Can a tracking device cause electrical problems in a car?

N

notinterested

Senior Member
Joined
Nov 1, 2015
Messages
696
Reaction score
470
My car was running fine until yesterday afternoon. Started up fine and then the dash lit up like a xmas tree. Check engine, check lights, check collision sensors, check every f'n thing.

Took it to the dealer (its still under warranty) and they say that when they disconnected the tracker and left it overnight with the battery disconnected, everything was fine until they reconnected the tracker again. I was receiving notifications from my tracker app whenever the car was started or the tracker was disconnected, so they did actually test this.

Has anyone had similair problems with a tracker? My insurance says that I have to have an early warning tracking system fitted in order for them to insure me and they gave me an excellent premium, otherwise I wouldn't have bothered or I would have gone with a self-contained system like Beame.
 
Yes it can, I had to have one removed because I was having problems starting the car.
If your car is an older model, consider having the tracker removed.
 
There is a reasonable explanation, it's not the tracker. Surely the car has error codes stored when it gives the check engine light, your best bet would be to start there, get the error codes and see which circuits are giving errors. Unfortunately dealer technicians are very useless, and the fact that the dealers don't want to spend time repairing cars just adds to the problem.
 
thechamp said:
There is a reasonable explanation, it's not the tracker.
Click to expand...

I do agree on the fact that some of the dealer techs are useless and they tend to jump the gun when doing diagnostics and blame the tracking device off the bat, but the tracking devices also cause headaches at times.

I have had two cases with tracker in dealership space, specifically on Audi since I was responsible for the fitment center.

1) If the unit becomes faulty it can cause a short circuit within the system, you tapping into the main wiring harness of the vehicle so you bound to be messing with some electronics along the way. Remove the device, no electrical shorting, get tracker to replace the device.

2) Had a tracker tech installing into a new Audi A3 for delivery, for some reason he was not paying attention and ended up shorting something, cluster lit up like a Christmas tree and the gearbox would not engage gear when vehicle was started. Car was giving no faults at all. 3 hours later put it down to a simple fuse plate that had blown after doing current draws on various plugs.
 
I had issues with a tracker unit draining my battery. It turns out that the units battery was shot and consequently the tracker was constantly pulling a larger than normal amount of current off the battery. I had the unit removed and no issues after that.
 
my tracker device is standalone and has its own battery that lasts years
and i pay R69 a month i think
Outsurance insisted i have it installed when i signed up with them 5 years ago
www.beam-e.com

Beame Assist | Beame Vehicle Recovery Device

Beame Assist provides extra driver assistance and protection against South African road hazards for Beame And Matrix Clients.
www.beam-e.com www.beam-e.com
check with your insurance company if they will be happy with this, much cheaper
 
Papa Smurf said:
my tracker device is standalone and has its own battery that lasts years
and i pay R69 a month i think
Outsurance insisted i have it installed when i signed up with them 5 years ago
www.beam-e.com

Beame Assist | Beame Vehicle Recovery Device

Beame Assist provides extra driver assistance and protection against South African road hazards for Beame And Matrix Clients.
www.beam-e.com www.beam-e.com
check with your insurance company if they will be happy with this, much cheaper
Click to expand...
That unit will most likely not be self activating so the insurer will not be happy.
 
Shaun108 said:
Trackers are not worth it for me. I do not want my vehicle back if it is stolen.
Click to expand...
Agreed but with good insurer's the unit gets paid for by the discount costing you nothing and you don't have a additional excess which is between 5 and 10% of the claim so the maths says differently
 
Hemi300c said:
Agreed but with good insurer's the unit gets paid for by the discount costing you nothing and you don't have a additional excess which is between 5 and 10% of the claim so the maths says differently
Click to expand...

You need to go via a broker. No excess on my quote and quite reasonable.
 
I have had a lot of problems with these units.

The last time that the insurance installed one I had a look at the internal battery, it is minute, I doubt that it powers the unit for more than 10 hours, thereafter it will drain the car battery.
 
A simple flat battery can cause all sorts of lights on the dashboard. Is the car driven daily or does it stand for days while you're working from home?
 
I`ve started experiencing issues with my vehicle`s throttle about a year after the installation of a tracker device through my insurance. The throttle felt as if it was "disconnected" from the car`s ECU for a second or two at a time, but then will return normal for the next couple of km`s. The issue gradually became worst until I finally noticed that every time it happened, the "lights on" indicator on the dash would come on. Auto lights, so ever time I passed under a bridge, the lights would come on and the throttle would cut out. It is now so bad that I am unable to use my vehicle`s lights at all. Turning lights on while driving - total loss of acceleration, light off again - car back to normal. Company technician is coming to inspect the vehicle on Friday.
 
Replace the battery first, seems that you have a voltage problem and the ECU is not getting enough when auxiliaries are pulling power from the battery.
 
Good day

I had the vehicle at the agents and they`ve tested the voltage of the battery. No issues there. They also mentioned that 9 times out of 10 the culprit is aftermarket devices that connects into the vehicles wiring loom like trackers, cruise controls and in some cases, performance chips.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top
Sign up to the MyBroadband newsletter
X