Are Trackers any good ?

[Muffleman]

Don't know whether to put a Tracker on my Supra or not. My last insurance company only offered a £25 discount if I installed one, and the company I will be going for this time around offer zero discount. Now it's not the discount that matters, but it is a clear indication that insurance companies don't value them.

 

In fact I was talking to a broker last week, and insurance companies list the deterrents like this.

 

1. Cat. 1 alarm\immobiliser

2. Cat 2.

3. Can't remember:blush:

4. Tracker

5. Steering wheel lock.

 

So basically, they rate the tracker as not much better than a steering wheel lock This has to be based on results surely ? The insurance industry would not rate something so poorly if it actually worked ?

 

So much for the Tracker sales patter

[Class One]

Tracker won't stop getting your car taken, so in that respect an insurance co will place it low on their list, but it is excellent and i mean excellent in getting your car back. My work car has the "tracking" bit of kit installed and the companies that sell them have a very high sucess rate in recovering stolen vehicles.

[Supragal]

There are 2 types gps ane like a radio frequency or something... the gps is less accurate as the signal can be hidden in buildings and is only accurate to x amount of meters. I had to have one, got one, not that the car actually runs so good luck stealing it!!

[DamanC]

I love trackers! Especially the choc chip ones

[Matt H]

Any recomendations on which tracker to get?

[Muffleman]

Thing is, I remember seeing a program like 'Car Wars' or something similar, and they flew a helicopter over roads in the Ivory Coast. The helicopter had a Tracker receiver, and this thing was going off constantly ! Obviously picking up loads of tracker units that never got recovered.

 

So if your car is stolen and recovered by a Tracker, the insurance company still have to pay out on your car ? If so, that would explain why insurance companies don't value them I guess.

[Kranz]

As an alternative to the tracker, take a look here:

 

http://www.verilocation.com/default.aspx

 

Its a web based mobile phone tracker.

 

All you need to do is stick a mobile in your car somewhere on constant charge, and sign up to the service, which costs £5+vat a month. Your £5 pays for credits, which you then use to locate a mobile that's on your list of up to 5 consenting mobiles.

 

Useful for tracking kids too!!

 

No installation fees, no annual rental & you can put up to 5 cars (mobiles) on it.

 

You can access it through your mobile phone too, so its handy if you forget where you parked the car

 

The acuracy does depend on the number of cells in the location, but I've tried it at work & its gets within 200m.

[merckx]

As an alternative to the tracker, take a look here:

 

http://www.verilocation.com/default.aspx

 

Its a web based mobile phone tracker.

 

All you need to do is stick a mobile in your car somewhere on constant charge, and sign up to the service, which costs £5+vat a month. Your £5 pays for credits, which you then use to locate a mobile that's on your list of up to 5 consenting mobiles.

 

Useful for tracking kids too!!

 

No installation fees, no annual rental & you can put up to 5 cars (mobiles) on it.

 

You can access it through your mobile phone too, so its handy if you forget where you parked the car

 

The acuracy does depend on the number of cells in the location, but I've tried it at work & its gets within 200m.

I bought one, they're CRAP.

 

No accuracy at all , sometimes it cannot pinpoint it any closer than half a mile.

[Keith C]

So if your car is stolen and recovered by a Tracker, the insurance company still have to pay out on your car ?

 

Nah - as you got the car back.

[Muffleman]

Then the only logical reason for an insurance company to think they're crap is if the vehicle recovery rate is poor, yes ?

[Rayman]

I read somewhere that the best thieves know where the tracking device is fitted and just rip em out. They basically know where the trackers are usually fitted.

Where are they fitted btw?