Anyone got a tracker?
Author
Discussion

anonymous-user

Original Poster:

83 months

Friday 7th January 2005
quotequote all
Sunninghill have told me that their underwriters are insisting that GPS trackers are required on new policies and therefore I will have to have one on my new Tuscan when I get it.

I understand that they cost about £500 plus a monitoring charge, presumably. It's a pain in the whatsit and not necessary IMO as TVR's are relatively unlikeley to be nicked as they are rare enough to be difficult for a crook to sell on. The only other option is to change insurers.

Anyone got any advice as to what to get for the least money?

Thanks

Paul

MUSTANGBAZ

1,653 posts

263 months

Friday 7th January 2005
quotequote all
Paul - I have been told the self same thing by Sunninghill with respect to requiring a Tracker. Even more specifically, there appears to be a need for the Tracker Horizon, which at last look, was north of 500 pounds when incorporating installation.

davetherave1970

2,144 posts

275 months

Friday 7th January 2005
quotequote all
Must be a new year thing as I got a new policy with them in December without tracker!

puffsorted

137 posts

268 months

Friday 7th January 2005
quotequote all
My one was in the car when I bought it so no idea of the install cost. There was a £30 admin fee to change it over to my name and then it costs me £99 a year for the Retrieve service i.e you phone them up if when you find the car Stolen and they enable the device. There are more expensive services which automatically inform Tracker etc.

They also 'offer' for the bargain price (Not) of £50 to test to see if it is still working

Sorted

pdV6

16,442 posts

290 months

Friday 7th January 2005
quotequote all
If they're needing a GPS traking system, then you're definately looking at £500+ for purchase and installation.

With Tracker's one (Horizon), you can purchase a "lifetime" (non-transferrable) subscription for a one-off fee, or pay annually instead.

puffsorted

137 posts

268 months

Friday 7th January 2005
quotequote all
The more I think about it the more I might test mine as its probably covered in a mix of POR15 and waxoyl

Big Al.

69,336 posts

287 months

Friday 7th January 2005
quotequote all
As Iv'e found any car over £40000 grand, requires a tracker to be fitted as the norm by most insurers.

stillgrinning

1,091 posts

264 months

Friday 7th January 2005
quotequote all
Direct Line were by far the cheapest insurers for my Tuscan and a tracker was never mentioned.

Nuggs

4,640 posts

263 months

Friday 7th January 2005
quotequote all
Big Al. said:
As Iv'e found any car over £40000 grand, requires a tracker to be fitted as the norm by most insurers.


Bloody hell Al, any car worth over £40million should be bolted to floor and kept under armed guard!!

R666 TUS

1,052 posts

269 months

Friday 7th January 2005
quotequote all
I'm with stillgrinning on this one direct line
dont care if the car has an alarm or not never
mind a tracker.

Col

anonymous-user

Original Poster:

83 months

Friday 7th January 2005
quotequote all
40k is the barrier. Anything over that and they want one apparently.

IPAddis

2,512 posts

313 months

Friday 7th January 2005
quotequote all
puffsorted said:
The more I think about it the more I might test mine as its probably covered in a mix of POR15 and waxoyl


They're usually fitted somewhere in the dash?! Where have you been waxoyling?

Ian A.

kippax

2,792 posts

278 months

Friday 7th January 2005
quotequote all
I had a tracker fitted to my previous car a BMW M3 & while it was in for a service I got a phone call from Tracker asking me if I was aware that my car had been moved without being turned on! I phoned the garage & it turns out they had pushed it out of the garage while they removed another car so I had to phone them to tell them it was ok car was fine.
Shows they work & fantastic piece of kit it was on car when I bought it I just had to pay annual subscription about £25 I think.

Thanks
Howard.

pdV6

16,442 posts

290 months

Friday 7th January 2005
quotequote all
IPAddis said:

They're usually fitted somewhere in the dash?! Where have you been waxoyling?

Nope. Maybe in your particular case they are, but they can theoretically be placed almost anywhere (the idea being that a thief wouldn't know where to start, so diesn't bother looking).

I happen to know the criteria used, so could make a good guess given sufficient knowledge of a particular car's design. Dealerships are particularly lazy about hiding them away in different places as it would probably mean more training needed for the tech staff...

Suffice to say that exposed under the chassis may well be appropriate for certain cars (although that would suprise me due to the danger of it being damaged by roadkill / moisture etc)

sideways mostly

2,681 posts

270 months

Friday 7th January 2005
quotequote all
Direct Line now ask for a Tracker. They wanted one for my Tuscan and asked if I had one fitted when I renewed my S1 Elise this month which is worth all of £11k and has no where to fit the thing.

And check your contracts carefully-I bent my Tuscan in December-not only did the Tracker register the crash it registered car speed before and at time of impact as well as position. Its only a matter of time before this data is used by the insurance companies.

jem

548 posts

269 months

Friday 7th January 2005
quotequote all
sideways mostly said:

And check your contracts carefully-I bent my Tuscan in December-not only did the Tracker register the crash it registered car speed before and at time of impact as well as position. Its only a matter of time before this data is used by the insurance companies.


whoah - but inevitable really i guess.

did yor insurance company use it?

J

2 Smokin Barrels

31,993 posts

264 months

Friday 7th January 2005
quotequote all
I had Trakbak on a Chimaera. Forgot to tell em when I sold it, so it was my fault when they rang at 3 a.m. to tell me the car was moving without the ignition on! If often wonder whether the next owner was in the process of having his car nicked!

sideways mostly

2,681 posts

270 months

Saturday 8th January 2005
quotequote all
Hi Jem

No they didn't-but the tracker company were very free with the information.They told my 15 year old son all the details and asked him if I was alright,any injuries etc.

I have no evidense they share the data-it just seems like a reasonable conjecture to me that at some point in time they will.

I was touched by the genuine concern all the same


'Smokin-I had the same problem. When they moved the wreckage to the garage they nearly got a suprise police escort.

Steve

>> Edited by sideways mostly on Saturday 8th January 01:13

oxbow

567 posts

279 months

Saturday 8th January 2005
quotequote all
Mine has TRACKER RETRIEVE. Was bout £500 fitted and £99 per year monitoring. Certainly works coz every time car has been moved without me driving they have phoned me within a couple of minutes. Trouble is this has been when car is going back on trailer to get fixed.

pdV6

16,442 posts

290 months

Monday 10th January 2005
quotequote all
oxbow said:
Mine has TRACKER RETRIEVE. Was bout £500 fitted and £99 per year monitoring. Certainly works coz every time car has been moved without me driving they have phoned me within a couple of minutes. Trouble is this has been when car is going back on trailer to get fixed.

That would be Tracker Monitor then, as Retrieve is passive - i.e. you have to phone Tracker to tell them the car's gone.

Monitor tells Tracker if your car moves whilst its switched off and Horizion does the same but is GPS enabled so it can also tell Tracker where it is...