Did the Dealership Install a Tracker on Your Car?
A surprising number of car dealerships install tracking devices in their cars. Most of them will tell you the device is there, and many will even ask you to pay extra for it. But there are rare stories of sneakier dealerships using these devices to track the new drivers.
Many companies that make aftermarket car trackersāsuch as LoJackāadvertise them to dealerships as āinventory management solutions.ā And this makes some sense: A dealership spends a lot of money to purchase new cars from automakers. If those cars get stolen, there goes its investment. But the question is, what do those dealerships say when you are buying the car?
A common complaint car buyers share online is bing charged extra for a tracker. Dealerships may tag as much as $1,500 onto the total for a LoJack. A common scam is telling the customer the device cannot be uninstalled, so theyāre forced to pay.
First of all, these devices can absolutely be uninstalled. So if you donāt want one, you can insist the dealer return the car to stock. Secondly, a dealership that charges you for said device, should give you all the login codes. This way you can create your own account to track your carāand delete the dealerās account.
Why would a dealership want to continue to track your car? And is there any reason theyād hide an aftermarket tracker from you?
From what Iāve found, this is a rare situation. But it has happened. The first potential reason is fairly innocent: tracking your carās mileage helps the dealer offer oil changes and other maintenance at the perfect time. Many trackers are also wired into your carās onboard diagnostics system, so they can ping you if it is malfunctioning.
The second reason a dealership may leave a tracker on your car is a bit more nefariousābut not always illegal. Some trackers are equipped with a ākill switchā that can shut down your car remotely. This could be very handy if your car is stolen. And in the dealerās case, they might want this option if you stop making payments.
But hereās the deal: you must disclose a car has a tracker if you arenāt the āsoleā owner of it. So a rental company can throw a tracker on a car. But a lien-holder canāt, because you also have some equity in the vehicle. In this case, the dealer would at least need to bury a disclosure about the tracker in the fine print you sign while buying it.
Can you tell if your car has a tracker? Usually but not always. The most common ones are the size of a deck of cards and youāll find them spliced into the carās wiring harness beneath the driverās side dashboard. But other models are designed to be hard to find.
Next, find out why to avoid buying a car with tape on its dashboard, or see some ways to find a GPS tracker in the video below: