Tracetec?

I don't know a single person whose vehicle has been returned because of a tracking device. I have to say though if my bike or car gets stolen, and is not returned on the same day i don't want it back. You never know what the thieves have done to it. I don't pay insurance to have them return my vehicle to me, i pay em to replace what was stolen.

The Tracetek device only activates when it is near a specific sensor - it is not a satellite device. It's more like an identity chip that you put into your pet... Website Administrator [http://honeybadger.net Honey Badger IT Services]

For once cloud I agree, I had a combi Once - Lost it to the affirmative shopping in this country or was it the wealth distribution campaign?? Bottom line they found it 4 hours after I found it missing, And although the body was perfect, the interior and the motor was trashed. Insurance wrote it off as uneconomical to repair. Better to start planning for a new one through insurance. Keep your feet on the pegs, and your hat on - Safe riding to all

I phoned Tracetec to test them/my device. They said they couldn't tell me where my bike was, and that it would have to be reported stolen and on the move or something equally useless before they would be able to track it. I only have a tracetec chip on my bike because it is required by BMW insurance. And I agree. If my bike is stolen, I definitely don't want it back. I want a new one.

Charles, sorry dumb questions to follow. How does this identity chip thingy work?. I recently phoned in to check if my device is active - which it were. How can they tell that if it is not a satellite device. What is the use of the identity chip? I was led to believe that Tracetek device is condoned by BMW insurance and is installed to trace your bike in the event of theft making a reduction in insurance premiums possible?

Not only that isn't Tracetek supposed to call you if your bike hasn't moved in a few weeks?

I would be interested to know how many and where are these so called sensors? Really, if they are apparently only supposed to trigger when you are near them a good start would be to install them at petrol stations? Bikes need fuel. At Service centres? Bikes need repairing. Maybe along major highways? Not sure where or if they are even there, but from all I have read they do not seem to have a good track record for recovery. Just my 2c worth... Keep your feet on the pegs, and your hat on - Safe riding to all

From the Tracetec site: ''Tracetec works via a transmitter that continually emits its own unique identity signal that is picked up by our beacons situated countrywide and transmitted to our control centre and database that contains the details of the asset and owner. The system is active 24 hours a day, seven days a week.'' If the unit does not pass a beacon the recovery team has no way of knowing where it is. So, park in the garage for a few months and they realize that the bike is stationary or the unit is borked. If the crooks park the bike somewhere until the heat is off, the recovery can only happen when they finally decide to move the bike. Note - no GPS signal is sent out by the unit. Website Administrator [http://honeybadger.net Honey Badger IT Services]

So, the real question is how many beacons to tracetec actually have?

Surely Tracker should have very recent history of the last movements of the car/bike or am I ahead of myself here. Ignore opinions, heed facts. "tis a thin line between stupidity and arrogance.

Nog een van daardie tipiese gevalle: Iemand is besig om geld te maak "without delivering the goods" Almal sien dit en weet dit en praat met mekaar daaroor. Later word dit afgemaak as net nog 'n geval in 'n land waar die mense aanvaar dat korrupsie deel is van die bestel. In die tussentyd ontvang die regering 14% BTW op die aankoop van die nuwe motorfiets. Hy ontvang belasting op die hoë inkomste van die instansie wat nie diens lewer nie. Invoerbelasting. Ek dink dit is beter om nie verder te gaan nie. Dit lyk vir my na goeie besigheid. My vraag is: BMW SA wat doen julle aan die saak. Of is dit makliker om maar net die premie te verhoog aangesien die eise so hoog is. Onthou die stelsels word deur BMW nie net aanbeveel nie maar vereis. Ek dink nie enige van die direkteure van Tracetec se inkomste gaan negatief beinvloed word deur hierdie insident nie. Dit is maar net nog een van die duisende tevrede kliënte se bankrekening wat die spit moet afbyt. Dit is nie my of enige van die ander kliënte se taak om te bepaal of die stelsels werk nie. Ons verwag dat 'n stelsel wat deur BMW, 'n vooraanstaande eerste wêreld maatskappy, ondersteun en aanbeveel word ook deur BMW getoets en aanvaarbaar bevind is, gereeld geëvalueer behoort te word. As Tracetec nie eens 'n eenheid in die WesKaap kan opspoor nie hoe gaan hulle maak met 'n eenheid wat in die Noord Kaap verlore raak? Ter Info: Toe ek my motorfiets gekoop het is daar aan my vertel van 'n insident dat hulle 'n gesteelde fiets teen 200+Km/h sien beweeg het deur Botswana. Dit was glo op 'n vliegtuig. Dit klink dus na 'n werkbare stelsel. Die gevolg is; asb ek wil dit hê. Die ironie is dat ek dit nog vertel het aan ander potensiële kopers. Hoe naief kan 'n mens wees. Ek dink BMW SA, nie die handelaars nie want hulle bemark maar net die stelsel wat aan hulle voorgeskryf word, behoort die saak te verduidelik. Ek betaal nou wel nie met eerste wêreld note nie, maar ek betaal ook nie met halwe note of note wat net onder sekere omstandighede werk nie. Ek is NIE negatief nie maar is keelvol om te sien hoe mense, in hierdie geval 'n jong meisie, weerloos uitgebuit word.

These are the people providing the technology behind TraceTec: http://www.wavetrend.net/ RFID is a good technology but TraceTec uses the bottom end of the technology stack. Also see this thread: http://www.bmwmotorcycleclubcape.co.za/tracetec-vehicle-tracking The conditions of the contract you are forced to sign basically says it's YOUR responsibility that the products works (go read the fine print on your TraceTec contract). Crooked business practices from BMW Insurance and TraceTec if you ask me. Regards, Corné

I wouldn't say crooked in the dishonest sense, but possibly not well considered, or 'seemed like a good idea', at the time, BUT never revisited to see how well it is working. Now what are we doing about it? Sitting in the pub making noises, or approaching our dealer/ BMW about this. One voice can make a difference but more will be better. Send a clear, calm, mail to both BMW and BMW Insure. As it is Trace Tec (I've asked DR if he wouldn't mind correcting the thread title as Tracker are not involved. Yesterday I spoke to Sherman at BMW Insurance about this, reading him some of these comments and speaking of my own experience, I also mentioned them to Dave. Sherman promised to check on this and try to be back to me later today. My experience was much the same, it seems to be VERY limited in its application, similar to a cheap Chinese R50 compressor,...only make a noise and half inflate a bicycle tyre,yet gave the impression okay to take on Baviaans. When I phoned in to Trace Tec a while back, they said they could not detect my bike (I phoned late afternoon)...after pressing them the next day was told although the signal was not too strong but was acceptable , possibly buildings in the way??, it was still on the system, BUT they seemed/couldn't give any info on where I had been in the last while, I left it at that, as it was working and I had checked..I attributed the lack of info to a lack of knowledge in the particular staff member. Just a thought they may have put most of the tracking infrastructure into JHB and little in CT, hence our poor view of its functionality I will post the feed-back I receive.

Look at this: http://www.wavetrend.net/products_tags.aspx Tracetec use a "personal" tag for tracking a vehicle (motorcycle)!! It's laughable and brainless at the the same time :-) TG501 Personnel Tag "For use with all personnel monitoring applications such as dynamic mustering and health and safety compliance." Looks exactly like the tag under my seat "fitted" by BMW with double-sided tape that came loose after my second quarry ride :-) http://corne.katoong.com/#070929-TraceTec These cards/tags should be on a key ring or in a wallet, it's not designed to track vehicles!! Regards, Corné

I can give you a 100% guarantee that a bike stolen and with a tracetec personal tag attached to it (it's not even worth calling it "fitted") will not be found by locating it with the Tracetec personal tag. You have a better chance of seeing your stolen bike being tanked around Franschhoek pass ;-) Regards, Corné

Complaints about Tracetec. http://www.hellopeter.com/qucksure-insurance-complaint-%5B237028%5D http://www.hellopeter.com/tracetec-complaint-%5B242660%5D http://www.hellopeter.com/tracetec-complaint-%5B282816%5D

As Bmw had put their name behind it by having it compulsory on the bike,I had considered having one fitted in the car last year, but with my check-in with TraceTec experience, decided that the sangoma who has pamphlets offering to make me a "24hr man" will find it for me, should it vanish.:-)

I wonder who at BMW Insurance holds shares in TraceTec.

Who cares if it works or not? BMW insurance insist on it, and as a result give you lower premiums and are obliged to replace your vehicle when it gets stolen. You did everything you could, and if BMW insurance cannot retrieve your stolen vehicle will be forced to replace it. This sounds even better than having the Tracetec device lead to the return of your bike after a wild joyride by the crooks. Website Administrator [http://honeybadger.net Honey Badger IT Services]

Charles, my view EXACTLY!!!:-) Perhaps we ought to delete these last x2 posts, they may wise up, and fix TracelessTec.:-)

Few items to consider: - look closely at you short term house insurance, if you have analarm system you must proove that it was tested in the year prior to the "incident". SO, all insurance companies indemnify themselves. Love it / hate it - LIVE WITH IT. - We all know by now that the Tracetec unit is to be tested at least once every 6 months. Ride to your local dealer. Ask them to check it while you perve over the latest models on the floor. WHAT is so difficult about this ? - How does this work? How do they "find/track" your vehicle? Many ways of looking at this, punchline even a stlen bike is taken to a dealer to be serviced by the new owner ..... the tracetec unit should now raise a red flag .... (if it still works). I was told that they have an 80% recovery rate (by a dealer). I DO agree that I would rather not get a vehicle after thieves "had their way with it". - Tracetech is NOT a high persuit helicopter chase type system. - PUNCHLINE. BMW insurance was the lowest quotes I got, including Tracetec .....

This is not meant to needlessly revive this old thread (I can see people have strong feelings about this).

Just want to know other people's experience:

I received my first and only ever phonecall from Tracetec last week. A very agreeable chap, who would like to drive to my house at my convenience to check my tracetec unit. Apparently it has a "weak" signal. (Not surprising, since it's been in storage since March, when it was couriered to JHB for a trip up the east coast of africa to Malawi and back via zim. None of which they picked up). Quite incidentally, it is also now just over 3 years old.

He took pains to point out that I would need to to be present, to discuss payment should the unit need replacement.

Like many others, I only took the Tracetec option because it made my BMW insurance cheaper, and I have no problem to continue doing so. Also, I do appreciate the long overdue followup (fortunately I was aware of the 6 months sefservice obligation for checkup). My question is: have others been approached as well? Why does this feel like a done deal - he'll want to replace the "unit" at my cost?  What breaks on a passive resonator coil anyway?

 

I enquired whether fittinng such a unit would reduce my premiumns with M&F and they told me that as the units are quite erratic they do not feel it is worth the trouble and would only reduce the premium by an amount that was less than the monthly cost of having a tracker... in other words, the insurance company reckons they are useless... for motorcycles anyway!

Pieter, are you absolutely sure that the agreeable chap who asked to come and fiddle with your Tracetec tag (and obtain the exact location of your bike) is in fact a Tracetec representative?

If someone were to phone me to suggest that they come and replace my tag, I think I would be inclined to decline their offer, and rather take my bike to the dealership to have the tag replaced.

I smell something.......stinky........I would be reluctant to have some stranger coming around to my (+ bike's ) home......

my 2 c

I have read this link again and have come to the conclusion that these units are not worth the paper they are written on. For one, my bike gets stolen and now the insurance needs to replace, (remember that I love, clean, and have faulty items repaired without hesitation) what do you get, a replacement of a unit in the same condition as yours at no extra cost? forget it!! Cough up mate. At this point in time I do not need to have one of these "units" fitted to my bike and the insurance (a major player) is cheaper than BMW excluding Tracetek. Shop around as we did.

Thanks for the comments!

I've resolved to decline the gentleman's offer, and rather take the bike for an independent, anonymous test at the dealer (at my convenience). Should it indeed need replacement, I'll simply leave it to die in situ as at lived - unheard of.  If that means changing insurers, so be it. They can just replace my torn bashplate and a few other bits as a parting gift.

 

Before the call - I received a sms to contact somebody about the weak signal. I did not respond to the sms,  and just went to the dealer (I wrongly thought that it was them that send the sms) - who changed the tracetec after they saw the sms. They did not really know about the source of the sms. I did not pay anything - which made me happy about the wonderfull service I got!. (By the way, the signal was tested 2 months earlier at the dealer whilst the bike was in for a service, and it was still ok)

About  2 days later I received a call - apparantly tracetek have an agent now in Cape Town - and the lady was a bit surprized about the fact that my unit was already replaced by the dealer.

It seems to me there is no communication between Tracetec and the dealers. Or somebody is trying to make some extra money behind the dealers? Or they are not organized? May be they are trying to give a better service, but they start at the wrong end, making us users of this thing a bit sceptical?

 

Had the same call. Makes one wonder. But on the the wilddog site the opinion is the tracetec only lasts for about 4 years, battery wise, and as it is a sealed unit, cough up and pay.

So he tested mine and she is dead. R650 replacement cost.

Double checked insurance: Chuck it on household at permium is R414, excess R1000, insured value R72000, no tracking required. So called BMW insurance, yes they still require tracetec, no they can't say they have found any bikes using it, but not many get stolen anyway (Good to hear). The numbers. Premium R462, Excess Min |R2500, but 5%, Insured vale R96000.

So I guess I'll have to stick with BMW and get a new unit

I am hoping to get the Trace Tech guys at our next Club meeting to answer ALL the questions that many of us have.