Gear Head

iTrader: (2)

Due to the recent number imprezas that have been stolen and not recovered, even though they had trackers fitted, I was wondering if anybody on here has been through this experience and actually got their car back??? Its making me wonder why Tesco's make you have one fitted. At £550 + £109 per year for mine, this seems a bit expensive for a form of passive security that doesnt work.

WRXPete

Seems to me that it's like any security device...eventually the criminals will learn how to get around it....i expect by now they know exactly where to look on the car to deactivate it......i'd never fit one....costs loads for not a lot of saving in premium...and it means you might get the car back! Would you want it back after some **** has thrashed it so hard you don't know what damage has been done??

austen_wrx

The police found mine within 1.5 hours of it being stolen Although it was trashed

pbee

I have a tracker monitor on my car. I was helping my dad clear some land he has for sale for development as a chap was coming round to view. My dad lives furthe down on the same road and that is where my car was parked, and my dads new motorhome.

Guy turns up in a newish shogun, looks a bit have a hard nut, I feel safe as I have a shovel . Seems a really nice chap and hes asking questions abou the area ect and takes a interest in my car and the motorhome (its hard to miss either). It turns out this guy is a reformed proffesional car thief and has just come out of prison for a 4 year stint for trading stolen plant vehicles.

He starts asking questions about the security on them, which I start getting nervous about. He then said well I bet they both have trackers do you want me to prove it. Out of his tool box he grabs a collection of wires and batterys. He then stands next to the scooby waving this stuff around the front half of the car (with the clifford proximity sensors going off ). And says this has either a tracker retrieve or monitor. Man I was gobsmaked, he then said he has 3 ways of dealing with these which as long as he can get in the car he can disable it easily. Unless there has been some extra protection put in place which he would tell me about for a fee. HE also said about the clifford alarm and asked if it had blackjax which he then replied was the best car security at the moment as the only way round it is to try and guess the code or beat the person to submission.

He then goes over to the motorhome with the same kit, goes away and gets anotherbox that looks like a walkie talkie and explains it has a gps tracker, which is right it has a rac trackstar, again he said these are even easier to deal with as the aerials are very easy to locate and remove. And do not work in barns garages concrete car parks and a few other places.

Right on both accounts. Now this guy was (may still be) a career car thief and to be honest there isnt much going to stop these guys but i do belive that trackers will stop the majority of thieving scum. ANd to be honest I fitted mine as it made financial sense with the discount with the insurance paid for the tracker and lifetime subs with 2 years of policy discounts.

If it made no difference insurance wise and I could only have one I would go for blackjax.