Originally published at: Man discovers GPS tracker hidden in his car, sues dealer - Boing Boing
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I don’t get what’s in it for the dealer?
If it was a rented or leased vehicle maybe they’d want to keep an eye on it to make sure the driver didn’t do anything that violated the rental agreement or to recover their property in the event the car was stolen, but if he already bought the thing then why would they even care what he did with it?
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The last video, by someone else with another deal who did something similar, seems to think it was an aftermarket dealer option they added and don’t care to remove when you refuse it? Seems costly, invasive and still not legal?
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Maybe they bought a loaner?
(Checks glove box)
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Corporations in our current environment of late-stage surveillance capitalism seem determined to make sure that a customer who buys an item never fully owns it without strings. Perhaps the dealer thought they could sell the data at some point.
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My guess it’s all about invalidating your warranty by proving adverse use - excessive speed, off roading, installing custom mods, etc…
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Lol what a poor excuse, obviously it’s a dealer option. The problem is that it wasn’t disclosed along with the undercoating and floor mats.
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If the dealership knows where the car is at all times, it makes it easier/cheaper to repossess it if required.
They can also sell the data to the insurance company so the insurance company can squeeze more money from you.
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This How Toyota Knows If Your GR Corolla went over 85 MPH to Deny Warranty!!!
Do they disclose the fact that exceeding 85mph voids the warranty?
Do they give you an option to limit the maximum speed so you don’t void the warranty?
We owned a 1994 Ford Escort once, we bought the extended warranty. We were on vacation and the timing belt broke. The auto repair shop said they would start the work and I could start the claim because timing belts were covered under the warranty.
The warranty company’s first question was did I change the timing belt at the required mileage.
Of course not, since when are timing belts routine maintenance.
They wouldn’t pay. They dealer got an earful and we’ve never bought a extended warranty again.
Seems like our congress people should be taking up things like this and GPS trackers instead of the crap they spend all their time on.
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Looking forward to the thousands of people yanking out important car components, thinking that they might be GPS trackers.
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Since when haven’t they been? I mean you don’t have to do the routine maintenance, but if you don’t change your oil and your engine locks up the dealer would likely deny that claim as well. If it was timing chain and only an inspection was called out then perhaps, but timing belts eventually fail.
I’m also not sure why Mr. Do thinks a modern car battery can sit for months on end and still be “fresh” and charged. Key fobs, bluetooth, and especially if you have some type of connected system (like phone app access) it is all taking power. Sure it’s not much, but a constant parasitic power draw adds up.
For reference standard lead acid batteries have a reserve capacity measured in minutes that it can supply a 25 amp output before the voltage drops to 10.5V. Deep cycle batteries like an Optima Yellow top can go up to 140 mins.
That gives you less an an 80ma parasitic load for a month of non-use. I would be surprised that any lithium replacement battery would have near the standby capacity of lead acid.
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Everything can technically be considered ‘routine maintenance’ because almost nothing on your car will not wear out over time. The problem is that many things don’t generally need replacing until your mileage is way high.
(we ran into this caveat when our sewer line needed repairs and insurance didn’t cover it because it was ‘routine maintenance’.)
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I’d say it’s people defaulting on their payments and thus it makes it much easier for the dealer to repossess. Repossession rates on new care in the US are well over 10% and cost hundreds of dollars to process. Seems like the dealer thought they found a cost-saving measure that also infringes on privacy,
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I get the sense that most modern cars with onboard computers already have de facto tracking through the installed apps, just not some aftermarket device.
ETA: I think I have a possible solution:
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Wouldn’t that be up to the finance company, though? Even if that’s “Acme Motors Finance,” that’s likely to be a separate entity from the “Acme Motors” dealer (more likely to be some part of Chase, Synchrony, WF etc.). But it could also be any number of banks or credit unions. It’s possible the dealer thinks this info would be valuable to the (any) bank, tho.
Timing belts absolutely are routine maintenance items. Unlike (almost all) timing chains, they wear out and break. For cars of that era, changes needed to be done around 60000 to 80000 miles, with the specific interval given in the manual. If you were past the mileage for a replacement and it broke, they were right not to cover it under warranty.
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After the timing belt broke at 60,000 miles and totaled my wife’s car, I will never buy another vehicle without a timing chain. My old car (with a chain) lasted over 300,000 miles.
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An important note, an “extended warranty” is not a “warranty”.
The warranty is how long the manufacturer will stand behind the product and tell you that it should not break.
The extended warranty is an insurance policy. Normally a very overpriced insurance policy relative to the risks it covers. It’s backed by whatever insurance company provides it and not the manufacturer.
Extended warranties are generally hugely profitable for the sellers of them. Which tells you that buying them tends to be a bad idea.
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No clue why, but this instantly came to mind!
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Since time began? 
Seriously, pretty much every vehicle needs a timing belt change every few years - and the mfrs do specify when, in their service schedules.
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