How To Get Your STOLEN car BACK! (GPS tracking)

[knoppies]

This is obviously a preemptive strategy. Do it BEFORE its too late! We are talking $150-$200 plus install. This is NOT expensive.

After seeing these I thought it might be a good idea to share this:
1997 SW20 stolen Auckand
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These GPS devices take a mobile phone's sim card. You can then text the device and it will text you back where the car is located, what speed it is doing, and sometimes which direction it is heading in. This is very useful information to give to the police so they can attempt to recover your vehicle.

You can find these devices on trade-me (and probably other places too). Search: Trade Me Motors > Car parts & accessories > Alarms & security for "GPS tracker"

trademe.co.nz search for GPS Tracker
Hopefully that link does not go stale.
I recommend that you find one that plugs into your car's power supply (Otherwise you have to keep pulling it out to charge it), and has a backup battery (if the car is in an accident, or has gone to a chop-shop).

I have heard a number of stories where cars where recovered in ONE day since being stolen. The victim informed the police of the car's current GPS position and the police kindly did the rest. I am not sure exactly how the victims communicated with the police, but hopefully calling (or going to) your local police station will be fruitful.

Some of the devices have some other neat features (please note: not all devices have all features, read the small print before you purchase):
-Track on-demand: Text/SMS you GPS coordinates (you can put it into google maps or something similar), speed, and time, as well as an Internet map link.
-Movement Alert: If the vehicle moves from being stationary, it will notify you. (Good for race-track cars, or weekend cars that you only use a few times a month)
-Speed Alert: If the vehicle goes over a certain user set speed limit, it will notify you.
-Geo-Fencing area: If the car leaves a pre-defined area, it will notify you.
-Immobilize the vehicle on demand remotely. Yep, that is right, you can turn the car off from the comfort of your couch.
-Microphone, so you can try hear what is going on in the cabin (The radio/engine might drown it out though)
-SOS function (I am not sure what that does)
-Monitor real-time movement with the supplied software on your PC.

There is a catch/flaw with these systems:
Firstly, if your car goes out of cell phone coverage (under-ground parking garage, out in the country side, up in mountain ranges etc) then it cannot contact you. All requests you make to the car should be queued, so that when the car comes back into coverage all your requests should answered (at once).

PLEASE READ THE SMALL PRINT when buying a sim card. Each 'plan' and 'provider' have different terms, but you can expect something like the following.
Most sim card providers consider a sim card to be 'abandoned' if it has been inactive (ie, has not made an out-bound text/call) for about 3 months (often 90 days). They will disconnect your sim-card after this 'inactive' period. I think it is near impossible for them to re-enable the sim-card while it is sitting in your car (check with your provider). You do NOT want your sim-card to be disconnected when your car is stolen. That will make the GPS device use-less. (and I think they re-sell the number too).

Also, any money/credit you load onto a pre-pay sim card, expires one year after the top-up.

This means you will have to set up a reminder so you can text the GPS unit at least once every 3 months (or if you have the geo-fencing/speed limit features set, then break it at least once every 3 months).
A pre-pay sim card will cost you about $20 a year (I think that is the smallest credit top-up that you can buy). Pretty cheap for the service in my opinion. You should be able to top-up online (depending on your provider).
Most "Fleet Management" companies charge hundreds of dollars per month per car for GPS tracking.

$150-$200 is less than most car's yearly insurance premiums. This is a seriously cheap option. Texting it once every 3 months will be a pain though.
I still recommend you insure the car for at least 3rd party, fire and theft. If someone steals your car and crashes it, the GPS will only help you find the heap of rubble.

I do not own one of these units yet, I still need to buy my car (Im looking for one at the moment). But I do plan on purchasing one of these units as soon as I get my car. I have not done it myself yet, but if anybody needs help setting one of these units up (from installation to setting up the geo-fencing perimeter etc) you can PM me and I will see what I can do.

These units can also be helpful in keeping tabs on your kids (speed limit, geo-fencing area, etc). But I HIGHLY recommend that you talk to your kids about it, before using this to spy on them.

PS: I am in two minds about recovering a stolen vehicle (especially a cheap one). There is a reason we have the saying "Drive it like you stole it!" The car is often well raped within the first 10 minutes (especially an MR2). A replacement car might appeal to me more at the time (insurance pay-out permitting). Just a thought.

[bgnz]

I have one in my car, its not a particularly new one in fact it uses an old nokia prepay mobile but it works very well. 2 degrees sim card, cost under 20 bucks. I can trigger the alarm/immobiliser remotely, cut the car etc. All up cost me about 60 bucks and an hour or so to fit.

[Swampy]

[youtube-embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=7&v=y6-o0S5TmIA[/youtube-embed]

A video of GPS unit tk103 using horn activation in action.

[vrtigo]

Which of these are good?

[MrMocket]

This maybe a silly thing to ask but would you need this if you had an alarm and immobilizer or can they get around immobilizers now?

[GDII]

This maybe a silly thing to ask but would you need this if you had an alarm and immobilizer or can they get around immobilizers now?

If someone really really wants the car they will take it. So if the car is moving you can track it with a GPS.

[MrMocket]

This maybe a silly thing to ask but would you need this if you had an alarm and immobilizer or can they get around immobilizers now?

If someone really really wants the car they will take it. So if the car is moving you can track it with a GPS.

Haha true.

[mknz]

This maybe a silly thing to ask but would you need this if you had an alarm and immobilizer or can they get around immobilizers now?

Can be towed, or if not immobilised correctly then it could be jumped

[MIKEP]

Not silly at all and even if it is your 30 bucks membership entitles you to a few silly questions


Gps Tracking is so cheap now like $30.00 Heres a link to the ones I use. I have 7 of them
https://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/car-pa ... ee0555eba2

Alarms are only good if you hear them but most people do nothing if they hear someone else's alarm go off they just get pissed off. Immobilisers are good but all the good thieves know there's always a bypass switch fitted (In case you loose ya remote)and most know the location.

With a GPS tracker if you can find the lowlife scum sucking Bast!@#ds then you may be able to get the car back before they strip it or crash it or flog it too much. Doesn't matter if they take out the battery the tracker still works.

Buy a cheap alarm immobiliser
https://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/car-pa ... a20bcafa1d and a tracker and for $130.00 your all done

I know what id spend my money on..................

[MrMocket]

Not silly at all and even if it is your 30 bucks membership entitles you to a few silly questions


Gps Tracking is so cheap now like $30.00 Heres a link to the ones I use. I have 7 of them
https://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/car-pa ... ee0555eba2

Alarms are only good if you hear them but most people do nothing if they hear someone else's alarm go off they just get pissed off. Immobilisers are good but all the good thieves know there's always a bypass switch fitted (In case you loose ya remote)and most know the location.

With a GPS tracker if you can find the lowlife scum sucking Bast!@#ds then you may be able to get the car back before they strip it or crash it or flog it too much. Doesn't matter if they take out the battery the tracker still works.

Buy a cheap alarm immobiliser
https://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/car-pa ... a20bcafa1d and a tracker and for $130.00 your all done

I know what id spend my money on..................

Yeah my car has a really good immobilizer on it thats why i asked. I have had some amateurs try and get into my car but all they did was F%#* the door lock up. Also the big blue flashing light inside has been helpful. Had a few of my mates cars with smashed windows parked right next to mine... mine fine haha. but yeah i may look into that cheap gps tracker