SLK350
Member
Anyone suggest a good Tracker type device.
Also anyone had a good (or bad) experience of using one.
Also anyone had a good (or bad) experience of using one.
bennesspipers
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I think so,if your car gets nicked do you want the thief arrested ? Had 'Tracker' on a previous car, remember i paid extra for lifetime membership to avoid yearly fees.
My second-hand 1998 CLK had a Trackstar from TrafficMaster pre-installed, so I decided to continue the membership.
In hindsight I guess it wasn't the best value for money I've ever spent (£10/month). The car was of relative low value and it wasn't especially precious to me.
But I imagine your SLK350 is the opposite, so in that case it would offer you peace of mind.
It looks as if more cars are being stolen with the owners house being burgled to get the keys first. In those cases traditional car immobilisers are useless.
In hindsight I guess it wasn't the best value for money I've ever spent (£10/month). The car was of relative low value and it wasn't especially precious to me.
But I imagine your SLK350 is the opposite, so in that case it would offer you peace of mind.
It looks as if more cars are being stolen with the owners house being burgled to get the keys first. In those cases traditional car immobilisers are useless.
I suppose it depends on your attitude to risk....when we bought our last CLK, the MB salesman advised us that a tracker was not necessary and that the cost of insurance with or without tracker was virtually the same, so not worth paying the extra for tracker.....there was a time a few years ago when it was virtually impossible to get insurance for such cars without a tracker fitted.
BaldGuy
MB Enthusiast
Both my Current CLK500 and my new car has one fitted.... I suppose its piece of mind...
crockers
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Which piece is that?
flango
Hardcore MB Enthusiast
Tracker definitely recommended if it is a high value car or stealable car. Never had one stolen but have had to use tracker once to my embarassment. Once went on a business trip ended up running late and dumped the car in the car park at Stanstead came back a week later went to where i had parked the car and it wasn't there 60 minutes later I still couldn't find it 
. Rang tracker who checked the system they confirmed the car had not moved for 7 days, then they obviously have an overlay map because they told me exactly where it was parked. I have also rang them from some very obscure remote places for a confidence check where they tell you where you are and they have been bang on every time. Well worth it to me and all our cars have them.
. Rang tracker who checked the system they confirmed the car had not moved for 7 days, then they obviously have an overlay map because they told me exactly where it was parked. I have also rang them from some very obscure remote places for a confidence check where they tell you where you are and they have been bang on every time. Well worth it to me and all our cars have them.
crockers
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Tracker definitely recommended if it is a high value car or stealable car. Never had one stolen but have had to use tracker once to my embarassment. Once went on a business trip ended up running late and dumped the car in the car park at Stanstead came back a week later went to where i had parked the car and it wasn't there 60 minutes later I still couldn't find it
Can see another use now ...... just don't let the wife know about it...
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Tracker publicise the fact that you can pay up front for lifetime subscription or annually. They don't tell you that if you ask when renewin for the second time, ie for year 3, that you can convert to lifetime subscription at no additional cost.
Best of both worlds.
Best of both worlds.
jocasta
Active Member
I put one on mine as it opened up more insurance choices for me. Some companies wouldn't insure me without it.
Obviously i haven't had to use it in anger yet, so i can't say whether it's worth it other than 'peace of mind'.
Obviously i haven't had to use it in anger yet, so i can't say whether it's worth it other than 'peace of mind'.
horsesuitedfool
Active Member
I have always had them for peace of mind on M3 convertibles and a CLK55 but to be honest if a thief worth his salt steals the car then they will find it and remove it in about 10 minutes or less!! I think its of more use on lesser value cars/older cars as they are less likely to be stolen by pros but opportunists or joyriders who will not even think of looking for the tracker. But if you have a £150k CL63 and its stolen i would think it would have its tracker removed and be in mainland Europe without a trace before you have even noticed as it would have been taken to order by proffessionals!! Just my opinion.....
I thought these devices were about the size of a cigarette packet? So there must be lots places to hide it.
Different companies offer different services. For some, you tell them when your car is not in use, if the car moves during that time they will contact you immediately.
Other services are more passive. You must inform them when you think you car has been stolen, then they pass on the details to the Police. I guess this option is not recommended if leaving your £150k car at an airport car park.
Different companies offer different services. For some, you tell them when your car is not in use, if the car moves during that time they will contact you immediately.
Other services are more passive. You must inform them when you think you car has been stolen, then they pass on the details to the Police. I guess this option is not recommended if leaving your £150k car at an airport car park.
I had a Golf V6 4motion taken (during test drive for someone claiming want to buy it...) - they had asked about security and I had said "just the standard stuff", then when we got home he asked to sit in drivers seat and drove off. He thumped the gate post on the way out, broke the mirror. Chap was neatly dressed in a suit.
It had the full blown GPS backed tracker on it !!
Police helicopter followed it , arrived at house where it was parked outside, went in, arrested all 4 chaps there. Kept the one in the suit in (who didnt match the description I gave the police which took 2 policeman 2 hours at my house), and the one with the suit on had a useful alibi that he'd been at a cash machine. I suspect the real thief had changed out of his suit.
Police then took car to be fingerprinted.
They then sent me a bill for the storage over night.
Also, I had to fork out for a 're-coding' the alarm as the keys were never found
And I paid for a new mirror.
The total of that lot was a little below £500, about same as my excess.
I then sold the car (at probably below what I could) to the local VW dealer because I didnt really want it back. If I hadnt sold it i'd have had to pay for new locks/keys also.
So, what I really should have done is to have not put tracker on it, used part of the install/subscription money to pay for Gap insurance, and been generally better off.
Of course, many insurance companies now insist on it being fitted - then you have no choice.
Richard
It had the full blown GPS backed tracker on it !!
Police helicopter followed it , arrived at house where it was parked outside, went in, arrested all 4 chaps there. Kept the one in the suit in (who didnt match the description I gave the police which took 2 policeman 2 hours at my house), and the one with the suit on had a useful alibi that he'd been at a cash machine. I suspect the real thief had changed out of his suit.
Police then took car to be fingerprinted.
They then sent me a bill for the storage over night.
Also, I had to fork out for a 're-coding' the alarm as the keys were never found
And I paid for a new mirror.
The total of that lot was a little below £500, about same as my excess.
I then sold the car (at probably below what I could) to the local VW dealer because I didnt really want it back. If I hadnt sold it i'd have had to pay for new locks/keys also.
So, what I really should have done is to have not put tracker on it, used part of the install/subscription money to pay for Gap insurance, and been generally better off.
Of course, many insurance companies now insist on it being fitted - then you have no choice.
Richard
flango
Hardcore MB Enthusiast
Some are much smaller had a cigarette packet and you have no chance of finding them to remove them. I actually had a problem on one I had on a Seat Leon Cupra which was affecting the electrics of the car, delaer could not find it. If its an active one then you can detect it with specialist equipment, if its a passive one tracker have to activate you have no chance of finding it. In this case theives normally park the car up for 24 hours and then return if its still there they know it doesnt have a tracker fitted, either that are or the Police are laying in wait
Baron_Samedi
MB Enthusiast
Interesting stuff!
Anyone going equipped to take a high end car isn't going to fear a tracker.
A tracker has to transmit signals and someone clever will use a receiver to locate and "switch it off" or jam it in a relatively short space of time.
I think that a tracker is worth money when considering opportunist crooks...
Personally, if my car were stolen I don't think I would want it back.
Anyone going equipped to take a high end car isn't going to fear a tracker.
A tracker has to transmit signals and someone clever will use a receiver to locate and "switch it off" or jam it in a relatively short space of time.
I think that a tracker is worth money when considering opportunist crooks...
Personally, if my car were stolen I don't think I would want it back.
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theives use jammers initially to take the car then they use a signal tracer to find the units when they have a bit of time, not rocket science!
Mind you several big rackets in london have been foiled by the one car that they didnt search properly or where the tracker was activated later, found amongst ferrari`s bentleys etc ready to be containerised and sent abroad!
Mind you several big rackets in london have been foiled by the one car that they didnt search properly or where the tracker was activated later, found amongst ferrari`s bentleys etc ready to be containerised and sent abroad!
Baron_Samedi
MB Enthusiast
Simples as long as the crooks aren't stupid.
A tracker is a useful part of a strategy of protecting a rare vehicle, and then it wouldn't be the only thing I would use.
A tracker is a useful part of a strategy of protecting a rare vehicle, and then it wouldn't be the only thing I would use.
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If some lowlife takes your car, probably thrashes the living daylights out of it and possibly (probably) does some bodywork damage you have to ask yourself the question: do you want it back or would you rather have the insurance money?
In my case if it's stolen I'd rather not have it back, I'd rather have the money and buy another one.
In my case if it's stolen I'd rather not have it back, I'd rather have the money and buy another one.
horsesuitedfool
Active Member
They scan for the device and simply remove it, very easy with right equipment. Also the places that fit these things always use the same places dependant upon the type of car, M3s for example they usually drop the glove box and fit behind there, i had two fitted and both were put there so not hard to know where its most likely going to be located even without a scanner.
flango
Hardcore MB Enthusiast
The whole point of having a tracker fitted is that the owner of the car doesn't even know where it is, I have not got a clue where ours are. The only one I knew where it was was the Seat Leon and I was amazed where they put that you would have never have found it in a million years. To drop it behind the glovebox on an M3 is pretty stupid of the installer as you quite rightly point out easy to locate. Scanners only work on active trackers not passive so a passive tracker has to be activated before a scanner will work and a tracker will not stop your car being stolen but some of the sophisticated immobilisers will.
Personally I prefer the South African approach where if someone interferes with you parked car the alarm trigges and shoots out jets of flame from under the car toasting the thiefs legs, now thats my kind of system
