Vehicle Trackers

[badassyas]

Does anyone have any idea of car tracking systems? be it pay as you go versions or full purchase units. i have googled a hell of a lot and only seem to find "tracker" eventually being sold but i am sure there are underdogs that are available that are cheaper/better functions. if anyone could give me a heads up on anything they have or ideas
And no i do not want the mobile phone hidden away plan!!!

[TouringTash]

to be honest a tracker nowadays isn't going to deter a professional thief.
They can jam the signal just by placing a small unit into the cigarette lighter so worth getting that on a switch out of the way as a starter.

These systems are only tracked once the customer informs the company that their car is missing and so the tea leafs factor this when timing when to lift a car.

as for a fixed system to block look toward the father of electronics.

They know all this and never see a tracker as an issue.

I would recommend a proximity system and join the local gun club for something to take your mind off car theft.

[Raj_p]

I had trackstar with a passport system. You have like a credit card size black card, you keep this at all times. If the car is driven away from you/the card, the tracker is activated. You get contacted for confirmation if the car is stolen, if yes they contact the police

[DanThe]

to be honest a tracker nowadays isn't going to deter a professional thief.
They can jam the signal just by placing a small unit into the cigarette lighter so worth getting that on a switch out of the way as a starter.

These systems are only tracked once the customer informs the company that their car is missing and so the tea leafs factor this when timing when to lift a car.

as for a fixed system to block look toward the father of electronics.

They know all this and never see a tracker as an issue.

I would recommend a proximity system and join the local gun club for something to take your mind off car theft.

Its unlikely that an E30 would be stolen by a professional thief IMO, more likely to be one of the local chavs after some cheap thrills, I doubt either would expect it to be tracker'd

[badassyas]

Its unlikely that an E30 would be stolen by a professional thief IMO, more likely to be one of the local chavs after some cheap thrills, I doubt either would expect it to be tracker'd

exactly my opinion too. thief's would possibly not expect a 20 year old car to have a tracker etc hence giving a little bit more of a possibility for me to get my car back if it was ever taken.

especially since there are more "My car is stolen" posts on the forum, its a piece of mind to an extent..

[harry_p]

They'll cost more to install and subscribe to than you'll ever save on insurance, and frankly if my cars been stolen and likely thrashed and trashed I wouldn't ever want it back.

Improve security to stop it getting stolen in the first place, and have suitable insurance in place should the worst happen.

[badassyas]

one it isnt about saving on insurance because if i wanted to save money i wouldnt have spent so much on the car to start with.
secondly it loading it with alarms and cut off switches does not stop i winch or a spec lift towing the car away. it may refuse to start and make a shitty alarm noise but nevertheless it doesnt stop anyone taking it.
I wouldnt want paying out, i would my car back first.

http://www.e30zone.net/modules.php?name ... c&t=181686

this post shows that a stolen car aint being thrashed. its on a trailer. be it for real or a prank.

so as well as tracker and also trackstar, is there any other brands that people swear by?

[DanThe]

I agree, you wouldnt be able to start my car due to EWS, if you had the parts to get around EWS you would still have plenty other issues to get around before it would fire involving a lot of trim removal for a start, if somebody really wants your car they will follow you round with a trailer/low-loader until they get it

[town325i]

All trackers seem to do is put the price of your insurance up

[Morat]

I reckon you're better off with a homebrew system. All you need is a phone capable of running Google Earth and Lattitude. Hide the phone somewhere in the car with a 12V feed and you can get its location whenever your want. You should be able to manage this for about £15 a month. For an added bonus, you can use a BT headset for calls when you're in the car!

[bss325i]

I am a registered tracker installer.

I think the stats speak for them selfs with a 90% recovery rate.

Also, Tracker are the only recovery system operated by all UK police forces.

Has anyone on this thread actually had or have a tracker or tracking device?

[DanThe]

How much is a tracker now Barry?

[bss325i]

Pass. I just fit them, not sell them!

[bigwinn]

I am a registered tracker installer.

I think the stats speak for them selfs with a 90% recovery rate.

Also, Tracker are the only recovery system operated by all UK police forces.

Has anyone on this thread actually had or have a tracker or tracking device?

Yep- had one in my S4, which never got nicked: the real advocates will be folks who have actually had their pride and joy recovered

but never saved me anything on insurance...

[bss325i]

From my experience, tracking systems dont reduce or increase insurance premiums, they are just a requirement on certain vehicles by some insurance companies policies.

I think back in the mid to late 90's most insurers required a tracker on things like Escort RS Cosworths.

[ImysE30]

You need one on a scooby or evo otherwise on insurance.

[stenni]

Hi Guys - I'm really interested in your comments regarding 'trackers'

Basically there are 2 types (for those who may not know and yet are interested):

GPS: Very poor for asset recovery, but fantastic for fleet management
- usually wired in beacuse power hungry i.e. a hassle and non-transferable
- easy to detect and disable
- needs to see the sky to work at all
- some advanced onces still need GSM to communicate with the call centre which in turn commuicates with you, the customer
- pin-point positions! (This is what is great about GPS)

GSM: Uses the mobile phone network - great for asset recovery, poor for fleet management
- Devices are covertly installed because are portable and internally powered (battery)
- need only GSM coverage to work
- not as power hungey and may last for months/2-3 years depending on product
- do not need to see the sky
- macro positions only, but use radio beacons to emit an RF signal which can be accurate to sub 1 metre
- cannot be scanned since they spend vast amounts of time 'dormant'

I would go for a GSM product if I were you (if you are interested in getting your 'pride and joy' back).

The problem is that consumers don't really know the difference due to the relative 'youth' of the tracking market.

Tracker, for example, gets about a 15-20% recovery rate at best because GPS just isn't suited to the job.

[bss325i]

Tracker systems are VHF based but some of their systems have either GPS or GPS and GSM systems.

http://www.tracker.co.uk/TRACKER/Tracke ... urity.aspx

[e30topless]

a freind had his car stolen with a tracker fitted, the local Police said they don't have the means or system to trace it ?

[bss325i]

Sure it was a tracker and not a trackstar?

[stenni]

when you say tracker, e30topless, do you mean a Tracker product installed by Tracker? Or just any old tracking device?

Tracker specifically relies on the police being in the vicinity, with their equipment detecing a VHF signal. Since the police are supposed to be 'everywhere', the theory goes that someone, somewhere will pick up a signal. Not ideal since no one is working off a specific location, the hunt is just a form of shotgun tactics (in addition to their current intelligence, of course)

[e30topless]

it was a 'tracker' as far as I know,

he never saw his 911 again

[nickso]

any system that involves the cops being "arsed" probably isn't worth it.

[/// KAMI]

it was a 'tracker' as far as I know,

he never saw his 911 again

what Tracker was it choclate or orginal?

[TouringTash]

a friend had his car stolen

I struggle to see the

am I the only one?