I am thinking of fitting a tracker to my defender after all the publicity about thefts lately. I was looking at the sky tag one which costs about £130 to fit and then £7 per month but claims to be insurance approved.
Now the real question has anyone had one fitted and if so what kind of discount did the insurance really give you?
I will probably have it fitted anyway just to try and cut the odds of loosing something I have sunk money and hard work into, but just curious.

I don't have the sky tracker I have this one
Amazon product
on the reviews side you need to read the intelligent ones.
I have this fitted and its amazing I use a giff gaff 5 pounds a month sim
im yet to ask for a discount on my insurance but will let you know

raisingveg said:

I don't have the sky tracker I have this one
Amazon product
on the reviews side you need to read the intelligent ones.
I have this fitted and its amazing I use a giff gaff 5 pounds a month sim
im yet to ask for a discount on my insurance but will let you know

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I also have one of these. It's pretty good actually and you can use it with the Back2you app. Can set up geo fences etc

raisingveg said:

I don't have the sky tracker I have this one
Amazon product
on the reviews side you need to read the intelligent ones.
I have this fitted and its amazing I use a giff gaff 5 pounds a month sim
im yet to ask for a discount on my insurance but will let you know

Click to expand...

That's interesting.
I heard the insurance people sometimes treat home install trackers like home install burglar alarms, I have a home alarm but because I don't have it on a maintenance contract they won't offer me any discount I have to be carefull not to mention it on my insurance some one told me if you have one and someone breaks in when it is not set they try to use it as a reason not to pay you.

Im with raywin on this one. Fit one but keep it to yourself, monitor it and track it yourself. Plus who knows what the insurance company may do with the information (think little black box kinda thing)... Plus I don't think the discount is that large.

bankz5152 said:

Im with raywin on this one. Fit one but keep it to yourself, monitor it and track it yourself. Plus who knows what the insurance company may do with the information (think little black box kinda thing)... Plus I don't think the discount is that large.

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Yes I wonder what the discount really is , people mention discount but I have never seen any numbers put to it. Is it worth the hassle, I will add a tracker anyway I know they are not perfect, but as they used to say to me
it's not much but it's a bit more

looks like a case of mums the word then

There's one trouble with all these additions that might or might not elicit a discount from an insurance company and that is you've got to hope that they will take your word for it.
Doubtless, in the case of vehicle security systems such as trackers or even enhanced intruder alarm/immobilisers, they will only be interested if it's a Thatcham approved design, installed by one of their approved installers and it's inspected or calibrated annually to maintain any discount on your premium.
The inspection fee might even exceed the discount.

They probably won't pay out if it gets nicked cos it had a 'modifacation' (tracker) that you failed to declare!
Bit tongue in cheek but...

There a place called flat dog who will fit it for £129 and they give you a certificate for the insurance people, then there is a fee of £7 per month for the service,
http://www.flatdoguk.com/search.asp?types=SECURITY+>+SKYTAG

but as I say hard to find someone who can say "I did that and they gave me xxx discount"

raywin said:

I am thinking of fitting a tracker to my defender after all the publicity about thefts lately. I was looking at the sky tag one which costs about £130 to fit and then £7 per month but claims to be insurance approved.
Now the real question has anyone had one fitted and if so what kind of discount did the insurance really give you?
I will probably have it fitted anyway just to try and cut the odds of loosing something I have sunk money and hard work into, but just curious.

Click to expand...

You could try go-compare, set up a factitious person with similar age / driving history / vehicle etc then try an on-line a quote with tracker and without and see what the difference is.

Humblest apologies I've just been out for a curry

I have a skytag and I've declared it to @Adrian Flux and I get bugger all discount on my premium even though when I had it stolen it was located and retrieved in 25 minutes saving them paying out to replace it. I still wouldn't be without though if for nothing more than peace of mind. I wouldn't have the discipline to use pedal or steering lock jobbers and the skytag is always there.
Personally anyone who has a tratter and doesn't fit one is a muppet or lives in a right nice area

I think it's only proper 'tracker' trackers that are professionally fitted that qualify for a discount

Marmaduke said:

Humblest apologies I've just been out for a curry

I have a skytag and I've declared it to @Adrian Flux and I get bugger all discount on my premium even though when I had it stolen it was located and retrieved in 25 minutes saving them paying out to replace it. I still wouldn't be without though if for nothing more than peace of mind. I wouldn't have the discipline to use pedal or steering lock jobbers and the skytag is always there.
Personally anyone who has a tratter and doesn't fit one is a muppet or lives in a right nice area

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Cheers Marmaduke hope you remembered to put the toilet roll in the fridge, unfortunately that's what I was expecting, but glad to hear that it helped you get your vehicle back, I will probably use skytag now just to give me that bit of extra hope, I'm also prety sure I would not fit anti theft lockes every time and bet your life the time you miss would be the time they struck.

Can never have too much security....it may well be a pain in the arse having to fit and undo physical security but surely far better then having it nicked ??

raisingveg said:

I don't have the sky tracker I have this one
Amazon product
on the reviews side you need to read the intelligent ones.
I have this fitted and its amazing I use a giff gaff 5 pounds a month sim
im yet to ask for a discount on my insurance but will let you know

Click to expand...

I've got one of these fitted too. Works a treat and gives very accurate coordinates and street views of where it is.
I haven't mentioned it to the insurance company and don't intend to. Haven't mentioned the Safe T Pedal either. As mentioned above, don't want the hassle of them saying was it on/fitted, should it get taken.

Insurance companies have been demanding trackers are fitted to vehicles costing £60k+ for several years. Peeps who don't will struggle to get insurance. Some who spend £100k on a RR won't want it back after it's been stolen. Even if recovered. They don't like the thought of someone else being in it or it being ragged.

Discounts are available for the original tracker from tracker uk, as well as other approved units. They're often eggspensive and require fitting by an approved installer who will come to yer house/work etc to fit it. Cheaper trackers don't attract the same discounts, because they're considered lesser devices. For eggsample tracker uk have the mesh network, police vehicles with detectors in and private links direct to the police.

Regarding installing yerself... some don't do a propper job so the tracker may not work or be fitted in a daft location. If yer do fit it yerself then take a pic of it to prove it were fitted, and keep the receipt from when yer bought it. Tracking devices which are tracked by yourself only will never get a good rating by insurance companies. Fly away on holiday for a week and yer need to leave yer phone on to make sure yer ready for the call for help if it's being nicked. Other devices like sky tag where they have their own 24/7 monitoring centre have a betterer chance of a discount, but yer will find it will be only a nominal £15 per year as an "add on security device". This discount is only obtainable if they int given yer the same discount for any other reason. If yer look on sites like con fused yer'll see a list of approved trackers. Sky tag and defender's defender (tratters tratter) won't be on there.

Some insurance companies won't give a discount as tratters are so high up the wanted list by criminals. Same reason why some won't insure them. The real value of a tracking system is to make sure there's always someone waiting for the call for help when it's needed. The cheaper ones don't always have this. Especially if yer doing the monitoring yerself. I know there's some peeps on ere who are doing some good work investigating these options, but not everyone has the discipline to keep their own sim card topped up regular to keep the sim alive. Also they may not have their phone on/charged all the time.

But none of this should put peeps oft from fitting a tracking device. There are cheaper versions which call yer mobile if they're set oft. You monitor and look after them with yer own sim. If yer can't be bothered with this then others like sky tag will do the monitoring for you and provide a gsm/gprs sim with the device. So yer dun't need to bother with it. just pay a small fee each month.

Al2O3 said:

I haven't mentioned it to the insurance company and don't intend to

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Absolutely none of my insurance co's know about the security fitted to any of mine either. And there's plenty on them all.

If you insure with Heritage Insurance you get a Skytag Tracker for free. You just pay the monthly subscription.

Insurance is a business. It makes money. Why the effin jeff would they give you an easy to claim discount. They will obviously make it more expensive for you to get the discount so they can continue stripping the very sinews from their subscribers hearts without fear of insolvency as they hide behind dated law that makes you use their monopoly. Its a numbers game, simple as that. They dont give a crap if your vehicle is stolen coz most of them wont be. Quids in........................

But Im not bitter...........................