Pister Posted March 12, 2010 Share Posted March 12, 2010 Anyone got any general worries/advice about tracking systems - what to avoid, pitfalls etc.? I've been advised to get the Phantom Pro2 - which seems to tick all the recommended boxes. I know it's expensive and one should protect a £40,000 motorhome but is a Tracking system worth the cost? (Thanks to all by the way for replies to Microwaves and Thule bike rack ?'s) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhorsf Posted March 12, 2010 Share Posted March 12, 2010 eddie at vanbitz will give you sound advice http://www.vanbitz.com/category/Motorhome_Security,l.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel B Posted March 12, 2010 Share Posted March 12, 2010 Hi Pister and welcome to the mad house! :-D Some love 'em, others don't. I enquired recently as we have a new motorhome on order and wasn't sure whether we would have to have one, so looked into it, however we don't have to have one so have decided not to bother for the following reasons: COST: They ain't cheap to install, on top of the cost of an alarm, and then you have to pay a yearly fee for them (unless you're rolling in dosh and pay a 'life' membership). RELIABILITY: As has been found by others who have them, some of the systems out there aren't as 'secure' as they thought they were. If some of the tracker units goes wrong you don't necessarily know that they have! If you don't know, then you could find your pride and joy has disappeared and it can't be tracked. SERVICE PROVIDER: Some tracker system providers have actually gone out of business in recent years and therefore people with those particular systems have been left high and dry (as far as I can ascertain) with an expensive piece of kit that links to nothing. IMV they are a lot of money for what they are and weighing it all up we would rather put our money into a good alarm system and immobiliser. If the motorhome gets nicked (which I really hope it doesn't), that's what the insurance is for at the end of the day. Ultimately it is up to how you feel about them and what you can afford (or want to afford). :-S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel B Posted March 12, 2010 Share Posted March 12, 2010 Forgot to say, Dave Newell installs security systems and he's very reasonably priced too (plus he's got a lovely dog! :-D ) - he's a regular poster on this forum (Dave ... note I said poster ... not poser! :D ;-) ). There are also other firms that do it too. Van Bitz have a good reputation but at a fairly 'high' cost. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhorsf Posted March 12, 2010 Share Posted March 12, 2010 vanbitz do not charge for advice! they are also NOT expensive and are top quality and are always worth a ring one of the tracking sytems is about £299 now on the website it was £499 they will not try to sell you anything just give you good information Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pister Posted March 13, 2010 Author Share Posted March 13, 2010 Thanks for that. Will check up... PatD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lennyhb Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 Mel B - 2010-03-12 10:16 PM Hi Pister and welcome to the mad house! :-D Some love 'em, others don't. I enquired recently as we have a new motorhome on order and wasn't sure whether we would have to have one, so looked into it, however we don't have to have one so have decided not to bother for the following reasons: COST: They ain't cheap to install, on top of the cost of an alarm, and then you have to pay a yearly fee for them (unless you're rolling in dosh and pay a 'life' membership). RELIABILITY: As has been found by others who have them, some of the systems out there aren't as 'secure' as they thought they were. If some of the tracker units goes wrong you don't necessarily know that they have! If you don't know, then you could find your pride and joy has disappeared and it can't be tracked. SERVICE PROVIDER: Some tracker system providers have actually gone out of business in recent years and therefore people with those particular systems have been left high and dry (as far as I can ascertain) with an expensive piece of kit that links to nothing. IMV they are a lot of money for what they are and weighing it all up we would rather put our money into a good alarm system and immobiliser. If the motorhome gets nicked (which I really hope it doesn't), that's what the insurance is for at the end of the day. Ultimately it is up to how you feel about them and what you can afford (or want to afford). :-S I think you have said it all Mel. Modern vehicles all have Cat II immobilisers the only way of nicking them is by nicking the keys, towing them away or with a low loader. I'm not a fan of alarms but I have had one fitted for peace of mind when wild camping, did haggle 10% of the already ridiculously cheap insurance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stewart Hendry Posted March 30, 2010 Share Posted March 30, 2010 Hi, I managed to negotiate the inclusion of my Phantom system when we bought our new motorhome 3 years ago. Original cost was £299. It now costs me £8.99 month and I know from accidentally setting it off in France a couple of time last year they are on the ball contacting you to see if everything is ok. I insure through Caravan guard and they give a 30% discount for having this system. We have also done some Aires in France and always put the alarm on at night as you can exclude the internal motion sensors. Anyway that gives me peace of mind for not a large monthly sum. All the best, Stewart Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pister Posted March 30, 2010 Author Share Posted March 30, 2010 Thanks Stewart for your opinions. Wish I could negotiate a cheaper installation. Apparently though having a factory-fitted immobiliser is a real safeguard - so am thinking maybe just to rely on that!!..??? Pat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Momma Posted March 30, 2010 Share Posted March 30, 2010 I was in two minds when ordering my new van. I agree that initially they are expensive but by having one it does knock a good percentage off the Insurance premium. I take the point about the tracking company going out of business and I guess it really is a case of you pay your money and you take your chance, or not, as the case may be. I elected to have one fitted and although I do not have "loads of dosh" I took the life subscription which although at £399 may appear to be a lot, I intend keeping the vehicle for many, many years. If I calculate the cost over a 10 year period then the monthly cost would only be £3.32. Yes, there is the Alarm and Immobiliser but it is a bit like the definition of what is a pessimist "Someone who wears braces as well as a belt" *-) Each layer of security compliments the other and for a £80K investment it is worth the initial outlay in my personal opinion. There are two real big questions I suppose, what is your risk apetite ? Some people accept greater levels of risk than others. And then of course it is the question of what you can afford at the time. The way I looked at it was that I was going to have to arrange some Finance to assist in the payment and so in the grand scheme of things it was not going to make a massive difference in the monthly payments to add on the cost of the Tracker and the lifetime subscription. Probably the bit I save on the insurance for having it goes on the additional finance cost for having it *-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pister Posted April 12, 2010 Author Share Posted April 12, 2010 Thanks for all that. You're right that one complements the other but at the cost involved, I'm not sure ... PatD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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