To track or not to track?

[bunnyman]

Gentlemen (and ladies),
Have just acquired a 2 month old Conti GCT V8S which I was surprised to find wasn't fitted with a tracker. Dealer quoted me £1,500 + VAT to fit a Bentley tracker. Checked with my insurance company and not having one makes only a small difference to the premium.
Planning to buy GAP insurance cover anyway.
Anyone else taken such a route or thank a Tracker is essential?
Thanks

[W111AAM]

If it makes little difference to your premium, I suppose it depends how much you'd want it back if it were stolen.

[jeyjey]

I'd never use a tracker. Just another way to kill your battery.

It won't help if a pro steals it, and if it's taken out for a joyride they'll probably burn it at the end anyway.

Cheers,
Jeff.

[enjoythemusic]

Agree with others, if it makes little difference in insurance cost then would rather the car be a total loss as who knows what a thief does to the car.

[allister]

I previously had a Ferrari with a Tracker but never activated it, this is because I also heard stories about them flattening batteries and interfering with the car's electronics. On my new car (a Bentley Mulsanne Speed) I do also have a Tracker, although this time it is activated.

Despite the Tracker being live, I don't have it specified on my car insurance. This is because as you say, having one only reduces the premium by literally about £15 per annum! Plus if I forget to renew the Tracker subscription next year, then the car insurance auto renews and the vehicle does get stolen, then no doubt the insurers will do all they can to wriggle out of paying me..... We do the same at home with our home insurance, we have an ADT monitored alarm system, but we don't specify it on the insurance policy, in case we get burgled and the alarm hasn't been set.

That said, a couple of weeks ago, I read with interest that a lot of "Keyless Go' cars have been stolen (in particular Range Rovers and Range Rover Sports). Apparently this keyless system can be over-ridden with the aid of some computerised device. So although the Tracker may not reduce your insurance premium by much, it may be worth having if you have "Keyless Go"

Edited by allister on Monday 12th December 21:25

[Lockhouse]

£1500 for a Bentley tracker is ludicrous. I had one fitted to my GT by Tracker for around £300 IIRC.

[enjoythemusic]

allister said:

That said, a couple of weeks ago, I read with interest that a lot of "Keyless Go' cars have been stolen (in particular Range Rovers and Range Rover Sports). Apparently this keyless system can be over-ridden with the aid of some computerised device.

Basically, for many years a small few hundred quid and you get a code reader/transmitter. They read your code when you use your remote, then simply play it back and even 'rolling code' is easy to break. Bentley and other cars have been easily susceptible to this for many years. There are other theft methods to get a Bentley yet do not want to post too much info on a public board.

Long story short, let them steal the car and hopefully 'total loss' is the result so insurance pays you in full. There could be hidden mechanical/electrical damage caused by an 'irresponsible thief' that might not be immediately apparent if you get the vehicle back, yet becomes problematic after some time. As we know, fixing problems with these cars is a very expensive proposition.