?Cheap? haha Tracker recommendation required

[gasgas]

Yesterday I stumbled upon four or five surprises - that Burstner make a thin coachbuilt called the Travel Van. It's the same width as the cab, also it is 5.9mtr so it will drive like a car. Also, Big Surprise, it has enough cupboards for Her Majesty who accompanies me and lets me do all the packing, cooking, driving and paying for everything. We accidentally saw one in a dealer in the frozen North (Bury, Lancs) when we went to look at a different make and model which turned out not to be suitable. It had SOLD in the windscreen but as it is 5.9mtr and thin I asked the salesman if we could look inside. Wow and golly gosh and gee, isn't this nice? Pity it's sold. Salesman had been with us for 20 minutes and knew what we wanted: 3,500kg, short and thin preferably. He said hang on, I think we have got one already on order from the factory, I'll go and look. Yes, it's being built in May so it should be available for you in June. It cost £90 under my maximum limit. After a bit of humming, is that the best you can do sort of talk I said if you fit a solar panel I'll have it.
Anyway from previously asking about insurance on a new motorhome I believe that the insurance companies insist on having a Tracker fitted. The dealer wants £399 to £899 for supply and fit, then of course there's the annual "someone is sitting on their backside drinking coffee and watching the TV so you have to pay for them" fee starting at £149.
A tracker is just a thing that transmits a "I'm here" signal and is less complex than a £15 mobile phone so I go Harrumphh when someone says it costs £399. (Unless it is the £899 one which cuts the ignition in a safe place, ejects the driver into the ditch and cuts his throat.)

So. Who has got a sensibly priced tracker, what is it and where do I get one?

 

[myvanwy]

We have the "Rewire" personal tracker so can use it in all vehicles or even drop it in a handbag. Pay for gps live tracking with the europe option. Had it now for 5 years with no issues. Doubt ins. company recognize it though to drop premiums.

 

[mariesnowgoose]

Regards to "Her Maj"

Well done on finding a new van that suits your requirements sir!

Maybe post some piccies up when it arrives as it sounds like a good 'un?

 

[maingate]

I think you need a very good Tracker to satisfy the Insurance, ie an expensive one. Search online and you will find specialist companies who fit Trackers and Alarms etc. They will at least do a better job than a Dealer but the price will probably be about the same.

 

[TJBi]

I think you need a very good Tracker to satisfy the Insurance, ie an expensive one. Search online and you will find specialist companies who fit Trackers and Alarms etc. They will at least do a better job than a Dealer but the price will probably be about the same.

Yes, if they require a tracker, the insurance company would undoubtedly want a Thatcham-approved tracker fitted professionally.

 

[RichardHelen262]

You also need something to stop the thieves taking in the first place,
We have a strike back system fitted to ours which is a superb alarm system with 5 extremely loud sirens one of which is inside the vehicle making it impossible to be inside whilst it is going off, the tracker you can also immobilise the vehicle from your phone,should should you forget and it does get stolen then you can still immobilise so that as soon as the vehicle is switched off it won’t start again, I think the annual subscription is about £50 per year.
And is a recognised system by the insurance companies.

 

[Tezza33]

Van Bitz will fit a tracker for £399 but obviously there is a yearly charge, if you have the strikeback alarm fitted as well it drops to £299 but it will be better than the dealer option, it has to be worth it with a new van though

Thatcham Approved Tracking Systems - VanBitz

SHADOW VTS Thatcham Certificate Download

www.vanbitz.com

 

[gasgas]

My potentially new (I'll believe it when I see it) is like this 700 except that mine is a 590 and as such is a lot shorter and has a cross-wise rear bed and not the island bed shown here. I had taken some photos of mine but they were the sort that a company wouldn't use as publicity - the rear chassis wiring, the fuse box/battery charger and so on.
Here's the dealer's photos of the 700: click on the emmbee link to show the pictures:

EmmBee Motorhomes

www.emm-bee.co.uk

here are mine - if this works, I haven't posted photos before

 

[gasgas]

Van Bitz will fit a tracker for £399 but obviously there is a yearly charge, if you have the strikeback alarm fitted as well it drops to £299 but it will be better than the dealer option, it has to be worth it with a new van though

Thatcham Approved Tracking Systems - VanBitz

SHADOW VTS Thatcham Certificate Download

www.vanbitz.com

When VanBitz started up I was at all the shows with him, I was doing reversing sensors and he was doing alarms and CB radios. We were good mates. He was in the south west and I was in the midlands and he wanted me to be an agent to fit alarms - they were just car alarms with added switches. He gave me an alarm system to fit to my van and we could have been partners in a bigger joint venture. I didn't choose to pursue that, I suppose if I had I could be a partner in a substantial business now. I don't regret what I did after that - I designed a reversing sensor for cars and sold thousands of them to Rover where it was an approved accessory. Also I was project managing big computer communication installations around Europe, and the first mobile phone network in Nigeria. I had no sleepless nights - I bet he has!

 

[Tezza33]

You might be able to negotiate one for free and demonstrate it then, I don't think Eddie is that generous though

 

[Nickmcd]

Yesterday I stumbled upon four or five surprises - that Burstner make a thin coachbuilt called the Travel Van. It's the same width as the cab, also it is 5.9mtr so it will drive like a car. Also, Big Surprise, it has enough cupboards for Her Majesty who accompanies me and lets me do all the packing, cooking, driving and paying for everything. We accidentally saw one in a dealer in the frozen North (Bury, Lancs) when we went to look at a different make and model which turned out not to be suitable. It had SOLD in the windscreen but as it is 5.9mtr and thin I asked the salesman if we could look inside. Wow and golly gosh and gee, isn't this nice? Pity it's sold. Salesman had been with us for 20 minutes and knew what we wanted: 3,500kg, short and thin preferably. He said hang on, I think we have got one already on order from the factory, I'll go and look. Yes, it's being built in May so it should be available for you in June. It cost £90 under my maximum limit. After a bit of humming, is that the best you can do sort of talk I said if you fit a solar panel I'll have it.
Anyway from previously asking about insurance on a new motorhome I believe that the insurance companies insist on having a Tracker fitted. The dealer wants £399 to £899 for supply and fit, then of course there's the annual "someone is sitting on their backside drinking coffee and watching the TV so you have to pay for them" fee starting at £149.
A tracker is just a thing that transmits a "I'm here" signal and is less complex than a £15 mobile phone so I go Harrumphh when someone says it costs £399. (Unless it is the £899 one which cuts the ignition in a safe place, ejects the driver into the ditch and cuts his throat.)

So. Who has got a sensibly priced tracker, what is it and where do I get one?

 

[Nickmcd]

We had the same it had to be approved by insurance so went with Scorpion automotive, excellent service, came to house to fit, very professiona, and great service. We went to Europe as as soon as we crossed the channel we got a call to confirm we were with the motorhome as it had left uk. So they obviously monitoring 24hrs.

 

[Obanboy666]

Do what I did when I bought my new Pilote 3 years ago I contacted my insurance and asked for their approved list of trackers/alarms and installers.
I then contacted numerous companies and looked at user review sites etc before making my decision.
Finally went for a phantom sentinel system, company based in Leeds.
Yes, a yearly subscription had to be paid, but what’s £149.00 a year considering the motorhome was £60,000.
System was excellent, no issues in 2 years of ownership, they were on the phone within 30 seconds of me opening the garage door without me turning the alarm off lol.

 

[GeoffL]

I'm not an Apple user and have no experience of them, but (if you're an iPhone user) I wonder if this is a good application for an Airtag. There are reports on the 'net of people using them to track stolen vehicles (and computer, and suitcases, etc.) and the app on your iPhone will let you know when the battery needs changing. AIUI they cost between £30 to £40 in UK...

 

[gasgas]

Well to throw something into the mix today we decided that maybe we won't be able to climb in and out of the bed when we are old (next year ) so we returned to the dealer to try the bed in the 590. Sure enough although we could 'manage with difficulty' now, we won't always be able to, at all and I don't want to be part exchanging it in three years time for a bigger one with a low bed. I discovered that Burstner make a 6.9mtr wagon with the same narrow bodywork but with an island bed at the end. Turns out that this island bed goes ?electrically (I think) up and down so you can lift it to put bikes in the garage underneath and lower it to get in and out. It also has a more comprehensive kitchen, bigger fridge and lots more wardrobe etc storage. I measured my driveway which is 8.5mtr from flower bed to pavement edge so it will fit OK.

EmmBee Motorhomes

www.emm-bee.co.uk

So we changed our order to get that, it's due to be delivered to the dealer in May.
So presumably as it is an expensive bit of kit I had better get an alarm / tracker on it. Actually if we are away on a cruise for example I park it on axle stands at home and remove two or four wheels. That should slow them down. As would running a thin wire round the steering wheel and connect it to the mains supply. I just hope that the wriggling body makes it out into the road before finally expiring.

 

[molly 2]

The tracker has to be insurance certified with an annual fee .

 

[QFour]

Check with your Insurance Company what they want. We went with NFU a few years ago because they didn't want a Tracker or Alarm for our Carthago.

 

[TeamRienza]

Well to throw something into the mix today we decided that maybe we won't be able to climb in and out of the bed when we are old (next year ) so we returned to the dealer to try the bed in the 590. Sure enough although we could 'manage with difficulty' now, we won't always be able to, at all and I don't want to be part exchanging it in three years time for a bigger one with a low bed. I discovered that Burstner make a 6.9mtr wagon with the same narrow bodywork but with an island bed at the end. Turns out that this island bed goes ?electrically (I think) up and down so you can lift it to put bikes in the garage underneath and lower it to get in and out. It also has a more comprehensive kitchen, bigger fridge and lots more wardrobe etc storage. I measured my driveway which is 8.5mtr from flower bed to pavement edge so it will fit OK.

EmmBee Motorhomes

www.emm-bee.co.uk

So we changed our order to get that, it's due to be delivered to the dealer in May.
So presumably as it is an expensive bit of kit I had better get an alarm / tracker on it. Actually if we are away on a cruise for example I park it on axle stands at home and remove two or four wheels. That should slow them down. As would running a thin wire round the steering wheel and connect it to the mains supply. I just hope that the wriggling body makes it out into the road before finally expiring.

We currently have a 7m A class which is 2.35m wide, it is currently plated at 3850kg. I had it uprated some years ago, but I will be 70 next year and expect reasonable health to allow me to continue. However Planning further into the future I expect to do something along similar lines to yourself. I have bookmarked some of the Chausson range for investigation within the next few years. Unfortunately here in N. Ireland we only have one dealer who does not carry an extensive range, I assume due to shortages and high demand, so I have not seen them in the ‘flesh’ but I find the Xvan and S low profile ranges quite interesting. Worth a look perhaps?

X - Chausson

www.motorhomes-chausson.co.uk

 

[gasgas]

The X550 looks pretty good and got a good review from Peter Vaughn, chief reporter of MMM.
Before you go for one, check how far down the bed comes - can you get in and out without a ladder? and do you sleep lengthways or sideways, each of which might have difficulties.
I just looked at the photos on the Chausson web site. Is the wash basin in the washroom one without a drain plug? If it's one of those which dump water from the tap straight down the drain then for me that is an instant refusal. You have a limited amount of water on board and the last thing you want is to dump it all straight down the drain when you turn on a tap. They are hideous abominations and the designers are without excuse for incorporating them.
We had a Chausson some years ago and ours was fine.
We had a new Rapido a few years ago and the electric bed saw it sent back to Brownhills three times to get the bed to work reliably. Either they couldn't fix it because they were incompetent or the workshop manager didn't give the technician enough time to find the fault but in the end it was left to me to get the bed's installation and operation manual from the manufacturer in Italy (Project 2000) and fix the electrical fault myself. The uncaring assembler in the Rapido factory coultn't be bothered to push an 8 pin plug and socket together properly. So much for they quality control - it's non existent. Then the bed collapsed in one corner - luckily I wasn't driving at the time. So that was the end of my enthusiasm for electric beds and I wouldn't have another one.

 

[fripp]

Our insurance (LV) asked for a tracker, but no requirement for any Thatcham approval. I fitted two Chinese trackers, one 2G and one 3G. Fitting myself has allowed me to fit within the fabric of the motorhome, permanently powered from the solar charged leisure battery, and very hard to find. Dealers tend to fit in places easy for them to fit. Trackers are about £20 each and the data costs from the ASDA PAYG SIM is about £5 per year per SIM. All tracked from my phone. Been faultless for 2 years now across UK and EU.