Hopefully get my car this week

Ins co. insist I fit a form of Tracker device , otherwise car not covered for theft. So need to sort a.s.a.p.

I did fit tracker to my previous S4 Cabriolet , think it was £300 fitted then £100 per year subscription.

Does anyone know of any other products? Better/cheaper etc or is TRACKER the best out there ?

Thanks

Martin 
" WITH MORE EXTRAS THAN A HOLLYWOOD EPIC "

Hi Martin,

I don't have any experience of Tracker myself but my brother-in-law has it on all his Ferraris and Tracker was on the phone to my father (because they could't get hold of the owner) within 20 mins of one of the cars being collected by transporter to go for a service. They were able to say that it was on a certain road travelling at 50mph and had been travelling for 20 mins. There system had flagged this movement because this car did not normally move very much.

I thought this was pretty impressive.

Could well be worth the money.

Keith 4.4HSE Buckingham Blue
Alpaca Premium Leather, Rhodium
Dynamic Pack, PTI

Cheers Keith,

Just spoken to Tracker direct ( last time I had Audi dealer fit - as approved by tracker ) but my local LR dealer not on the approved dealer-fit list.

Good news is they do better deal when you deal direct. I.E. Basic subscription is for Tracker Retrieve £299 fitted .... then they delay annual subscription for 3 months , being £109 per year, total cost £408. They will come to your place of work/home so long as off road parking, or in garage etc.

Martin 
" WITH MORE EXTRAS THAN A HOLLYWOOD EPIC "

That sound reasonable. I'll have to check with my insurers to see if they want something fitted as well.

I was hoping to get my car this week but looks like it has been delayed because of the seatbelt mix up. Spoke to the salesman on Saturday and he wouldn't commit himself to a date.

While I was there I ordered a few extras like mudflaps, sill treads, carpet mats etc. Managed to get £7 discount off of a £750 order. Felt quite pleased with myself. Now if they fill it up with unleaded FOC when I collect it I really will have got a deal! 4.4HSE Buckingham Blue
Alpaca Premium Leather, Rhodium
Dynamic Pack, PTI

Been home for lunch, letter from ins co. stating not had proof Tracker/security device yet fitted!
I tel them... not surprised as not got car yet , how was I supposed to fit it?

They say.."OK... no problem... what will/have you fitted..." I reply ,"what you requested... ie TRACKER?"

Ins " Ahh.. but what level? "
Me " does it matter?"
ins " yes..... let me see..............(long wait)" - " what is the value of your car?"
me " you should have that... you've just insured it" - " £57850" I add.
ins "according to our table if the value is over 50k then you must fit Tracker at the next level up ( tracker monitor )"
me " No mention of that last year or at renewal last week when I completed ins for this new car!!!!!... also I have paid for it & they will be fitting as/when car arrives!"
ins " Oh "
me "Yes ....Oh"
ins "in this case we will have to accept tracker retrieve & will confirm this when you send us receipt of contract/fitment "

So beware .... and ensure you ask all the questions with your ins.co. 
" WITH MORE EXTRAS THAN A HOLLYWOOD EPIC "

We had an RAC Trackstar Plus (with KeyGuard) fitted to our Merc ML. This is the system that has a credit card type tag that you must keep on your person. Without it the car doesn't start. Therefore, if the theif steels your keys from inside the house, they can't knick the car. Also stops car getting stolen while on a petrol forecourt etc.
We were insured with Tesco at the time and they insisted on a tracking device - so we fitted the TrackStar, as I'm a dealer for TrafficMaster SmartNav and TrackStar products (email me if interested).
However, when we got our Sport, I looked around for insurance again and decided to go with an insurance company that didn't insist on a tracker. This is becuase unless you are going to keep the car for many many years, fitting a tracker doesn't pay and I didn't fancy taking the dash appart on the new car! We moved to MoreThan insurance and insured the RRS for £375 per annum (2 x 36 year old drivers, comp, full ncd) without a tracking device.
(If anyone wants a quote from MoreThan, email me and I'll give you my referal number, so I get a kick back and you get a further discount).

For insurance searches, try www.confused.com Matt
-------------------------------------------
RRS ownership for 1 yr, then D3 for 2 yrs. Then cut back to old bangers and working my way back up through two Peugeots in 6 months. Now got Saab 9-5 2.3t and enjoying the performance!

Cheers for that, but MoreThan will not insure any vehicle over £50k in value, so no use for me
I remained with Direct Line @ approx £475 (on supercharged), big excess , fncd,for me /wife ( 42 & 39 ) and of course fully comp with legal protection & protected ncd. The tracker was a compulsory fittment. 
" WITH MORE EXTRAS THAN A HOLLYWOOD EPIC "

I had a Tracker Retrieve unit on the M5, and when I sold it I rang Tracker to ask if I could have a refund on the pro rata amount on this year's subscription. They said no, but, once I get my new car if I had a Tracker fitted they will start the subscription and I'll not pay that part until the original renewal date comes up again.

My dealer also sent me some information on Trackstar but I am not sure which is best or even if I will go for one at all. I got insurance quotes from everyone under the sun including my current one, Tesco, but Sainsburys are by far the cheapest and during the online quote generator it did not make me choose a tracking device.

Anyway, if someone nicks it and does something bad to it, do you really want it back? Isn't that what we're paying insurance for in the first place? Next thing we know the insurance companies will be demanding we keep the car in an underground bunker with a NASA black box hidden in the framework to ensure total peace of mind....

As long as you are not stupid enough to make it easy for thieves by leaving the keys in the ignition or within easy reach of the front door via a fishing rod, surely having fully comp insurance is enough? Where will it end.... L319 D4 HSE

1998 110 TUM HS FFR Hard Top XD WOLF

1982 Series 3 SWB

RRUK ... I could'nt agree more  
" WITH MORE EXTRAS THAN A HOLLYWOOD EPIC "

Tracker has 3 levels of cover, the hardware installed is exactly the same unit but costs more on each one, and the annual subscription is the same, but you pay more for each tier up.

Retrieve - cheapest option. If car gets nicked it is up to you to call Tracker and the Police, they then activate the unit and liaise with the Police.

Monitor - Middle Option. Tracker checks if car moves illegally and calls you to check if it is you moving the car. They then call the Police and do the bizz.

Horizon - Top option. Seems to offer the same cover as above but costs more. Not yet figured out what the value add is.

Tracker Echo - New option, similar to Trackstar, you have a credit card device that detects the car and if the car is nicked with the keys for example but its not you in it with the device, it is triggered and Tracker call you to confirm theft or not.

Here's the pricing from the Tracker website:

http://www.tracker.co.uk/home.php?SVR/Pricing/car

ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION

TRACKER Retrieve TRACKER Monitor TRACKER Horizon (Prices in that order colour coded)

TRACKER Unit £199.00 £299.00 £499.00
Installation from £100.00 £150.00 £175.00
Annual subscription £109.00 £109.00 £109.00
TOTAL (incl. VAT) £408.00 £558.00 £783.00

Tracker Echo prices you have to call the number on the link page above. L319 D4 HSE

1998 110 TUM HS FFR Hard Top XD WOLF

1982 Series 3 SWB

The problem with the Tracker system is that it needs a police car fitted with the receiver kit to track the vehicle. I don;t know how many each force have, but off course, you are then limited to a responce only if they have the manpower in the correct vehicle type.
The RAC Trackstar is done verbally from the TrafficMaster control room while they track the car. Therefore, any old bobby in his Astra can be guided to the stolen vehicle. I would therefore assume that police responce/recovery times are much quicker. Matt
-------------------------------------------
RRS ownership for 1 yr, then D3 for 2 yrs. Then cut back to old bangers and working my way back up through two Peugeots in 6 months. Now got Saab 9-5 2.3t and enjoying the performance!

I just spoke to Sainsburys Car Insurance who seem to be the cheapest for me and they don't require a Tracker device at all. L319 D4 HSE

1998 110 TUM HS FFR Hard Top XD WOLF

1982 Series 3 SWB

Having taken out my insurance with Sainsburys I find out they DO require a tracking device...typical!

So, they send me a list of them and just tell me to get one fitted 'soon'.

As for the original Tracker, I can only go for Horizon which works out at £675 for the unit and installation, whereas RAC Trackstarplus works out at £399 including the unit and install, then it's £120 a year for subscription, payable in full, monthly, quarterly..very accomodating.

I think I will got for the RAC TRackstarplus on this basis and order one sometime next week. L319 D4 HSE

1998 110 TUM HS FFR Hard Top XD WOLF

1982 Series 3 SWB

I was told due to my age and the car i was trying to insure i.e the RRS, that a tracker was mandatory and i wouldn't be insured for theft without it.
Luckily being an ex demo mine had been fitted with a tracker horizon.
I was later told by LR the reason why direct line insist on tracker on more cars then anyone is because they own tracker!! nice business to be in i guess..

Call me an old cynic but I never think it advisable to have security devices fitted at home, work or anywhere the vehicle is likely to be kept since the fitters who are, after all, just regular guys with a job to do, know where the car is kept and are now privy to the workings of its security. I had a car stolen and stripped of expensive aftermarket equipment once and got the impression I was under suspicion because there was no sign of force used. I had recently had a main dealer service done and will suspect one of their employees was responsible for the theft until I go to my grave. Use someone else's address for the work AND any invoice/warranty details.

On the subject of Tracker, I had it fitted to X5 and they were on the phone in minutes when the car had to be recovered due to a puncture. The device had sensed the car had been lifted while the doors were locked. At the time there was an option to pay a subscription roughly equivalent to 3 years annual payments which would cover the car throughout ownership.

When researching, where insurance companies offer cover without a tracking device, get a quote for this first then mention the device. When getting quotes this has always got me a discount that I'm not sure I would otherwise have received. The one time I forgot to mention the device to an insurance company which already had my business then subsequently informed them, the reduction was so negligible it wasn't even worth me having them make the change. They had no need to offer me an incentive. Range Rover Sport TdV6HSE in Bonatti Grey + 20" Stormer wheels (ex X5 and ML driver)