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Tracker or not to Tracker

ClubberL

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Oct 16, 2019
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15
Location
Wiltshire
Car
MB C63 AMG 507 Coupe
I have resently purchased a C63 507. It only has factory fitted alarm and mob. I was wondering what others have fitted to there cars? I have read a couple of articles about this Ghost alarm, which you enter a code before starting. I was just going down the Tracker avenue. What have other owners fitted?
 
Don’t bother with a tracker. IMO it’s a waste of money. First of all would you want your car back after it’s been stolen and driven to almost destruction, I certainly wouldn’t. When a vehicle is stolen tracker sends out a signal to Police vehicles equipped with a Tracker device which works on a compass system, telling the driver wether the stolen vehicle is N S E or W of their vehicle. More than one Police vehicle is required to triangulate the stolen vehicle. When it’s on the move this is very difficult to do. Unless times have changed Tracker could only give an approximate location of where the stolen vehicle was and not an exact location. Tracking a stolen vehicle is a time consuming exercise and if there are no Tracker fitted Police vehicles available to respond you get no response. You stand more chance of a recovery if the vehicle is parked up after having been stolen but if the vehicle has been stolen to order the thieves will either park it up for a couple of days after being stolen to see if it’s got a tracker fitted or more often than not they know where the tracker will be fitted and simply remove it and throw it in a bucket full of water.
ANPR cameras are more fruitful at finding stolen vehicles. There maybe better products on the market but personally I wouldn’t bother with a tracker, waste of money plus if my car got stolen I wouldn’t want to see it ever again.
I hope that helps but it is only my personal experience and other contributors may have a different view point.
 
As mr B SAID, would you want your car back after some piece of dirt has had there hands on it , raking about. If mines stole I would prefer they burns it or totally writes it off. I m o.
 
True!
 
Ghost will stop them taking it but, nothing stopping them breaking into your house and asking you for the button combination.

I'm assuming that as it is an older model, it will not have the MB builtin tracker like mine. I'd have got the Ghose but could not find a installer who had done a SL and didn't want my brand new car to be a guinea pig (inspire of the guys at Autowatch assuring me that it would be ok). SL is still not listed on their site as compatible.
 
Well Ghost stops them stealing the car,I have heard that thieves block trackers when they steal cars,I have always woondered if a cheap phone powered by the cars electrics with a app that tells you where it is when you call it would be a better way of finding the car,still I am no expert in this.
 
I have a Tracker fitted to mine but only because the insurance company insist upon it, as they did with my last one. It has to conform to certain specs as well, in my case Cat 6 minimum.

As far as I'm concerned it's a waste of money. If the car gets stolen then it happens, I wouldn't be particularly happy but would accept that it's part of what happens today. I certainly wouldn't want it back, so would appreciate the fact that they would probably find and disable it before shipping it off to foreign climes.They would also not bat an eyelid when it come to harming someone to
 
I disagree. I have a tracker CAT 5 fitted and believe it will get my car back. Not all thieves are going to 'rag' it....joyriding went out o the window decades ago. This cars are stolen for parts, export or 'chopping'. A CAT 5 will allow the police to find your car sooner rather than later and criminals dont remove the tracker, they have to find it first and if disconnected the police have an idea where it last was. Call Hamilton and Palmer on 01732 760022, Sevenoaks based and discuss various security options. Deterrent beats chance.
 
I fitted Ghost and reckon its worth it. Comandonline in Lightwater fitted mine.
 
Good question OP and a very important consideration.
Firstly the standard merc tracking tech certainly on the 205 is not up to standard and if the 204 is similar you can assume you have no immobiliser or alarm if your car has keyless entry.

The easiest is to use other measures like a diskloc or stering lock which is a visible deterrent. the scum either will come in and ask for the keys or saw through the lock or your steering wheel or not attempt a theft.

Next up is the ghost, IMO, great tech and for the cost , is probably better than a tracker. It also has a valet mode which allows the car to be driven without needing the code but if you go over 30mph for more than a few seconds then the next time you try and start the car, it needs the code again.

Last, tracker - the most potent is a CAT 5 which needs a fob / card etc to start the car , and also the police have the ability to remotely immobilize the vehicle. So that's as potent as it gets.
S5 is the next level but doesn't have the police remote immobilization feature
Then S7 (was CAT 6) which is mainly just tracking and battery disconnect alerts. My insurer asked for a tracker so I stuck a CAT 6 in rather than 5 as my view was if they get the car, they can keep it. That said, this logic is flawed because it is possible for a CAT 6 vehicle to be recovered too...
 
Problem with Ghost is that it is not Thatcham rated and ergo not accepted by insurance companies.
 
I dont need to fit one for insurance purposes, insurance is only £500 and that includes the wife as a named driver. Doing a cross section of responses. I think, keep my money in my pocket, if some one nicks it, let them keep it!

P.S Thanks for the replies
 
I've got the Ghost fitted to mine and also a StopTrack tracker. Wouldn't have it any other way - it is great peace of mind knowing that nobody can actually take the car unless they put it on a trailer and even if they do that I will get an alert and can track the location of it in real time. It is as close to un-nickable as a car can be in my opinion.
 
If the b’stards want it they’ll get it. Had a rare RHD new BMW M3 CSL stolen from the showroom where I used to work. Nobody in the houses opposite heard the security posts being removed with the help of an angle grinder during the night. Neither did they hear the alarm bells when the showroom was broken into, or the sound of the car being driven out.

I went to collect the car from the police after they recovered it a few days later on the other side of London. I wished I’d taken overalls and gloves with me - there were used needles (not sewing needles!) strewn on the floor and stains on the seats for which I’d rather not contemplate the source. Some of the body panels weren’t damaged. We really wished that the police hadn’t found it.
 
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Problem with Ghost is that it is not Thatcham rated and ergo not accepted by insurance companies.

Why is that a problem?

It's fitted to stop the car being stolen, not to reduce the insurance premium.
Yes, if the would be car thief gains entry to the house for the code you'd be stupid not to hand it over.
I still had it fitted knowing its not Thatcham rated.
 
Only if one is fitting one to comply with an insurer's request ..

Quite. One wouldn't fit Ghost to comply with an insurers request. You'd have to choose a Thatcham approved product.
For me, the confidence shown in Ghost by both users reviews and authorised installer Comandonline persuaded me it was the best option.
 

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