Resonator · Wednesday at 15:50

I live in rural Worcestershire and lately a couple of Defenders have been stolen from my village. One had a tracker fitted and was found a few miles away,

I understand that scumbags nick the vehicle then park it up and wait. If it's got a tracker then the owner will find and recover it. If it hasn't then the scumbags go back to the vehicle and take it away.

My 2004 90 CSW is parked out of sight of the road, behind an electric gate, and with a steering lock on it, so it's reasonably secure.

That said, I would still like to install a tracker (maybe with a remote demobiliser function).

Does anyone have any recommendations or experiences they could share please?

Many thanks

marksman · Wednesday at 16:12

I've used "Tracker" performed as expected, plenty of functionality

Anaconda · Wednesday at 16:31

A steering lock is not sufficient on its own, get a good pedal lock to supplement it.

johnnymarrsbarres · Wednesday at 16:33

The Thatcham rated trackers come in two flavours, S7 and S5. S5 being the more advanced.

I recently had a 'SmarTrack' S7 tracker installed, no complaints from me though I haven't, and hopefully will never have to use it in anger. You can use the app to set up geofence and ignition notifications, and it also alerts you if the car moves without the ignition (so if some scrote throws it onto the back of a flatbed without your knowledge!). You can also immobilise the engine remotely so if someone manages to nick/clone your keys/hotwire (is this a thing outside Hollywood?) your engine you can cut it remotely.

The S5 trackers are a bit more advanced and come with a driver ID tag (a little smart card or keyring fob) so even if someone clones your key and stock immobiliser fob, the car will still know it's being nicked as your tag isn't in the car, and it will alert you / the tracker monitoring company / the rozzers.

All the S5 & S7 Thatcham rated trackers do a very similar thing I think. SmarTrack and Vodafone seem to be the most popular.

There are other non-Thatcham rated ones out there too but I didn't really look into these and I wanted something more trusted/"official".

marksman · Wednesday at 17:32

I also use scorpion, same as Tracker to be honest, both recognised by insurance companies

lynall · Wednesday at 18:42

I would not be mentioning what security people use to any new unknowns?

re-volt · Thursday at 08:09

I would place an AirTag and remove the sound part of it, also you may install a kill switch hidden under the seat.

johnnymarrsbarres · Thursday at 08:10

re-volt said:
I would place an AirTag and remove the sound part of it, also you may install a kill switch hidden under the seat.

AirTag is a great backup option - I’ve got one hidden in mine too - but not really a replacement for a proper tracker.

Given how cheap they are though you’d be daft not to stash one away somewhere!

Metal kills their range though so it’s a good idea to be creative about where you hide an AirTag.

Resonator · Friday at 09:22

lynall said:
I would not be mentioning what security people use to any new unknowns?

Excellent point!

All I can say is it that I genuinely own a 2004 TD5 Defender 90 CSW, which I've had since 2008.

I don't use this forum very much but have been registered on here for a few years now. I joined because my Defender kept going into Limp Mode for no apparent reason and so I looked to forums to try and fix it - which I did... eventually.

If anyone wants to message me to make sure I am who I say I am then I will gladly reply.

Resonator · Friday at 09:27

johnnymarrsbarres said:
The Thatcham rated trackers come in two flavours, S7 and S5. S5 being the more advanced.

I recently had a 'SmarTrack' S7 tracker installed, no complaints from me though I haven't, and hopefully will never have to use it in anger. You can use the app to set up geofence and ignition notifications, and it also alerts you if the car moves without the ignition (so if some scrote throws it onto the back of a flatbed without your knowledge!). You can also immobilise the engine remotely so if someone manages to nick/clone your keys/hotwire (is this a thing outside Hollywood?) your engine you can cut it remotely.

The S5 trackers are a bit more advanced and come with a driver ID tag (a little smart card or keyring fob) so even if someone clones your key and stock immobiliser fob, the car will still know it's being nicked as your tag isn't in the car, and it will alert you / the tracker monitoring company / the rozzers.

All the S5 & S7 Thatcham rated trackers do a very similar thing I think. SmarTrack and Vodafone seem to be the most popular.

There are other non-Thatcham rated ones out there too but I didn't really look into these and I wanted something more trusted/"official".

This is good information, thank you!

Wagon Loon · Friday at 09:46

How much do these trackers cost to buy, and is their ongoing maintenance costs ?
On my 300 TDI pick-up I have the huge disclock steering lock and an X lock which locks the truck in third gear.
But I would fit a tracker to work with android ifit was cheap and a one off cost.
When out and about there's a couple of dogs able to get into the cab and Ifor William's pick-up cover.

They can be very protective of Peggy the Farmy pick-up

Resonator · Friday at 09:55

Wagon Loon said:
How much do these trackers cost to buy, and is their ongoing maintenance costs ?
On my 300 TDI pick-up I have the huge disclock steering lock and an X lock which locks the truck in third gear.
But I would fit a tracker to work with android ifit was cheap and a one off cost.
When out and about there's a couple of dogs able to get into the cab and Ifor William's pick-up cover. View attachment 329212
They can be very protective of Peggy the Farmy pick-up

I've just found this one. Thatcham S5. £199 + Subscription (£200 for 1 year, £375 for 2 years).

Thatcham S5 Tracker - Insurance-Approved - Crystal Ball

Keep your vehicles safe and secure with the Thatcham category S5 tracker from Crystal Ball, a vehicle tracking system designed for your peace of mind.

crystalball.tv

landowner · Friday at 10:08

Resonator said:
I've just found this one. Thatcham S5. £199 + Subscription (£200 for 1 year, £375 for 2 years).

Thatcham S5 Tracker - Insurance-Approved - Crystal Ball

Keep your vehicles safe and secure with the Thatcham category S5 tracker from Crystal Ball, a vehicle tracking system designed for your peace of mind.

crystalball.tv

Sounds too good to be true, are they really that cheap?

Resonator · Friday at 10:36

landowner said:
Sounds too good to be true, are they really that cheap?

Well, they score 4/5 on TrustPilot, but there are also a few negatives on other sites.

I've just found this, which gives a more consistent comparison:

S5 Trackers | Insurance Approved | Free UK Installation

Choose the most trusted S5 Trackers. Free UK-wide expert installation. Thatcham-accredited, 24/7 monitoring, and 96% recovery rate for advanced vehicle security.

www.trackershop-uk.com

Wagon Loon · Friday at 11:47

. I just bought a 2011 Honda civic 18 si-ivtec for £300, for a friend and it's a good car.
That's more than my insurance costs.
Is there not a more reasonably priced option ?

Anaconda · Friday at 16:07

Wagon Loon said:
. I just bought a 2011 Honda civic 18 si-ivtec for £300, for a friend and it's a good car.
That's more than my insurance costs.
Is there not a more reasonably priced option ?

Google subscription free trackers.

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Thatcham S5 Tracker - Insurance-Approved - Crystal Ball

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