after watching a recent program cars can be taking early evening then be away on a ship that night
Tbh id re subscribe and if you sell its peace of mind for the buyer, High end cars can be targets and with out a tracker son ins companies might not insure. Plus after watching a recent program cars can be taking early evening then be away on a ship that night
I had a Tracker on a Porsche Boxster in the days of lifetime subscriptions, opted to pay yearly and ended up paying well over £1000 over 9 years rather than the £350 lifetime.
When I got an E46 M3 I reluctantly starting paying on that. Car was stolen from my driveway, I didn't notice for almost 24 hours, the police found it within 90 mins of me reporting it.
I would have one again and pay the subscription.
When I got an E46 M3 I reluctantly starting paying on that. Car was stolen from my driveway, I didn't notice for almost 24 hours, the police found it within 90 mins of me reporting it.
I would have one again and pay the subscription.
Don't see the point of a tracker, if my car is stolen I'd rather get a payout from my insurance than getting a joyridden car back. Who knows what the thieves did in it... e.g. if they didn't know how to use the SMG properly and wear out the clutch
A tracker actually makes my insurance more expensive, and anyway my car uses a physical key rather than one of those which can be stolen with a blank fob.
A tracker actually makes my insurance more expensive, and anyway my car uses a physical key rather than one of those which can be stolen with a blank fob.
Schermerhorn said:
Common sense has prevailed and I've renewed my subscription. Can't see me having the car for another year but at least if it gets nicked the plod can recover it quick enough.
FYI, this info applies to many tracking devices although I can't verify it is the case for everyone : if you have a tracker fitted but don't pay the renewal premium, the car can still be tracked as the hardware is still active. If the car was stolen you could phone the tracking company and they would charge a (high) fee to reinstate the tracking. So, the police would be able to find the car either way. However, you wouldn't get the benefit of any reduction in the insurance premium of course.
Tonsko said:
So - if the thieves know what they're about and can get it into a metal box (i.e a faraday cage, for example a shipping container) fast enough, will that negate the tracker?
Depends upon the type of tracker you have. I can't recall the exact technology but I think they use a combination of satellite (GPS) and mobile phone (GSM) plus some have radio transmitter (RF) which wouldn't be blocked by a metal container.EddieSteadyGo said:
Schermerhorn said:
Common sense has prevailed and I've renewed my subscription. Can't see me having the car for another year but at least if it gets nicked the plod can recover it quick enough.
FYI, this info applies to many tracking devices although I can't verify it is the case for everyone : if you have a tracker fitted but don't pay the renewal premium, the car can still be tracked as the hardware is still active. If the car was stolen you could phone the tracking company and they would charge a (high) fee to reinstate the tracking. So, the police would be able to find the car either way. However, you wouldn't get the benefit of any reduction in the insurance premium of course.
EddieSteadyGo said:
Depends upon the type of tracker you have. I can't recall the exact technology but I think they use a combination of satellite (GPS) and mobile phone (GSM) plus some have radio transmitter (RF) which wouldn't be blocked by a metal container.
If you're targeted by professional car thieves that export high-end performance cars to the continent then they will block the signal. You can buy such a jammer on ebay for about £40. Car trackers are the biggest con going. You pay £3-400 for installation and £150 a year for so-called 'peace of mind' that doesn't actually exist. You are getting shafted.
Schermerhorn said:
Common sense has prevailed and I've renewed my subscription. Can't see me having the car for another year but at least if it gets nicked the plod can recover it quick enough.
Wise decision, LV want Trackers fitted , I fitted one to both M5 and M6 GC CP, your insurance will find out if it gets nicked and you have dropped your subs. If of course you needed one to insure it.BuzyG said:
Happy to say I have a life time subscription on my tracker. 4 years into ownership it's more than paid for it's self. Only time it calls me, is when the battery is running low. So I get the car out a take it for a drive. Fine device. It's also a requirement on my insurance.
Worst 'I have a Clio 1.2' post ever.The original 'TRACKER' can't be blocked by a shipping container. My wife helped with the trials/PR when they were launched and spent some time at the docks demonstrating this
TRACKER's policy certainly used to be that they wouldn't enable a tracker without a subscription unless a senior police officer requestd them to do so. Not sure if that's still the case.
We had two cars stolen back in 2006. We got both back and were happy to have them back. Typically scrotes will drive them two or three miles and then park them up to see if they get located within 24 hours. I was particularly pleased to get my Alpina back as it would have been a pain to replace. Both were autos too, so I wasn't too worried about overrevving etc. I might feel different about a manual Porsche for example which would likely suffer unseen engine damage.
TRACKER's policy certainly used to be that they wouldn't enable a tracker without a subscription unless a senior police officer requestd them to do so. Not sure if that's still the case.
We had two cars stolen back in 2006. We got both back and were happy to have them back. Typically scrotes will drive them two or three miles and then park them up to see if they get located within 24 hours. I was particularly pleased to get my Alpina back as it would have been a pain to replace. Both were autos too, so I wasn't too worried about overrevving etc. I might feel different about a manual Porsche for example which would likely suffer unseen engine damage.
2006 is 9 years ago. Sadly the criminals have moved on too. http://www.jammer4uk.com/car-gps-jammer-c-1.html
spunko2010 said:
2006 is 9 years ago. Sadly the criminals have moved on too. http://www.jammer4uk.com/car-gps-jammer-c-1.html
Tempted to treat myself to one of those to deal with a certain type of individual in certain situations. Tonsko said:
BuzyG said:
Happy to say I have a life time subscription on my tracker. 4 years into ownership it's more than paid for it's self. Only time it calls me, is when the battery is running low. So I get the car out a take it for a drive. Fine device. It's also a requirement on my insurance.
Worst 'I have a Clio 1.2' post ever.Gassing Station | M Power | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff