Hi all

 

I have a spare mobile phone and a SIM card with a large data allowance. I would like to somehow permanently wire it into the car in a hidden location so it can be used as both a GPS tracker and also for tethering to the android auto. 

 

Not keen to just plug it into the 12v in the boot as it will be obvious and someone could just unplug if the car was nicked. Could I get a dashcam hardwire kit into the fuse box and hide it behind the glove box? Perhaps wiring it into the back of the 12v in the boot? Doesn't need to be on all the time as the phone is set to turn on when power is plugged in so the battery can drop to 0% and only charge while the car is running. 

 

Car is PCH so can't do any wire cutting...

 

Any suggestions welcome.

Best not telling car thieves & toerags in general where the easy place or common place is to place / fit trackers. 

Not that they do not know where or how to find them without checking Social Media and open forums.

4 minutes ago, Skoffski said:

Best not telling car thieves & toerags in general where the easy place or common place is to place / fit trackers. 

Not that they do not know where or how to find them without checking Social Media and open forums.

 

Fair point! Different question then - do you think it's even worthwhile? 

 

I haven't got the car yet. I presume the SE Technology comes with it's own SIM card slot so I don't need to worry about tethering?

IMO & IME have good insurance and let them take the car you do not own and do not care if you get back.

 

If you own something special you love and never want to lose then protect it all you need to with all you can. 

17 minutes ago, Skoffski said:

IMO & IME have good insurance and let them take the car you do not own and do not care if you get back.

 

If you own something special you love and never want to lose then protect it all you need to with all you can. 

 

I've never bothered with GAP insurance before but given the number of car thefts around our area recently I feel it will be a £140 well spent for 3 years peace of mind!

22 minutes ago, steveb8189 said:

 

I've never bothered with GAP insurance before but given the number of car thefts around our area recently I feel it will be a £140 well spent for 3 years peace of mind!

Where is 'around our area' and is the GAP price from Briskoda?

4 minutes ago, john999boy said:

Where is 'around our area' and is the GAP price from Briskoda?

 

Just inside the M25 north east London. I didn't know Briskoda did GAP - my reference was just an online quote that covered PCH + deposit. Skoda finance (VWFS) wanted £200

We took out GAP insurance for our edition last year, Skoda was way over priced compared to other policies available.  The policy we took out is total gap insurance -combined return to invoice & vehicle replacement, what that means is that the policy would cover the difference between what your car insurance would cover and either what is left on finance, the invoice cost or the vehicle replacement cost whichever is the highest.  I liked the idea that if something happened that we could still afford the current model not what we paid initially.  Our policy was for 4 years, we found out that LV who gave us a very competitive insurance quote didn't offer to replace the vehicle if damaged in the first year like some companies do.  Our price was £208

 

 

12 minutes ago, womanofkent said:

We took out GAP insurance for our edition last year, Skoda was way over priced compared to other policies available.  The policy we took out is total gap insurance -combined return to invoice & vehicle replacement, what that means is that the policy would cover the difference between what your car insurance would cover and either what is left on finance, the invoice cost or the vehicle replacement cost whichever is the highest.  I liked the idea that if something happened that we could still afford the current model not what we paid initially.  Our policy was for 4 years, we found out that LV who gave us a very competitive insurance quote didn't offer to replace the vehicle if damaged in the first year like some companies do.  Our price was £208

 

 

 

Thanks for the advice. It's a bit different on PCH as I'm only liable for the remaining monthly payments but some GAP cover also includes getting my (sizeable) original deposit back too so I can move straight onto a new lease.

2 hours ago, steveb8189 said:

 I didn't know Briskoda did GAP - my reference was just an online quote that covered PCH + deposit. Skoda finance (VWFS) wanted £200

Check out this link. 

9 hours ago, steveb8189 said:

 

Fair point! Different question then - do you think it's even worthwhile? 

 

I haven't got the car yet. I presume the SE Technology comes with it's own SIM card slot so I don't need to worry about tethering?

 

If you order Škoda Connect, the car comes with a built-in always-on SIM card and GPS tracking. That's the official way to do it.

 

But putting your own SIM card into the open SIM card slot might also work, if your mobile service provider allows to track its geo location.

 

In my country, such a feature is often used by parents, when they don't know where their child is. If the SIM card is under their name, they can learn its current location by sending a text message to the mobile service provider.

 

EDIT: I am not sure, if your own SIM would send a signal, when the infortainment system is turned off. Also, the thieve could just turn the flight mode on.

Edited 24 January, 20197 yr by Guest

If your car has been stolen and driven as such do you really  want it back and if a car is stolen will the police even bother to find it now,get the insurance and start again..

Edited 24 January, 20197 yr by Sad555

10 hours ago, Sad555 said:

If your car has been stolen and driven as such do you really  want it back and if a car is stolen will the police even bother to find it now,get the insurance and start again..

We previously had a Cobra tracking device on our Lexus GS300 and I was considering something for our new Karoq, having spoken to a Kent Roads Policing Officer I reconsidered and bought the gap insurance instead, Why? exactly what Sad has said, he told me that the way a stolen vehicle is often driven it wouldn't be the same, plus the state of the insides of the vehicle eg peeing on the seats 

 

As far as the tracking device itself it was quite advanced at the time, as they could pinpoint exactly where the car was via GPS and also as the car was push start they could switch the engine off and lock the doors if the police gave them permission, we would ring in advance if the car went in for a service but quite often they would ring just to confirm and could tell us exactly what road the car was driving along when it was out for a test drive.  Plus we paid a one off payment for life membership rather than an annual subscription.