[xyz123]

I got my new 325i last week and I noticed that it had a roof mounted antenna housing even though I don’t have any options that require the antenna. I thought that was kind of stupid and asked my salesperson the reason for it. His reply was that all new BMWs come with it.

I mentioned this to someone I know and he said that it was a good idea because a potential thief will not know whether the car is equipped with a satellite tracking device or not so it might discourage some potential car thefts.

I am thinking of subscribing to a cellular based system, Boomerang, that unlike satellite systems is said to track stolen cars that are in underground garages and shipping containers. The recovery rate is apparently higher than with satellite based systems. I haven’t made up my mind yet whether a 325i in the biggest city in Canada is a high enough risk to justify a tracking system. The cost seems to be fairly reasonable in relation to the value of the car, something like 300 Canadian dollars for a 3 year subscription. I asked my insurance company about it and they do not give discounts for equipping this particular car with a Boomerang but mentioned that they actually decline to insure some expensive cars unless they have it.

Apparently, one strategy the pros use these days is to load a car onto a flatbed, take it somewhere and park it for a few days to make sure that no one comes to recover it. This checks for the presence of a tracking device before they continue on.

Anybody have comments for or against these kinds of things?

Thanks in advance.

[booforty]

I've got a tracking device fitted but it has nothing to do with the dorsal fin. Its hidden on the car somewhere but they don't tell you where.

Gives me piece of mind that my baby can be recovered if stolen, plus lowered my insurance.

[nocturnal]

radio antenna

[findtom]

I have the boomerang 2. It's pretty cool, you get a little transmitter to put on your keychain and whenever the car is moving it checks for it. If it's not there boomerang is notified immediately and they call you and begin tracking the car immediately (rather then several hours later when you finally realize it's stolen). This works even if the car is towed.

Incidentally I got a huge drop in my insurance for putting this in.

[Broken1]

Here in South Africa, our insurance requires people to install trackers of some sort on expensive cars. We have all kinds : early warning kinds, kinds where you phone in if your car is stolen. Some companies work in conjuntction with the police, others have their own reaction teams!

I have a netstar sleuth in my car- it's the kind where you phone in if your car is stolen. In my old car I had the early warning one and I never used it (activated the early warningness of it) and when i did - I would forget to turn it off and they would call me while I was driving!

[xyz123]

Originally Posted by nocturnal

radio antenna

Hmm, that's interesting. I assumed that the radio antenna was embedded in a window like the E36/E46. Also I gathered that some early E90's did not have the fin based on threads in this forum about gluing on a fake one. From this, I assumed that the fin antenna was for nav communications, satellite radio, etc.

[xyz123]

Originally Posted by beauforty

I've got a tracking device fitted but it has nothing to do with the dorsal fin. Its hidden on the car somewhere but they don't tell you where.

Gives me piece of mind that my baby can be recovered if stolen, plus lowered my insurance.

Sounds like a Boomerang. Any idea how the transmitter communicates with the monitoring station? Do you have to have a battery replaced or recharged from time to time?

[vivekk]

I have the Tracker RF radio signal based tracking system fitted to my UK car, similarly to beauforty.
Although they provide both RF & GPS tracking if needed, the RF system is far more reliable for cars hidden underground & in metal containers. The RF tracking equipment is used by all of the UK's Police forces & is used in fixed locations, such as shipping ports.
Cars fitted with the Tracker device are also traceable in France & Spain, should a thief manage to get it over there in the first place.

Most of the UK's BMW dealers are Tracker agents, fitting the devices on Tracker's behalf. The device is fitted in one of a number of hidden locations within the car. It uses its own battery for upto 1 month, if the the car battery is disconnected.
The Monitor system starts working as soon as the keyfob is removed from the car. If the unit detects the car as being stolen, then it sends a "signal" to Tracker, who contact the owner using a list of provided phone numbers. If the theft is confirmed, the owner contacts the Police & provides a crime reference number to Tracker. They send a "signal" to the car to switch on its RF tracking beacon. Police cars, helicopters & fixed Tracker units are then in a position to trace the car's location.

Their newest Echo system provides an electronic tag to the owner, to overcome the biggest current car theft problem- stealing the owner's keys.

[xyz123]

Originally Posted by beauforty

I've got a tracking device fitted but it has nothing to do with the dorsal fin. Its hidden on the car somewhere but they don't tell you where.

Gives me piece of mind that my baby can be recovered if stolen, plus lowered my insurance.

I could be wrong but I thought the fin antenna has to do with global positioning for the navigation system, i.e., satellite communication. As I understand it some (not all) tracking systems use GPS. If the tracking system relies on GPS, but does not use the fin antenna how does the satellite pick up the signal, directly from the transmitter without the need for an antenna? I suppose that is possible but it sounds unlikely to me.

It sounds like you have Boomerang or a system similar to it that uses a ground based cellular network and does not use satellites, in which case it would not need the fin antenna. I understand that those systems use two transmitters, one hidden in the car and one with your key. If the monitor detects a difference in position of the two, that is a clue that the car is moving without the key.

[vivekk]

Newer GPS chipsets, such as SIRFStarIII are far more sensitive to GPS tracking signal frequencies & are less reliant on an external antenna.
The Tracker Horizon & Echo systems use both GPS & RF tracking, but I don't know if they make use of the dorsal fin. As they can be fitted to cars without the dorsal fin, they could make use of an antenna attached to the unit directly.

[BMW Lawman]

Originally Posted by xyz123

I am thinking of subscribing to a cellular based system, Boomerang, that unlike satellite systems is said to track stolen cars that are in underground garages and shipping containers. The recovery rate is apparently higher than with satellite based systems. I haven’t made up my mind yet whether a 325i in the biggest city in Canada is a high enough risk to justify a tracking system. The cost seems to be fairly reasonable in relation to the value of the car, something like 300 Canadian dollars for a 3 year subscription. I asked my insurance company about it and they do not give discounts for equipping this particular car with a Boomerang but mentioned that they actually decline to insure some expensive cars unless they have it.


Anybody have comments for or against these kinds of things?

Thanks in advance.

Radio Signal based systems such as LoJack are not hampered by metal containers or underground garages. Check out their website.

[brokah]

Boomerang was acquired last year by Lojack. You can buy the early warning system in the USA at www.lojack.com

[MAlby7]

I also live in Toronto and I think thieves are starting to stay away from upper end cars like BMW's. They'd rather steal modified civics and tuner cars because people will actually buy the parts. No one will buy used BMW parts. My Dad was thinking of getting boomerang on his E46 M3 Cab but he decided against it because we aren't as threatened in Toronto as other larger cities are. In a few years there's gonna be so many E90's that what would make a thief wanna steal yours? It's better to just make sure you have your key at all times.

[xyz123]

Originally Posted by vivekk

Newer GPS chipsets, such as SIRFStarIII are far more sensitive to GPS tracking signal frequencies & are less reliant on an external antenna.
The Tracker Horizon & Echo systems use both GPS & RF tracking, but I don't know if they make use of the dorsal fin. As they can be fitted to cars without the dorsal fin, they could make use of an antenna attached to the unit directly.

I am not sure I understand how that works for GPS. I use a handheld GPS unit for hiking (rambling to some) and it has to have a fairly clear view of the sky; even heavy tree cover will stymie it. An antenna directly attached to the transmitter would have to at least see out of a window, so it seems to me that it can't be completely hidden.

Wow, the tracker/echo system you guys have on the other side sounds really impressive.

I guess keeping ahead of professional car thieves is similar to trying to keep ahead of computer virus writers. I hear that the crooks are already able to replicate the current generation of keys. If true, protecting your key is not foolproof and something like a tracker might help - don't think they can beat a good tracking system.

[OverDrive]

i'm just curious,
even if u have the satellite tracking system on the car which is located inside the shark fin, can't the thiefs just break the fin then steal ur car?
i'd get the boomerang, since its inside the car and recognizes the car getting stolen immediately.

[BudVlad]

I am deciding which tracking system to put in my new car. I am inclining towards the cellular with the option of disabling the car by your phone. However, my dealer told me that the only system that wouldn’t affect warranty is a satellite one which they install. I doubt that any system not installed by them can void the warranty but then if something electrical goes wrong I may have a problem.