Factory-Fitted Tracking Systems - Connected Car

Why is aftermarket installation of your tracking system superior to factory fitted systems? Find out below.

‘Connected Car’ Systems

It’s a common misconception that having a ‘Connected Car’ system means your vehicle has a tracking device.

Many customers say to us, “I’ve already got a tracking system on my car”, and then referring to a telematics system like Mercedes ‘Me’, Porsche ‘Car Connect’, Audi ‘Connect’, Land Rover ‘In Control’, BMW ‘ConnectedDrive’) etc. Whilst these connected car systems do have tracking capabilities, they do not generally provide stolen vehicle tracking assistance, and where they do they suffer from some serious drawbacks.

However, when talking about factory-fitted stolen vehicle tracking and connected car systems they are pretty much the same thing, its the connected car telematics that’s the core system. The stolen vehicle tracking is just a bolt on extra that you pay an extra subscription for and this basically just adds control room monitoring and alerting to the Connect Car system, required for Thatcham certification and insurance approval.

You’ll see stolen vehicle tracking available through a ‘connected car’ system on a variety of vehicle brands these days, but most are more interested in the revenue from your subscription to the service than your vehicle’s security. It’s an extra revenue stream for the manufacturers as more and more insurance providers make the fitment of these types of systems and service mandatory.

Why Connected Car systems / Factory-fitted tracking systems are a bad idea if you value your vehicle’s security.

Remember, in this topic we’re talking about the stolen vehicle tracking service you’ve effectively bolted onto your connected car system. There’s nothing wrong with connected car systems, the issues we’re trying to highlight relate to manufacturers providing stolen vehicle tracking through factory-fitted hardware.

You might find subscribing to the Connected Car service (or your now bolted on stolen vehicle tracking system) cheaper than buying a new aftermarket system because the hardware is already on the vehicle, however there are some serious drawbacks.

The factory-fitted tracking system (FFTS) must work in harmony with the vehicle’s on-board diagnostics system and various other systems on the vehicle, as such the size of the unit can be around 4-5 times that of the aftermarket units currently available.

The worst thing about factory-fitted tracking systems (FFTS) is the very nature of them, their factory-fitted on a production line. This means every tracking system fitted to a particular model is in the same location on every single vehicle, making it easy for thieves to find and disable them. Information is freely available on the internet regarding the location of these systems. Thieves know where these systems are located and easily remove them, sometimes even before the vehicle leaves your driveway. If you do ever have your vehicle stolen the first thing that will be disabled is the connected car telematics because thieves know 100% its on the vehicle, even if you’ve not bolted on the stolen vehicle tracking the connected car system will be removed because it can still locate the vehicle.

Although FFTS’s may initially be slightly cheaper than having an aftermarket system fitted, this will usually no longer be a saving after the first year. The cost of the subscription also varies unfairly depending on the vehicle you own, with say a FFTS fitted to a McLaren costing more for the exact same system and service than one fitted to an Audi. Also with aftermarket systems you own the hardware, if you decide to change your vehicle your system can be removed and refitted to your new vehicle quite easily. With FFTS’s the hardware stays with the vehicle, your new vehicle would need to also have a FFTS fitted otherwise you’ll be buying an aftermarket system anyway.

There’s nothing wrong with connected car systems, they’re very useful for what they are intended to be used for, but they are not truly designed to recover your vehicle in the event of theft. This is simply because they are very easily disabled due to their factory-fitted nature.

Aftermarket Systems and Installation

So why is the installation of aftermarket systems superior to a FFTS?
Aftermarket systems are installed in varying locations on any given vehicle. Each installer will most likely have a different location in which they install the system, with the result being a completely random pattern of installation on that model of vehicle nationwide. That is far more secure than having the system in the same location on every vehicle as is the case with FFTS’s.

Aftermarket installation by good technicians is aimed at installing the tracking system as covertly as possible. Great attention to detail goes into the placement of the unit and its wiring, the wiring of the tracking system will be taped using the same matching tapes as the vehicle manufacturers to ensure it is undisguisable from an original wiring loom. This ensures the thief is unable to detect the system by visually looking for it; If all panels were removed you shouldn’t be able to see any sign that anything aftermarket has been fitted.

The leading aftermarket systems are manufactured and operated by companies who specialise in vehicle security, constantly developing their products to meet new threats and stay one step ahead of criminals. Many, if not all, systems currently being factory fitted often use outdated and inferior technology and provide poor customer service and support. The providers of FFTS’s are not specialist vehicle security companies, as such they’re normally not interested in R&D to develop next generation security technologies to combat new and existing theft methods. They also normally only provide Thatcham Category S7/S5 systems for insurance purposes, therefore don’t have any advanced products to take your vehicles security any further such as the inclusion of engine immobilisation or OBD port immobilisation to prevent theft of the vehicle in the first place.

You can find out in more detail about what’s involved in the installation process of aftermarket stolen vehicle tracking systems in our Installation Quality topic.