So, long story short, it's not a tracking device, it's an aftermarket alarm system?
Guess what folks: with few exceptions, no one cares about tracking you. Enough with the paranoia already.
Help me identify possible tracking device found in my car
71–80 of 268 posts
Re: Help me identify possible tracking device found in my car
#72So, long story short, it's not a tracking device, it's an aftermarket alarm system? Guess what folks: with few exceptions, no one cares about tracking you. Enough with the paranoia already.
Yeah, and this thing probably didn't appear overnight. It's probably always been there since he's had the car.
Re: Help me identify possible tracking device found in my car
#73Earlier quoted context omitted.
How is it allowed for a dealer to cut wires and install a non OEM-approved electronic device onto the CAN bus? This seems like it would void all the manufacturer warranties and potentially create liability for the manufacturer if it malfunctions.
Manufacturers must prove a modification to a car caused the fault in a product to deny an otherwise-covered warranty issue, regardless of who installed it. As for if this device kills the battery or what-have-you, i'm not sure what sort of liability the dealership is taking.
The law isn't limited to cars.
Re: Help me identify possible tracking device found in my car
#74So, long story short, it's not a tracking device, it's an aftermarket alarm system? Guess what folks: with few exceptions, no one cares about tracking you. Enough with the paranoia already.
Tracking has gotten trivial, airtags are being used this way pretty regularly.
Try respawning as a woman and see how far this few exceptions attitude gets you?
Re: Help me identify possible tracking device found in my car
#75Earlier quoted context omitted.
What is the usecase for a remote starter? I don't really understand why someone would want this. Could even be dangerous if it's left in gear.
It's hyper super duper useful in rough climates. Primarily when it's minus 40 outside and you have kids, it's nice to warm up the car slightly before entering it. If you get spoiled, you might then also remote start it when it's plus 40 outside and you want ac to at least start. Also note that "if it's left in gear" is virtually irrelevant in North America, fwiw - something like under 2 percent of cars here are manua…
Here it's cold in the winter and it is definitely illegal to install a remote start system in a car with a manual transmission.
Before my life in tech I worked in car audio installs back in the 90s.
One day one of the senior installer techs put a remote start in his own Mazda truck which had a manual transmission. A bit of time went by and we were outside smoking one day when he must have hit the button in this pocket. Apparently the e-brake wasn't on, and the truck was in first gear, so it started and drove across the parking lot and hit the wall of a building as we all watched.
Re: Help me identify possible tracking device found in my car
#76When I got home I looked under the dash and straight away I could see someone other than Honda had been in here. The first thing I saw was this surface-mounted switch that doesn't belong there. Does anyone else find it odd that he just bought a car and effectively started using it without going over it thoroughly and familiarising himself with what controls it contains? Then again, my experience has been with far old…
You acquaint yourself with the underside of the dash of a new-to-you car before driving it? I’m quite interested in cars (do all the repairs in our household except body, paint, and tires) and I’ve never looked under the dash before driving off, unless I was attaching a scan tool on a used car I was buying.
Not before, but certainly after --- and certainly some models have controls like the hood release as well as adjustments for the steering wheel and pedal position there.
Re: Help me identify possible tracking device found in my car
#77So, long story short, it's not a tracking device, it's an aftermarket alarm system? Guess what folks: with few exceptions, no one cares about tracking you. Enough with the paranoia already.
Tracking has gotten trivial, airtags are being used this way pretty regularly. Try respawning as a woman and see how far this few exceptions attitude gets you?
The author of the linked post is not a woman.
Re: Help me identify possible tracking device found in my car
#78I had this exact system. If anyone is interested in removing it:
It has a bunch of "fake wires" acting as taps into the wiring harness, and it detects if you remove a tap and then trips trip a relay where it cuts the ignition wire that is rerouted through the unit. So I removed the device, and put the ignition wire back together and the car was back to normal. I think if OP's car still has warning lights go off, he likely nicked some of the other wires inadvertently, or broke them while pulling the taps out.
Re: Help me identify possible tracking device found in my car
#79Earlier quoted context omitted.
Tracking has gotten trivial, airtags are being used this way pretty regularly. Try respawning as a woman and see how far this few exceptions attitude gets you?
The author of the linked post is not a woman.
“Guess what folks: with few exceptions, no one cares about tracking you. Enough with the paranoia already.”
Few exceptions: Like you know, being one of the 49.6% of people…
Re: Help me identify possible tracking device found in my car
#80So, long story short, it's not a tracking device, it's an aftermarket alarm system? Guess what folks: with few exceptions, no one cares about tracking you. Enough with the paranoia already.
Although this does appear to be an alarm system, there are several links in these comments to evidence of dealers using tracking devices on financed vehicles. It’s not inconceivable that one of these devices could end up on a vehicle bought outright.