Vehicle tracking systems discussion

[Ashlin]

Hello fanatics, apologies if this has been discussed before.
I would like to know what your thoughts are on the use of vehicle tracking systems. If you bought a new/first/secondhand car would you fit a tracking system?

What are your thoughts on the ffg:

●Its a Gimic and perpetuates job creation as a result of the crime
●Its not worthwhile
●I don't care if my car is stolen scenario, I dont want it back.
●It is useful in the event of hijacking and a victim is still with hijackers.
●Insurance companies are creating a requirement to perpetuate the first point and in doing so taking away your spare cash.

 

[Sabretooth tiger]

I only have it, cause the insurance required one to be fitted.

In all honesty, if it ever had to get stolen, I would not want it back. The thought that some bastard was in my car and rove it, just does not float my boat. And usually they cause quite a lot of damage.

 

[KidB]

I have mine because of insurance.
Otherwise I would not have one.
The baddies already know how to de-activate it and thwart the system.

 

[Dirtydeedsman]

In the even that your car is stolen it makes giving a statement easy and the insurance investigators won't really attack you like they would if the car didn't have one.

Also if you have children you can track their movements. Yes there are privacy concerns to that but my children DO NOT have privacy esp if they are still under my roof. If I can't get hold of them I want to know where they are so if need be I can go there.

It is useful in the event of hijacking and a victim is still with hijackers.

I also use mine as a log book for when I need to claim back from work and for SARS as well.

When I got insurance my insurer said they were going to throw it in at no cost to me only to realize that when I changed insurance I had to pick up the cost of the tracker and its a 3 year contract.

All things considered I would rather have a tracker for the lifes unknowns than not have one and wish I had.

 

[ChefDJ]

I have one in the Benz and I want it removed because it malfunctions at least 3 times a month and then I'm stuck with a car that won't stop screaming at me until I can actually get hold of the call centre and tell them to deactivate the damn thing, meanwhile I look like I'm stealing my own car. Waste of money. If the car gets stolen let the bastard who stole it drive it off a cliff.

The criminals in any case know exactly how to disarm them and ALL the hidden locations for the things. And besides they're generally done with the car, either using it for a robbery or stripping for spares, by the time the tracking company finds it. Apologies for the negativity but this is from personal experience, on more than one occasion.

The only time a tracker is useful is for company vehicles so when I send out my staff I can log onto the website and monitor the usage and speeds and make sure they aren't out gallivanting during business hours.

 

[Nemo]

I also have one for Insurance purposes.

I never had one before and I really did not want one.

One of the stipulations my insurer had was the tracking device and should the device not be fitted and the car was stolen, they would not pay out.

So R99 a month and a decent premium so I couldn't complain.

 

[Ratslaaf]

If I see how poorly these trackers are installed and what havoc they create with the cars electrical systems I'd advise people not to fit them. But hey, it does boil down to personal choice.

 

[3seriesman]

I have the Beame Matrix system, doesnt interfere with the cars electrical system, installed independently with its own battery. But installed it only cos of insurance purposes. But some of the guys are right, if the car is stolen i dont want it back either cos it comes backed f**k** anyways

 

[TurboLlew]

I have tracking units in both cars and in previous cars. The difference in my premium is less than I pay per month. It is useful when claiming from SARS at the end of the year. Easy to keep dealerships honest (to make sure they aren't abusing the car) and if it is stolen/hijacked, then it makes the whole claiming process a little bit easier.

 

[Iceman007]

If I see how poorly these trackers are installed and what havoc they create with the cars electrical systems I'd advise people not to fit them. But hey, it does boil down to personal choice.

Oh yes I agree stay far away from these trackers BMW's dont like them. Ive seen it at the dealers and when they get old they tend to drain your battery.