Do gps trackers like LoJack mess with the battery?

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DapperDano

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When I bought my Clarity the dealer basically weaseled a gps tracking system into the price. Here is a link to what I think it was: http://www.thegpsguardian.com/

Should I not get this put on my car? Even if it isn’t harmful, did any of you get a tracker like this and do you think it’s worth it? There is some peace of mind knowing where my car is at all times.
 
Looking at the lojack website there appear to be two models, one that taps into the cars 12v system, and one that does not. When ours was installed the technician said the one we have relies it's on internal battery and does not depend on the car.
 
I can't imagine why it would mess with the battery, but I don't know for sure.
In all the 40 years I've owned cars I can't remember ever wanting a tracker to show me where it was, but your situation might be different. There might be cheaper ways to accomplish it - maybe a "Tile" (https://www.thetileapp.com/en-us/) hidden in the car somewhere?
 
Tim66 said:
Wouldn't the Honda Link app show you where your car is?
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This. The car already comes with a GPS tracker. Granted it'll only show you where it stopped last (supposedly... Has anybody tried checking the location in HondaLink while somebody else is driving?).
 
DapperDano said:
When I bought my Clarity the dealer basically weaseled a gps tracking system into the price. Here is a link to what I think it was: http://www.thegpsguardian.com/

Should I not get this put on my car? Even if it isn’t harmful, did any of you get a tracker like this and do you think it’s worth it? There is some peace of mind knowing where my car is at all times.
Click to expand...
Honda Link will let you know where your car is when parked for sure. I have not tried it while the car is moving, but the Honda Link website touts Honda Link's "Stolen Vehicle Locator Service", so it effectively eliminates the need for a separate service like you were sold. Whether or not your salesperson knew that is a matter of speculation, but the dealer did make some extra money off you.
 
Sandroad said:
Honda Link will let you know where your car is when parked for sure. I have not tried it while the car is moving, but the Honda Link website touts Honda Link's "Stolen Vehicle Locator Service", so it effectively eliminates the need for a separate service like you were sold. Whether or not your salesperson knew that is a matter of speculation, but the dealer did make some extra money off you.
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Damn, yeah that's messed up. He basically presented it that it came pre-installed and I had no choice. Then, when they didn't have the color they got it off another lot and it wasn't pre-installed, so I kinda now have the choice. However, I already paid for it, but I wonder if I can argue to get a refund on that part?
 
DapperDano said:
Damn, yeah that's messed up. He basically presented it that it came pre-installed and I had no choice. Then, when they didn't have the color they got it off another lot and it wasn't pre-installed, so I kinda now have the choice. However, I already paid for it, but I wonder if I can argue to get a refund on that part?
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Best to try. No sense paying extra for an add-on that's just duplicating base model functionality.
 
petteyg359 said:
This. The car already comes with a GPS tracker. Granted it'll only show you where it stopped last (supposedly... Has anybody tried checking the location in HondaLink while somebody else is driving?).
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I use the tracker often. Wondering why my wife isn't home at a particular time I check where she is. Oh that's right she was going to the gym after dropping off our son at school. It's a handy little feature. If she's driving at the time I try to check then HondaLink can't find it.

The LoJack we had installed is a totally different story. It's for locating the car if it gets stolen. The police can track the car, parked or moving. The police would have no access to HondaLink. To me it was worth the one time charge for LoJack.
 
DapperDano said:
Damn, yeah that's messed up. He basically presented it that it came pre-installed and I had no choice. Then, when they didn't have the color they got it off another lot and it wasn't pre-installed, so I kinda now have the choice. However, I already paid for it, but I wonder if I can argue to get a refund on that part?
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Our Honda dealer has so many cars stolen off their lot that they install LoJack on every car. But they remove it after prepping the car for a new buyer. If the buyer wants one they have a new one installed. It's a 10 minute job to install. I waited while they did it.
 
First . Would you really want a basic car like the Clariry back after it was stolen and they did what they wanted with it?

Second. Can you get your money back?

Third. Others should take this as a reminder that all dealers are scum and you should always check the paperwork before you sign it.
 
jdonalds said:
I use the tracker often. Wondering why my wife isn't home at a particular time I check where she is. Oh that's right she was going to the gym after dropping off our son at school. It's a handy little feature. If she's driving at the time I try to check then HondaLink can't find it.

The LoJack we had installed is a totally different story. It's for locating the car if it gets stolen. The police can track the car, parked or moving. The police would have no access to HondaLink. To me it was worth the one time charge for LoJack.
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Although I have not confirmed this with a call to Honda, information about the latest version of Hondalink on the Honda website clearly states police can be given access by Honda to location tracking data if a Clarity is reported stolen.
 
jdonalds said:
The LoJack we had installed is a totally different story. It's for locating the car if it gets stolen. The police can track the car, parked or moving. The police would have no access to HondaLink. To me it was worth the one time charge for LoJack.
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Actually the police could still track the car through HondaLink if you gave them the HondaLink password. Change it after they are done. Or you could just tell them where it is parked. You're right the HL app won't track the car when it is moving. But I'd rather have them find it when it was parked. I've seen too many high speed chases and the results to want them following my car if it was stolen.
 
Sandroad said:
Although I have not confirmed this with a call to Honda, information about the latest version of Hondalink on the Honda website clearly states police can be given access by Honda to location tracking data if a Clarity is reported stolen.
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That, again. The car's GPS is always on, or the built-in navigation wouldn't work. Given the system involved, I'd guess the GPS and cellular chips are one and the same. Honda can track it, whether by GPS or asking whatever cell service provider they contract with to track the IMEI. They just don't want to eat the cost of giving us real-time access in HondaLink. There's a reason OnStar isn't free.
 
DapperDano said:
When I bought my Clarity the dealer basically weaseled a gps tracking system into the price. Here is a link to what I think it was: http://www.thegpsguardian.com/

Should I not get this put on my car? Even if it isn’t harmful, did any of you get a tracker like this and do you think it’s worth it? There is some peace of mind knowing where my car is at all times.
Click to expand...

Just want to give you some sense of how much power consumption a GPS tracker has. A Garmin forerunner 735xt watch weighs about 40grams, it lasts 10 hours when GPS is on, it scans every single second. Your tracker does not drive an LCD, it does not need a one second interval, it consumes less power.
 
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