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Tracker advice

Posted: Fri Jun 08, 2018 3:03 pm
by ugene425
My insurer (Aviva) require a 'category 6' tracker to be fitted onto the vehicle (2009 3.0D M sport) for it to be insured! Value of the car is approx £14,500.

Any advice as to which company I need to get it from would be much appreciated.

Thank you in advance.

Re: Tracker advice

Posted: Fri Jun 08, 2018 4:04 pm
by X5Sport
Web search for ‘Category 6 trackers’ will give you a place to start.

BMW use Trackstar, and another well known brand is Tracker.

Unfortunately X5s are on thieves most wanted shopping lists so tracking devices are becoming a must at present, unless you want to pay an awful lot more for your premiums!  :cry1: :rant:

Re: Tracker advice

Posted: Sun Jun 10, 2018 8:11 pm
by ugene425
I am with Aviva (for my pension and house insurance) and they offer a 20% discount on the car insurance given the current policies I hold with them. They will not insure the car unless I get a tracker 'category 6'.  Therefore the below seems to be the best option, taking into account the earlier post.

https://www.trackerfit.co.uk/stolen-veh ... tm450.html

Re: Tracker advice

Posted: Tue Jun 12, 2018 10:02 am
by kenniff
There are 2 reasons to get a Tracker:
1. To save money
2. To stand an improved chance of getting your car back if it is stolen (it won't deter thieves cos they wont know you have it)


On the money saving aspect, the maths is as follows:
Keeping the car for 3 years, so tracker costs are £397 plus 168 plus £168 ie £733 or £244 per year

On the second reason, do you want it back? If you've bought under finance without gap cover then maybe you do as otherwise there is another potential exposure - the difference between your payout and what you owe the finance company.

If the second reason isnt important to you then go with the tracker if it saves you £244 or more on your annual car insurance.  Obviously, if you plan on keeping longer than 3 years the tracker cost per year goes down so yu need to rejig the maths, but you get the idea.

Re: Tracker advice

Posted: Tue Jun 12, 2018 5:55 pm
by snrbrtsn
I have the bmw trackstar in mine
Whilst I never installed, not sure if still active, as I disconnected the power supply due to battery drain when car was not being used (low mileage user)
When you log in, you see the cars location on iPhone, I’m more than sure I could also use findmyphone app to locate car, quite handy if ever in a remote city and you’ve lost your bearings... must check if still active!

Re: Tracker advice

Posted: Thu Jun 14, 2018 8:35 am
by ugene425
Having spoken to Tracketfit.co.uk and told them the car I am looking at, they recommended the Smartrack Protector Pro Global is our best selling Thatcham Cat 6 stolen vehicle tracking system at £199 fitted inc vat

https://www.trackerfit.co.uk/smartrack- ... lobal.html

They say this is far more reliable than the Trackstar

One other thing they mentioned was you can buy an optional driver tag system (DRS) which is available when ordering at an extra £180. This tag works wirelessly and doesn't require touching a fob onto a surface. DRS is a system that alerts you if the car is started without the driver tag.

Subscription is as follows:

£12.49 per month or
£149 per year or
£399 for lifetime ownership of vehicle

Does anyone have any advice on this please?

Many thanks.

Re: Tracker advice

Posted: Wed Jun 20, 2018 7:31 pm
by Spandex
[quote="ugene425"]
Does anyone have any advice on this please?
[/quote]
Change insurer?

Seriously, it’s worth looking around. You might find you can get insured for the same or less than what Aviva are asking, without the tracker.

Re: Tracker advice

Posted: Wed Jun 20, 2018 7:33 pm
by ugene425
I’ve done a money super market.com search and Aviva are looking pretty good in comparison. Plus I get 20% off as a current member.


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Re: Tracker advice

Posted: Wed Jun 20, 2018 7:53 pm
by Spandex
But as mentioned above, you need to factor in the installation and subscription cost of the tracker. Once you add in the £150-200 a year, are Aviva still competitive?

Having a tracker probably has very little benefit to you beyond associated insurance discounts (can’t say I’d want my car back if it got nicked) so you need to just treat the costs as part of your premium when running the numbers.

Re: Tracker advice

Posted: Wed Jun 20, 2018 9:12 pm
by ugene425
The only other insurer which came close was admiral but even they wanted a tracker! If I didn’t install one, their premium would increase about £200. Both Aviva and Admiral said these cars are highly desirable by thieves and are frequently stolen!! Not really want I want to hear when I’m looking at spending a lot of money on one!


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Re: Tracker advice

Posted: Wed Jun 20, 2018 9:48 pm
by X5Sport
Unfortunately it’s true  :(

The E70 and F15 are very high on the thieves shopping list, and those with Comfort Access should have steering wheel cover locks fitted and keys kept in RFID wallets when not in use (as well as being stored well away from the car rather than just inside the front door!

Re: Tracker advice

Posted: Wed Jun 20, 2018 9:51 pm
by ugene425
Yes heard about comfort access etc on a different forum! Not an extra I would like it seems! I see a lot of smart RR with wheel locks on them!  Special wallet or metal tin is needed regardless of comfort access right?


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Re: Tracker advice

Posted: Thu Jun 21, 2018 4:26 pm
by X5Sport
Normal keys don’t poll all of the time whereas keyless ignition systems do, and need keeping in wallets/tins.  I bought mine from Amazon for about £10.

Re: Tracker advice

Posted: Thu Jun 21, 2018 4:52 pm
by ugene425
I v much doubt the car I buy will even come with keyless ignition but good to know regardless.

Come to think of it, I recall I did a quick search on Amazon to see the product out of interest too.


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Re: Tracker advice

Posted: Thu Jun 21, 2018 9:23 pm
by RichM50d
I wouldn’t have an RFID pouch, as I don’t want the fuckers breaking into my house to get the keys. No car is worth putting myself or my family at risk of an intruder over.

I wouldn’t bother with comparethemarket, as their prices are 10-15% higher than confused.com, at least on my car.

LV, Direct Line and Sainsbury’s are the cheapest 3, all of which would insure my 2017 M50d without a tracker.