Tracking device for car?

[Minnie824]

new driver. Nervous Parents. Is there any type of tracker that can be placed in the car without them knowing? I know there are phone apps but I’m looking for something in the car not on the phone. Any suggestions?

 

[Klayfish]

My first thought is "Why hide it"? Tell them if they want to drive, they need to use whatever you select.

There are apps, as you mention. There are also small things that will plug into the cars' OBDII port. If they don't know to look for it, they may not know it, but they may (OBDII port is usually at the bottom of the dash). Just Google "OBD2 vehicle tracker" and you'll get a ton of results.

If you really want to truly hide something, there are products, such as this... http://www.spytecinc.com/gl-200-rea...MInsybs8Xx1wIVClcNCh2OaQ0qEAYYBCABEgLurfD_BwE

 

[G719]

Does the car have onstar?

https://www2.onstar.com/web/portal/family-link?g=1

 

[Klayfish]

Does the car have onstar?

https://www2.onstar.com/web/portal/family-link?g=1

Only GM vehicles come equipped from the factory with OnStar. Frankly, it was a great innovation when new, but now is pretty obsolete.

 

[wenrob]

new driver. Nervous Parents. Is there any type of tracker that can be placed in the car without them knowing? I know there are phone apps but I’m looking for something in the car not on the phone. Any suggestions?

Why don’t you want them to know? How about a little straight up honesty? “I’m a little nervous about you driving so for now I’m going to use a tracker. It’s not that I don’t trust you, it would just make me feel better.”

But yeah, there is such a thing and it usually needs a paid subscription. You’ll only be on the sly for so long though. The kid will figure it out pretty quick or you’ll give yourself away. It’s normal to be nervous but I don’t think risking your kid’s trust is worth it.

I used Find My Phone when DD was a new driver but she was fully aware I did. It made me feel better and kept me out of her hair.

 

[Tigerlulu]

Verizon hum!!!

My kids know it's there but they don't have to know.

i can set alerts for speeding or going outside of the area. Also I get alerts for car issues. And I can see where the car is and how fast it's going at any given time. It rocks!

10 bucks a month. I think I paid something up front for the device, but I've had it about 18 months and don't remember how much it was.

We totally love it!

 

[Tigerlulu]

I should add that it comes with a speaker to clip to the visor that they can push a button if they need help. It's not necessary to the function of the hum device though. So if you just put the hum into the computer port under the dash they'd never know.

 

[G719]

Only GM vehicles come equipped from the factory with OnStar. Frankly, it was a great innovation when new, but now is pretty obsolete.

OP didn't say what kind of car they had. That's why I suggested it, just in case they didn't realize the option was there if they had an equipped vehicle.

 

[lifesavacation]

I can't help with an unknown device. We use Life360 for dd14, which is an app. It gives driving alerts as far as speed, etc. She went to a football game with friends and I saw that they were speeding on the freeway so I called and told her to tell the driver to slow down or pull over and we'd come get her.

 

[cvjw]

We have trackers on both our boys phones. They both know it and know it is non-negotiable if they want us to support them.

 

[yoopermom]

Another user of Life360 here (although DS is grown up).Makes me feel safer when it comes to my senior citizen parents when they are on the road, as well.

My favorite Life360 story: my BF was driving from NE to central IL, and didn't mind that I was "following along" on the app. It was pretty late at night, when I saw her veering towards Chicago. I was afraid she was sleepy and had missed a turn, or was kidnapped. I called her, and it turned out to be the former, luckily!

Terri

 

[Klayfish]

I can't help with an unknown device. We use Life360 for dd14, which is an app. It gives driving alerts as far as speed, etc. She went to a football game with friends and I saw that they were speeding on the freeway so I called and told her to tell the driver to slow down or pull over and we'd come get her.

Not picking on you at all, just a general question. Where do you draw the line on spying on them? In other words, what constitutes "speeding"? If you're on the highway and the speed limit is 65, around here you'll be a rolling roadblock if you go 65mph. Pace of traffic is 70-75mph, fast lane is 80+. Again, not criticizing you at all, just curious where people would fall on this topic of where you want to make sure the teen is safe vs. being too helicopter-esque.

And please, don't lecture me about teen safety in a car...car crashes are what I do for a living, literally. I'm keenly aware of these types of things. My oldest is only a hair over 2 years away from driving, and I'm not quite sure yet how I'll tackle the tracking him vs. letting him have some freedom issue.

 

[cabanafrau]

If I have to have something like a tracker to reliably know where they are, they aren't ready for the responsibility of driving.

 

[mjkacmom]

My rule is that if you are under 18, I have you on find my iPhone. I’ve watched ds19 blindly follow GPS and go strange ways. Honestly, I can’t imagine tracking my kids without their knowledge. My kids can follow me, as well, it drives me nuts that they don’t. They call or text me all of the time asking when I’ll be there or if I’m on my way. Just check the app!

 

[Dan Murphy]

but now is pretty obsolete.

What part of it is obsolete?

 

[Mizzoufan]

If you feel like that maybe they shouldn't be driving until you can trust them. Driving in my book is 100% about being able to trust y our kids.

 

[amberpi]

I don't have kids and don't plan to, but this thread is super interesting. I hope lots of posters weigh in. Cool topic, OP!

 

[WishingOnAStar]

We have My Auto Brain on my son's truck. It gives me peace of mind. He does know it's there, but I don't know that he would have realized it if we didn't tell him.

 

[mnrose]

Some things are non-negotiable. This is one of them. Want to drive a car *I* provide (purchased, and insured!), then yes, you WILL have a tracking device. Knowing it is there is a big part of compliance, IMO. And, once they've driven awhile (say 6 months to a year), they will have established good habits and (perhaps) earn the privilege of driving without it.

My car. My rules. Simple.

 

[Klayfish]

What part of it is obsolete?

When OnStar was developed by GM in the '90s, it was a very different world. Cell phones, GPS, etc...were in their infancy stage. Bluetooth didn't exist. OnStar offered a service that you really couldn't easily get otherwise. Instant contact with help, and geocoded to locate you or your car if you couldn't. That type of stuff is now available on even the most basic of smartphones, which 99% of the population has. As talked about in this thread, there are endless ways to not only track where your car is, but what it's doing, where it's been, etc... There are endless personal assistant apps, which is another thing OnStar offered. GM is trying to come up with new services for OnStar to help keep it attractive, I think I read somewhere that they're going to start allowing customers to order food/drinks through OnStar, using the cars' touchscreen interface.

OnStar isn't a bad thing, I like it. It's just not as cutting edge, new, different, relevant, etc...as it once was.