Porsche Vehicle Tracking System (VTS)
Discussion
Just had a quote from my OPC on their new Vehicle Tracking System (VTS). Apparently they no longer fit Tracker.
According to the OPC the benefits of VTS over any other Tracker product are:
· First manufacturer of Thatcham CAT5 Approved Tracking System.
· Can only be fitted by Porsche qualified technicians, who have been authorised by the Vehicle Standards Inspection Board
· Porsche VTS preparation is already fitted to MY06 cars on production.
· System developed and tested at “Porsche Weissach” to ensure quality of product.
· Driver recognition card automatically identifies the “legitimate” owner of the vehicle, to prevent car being stolen by key theft.
· The roaming SIM can track and locate a stolen vehicle across Europe, in over 27 countries Inc Norway & Switzerland.
The price of fitting VTS is £1161.25 which includes the first year’s subscription.
Is this better than Tracker Horizon? Sounds expensive to me.
DSG
According to the OPC the benefits of VTS over any other Tracker product are:
· First manufacturer of Thatcham CAT5 Approved Tracking System.
· Can only be fitted by Porsche qualified technicians, who have been authorised by the Vehicle Standards Inspection Board
· Porsche VTS preparation is already fitted to MY06 cars on production.
· System developed and tested at “Porsche Weissach” to ensure quality of product.
· Driver recognition card automatically identifies the “legitimate” owner of the vehicle, to prevent car being stolen by key theft.
· The roaming SIM can track and locate a stolen vehicle across Europe, in over 27 countries Inc Norway & Switzerland.
The price of fitting VTS is £1161.25 which includes the first year’s subscription.
Is this better than Tracker Horizon? Sounds expensive to me.
DSG
The Tracker Echo product is more comparable as it's a Cat 5 system. Main difference over Horizon is that you need a keycard on you or alarm will be generated. Quite a number of Cat 5 products out cheapest of which is probably the BT product which is a re-badged uprated RAC trackstar. Believe Porsche use a Cobra product at present. ALL Cat 5 products have to be fitted by an approved VSIB installer.
Jim
Jim
For what it's worth I was told by my OPC that the reason Porsche developed the system was because of the ever increasing use of fibre optic cables in their cars. Their own system is built into the MY06 cars and allows them to fit the product easily. The issue they claimed to be having with other systems was that the installers were cutting cables that led to cars needing attention before they would work properly again.
Just what I was told but as my insurers don't require a tracker I didn't take my questions any further.
Yex
Just what I was told but as my insurers don't require a tracker I didn't take my questions any further.
Yex
My C4S comes in May and it's over £75k so requires a tracker for insurance purposes. I assumed I would get a Tracker Monitor (about £550 including fitting & 1st year subscription - as recommended by OPC when I ordered last year), but OPC have informed me that now they have their own VTS they won't fit any other trackers and any other trackers would invalidate the warranty. Theirs costs £1,161!!
Looking into this in a bit more detail, it seems that the Porsche VTS relies on 3 bits of technology: Smart Card, GPS Location Finder & Mobile Phone Communication
The way it works is that you have a "smart card" that you keep in your wallet. If the car is moved without the smart card being in close proximity, it alerts the monitoring station (using cell phone technology) and reports the car's current location (which it knows from it's GPS monitor). On the face of it, this seems all quite sensible, but as all of us know who use cell phones & sat nav, both technologies suffer if they don't get a clear signal. Sat nav is particularly sensitive, and will often loose access to satellites (and therefore not know where it is) when just driving in an area with a lot of trees. It seems that the minute the stolen car is hidden in a garage or a shipping container or just about anything that prevents it getting a clear view of the sky, the GPS & cell phone technology will be as much use as a chocolate fireguard.
Tracker systems (Monitor/Horizon/Echo) have a feature which means that they broadcast where they are on a radio frequency and all the UK police forces have cars equiped to home in on these transmissions. These are effective even in shipping containers/garages.
Tracker Echo, the top of the range product is still cheaper than the Porsche VTS and has ALL the features of VTS PLUS the radio frequency tracking. Horizon has all the features except the "smart card" and costs significantly less.
Advice or reccomendations from people on which I should choose based on other user experiences would be most welcome. Should I save money & get a better product but risk warranty issues or are all of them easy to defeat or is the VTS system fantastic or have I no idea what I'm talking about, etc.etc..
Thanks....
Looking into this in a bit more detail, it seems that the Porsche VTS relies on 3 bits of technology: Smart Card, GPS Location Finder & Mobile Phone Communication
The way it works is that you have a "smart card" that you keep in your wallet. If the car is moved without the smart card being in close proximity, it alerts the monitoring station (using cell phone technology) and reports the car's current location (which it knows from it's GPS monitor). On the face of it, this seems all quite sensible, but as all of us know who use cell phones & sat nav, both technologies suffer if they don't get a clear signal. Sat nav is particularly sensitive, and will often loose access to satellites (and therefore not know where it is) when just driving in an area with a lot of trees. It seems that the minute the stolen car is hidden in a garage or a shipping container or just about anything that prevents it getting a clear view of the sky, the GPS & cell phone technology will be as much use as a chocolate fireguard.
Tracker systems (Monitor/Horizon/Echo) have a feature which means that they broadcast where they are on a radio frequency and all the UK police forces have cars equiped to home in on these transmissions. These are effective even in shipping containers/garages.
Tracker Echo, the top of the range product is still cheaper than the Porsche VTS and has ALL the features of VTS PLUS the radio frequency tracking. Horizon has all the features except the "smart card" and costs significantly less.
Advice or reccomendations from people on which I should choose based on other user experiences would be most welcome. Should I save money & get a better product but risk warranty issues or are all of them easy to defeat or is the VTS system fantastic or have I no idea what I'm talking about, etc.etc..
Thanks....
Complete rip off for what you get. I'd just get an aftermarket. I've had them in my last couple of cars and its fine. Works well enough in the RS and my car is still warrantied so what bollox is that?
I actually loathe these smart card systems (had Navtrack ADR in the Noble). Its another 3mm thick card to try and jam in your wallet. Much prefer the less 'clever' version as it doesn't require that. Also the batteries eventually go in the cards so you have to send them back, reprogram them to the car & etc.
I'm having Porsche VTS installed on my new C4S before delivery; notwithstanding the price, it is OEM approved and installed - and, therefore, covered by the warranty. Porsche have declared that any warranty claims that can be traced as resulting from aftermarket installations will not be supported - and rightly so. Only Porsche knows the intricacies of it cars and the wiring (including fibre optics) in particular. I'd rather pay a premium price rather than try to resolve a warranty issue in due course.
Del
Del
delbox said:
I'm having Porsche VTS installed on my new C4S before delivery; notwithstanding the price, it is OEM approved and installed - and, therefore, covered by the warranty. Porsche have declared that any warranty claims that can be traced as resulting from aftermarket installations will not be supported - and rightly so. Only Porsche knows the intricacies of it cars and the wiring (including fibre optics) in particular. I'd rather pay a premium price rather than try to resolve a warranty issue in due course.
Del
And do you think Porsche choose a random location on each install? So just how long before VTS is known? Just how many 'warranty' issues do you think you could have with a tried and tested independant tracking device?
Personally I'd like to make my own choice based on my own circumstances. Being locked in to buying VTS is plain stupid, in 10 years from now is that VTS still valid and a secure option? I don't think so! So how do I remove it......probably not possible!
It's not the warranty issues with the 'tried and tested' device that bothers me; rather the possibility of wiring - or other items - being damaged during the installation! As for where the tracker transmitter is mounted, do you really think that there are many places that 'Tracker' and the like fit them? I had one on each of my Boxsters - a 986S and a 987S; surprise, surprise - they were fitted in the same place!! However, I believe that VTS offers more sites. But let's put it into context, a car like the C4S is going to be stolen to order - and therefore the 'scum' are not going to trash the car searching for the tracker. However, don't let me dissuade you from sticking with 'Tracker' or the other mainstream providers; I'm just offering an opinion.
I had the Porsche VTS fitted to my new C4S (and have already managed to cause a false alarm by popping out in the car without taking my wallet (containing the VTS card!!)) At least this proves the system works (very efficiently, in fact!)
Although not the cheapest option, I wanted the assurance of a Porsche approved system (with 2-year warranty) and if anything does go wrong with the car or the tracking system itself, there should be no debate from Porsche as to who is at fault.
You pays your money and you takes your choice.............
Sidicks
Some pics of my new car:
www.tyresmoke.net/gallery/album240
>> Edited by sidicks on Saturday 11th March 20:19
Although not the cheapest option, I wanted the assurance of a Porsche approved system (with 2-year warranty) and if anything does go wrong with the car or the tracking system itself, there should be no debate from Porsche as to who is at fault.
You pays your money and you takes your choice.............
Sidicks
Some pics of my new car:
www.tyresmoke.net/gallery/album240
>> Edited by sidicks on Saturday 11th March 20:19
Quite interesting what GooseM says on the garage/shipping container issue. This is my main concern since i live less than 30 minutes from Bristol docks! Actually, thinking about it don't most of us in the UK live (reasonably) near the coast/docks?
Imagine paying in excess of £1100 for Porsche VTS only for your car to be locked into a shipping container and dispatched to New Zealand or wherever. So for this reason it needs to be a Tracker system but then the warranty is invalid for any electrical issues.
Understand why Porsche do this but if it doesn't do the job i'll take my chances on an after market Tracker thanksverymuch.
DSG
Imagine paying in excess of £1100 for Porsche VTS only for your car to be locked into a shipping container and dispatched to New Zealand or wherever. So for this reason it needs to be a Tracker system but then the warranty is invalid for any electrical issues.
Understand why Porsche do this but if it doesn't do the job i'll take my chances on an after market Tracker thanksverymuch.
DSG
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