Tracker

[LFP]

Anyone got any experience of tracker? I've got it fitted but not activated.

Not something I know much about other than it seems likely to be one of the few things that will increase your chances of seeing your car again if it's stolen. Do insurance companies offer discounts in real terms, I.e. given you have to pay the subscription is it still cheaper after this cost?

[dirtymonkey29]

Worth shopping around for insurance quotes with and without. I think you have to pay a subscription charge to what ever company you choose to run the tracking service for you, it will increase your chance of getting your car back but personally if mine got nicked if rather have it written off.

[X5Sport]

Few insurers give meaningful discounts from my experience, and depending upon where you live other insurers will decline to cover unless you have an active subscription. If keeping you car more than three years, you may be able to get a lifetime subscription - not worth having for any period less than that though. Fees vary, but £130-£150 a year isn't unheard of. You won't get that level of discount on your insurance though.

For peace of mind I personally think they are worth while, especially if the fitment means you stand a better to good chance of seeing your car again. Cars like the BMWs tend to be stolen to order rather than joyridden and as such may not be thrashed in the hands of the light fingered brigade.

But, and this is important, most pro thieves will assume that said device is fitted and will go looking for the device or will leave the stolen vehicle somewhere to see if anyone shows any interest. That could mean the interior gets trashed whilst the less pro teams look for the box. Pro teams will just leave the car and if it's found and recovered then that is a risk of the job so to speak.

On balance though, I prefer to have one than not regardless of what any insurer may or may not require.

If you re-activate yours, make sure it is fully working and get it tested regularly. Most suppliers allow their customers a number if so called 'test tracks' during the year, and they are worth taking advantage of as there are few ways to know your system has failed. The one on my old E53 was disabled by the incompetence if a BMW Dealer messing with the wiring. I didn't discover the fault for two years!! I learned a valuable lesson from that - test regularly!

[ITBarbie]

Personally I've not got one and there are threads galore about the subject matter. You have to ask yourself after some oik had it would you want it back? Would you even know at first glance what potential problems may lay ahead?

I'm really not being provocative in my comments just drawing your attention to arguments for and against.

I personally looked into the financial savings of having a tracker fitted (yes I don't have a dormant tracker) but after quizzing the insurance companies was not enamoured with the savings to the degree I would have one installed. There are many that would but I'm just not one of them

Penny

[jaynana]

my insurance guys refused to insure if i dind't get the tracker enabled, when i bought the car. on the other hand with the tracker enabled the insurance guys don't sweat so much so the insurance didn't go up when i bought the x5.

[LFP]

Interesting......... It seems there's unlikely to be a strict financial benefit. However, there's certainly some mileage in the idea that it provides peace of mind. Food for thought.

[jaynana]

[quote=""LFP""]Interesting......... It seems there's unlikely to be a strict financial benefit. However, there's certainly some mileage in the idea that it provides peace of mind. Food for thought.[/quote]

there's clearly financial benefit.

if the car is stolen minus tracker, most probable outcome is - they pay me the current market value; but most often they won't be able to recover the car, incurring the full cost on them

if the car is stolen whilst tracker enabled, most probable outcome is - police will find the car so insurance wouldn't have to pay me ie foot the bill; second probable outcome is car probably is found in bad shape, they'd pay me current market value of the car, they'd auction the car for scrap (a breakyard or somebody who wishes to repair and use will buy it). so much less overall cost to them.

so it makes great sense from the insurers point of view to have the tracker enabled; and they should be able to pass some of that down to the customer.

[x555]

If your insurer wont insure you without the tracker then change insurers imo as the cost of fitting/enabling a tracker would be way more than any rise (that is if there is any) in insurance costs.
I also agree with above the tracker only benefits the insurance companys not the customer.

[X5Sport]

They are probably of more value to those with new or nearly new cars as the insurance payout will be nearer getting you an equivalent newer replacement. When the cars were new, all our insurance quotes required the installation of a tracking device simply because of the value, but this requirement was dropped once the cars were a few years old.

Relatives of ours had their house broken into and their Merc keys snatched and the car stolen. The insurance payout means they can now only afford a VW Jetta 'Bluemotion'. The Merc was a company car that he was given when he retired. The Police told him that with a tracker fitted they might well have got the car back, but without one it's most likely now in Nigeria/West Africa or Eastern Europe as it would gave been stolen to order - along with three others that night, two of which were later recovered undamaged from local lock-ups thanks to working tracking systems.

Their use is most likely a benefit to the insurers, but it also depends upon peace of mind for the owners. There are perfectly valid arguments both for and against, but to me at least the balance remains in favour of having them.

[gchristofi]

I went down the tracker route and paid for a lifetime subscription to Smartrack knowing I'd be keeping the car a good number of years. It got my insurance far lower on the 4.4 than was available otherwise (about 350 a year now). I chose them because they were the cheapest recognised option to get the best insurance quote. As some others, don't really care how good their service is because it's not about recovery from my perspective.