Oh for everyone saying "you financed the car". I bought my car cash brand NEW and didn't sign up for any tracking services. And I still found one under my dash hooked up to my OBD II port. Light was still one so it clearly wasn't deactivated.
Yeah me too. The hastily applied gps antenna was the tell. I hooked it up to a laptop power supply in my garage, on a Christmas light timer. Drove that car only 15 minutes a day.
It may be the dealerships insurance requires them to install them on their entire inventory, , keep track of inventory . Installing them may also lower the dealerships insurance premium.. the devices are so cheap they didn’t bother to remove it. Technically the device can be considered part of the anti theft package that they charged you for. Therefore no need for them to state that a third party gps was installed. Dealerships are tricky that way
It wouldn’t matter the bank doesn’t own the car you own it until you default on payment then the bank owns it. If the bank owned the car the entire time imagine the insurance they would need to take on the responsibility of all the people out there driving their cars
You don't read your purchase agreements do you? You agreed to it when you signed. As long as the bank's name is still on the title they still own the vehicle.
@@marvthedog1972 No, simply because conduct is unconstitutional does not mean that criminal penalties apply to it. You haven't read about the arrests of e.g. GM executives for doing this because they have not occurred.
I had a gps tracker in my Honda element and they told me about it since i wasn't seedy. Apparently people have been buying the vehicles and selling them or taking them to Mexico. So please don't get too angry with them for protecting their vehicles till it's paid off.
@@marvthedog1972 It's not an illegal search if they don't search the vehicle. They're just keeping tabs on it so they don't outright lose the car to thugs that take the car to Mexico or try to sell it to an unsuspecting buyer.
Check the gps for a SIM card.. you might have a free simcard that you can use on an extra phone.. it'll take them forever to figure out you put it in a phone and disconnect the sim. Also feel free to go nuts on data usage. The sim cards come in bulk and are all connected to 1 account, so if they don't disconnect your sim, the data overages will affect their entire account.
I wouldn't try that stunt. Conversion of that device could land you in court or even jail depending on where you live. If you buy a new car and pay cash for it in full then find one of these you hit the jackpot. Civil suits are a bitch to defend against. Small claims Court is where to start. I would go after them for everything possible. Someone will settle rather than risk a jury hanging them!
My wife is a flight attendant and travels the world. It would be fun for the dealership to try to figure out why they are getting international roaming charges.
This happened to my wife's C300 Merc. Kept discharging the battery, changed battery twice, finally after a 20 km drive and parked for 2 hours, car battery dead. Finally our mechanic checked all the systems and found a GPS tracker installed by someone because we did not request anything above and beyond the vehicle. No loans or leins on the car, paid for outright at time of ourchase. Since removal, not a single problem. Thanks for exposing this practice.
There must be an advantage for them, or perhaps they're complying with a contract with the manuf. Think those devices are worth $$, the dealers won't be fitting them for free?
@@gerix5539 selling information about you and how you drive to someone? I would actually question the legality of this. Certainly in the EU our data protection laws would absolutely tear this apart. That's why even though my car does have some tracking in (for the application and some of the more advanced satnav stuff) it has to be explicitly enabled by the registered owner of the car. Nobody else driving it with a key can actually disable it...
This is very common, unfortunately. About a week after my wife bought her SUV from a used car dealership, I found a tracking dongle plugged into the OBDII port. I immediately removed the tracker and took it into the car dealership (after I cracked it with a hammer). Of course, they denied having any knowledge of any trackers installed on the vehicle and suggested that it may have been installed by the prior owner. I agreed that this could have been a possibility, but cornered him when I stated that the dongle should have been found and removed by their mechanic/technician when they plugged the vehicle into their scanner during the used car “inspection.” He gave me a blank stare and didn’t have an answer. If dealerships install a tracker on your vehicle for potential “repo” purposes, they should disclose this fact to you.
My wife used to work at a used car dealer. I installed many GPS units in their cars. I asked my wife if the customers knew about them? Was told yes, they open the door for lawsuits if not made aware. But, I did a kickass job hiding them. Never had one disconnected.
@@gcross308 Yeah, I found it doing a visual inspection. While looking at the OBDII port, anyone with half a brain would have noticed the tracker! They didn’t spend any time trying to be stealthy about it!
It is completely normal for commercial vehicles. When a driver needs electronic logs, that is how it gets the data. On a personal vehicle, it's a problem.
. Yeah. Had these piggyback plug-ins on van style transit units. It is a way for the bus manufacturer to tie in their electronics to the Ford, GMC, Dodge OEM electronics.
I'll one-up you... I ordered a new F-250 from Ford through Young Ford Morgan, Utah. When I got it, they tried to charge ME $400 for the LoJack that THEY installed "to track ALL our inventory we have". I said NO, so they said okay, we'll cancel the sale. This was in 2022 with the country-wide chip and auto shortage so all vehicles were in high demand, and I'd ordered through their Military "X Plan" with a discount. Of COURSE they wanted to cancel the sale, that way they could resell it with a $20,000 dealer markup. I ranted and raved enough to have them knock half the $400 off and give me two free years of that LoJack. I didn't find out until a year later that what they did is a violation under the Fair Trade Act. If I'd have known, Young Ford Morgan, Utah would have been in court in ten seconds. The ONLY reason I agreed to pay extra is because it would negate THEM from getting that extra $20,000. I also cancelled my Dealer Financing by getting a Credit Union loan to pay it off so the finance guy at Young Ford Morgan, Utah would NOT get his bonus from selling a dealer-backed loan as it had to be in place for six months. NEVER EVER USE *YOUNG FORD, MORGAN, UTAH.* Criminals!
I don't live in Utah, but your message is heard. If a random caller or anyone ever asks, I'll tell them this. Isn't the internet great ?? I do have a transit, and I will look, just to be sure.
I almost bought a new 2022 Yamaha TW200 from Young Power Sports in Ogden Ut. They tried to sell me on a 3 year battery warranty and other unnecessary extras. I ended up buying my bike from a mom and pop dealer for almost $1,000 under what they quoted. I will never set foot in one of their dealerships again.
This isn’t Toyota tracking the car, this is a shady dealer practice tracking the car. I’m betting they install them in all their cars and one of two or three things is happening. One, they (at least try to) upsell “LoJack” services to every car buyer. Two, they get buyers better finance/lease rates from non-Toyota lenders. Or three, they pocket a small percentage from non-Toyota lenders because they can track their financial interests. All of these things are shit.
They tried to charge me for one as well. I told the dealership, I didn't order it, and I don't want it. They didn't charge me, but I bet its still in the car! Its winter here in SLC. I'll check for it this spring. Maybe it can be sold on Ebay?
Had the Same thing happen on a Ford. When it went in for a Pollution Inspection. They told me, they couldn’t pass it till I removed the GPS Tracker. I’m like what, it passed when I first registered the Ford. Sure enough it had a Tracker. Was put on when some Recall work was done. After I removed it, got a call from the local dealer about two weeks later. They wanted their tracker back. Told them I didn’t know what they were talking about.
For the dealership, I would have told them to stuff it, it's mine now. If they insisted I would have documented and photographed it all over, inside and out, and then smashed it to small bits with a large hammer before returning it. Do you think they would sue you for breaking their tracker? It would be an interesting suit.
FYI most dealers are doing this and selling your gps/driving data to insurance companies. There is a big court case on this right now, so I have heard.
I purchased a year old Acura in 2022 from Toyota of Murfreesboro (Tennessee). In addition to some pretty dodgy sales practices (they wouldn't provide a Monroney label), they also installed a tracker just like yours which I happened to stumble across within a few days of purchase. I returned it to the dealership. They denied having knowledge of it. Obviously, I should have destroyed it instead. Love the Acura but Toyota of Murfreesboro, not so much. Thanks very much for this rather important public service post.
I bought a used 2016 Subaru in May from a dealer. They tried to sell me a anti theft tracker device for $900, when I looked up the brand name it showed the device only cost $60. I refused and they said it would be removed. Having just now watched this video I checked, and sure enough, the device was still in the car just like in this video. Thank you for making this video.
It's more evil then you think, Mozilla’s latest edition of *Privacy Not Included reveals how 25 major car brands collect and share deeply personal data, including sexual activity, facial expressions, and genetic and health information
they do it for all cars in every dealerships inventory. people who dont work or never worked at dealerships have no fuckin clue why they do anything. customers arent always right.
@@nomercyinc6783and they're in the wrong every time for doing it to every car without people's consent. Making something standard procedure does not magically make it ok, it makes it worse and it shows intentional, systemic wrongdoing
My son’s Dodge was going dead when we got it and when cleaning the battery terminals under the hood, I found one of these GPS trackers / ignition immobilizers hidden under the fuse box. Was a private sale, but I could see that the car had previously been sold through a used car dealership with a motto that “everyone gets approved!” Apparently dealerships who do subprime sales often use these devices to track and recover vehicles when the buyers miss payments. After removing this device, my son’s car never went dead or failed to start!
@@christinedavis8774 Not completely true. I financed a used Tahoe from Car-Mart in Phenix City Alabama. They called me about a week before the last payment was due and asked me if I'd bring the Tahoe in so that they could remove the tracker at no charge. I knew purchasing the car that it was installed because I actually read the contract before signing. If you're not bothering to read a contract before you sign then you don't have much room to be whiney or pissed.
@retirednavychief6983 This really happened to me. I took car back and they said you have to pay for removal. The car will turn off even after it's paid in full.
Like you I was having a problem with a car I had financed. Looking through everything in an attempt to solve it, I found a GPS tracker installed in the vehicle. I removed it and a month later I got a call from the finance company wanting to know if I still lived at the same address. I politely replied yes and asked them if they wanted their GPS tracker back. She hung up.
If you have a GM it has a factory installed tracker. On Star. Your insurance company loves it. It also can get your warranty voided. Down in the fine print somewhere is a clause about maximum speed. Now why would a insurance subscribe for that?
@@kevinburke1325 Because OnStar. One feature is "Crash detection". They get an alert you may have been in a wreck and call you thru the OnStart system in the car. If you can't speak or are unable to provide your location, they know where you are because of the GPS. Granted, if you CHOOSE not to have/ever have the service, it would be nice to have a way to force the dealer to remove it. They should also have to tell you if removing it would affect any other features -- i.e. if your car has built-in navigation, etc. :shrug:
Mozilla’s latest edition of *Privacy Not Included reveals how 25 major car brands collect and share deeply personal data, including sexual activity, facial expressions, and genetic and health information
@@vgstbyeah, and you forgot body temperature and blood pressure, and whether your girlfriend is shaved or not… 😂😂😂😂 Ok, on a serious note, stop telling this BS.
I'm 62 years old, driving a 1997 Mercedes C230. Runs great. I'm an ex mechanic and maintain the hell out of it. I have 280,000 miles on it now. Until the transmission goes or the engine blows or cracks, I'm keeping it. I have owned many cars in my time, maintained them all. This Mercedes has been the least expensive car I have ever had. I don't care about the misconceptions out there. This 97 Mercedes has been the most reliable, cheapest to maintain and operate vehicle I have ever had. Other than usual items that always go: plugs, hoses, wires, brakes, batteries, etc. All I've done is the water pump, starter, the pulley, cam position sensor, and oxygen sensor. I live in So. Cal., no rust. The Blue Book on it is about 1K, if even that now. But I wouldn't part with it for less than 10K. I'm serious. Not a scratch on it and runs like a top. I'll get another ten years out of it.
I'm 54 and drive a 2014 Dodge Challenger and a 2010 Tundra and feel the same way. Dealerships get away with this bs because they know the court system does not give a damn and they will never be punished. I'll buy a bike next as well.
I’m an old fart and still drive my 1997 Toyota 4Runner that I bought brand new in ‘97. Has about 250K miles and runs great. I routinely find notes on it asking if I’ll sell it. Hell to the no! I’ll never get rid of it for any amount of money. ☝️🥴
Son-of-a-B.... My Honda is 1 year old, bought it new, paid cash. I found one, and it's more than just piggybacked onto my OBD II port, it was connected to a wiring harness that disappears behind the driver side left kick panel. I figured out how to get that panel off and traced the parasitic wiring harness to where it was spliced into the factory wiring, removed the dang thing. The "communication"/GPS module (as labeled), it had two LED indicator lights on, even after I disconnected it from my wiring, I opened it up and there was an internal battery... not anymore, pulled out the battery, lights are off so it can no longer do its thing. I'm pissed.... thanks for this heads-up video!
Not everyone has the savvy to go looking for that! So, does this indicate an intention to 'reliberate' the vehicle or retain an interest in it for 'services'?
@cherylm2C6671 It just depends on what you're willing to do without. Does your privacy concern you enough that you would be willing to do without conveniences that you have every day? Piggybacks can be deactivated easily, but meshed, or integrated circuits are a bit more complicated to disable without losing said conveniences.
@@3AN0256 A lot of 'extras' awaken suspicion at first, but the flip side of the coin is that parts monitoring means that someone's bike leaves the floor and comes back to maintenance with the correct bits. 10 out 10 back and no funny stuff.
The dealerships install these so if your automobile is financed and you miss your payments they then turn around and sell that information to the repo Man to come get your car!!!😮
They found this happening out here near me. The mechanic who worked at the dealership was installing them, and following people's patterns, then having his friends go rob the house when they aren't at home. They eventually caught them, but it was a huge ring. The only thing in common with all the people was getting their cars repaired at the same dealership. They finally caught one of the house thieves who turned everyone else in for lesser charges.
I don't doubt this at all. Thieves were calling in Vin numbers to the service manager at a local Chevy dealer, getting keys to the high-end cars and driving away with them.
I call BULLSHIT, nobody is gonna go through that much effort when they could just look on the person's social media to get their habits. Quit making up stories
Thanks bro! My friend was behind on payments so she left her car at my house which is in the hood and to my surprise they were able to find it even though that nowhere on any paperwork was my address linked with this car. I’ll be checking that port tomorrow.
Last year, (2023), my wife purchased a 2019 Nissan Sentra from CarMax and no sooner did she drive it home, the car would not start the next day. Took it to the dealership as the car was still under the factory warranty and after keeping the car overnight, all they did was replace the battery and they could not figure out why the battery was dead. Drove the car home where it sat for another three days and dang if the new battery go dead and the car would not start. Thank goodness for Triple A, we get the car started and take it right back to the dealership. Another two days and they replace the battery again. Yea, the repair guys at Nissan are as sharp as a bowling ball. So, another battery installed and three days in the driveway and it's dead, no start, all over again. This time I did the looking myself and find a little green light under the kick panels at the drivers feet and find something plugged into the backside of the ODB port. Hell, if there is a light, then it has to be drawing current so I unplugged it and untangled it and took it out. Yep, it's a GPS tracking device. I threw it in my scrap box and I still have it. Just waiting for some idiot to show up at the front door asking for their tracking device to be returned. Sorry, not going to get it. In the meantime, the car is on its third new batter thanks to Nissan and no problems with dead batteries any longer.
They will not come looking for that tracker. Dealerships are buying them in bulk for less than $10 a piece. It costs more to uninstall them than the unit is worth, so they just get left in the car.
Recently, when I was shopping for a 4Runner, I had 2 dealerships, a Nissan dealer with one on the lot and a Toyota dealer, both told me that they install these on every vehicle and added $2k and $4k on the sticker price as an add on. I told them I was paying cash and didn't want the GPS and was not going to pay for it. The one dealer told me they have a contract with the company to have them installed and can not take them out, so I walked out.
Mozilla’s latest edition of *Privacy Not Included reveals how 25 major car brands collect and share deeply personal data, including sexual activity, facial expressions, and genetic and health information
@@davidbeppler3032LOL - Tesla has been busted sharing videos internally of people banging in the garage near the car. If you think Tesla respects your privacy, you're wrong.
Somewhat related story - I’ll never forget buying my first ‘brand new’ vehicle. I was very explicit they did NOT drill holes in my new $30,000 trunk lid to install a dealer ‘advertising’ logo plate. I said its my car - not your free roaming advertiser! When I came back to pick it up the bastards had ignored me and done it anyways. I was barely 23 yrs old and they just walked all over me. I’ve hated the ‘car dealer attitude’ ever since, as though they hold some high power position for the government or something. You see these clowns dressed like lawyers or doctors in five piece suits…. their self image is a joke - your just a salesman
Just bought my car brand new last week outright. And I just found one in my circuit edition. Needless to say it's now being tracked all the way to the dump. Thanks for this video.
@@gregparrottThey cannot do anything about you removing something illegal from the vehicle. If I ever find something like this on my vehicle, the dealership wouldn’t exist any more, and neither would their employees.
@@gregparrott The guy bought it outright and it's his to do whatever he wants to with it. Since the tracker was on his car included with the sale and he owns that car 100% then he also owns that tracker free and clear. I'll bet you sh!t bricks whenever you see the do not remove tag on your mattress.
I’m a Toyota apprentice tech and I’ve never seen tampered obd ii ports or us installing any piggy back obd ii trackers. This shouldn’t happen and that dealer should get a lawsuit
@@ninjalectualx I’ve heard about other dealers doing sketchy stuff but I’ve only found those obd ii plug ins from insurance companies when working on customer cars at our shop. Anyone found to do anything bad would be fired
The stealership I bought my used Corolla from insisted on installing a Lojack in the car. I insisted they didn't. They finally agreed to not install it, then when I went to the tire shop for a new set of tires tried to plug in their diag tool to reset the TPMS system, I found the Lojack installed and operating anyway. I removed it. Eventually I got a refund on the Lojack they charged me for and buried the fees in the deal, but it was a hassle.
That is a Phillips Vehicle tracking device Arrow-VI or Arrow-GQ. It's designed so the bank can more easily repossess the vehicle if the loan is not paid. It's as simple as that.
Buddy of mine was never told that there was a “ kill switch / tracker” installed in his vehicle.Something was draining his battery. He took the car to a mechanic and was told they found a device like yours. its used if you miss a payment to disable your car and can find it and repo it. The mechanic did some research and it seams this is normal practice by some auto dealers . Ive had all 3 of my cars checked all is good. My issue is this thing is still active when your car is payed off. They wont call and say hey we want our tracker back. Guaranteed it’s built into your loans. By the way my buddy did have it removed on the spot and within a few days the dealer called said they need to check the car out “ some recall “ lol he has a lawyer now. It’s a waiting game now.
"thing is still active" -> those things are designed to be on all the time. There is no "deactivation" for them beyond removing the power. Thing is I remember seeing a story from a few years back where a dealership fired a sales guy and forgot to do a password rotation/reset afterwards. Guy logged back in about 2 weeks later from a local library and just remotely triggered all of these to lock down their cars all at once. Those next two weeks were hell for that dealership. On the flip side: they managed to catch the guy and he's now in jail.
@@danielmills7972 wrong person in jail. It should be the owner of the dealership and all involved in the deceptive practices. The worst part is now we need to bring our NEW CARS to a mechanic before buying them.
Well he wasted money on a lawyer if he lot financed it its perfectly legal for them to do so because its not his car till its paid for. What a waste of money on something so minor.
@@danielmills7972 Uhh yes there is deactivating them.. its run on gps and the company that uses these devices has to pay a monthly fee similar to a cell phone...... So yes you can deactivate them without having to unplug it. But hey you must use them daily and know more than anyone else huh? WOW
My brother bought a used car from a dealer and played cash. One day after a year or so, he called me to repair his car. It would not start. I found a device under the dash that disabled the starter if the dealer called a phone number. He owned the car with all papers. I removed it and his car worked again. Lucky for him it was at home when it quit. Lots of dealers use them to keep people from skipping out without paying. I kept the box.
I used to work at a dealership that used, "on time" devices. This was to protect the dealership asset if someone with not so good credit was to finance the car. Put in a code and you can drive the car for a month. Put in another code and it deactivated it entirely. I forget the code.
yep, the more things like this that keeps happening we are going to start hearing about people and kids being assaulted by people tracking these things.
Nothing to do with stalking or invading privacy. Everything to do with being able to get an asset back if someone stops paying. Imagine you’re a mom and pop car lot. How many cars can you afford to lose before you go out of business? There’s no guy sitting at a screen somewhere watching everywhere you drive but if you miss a couple payments that tracker will be pinged by the lienholder and that car will repossessed.
Seeing this makes me have more appreciation for old cars, why not to tear them up and keep them goin. That old school 1960s truck completely rebuilt from a rotisserie for $17500 seems more appealing.
I have a nice collection of these (spent time working @ an auto auction ) I found three on one car, Granted one was from an insurance company and clearly visible but locked into place but the other two were hidden and piggybacked off each other and the OBDII port. it was a pimped out 2022 civic stuck in limp mode, after cutting the insurance tracker free and checking codes it appeared it needed a new ECM and BCM as it had more codes than a hospital full of hypochondriacs AND the OBDII port was purple as well as riveted in, I went deeper and found not one but two in line trackers. after pulling both of them out and re-attaching the proper OBDII port I was able to clear the codes and the car ran like a champ.
@@battokizu as far as I could deduce 1) insurance 2) owner installed tracker for theft 3) dealership / seller repo tracker. #3 was deep and cable strapped tight. #2 was just kinda tucked in. And #1 was just plugged in exposed and cable strapped to the exposed port.
I pulled something like this out of a coworkers vehicle. And that instance, it was installed as it was a financed used vehicle purchased by someone with bad credit. The company could disable your vehicle if your payment was late, etc. I removed it for him and told him, it’s free of charge, I love helping people out.
This literally happened to my friend the night before it started snowing in February 2021. We couldn't get her car started and she had to spend the entire week at my house with clothes she had on her back.
I've installed several tracking devices, not this style, and not for a dealership or for a mom & pop shop but for a rental car agency, and these devices will drain your battery. They will also give off a beeping noise when the ignition is turned on, will be according to the model and type of tracker that has been installed.
Dealers install these on everything for inventory tracking. They are installed by the dealer when they get the cars off the truck. They usually try to make you pay for it under some anti theft device. Check your price breakdown.
That tracker is to let the loan companies track their cars. However, Toyota has another channel to track you. There's a telematics module built into the car with its own GPS and cellular transceiver to support Toyota Remote Connect, which also conveniently lets Toyota track where you go, your driving habits, and sell that data to data brokers who in turn sell to insurance companies. You can call Toyota to disable connected services, and I'm sure they'll disable the services visible to you, but everything is still in place for them to keep it activated for their own purposes. There's a fuse you can pull (in the under dash box, labelled DCM) to kill it for sure, with the side-effect that it also kills the microphone for bluetooth/handsfree functions in the car.
I'd pull that module right out because knowing how companies are now Toyota will still have power going to it even if you pull that fuse out to get that data.
You can also probably dig in and unplug the can connections. Might allow you to maintain the microphone unless they have it physically wired into the same module
@@glucosewhisperer Nevada Assembly Bill AB356 was passed by both houses and signed into law by the gov and took effect July 1, 2023. I can't find it in the published Nevada Revised Statutes, but you can find the AB356 history and the date it was signed by the Gov. "Section 1. Chapter 200 of NRS is hereby amended by adding thereto a new section to read as follows: 1. Except as otherwise provided in subsection 2, a person commits the crime of unlawful installation of a mobile tracking device if the person knowingly installs, conceals or otherwise places a mobile tracking device in or on the motor vehicle of another person without the knowledge and consent of an owner or lessor of the motor vehicle."
@@Justin-dy2ib It was powered on in this video. Draining the power. Ergo, it was VERY active. Doesn't matter if nobody was paying attention to it on the far end. The statute makes an exception for a creditor who does it. And for cops with a warrant, of course. And for the manufacturer of the vehicle (so all those internal GPS trackers like OnStar who phone home so GM can sell your data to Lexis-Nexis are legal).
Anthony, I am a car guy but I also care about intrusions in our privacy. Thanks for posting this and following up with more videos. Also, I'm sure you know to ignore the few simpletons questioning and/or attacking you.
Same! ALL new cars sell your data without your consent. That's why I drive 15 year old cars because the only wifi being used is my phone. And I only use it for maps. The rest of the time is that it's in a faraday bag.
As a mechanic that is fully aware of this scheme, it is a tracking device in case you stop making payments on the vehicle. That way the repo guys can dial in your location and tow your car in the middle of the night. Look for wires hooked up to the starter as well. It is a way to disable the vehicle remotely. Dealership is not your friend! Updated edit: Yes I'm fully aware he paid for it. And sometimes they "forget" to remove it. That's on the dealership. I'm just trying to bring this to light guys. Go ahead and sue them for a million dollars. I just hope you read ALL the multiple pages on your agreement with the dealership. Because if you blindly signed off on all those pages, you can go ahead and present that to the judge, and the judge is going to say: Well you agreed to the dealership terms. You signed off on it. Case dismissed. Dealership laughs. The salesman laughs. With interest rates. Don't kid yourself. Wise up and buy from private party.
Better yet put it on another car you own if it gets repoed you have a good law suite. Make sure on the contract they aren't charging you extra for LoJack or they disable it in writing
@@theoriginaleb9616 the OnStar system should have its own GPS unit from the company, so Id imagine it'd be more integrated into the wiring harness and body
@@theoriginaleb9616 Pretty sure that if these were to be installed for a valid reason, the customer would and should be informed. No company comes up with beneficial features on/in a product and then decides to hide it and its uses from (potential) customers. That's not how reality works.
I work with these types of trackers for commercial vehicles, 2 tips on spotting them. The braided plastic sheathing on the wiring is one, the other is that most if not all factory OBD ports don’t populate every pin on the connector, there’s usually a few empty contact ports on the factory connector.the gps cables put a connector contact in every port so they cover every possible factory configuration.
Not sure if the auto industry is like the server industry but commonly in high end servers the hardware for advance features is comes in all "levels" of the unit. Then if the customer purchases the additional feature it is just magically turned on despite it actually being there the whole time.
Huh. An elderly neighbor had a paid-off truck that was always reliable, then a few years back she got this weird drain that we could not locate. This did not cross my mind! I have since moved, however, once and a while I see her when I go into town. I hope this comes to mind when I see her next so that I can suggest it to her.
Had that on a 2003 I inherited from my father. Battery would die every few months just sitting at their house. I finally looked at the manual and found it had a factory alarm.No key fobs or flashing led. I would charge it for them when I was there and now use a trickle charger at home. Added keyless entry for less than $10 eventually.
My sister's car had one too. Years after she paid it off the battery started draining overnight. My thinking is that at some point this device had no home to phone back too as they likely got around to pulling it from inventory. The device probably took that as a sign it was out of range and boosted the signal on it's radio and that's when the extra drain kicked in.
Years ago I know someone who was in a similar situation. They came want to get their hardware back. My friend told them "You only leave with it if you wear it as a suppository"
Yep, i work in a body shop and find these ALL the time on customers' cars. Had a few customers pay me to remove them. Had to do it after hours ofc but they all were happy when they took them back to the respective dealerships lol
Purchased a vehicle last year in the UK and, whilst fitting a reversing camera, spotted one of these trackers. Contacted the sales at the garage, and they said it had been disconnected. No, I said I wanted it removed permanently, or you get the vehicle back as it's still live. It was removed.
I used to work for a Chevy dealership in New Mexico and part of my job was installing those GPS devices in cars that were financed..... I assumed because it would make repossessing the vehicle easier in case they defaulted on the car loan. They plug in, in series at the computer diagnostic plug under the dash to the left of the steering column. They are easy to install/or remove. Im fairly certain that ALL new & used car dealerships are doing this.
Do they all go thru the obd port or do they hide them in other places? People start catching on and removing the devices they are going to switch the location to make it harder to find and remove.
When do you think dealerships started doing this? What year? My family has a couple of cars we bought new years ago and own outright, I'd be pissed if they've been here all this time.
@@reallyhappenings5597 Just assume they are : such practices always start sooner than anyone expects : whoever does it first, gains the greatest advantage. (No one is looking for the unexpected.) Don't forget to check after maintenance.
Father’s F-150 had a constant battery drain. Eventually found the tracker after he died. Paperwork said it was leased for a short time before it was sold to him from Salinas Valley Ford. It was a CalAmp device. Even had the matching sticker on the inside of the door.
THIS SAVED ME! I have lojack installed on my F150 and couldn't figure out why my tuner couldn't read my OBD2 port. I had a "piggyback" adapter installed from LoJack on the actual port which prevented my tuner from working. So basically I had to disconnect that adapter so I could have access to my REAL OBD2 port. THANK YOU SO MUCH!
Mozilla’s latest edition of *Privacy Not Included reveals how 25 major car brands collect and share deeply personal data, including sexual activity, facial expressions, and genetic and health information
I don't live in the US, but I discovered the 2011 mercedes vito I owned had a tracker built into a 3rd party immobilizer some previous owner had installed. I didn't initially realize this, but after getting fed up with the van eating batteries, I went "bug hunting" and found the immobilizer was directly connected to the tracker box, which served two purposes: to track the vehicle and act as a relay for the immobilizer fob and/or disable the vehicle remotely. I have no idea if the tracker was still active, but it's draining van batteries to death was enough of a reason for me to remove the whole kit and feed it to my woodchipper. On an uptick, the last battery outlived the van!
My mom’s brand new 2023 Odyssey had one as well. I was trying to track down the source of some rattling noise around the dashboard and found that by accident. It wasn’t the source of the rattling unfortunately, but I’m glad I removed it.
Your post is VERY informative!! (Had an old vehicle, so hadn't had to deal with the drama of a newer car, let alone dealing with a sleazy sales rep!) Comments are terrific, too! Doing a service to humankind!!! Happy Thanksgiving, and Solstice/ Christmas/ Kwanzaa/ Etc!!
This happened to my sister years ago. She kept having issues with her car not starting. I went over there to help diagnose the issue and found one of these. I removed it and the problem was solved. She was always on time with her payments and had a good credit score. We never figured out way the tracker was installed.
Crazy I came across this video. I just picked up my 2024 CE this past weekend. I paid all cash. I just went to go check and Sure enough the OBD port was black. Pulled the panel off and sure enough. There was the tracker.
Thank you for this video. Dealer barely breathed the word "Lojack" during our sale for our '21 RAV4 Prime; I didn't pay it much attention at the time, and I didn't remember that until I saw this video. And going back, I did find a 3 year subscription attached to the sale, and yes, I did find one of these trackers attached to the OBDII port and promptly removed it. As a side note, I ended up refinancing through my credit union. The dealer completely ignored all of my inquiries regarding refunds for GAP and maintenance coverage that I was going to roll into the refinancing. Took a 1 star review on Google for them to finally respond, then they held my refund hostage until I took the bad review down. Berlin City Honda in Portland, Maine.
i wish a public place of business that i can just walk into would hold my refund hostage lol. but instead of capitulating, you should have just filed a claim with the Better Business Bureau
Yep, had a dealer try to charge me $1000 for this “feature” to use for monitoring my son’s driving habits. Said it was already installed and they couldn’t un-install. When I said, nope and started to leave, they backed down quickly. Ripped it out in about 30sec. So much for a “complex” install….thieves and used car dealers are synonymous under most circumstances.
That would fall under European data privacy laws, which have real teeth. The US needs a version of this as data sale here is such an issue. @@marioarguello6989
This is not only Germany, this is for the whole EU. It just starts with the break of DSGVO law, even we will start to discuss all of the other European and country based privacy laws, which have been broken.
6 месяцев назад+7
@@Nobodyisperfect-us6pk *GDPR (DSGVO is the german implementation of GDPR, but GDPR is the internationally known term)
Exactly, IF CONTACT AN ATTORNEY IMMEDIATELY/ THEN.GO UP THERE AND LAUGH JN THEIR FACE AS I THANK THEM FOR THE NEW HOME THEY JUST BOUGHT ME! (I'M GONNA CHECK THE JEEP I BOUGHT BACK IN 2019. LORD HELP THEM IF I FIND ONE! )
I'd be tempted to mess with them. Maybe connect it to a 12v source and just have it sitting in the garage for months. Pollute the data they are presumably collecting and selling - no real travels for this one. Then maybe if I was going to fly somewhere and rent a car, I'd take it with, plug it into the rental, drive around that city, then bring it back. They'd wonder how the vehicle leapt across country. Maybe power it back up in the garage, but wrap it in aluminum foil, preventing it from seeing satellites or getting a fix. Do whatever I could to make the data unusable.
@@argonunya6768: You typing in all caps doesn't win lawsuits. It might not even be illegal unless they're actively collecting and selling your data. Just because you or I don't LIKE it doesn't make it illegal.
@argonunya6768 sadly you wouldn't win shit. Guarantee their is wording I. The sales contract that allows them to install that. Court would show you signed the papers allowing it then they would turn the lawsuit back on you for their legal fees.
@@australien6611 With a tracker in your car, is there any reason why they wouldn't collect your data and sell it to insurance companies, oil companies and other interested parties?
Oh, they absolutely could be selling your GPS data. The NYT just had a huge article about phone apps selling your GPS location data to insurance companies. Guaranteed some manufacturers or dealers want to sell your GPS data.
I’m amazed that you can unplug electrical connectors with one hand. It usually takes me using both hands, pliers and a screwdriver, and breaking off at least one of the tabs on the connector just to free up a little wiggle room.
Bingo! I have a 2018 Silverado and found out that Onstar, or the company they contract with sells my driving data to my insurance company! Even if i dont have Onstar active they still track you through the GPS located in the vehicle and you cant deactivate it! Its Illegal and I live in Texas I'm over 50 and still pay outrageous premiums and I haven't had a ticket in over 10 years. But I do set my cruise control at 5mph over the speed limit when on the highway traveling and this gets reported to my insurance, and when I called and inquired about it im considered a high risk driver because of the Onstar Tracking Reports.
Mozilla’s latest edition of *Privacy Not Included reveals how 25 major car brands collect and share deeply personal data, including sexual activity, facial expressions, and genetic and health information
My insurance company uses my phone to track me. If I don't like it, or if I feel the need for speed, I simple leave my phone at home 😱or simply put it in airplane mode.
As an automotive locksmith I've run into this problem many times. The tracker makes it so OBD2 tools won't work. You have to remove it 1st. Many guys assume there is something else wrong with the vehicle.
I payed cash in full for a Tacoma and there was one in and it was on. It was wired in a little deeper than the one you removed. I had found the one they put in my Tacoma by accident while installing additional running lights... The stealership did remove it for me, initially they refused to do so until threatened legal actions, because in Texas they cannot install these devices without informing you through signed documentation, which they did not do...
I bought a used 2016 Toyota Sienna a few months ago and looked to see if it had a tracker a few days after purchasing it. Found one right away plugged into the OBD2 port just like in your video. I also found a SECOND tracker a week later when wiring in my dashcam.
technician here, this a lo-jack system, its a gps tracking device installed in every new car that enters a dealership (depending on the dealership). its used by the dealerships bank to locate the car for repossession if the client failed to make payments when they leased or financed it, or to locate it incase it has been stolen during the lease/Finance. We as technicians don't know which cars are leased or bought out, so we install them on every new car when that comes in we do PDI's by the dealerships request. its the salespersons responsibility to let us know which car is bought out in full so we can remove the lo-jack system for when the customer gets their car to avoid this very situation. as to why this specific dealership lied and failed to remove the device, idk, it should've been taken care of way before you got it. hope this clarifies some confusion Edit: let me clear up some confusion since apparently people still don't understand what's happening, the Lo-jack system isn't used by the Dealership, it is used by the bank to track the car IF it is LEASED or FINANCED (Leasing a car is just a fancy term of saying "renting" a car, and finance if you're gonna make payments on it instead of paying it out in full). The dealerships turn the Lo-Jack access over to the bank once a deal is made for Leased or Financed customers (why do you think they know where the car is when you miss payments and ultimately catch you at a gas station or your house late at night?). If the customer out right buys out the car (pays in full the same day or in advance) the sales person has to try to sell the service to the customer (once bought, the customer gets full access to the device and the only way to get access to it afterwards is through Lo-Jack themselves not the dealership), if the sales person fails to upsell the service upon signing paperwork, they have to let us Technicians know to remove the device completely. Also, once a Finance customer finishes paying off their loan with the bank, they can come back to the dealership to have the device removed or pay for the service and keep the device (most people just remove it). I can't explain this more than i already did, so if you still don't understand, then maybe don't comment. And for those saying "that's a lawsuit" it isn't, it's stated in the paperwork that YOU signed and consented to, that the vehicle will be tracked by the bank if you Lease or Finance the vehicle. Again if you financed the vehicle and finish paying it off, you can have it removed at the dealership afterwards. Lease customers will never have this option as they need to return the vehicle after the lease is over.
another thing that i just learned through my service advisor, when the finance person tries to sell you the Lo-jack service, they're basically trying to sell you the access they have to the device, otherwise without that sale they won't give you access to it. so essentially you get the free gps device without access to the service itself. also, some dealerships still use the old style lo-jack device, which still works just fine in 2024, and those older devices come with a sim card installed that enables the gps side of the device, if you ever buy another car in the future and they forget to remove the system, you can take the sim out and use it on a burner phone for free service lol, depending on how long it takes for them to notice. anyways, i hope this helps and cleared out any confusion.
I don't care why they'd put one in my car. If I find one it's mine to keep, and the dealer will have a lawsuit. It doesn't matter if I own, lease, or am making payments to own the car. This is not OK at all, unless the customer specifically asks for it. In that case the tracking is for the customer not the dealer.
This kinda shit is why I have trust issues. It’s also why I drive a 92 Ford Ranger. I put $5K into it two years ago. Engine swap from a trusted shop, clutch, brakes, full suspension rebuild including all rubber bushings for the body and frame. Got the seat refurbished so they are nice and comfy. It rides like a new truck and I paid the rebuild loan off two months ago. Best investment I’ve ever made.
@@koekum Bikes are also awesome. I got a mid-/late-90s cross-country bike for the same amount I spent on a replacement SLR saddle (and also-excellent XT Trail pedals). Anyway, new cables & housings and brake pads; A couple of years later, new chainrings, cogs, and two chains (one month with one, to break it all in, and get a basic stretch on the chain, so it meshes the drivetrain wear level by the time the second chain's stretched out). Old grips, terrible fork, slightly scuffed polished aluminum components... It's a total sleeper with outstanding geometry and handling at all speeds (except for the terrible/unpredictable fork lol so, road-only). TLDR: Bikes are good. --> Lock the frame AND the rim--together--to the [hopefully] uncuttable anchor point. ... Saddle & sestpost come indoors, every time.
That's why I love my old car that is without electronics, people ask me why I don't get a newer car but I prefer not to have them spying on me even when I go out my mobile stay at home.
they just add em when you send em for inspection/repairs. also there's camera's everywhere, you use your liscece for everything and have a phone, they already track where you are.
I can’t help but think that’s grounds for a lawsuit… Like if your financing with a company that requires it, then yeah you have to agree but If you were all cash, that’s a privacy violation for sure
I worked at a dealer as a mechanic, most the time they will put these GPS trackers in every vehicle for a couple of reasons, one if someone steals the vehicle from the lot, two for people who's credit is not the best and last to check on where a vehicle been on a test drive either by sales, mechanic and so on. It's cheaper for them just to put them in every vehicle when they do inspection/repairs. Most the time they take them out when the vehicle is sold or traded to another dealership.
I'm an ex Toyota mechanic and I can assure you that that is LoJack. I was told the customer pays for it and agrees to have it installed into their car. I don't know if that's true or not. I just did what they tell me to do. There should be a sticker under the hood of your car next to the Vehicle Emission Control Information label (at least that's where I always put it) with some info about the device. It always felt strange to me having to install that device in different Toyotas simply because it seems like it would be difficult to steal any new car. It's not a KIA.
Lol that's some sneaky ish right there. I bought a 14 accord coupe v6 from a mom and pop dealership way back when and noticed the battery kept getting low when it was parked for more than a couple days. Finally popped the hood to see if the terminals were loose and discovered an extra wire coming off the battery terminal. Traced it and found a tracker zip tied to a hose. Needless to say that tracker wound up in the trash at an Autozone in town and i didn't have battery issues anymore after that.
@@CaptainJimNoss Mozilla’s latest edition of *Privacy Not Included reveals how 25 major car brands collect and share deeply personal data, including sexual activity, facial expressions, and genetic and health information
Mozilla’s latest edition of *Privacy Not Included reveals how 25 major car brands collect and share deeply personal data, including sexual activity, facial expressions, and genetic and health information
Okay this was really interesting and very useful. I have a vehicle which I had to have the engine replaced a few years back. I had a catastrophic engine failure (a screw used to attach a rod to the crankshaft failed and the rod went through the side of the block!) and had to have a crate engine installed. But ever since that service I've had an ongoing issue with battery discharge. I was never able to track down what the source of that was. Note, the car was totally paid off at the time that this happened. Everything is in my name only. No car loan, no liens... nothing. I've had to replace the battery in this car several times, due to it discharging repeatedly. I always assumed that there was a wiring fault that was created during the engine block replacement. I ended up putting in a cutoff switch between the battery and the distribution block, and a bluetooth battery state monitor that transmits to my phone, just to prevent the current battery from failing. I thought I'd have to run the entire wiring harness of the entire vehicle to find where the issue was. But then I saw this video. So I thought I'd give it a look. Guess what's in my car? The exact same thing that you just showed me. I have no idea who installed the thing. It could have been at any time though it seems the most likely time would have been when the engine block was replaced. However it's entirely possible that an ex-girlfriend of mine could have had it installed. Or any of a number of ridiculous bad actors I suppose. As far as I can tell there's no way to track who originally purchased this device. But yeah, I have a vehicle, which is entirely in my name, which no one had any lawful authority to install one of these devices in, which caused me huge amounts of problems over years, and which I've just discovered what serms to be the exact same device you've shown us, as a result of this video. I really never imagined that you could hijack the OBD port to do this. I really, really want to find out who put this in, and why. 🤬
Prior Restraint! Should be against the law! They assumed this car was going to be financed and had this thing pre-instaled and didn't bother to uninstall it when you bought the car without financing. Good catch!
This is bad behavior and should be illegal if it isn't but it's not "prior restraint" - that's a 1st amendment issue involving the government censoring speech.
@@billhamilton7524 yep, we’ve given up our 5th Amendment right to remain silent a long time ago with the cell phone. The more apps you have, the less silent you are.
Mozilla’s latest edition of *Privacy Not Included reveals how 25 major car brands collect and share deeply personal data, including sexual activity, facial expressions, and genetic and health information
I would say kick backs from the banks that hand out the loans to the buyers. It makes it easier to find the car if they need to repo it. This is common practice at buy here pay here dealers. Looks like new car dealership use them too now. Its either that or an addon feature for road side emergency functions, lowjack and stuff, who knows with so much bull tech they keep adding to cars now days..
As a telematics tech I can tell you 100% that it's a GPS tracker as well as a data logger/reporter. Whoever has access to the backend dashboard can see everything from turn signal and seat belt use to throttle and brake application percentages. It's also equipped with a gyro to sense g's. Depending on the unit it can also work in conjunction with oem adas.
As a car dealer who sells and installs this product in hundreds of cars per month I can tell you 100% that it can't do any of that. All it shows is speed and location data. If the customer does not pay for the device/plan we report it unsold and it comes off our dashboard. We have hundreds of them in our dash, the 3 people at the dealership that have access to it purge nosales often to keep it clean. Nobody is tracking you and it's certainly not the manufacturer, if you bought a car from a franchise dealer they don't hold your bank note so they're not using the device to repo your car either, everyone calm down with the conspiracies, it's just a product that we sell not stealing your freedom lol.
That is, or used to be, pretty common with dealerships, particularly ones with multiple dealers and one owner. They pay next to nothing for those add-ons, sell it as an expensive option, then if it doesn't sell, they just leave it in the car so they don't have to pay someone to uninstall it. Back in the 90's, I worked for such a dealership, and installed their own branded keyless entry alarms and daytime running light modules (at the time DRLs were not common). The units I installed were absolute garbage, and they weren't paying much for them, and my labor to install them cost many times what the parts cost. Every new car was done within a day or two of hitting the lot, and if they didn't buy them in the finance office, they just weren't given remotes and the toggle switch for the DRLs was turned off.
My alarm guy found one installed in my truck. He didn’t remember seeing one when he was installing my remote starter . We took it out and we really said how strange this was
I just heard something yesterday about car owners unknowingly being tracked by GPS and the info was being sold to insurance companies so they could find a reason to charge a customer a higher rate.
Unknowing isn't always the thing. My insurance first had an extra discount if you had such a beacon on board (works via bluetooth) and dashcam, for a total discount of 25%. Later the beacon that reads car data became a mandatory thing and if you didn't want it you could cancel the insurance. Coming off the back of 3 crashes that weren't my fault, but my lazy idiot insurer put 50/50, 50/50 and 0/100 but with removal of 'crash free years' (that give a discount) that was a very attractive proposition. All it means is every months or so I get an e-mail explaining that if I were to open their app at all, it would claim the world will explode and 99999 Palestinian baby's die whenever you turn a corner at more than 25 kp/h. 😆 All the rest is top marks for an even higher discount, with the exception of the odd moment of speeding by more than 20 kp/h.
To "go green", they've stopped sending out insurance cards. They want you to download the app and use that as identification (paper is still, by law, required as a valid proof of insurance). Zero chance it doesn't track your driving.
"We're sorry, Mister Smith, but according to our data you were driving 56 mils per hour in a 55 zone when the drunk driver T-boned you, so we are denying your claim."
@@bradcrane4527 Thanks man! The claim was they are installed at all of their dealerships and activated depending on the circumstance. Either way, its out of mine. I removed it that first night. With my wife as the driver, it makes me feel better.
my 2009 vw beetle i bought with cash from a dealership has always had a loose port. good grief. i think i know what i'm gonna find when i pop that panel off tomorrow.
Rule of thumb from a Toyota tech: if your OBD connector is any color besides white, check for an add on dongle. No matter what model you buy, the connector should always be white. We dont install these at the dealer I wrok at, but I have run into it on dealer trades and vehicles bought at other dealers.
@@jeanmillburg3343 There is no way in hell a car manufactures in 2008 doesn't have a computer or any "software" on it. That was just a silly thing to say.
Yeah bud, I know I am volatile enough that if I found something like that, there would be chaos at the dealership. You are a much calmer individual than I will ever be.
![Chevy Ripped Me Off: Undercover Investigation [TRUTH REVEALED]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/5R-KDCfm3qo/mqdefault.jpg)
![Felix "Unfair" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Oswujxm2Ag0/mqdefault.jpg)
Oh for everyone saying "you financed the car". I bought my car cash brand NEW and didn't sign up for any tracking services. And I still found one under my dash hooked up to my OBD II port. Light was still one so it clearly wasn't deactivated.
Yeah me too. The hastily applied gps antenna was the tell. I hooked it up to a laptop power supply in my garage, on a Christmas light timer. Drove that car only 15 minutes a day.
I bought my car straight cash as well. Just looked and I had one too. Needless to say they will be tracking it straight to a garbage field now.
It may be the dealerships insurance requires them to install them on their entire inventory, , keep track of inventory . Installing them may also lower the dealerships insurance premium.. the devices are so cheap they didn’t bother to remove it. Technically the device can be considered part of the anti theft package that they charged you for. Therefore no need for them to state that a third party gps was installed. Dealerships are tricky that way
It wouldn’t matter the bank doesn’t own the car you own it until you default on payment then the bank owns it. If the bank owned the car the entire time imagine the insurance they would need to take on the responsibility of all the people out there driving their cars
You don't read your purchase agreements do you? You agreed to it when you signed. As long as the bank's name is still on the title they still own the vehicle.
The installation of tracking devices in cars without the express permission of buyers should be made a criminal offense.
it is, it's called a violation of your constitutional rights of illegal search.
@@marvthedog1972 No, simply because conduct is unconstitutional does not mean that criminal penalties apply to it. You haven't read about the arrests of e.g. GM executives for doing this because they have not occurred.
I had a gps tracker in my Honda element and they told me about it since i wasn't seedy. Apparently people have been buying the vehicles and selling them or taking them to Mexico. So please don't get too angry with them for protecting their vehicles till it's paid off.
@@marvthedog1972
It's not an illegal search if they don't search the vehicle.
They're just keeping tabs on it so they don't outright lose the car to thugs that take the car to Mexico or try to sell it to an unsuspecting buyer.
@@marvthedog1972 no its not. 🤦♂️🙄
That dealership is lucky that nobody's brought one of their GPS trackers back to them and physically inserted it into the service manager.
I'm literally laughing out loud at that one... I LOVE IT!
You sir, have won the Internet with that comment! 🤣🤣🤣
WHY NO CLOUD AUDIO/VIDEO? WILL RUclips FUND THIS INSERTIONS WITH AUDIO?
Why? It isn't any harm to the owner.
@@jmackinjersey1💩🧠
Check the gps for a SIM card.. you might have a free simcard that you can use on an extra phone.. it'll take them forever to figure out you put it in a phone and disconnect the sim. Also feel free to go nuts on data usage. The sim cards come in bulk and are all connected to 1 account, so if they don't disconnect your sim, the data overages will affect their entire account.
Love it!
Hahaha that's great!
If this is true, I kind of hope I do find a gps tracker in my car
I wouldn't try that stunt. Conversion of that device could land you in court or even jail depending on where you live. If you buy a new car and pay cash for it in full then find one of these you hit the jackpot. Civil suits are a bitch to defend against. Small claims Court is where to start. I would go after them for everything possible.
Someone will settle rather than risk a jury hanging them!
My wife is a flight attendant and travels the world. It would be fun for the dealership to try to figure out why they are getting international roaming charges.
This happened to my wife's C300 Merc. Kept discharging the battery, changed battery twice, finally after a 20 km drive and parked for 2 hours, car battery dead. Finally our mechanic checked all the systems and found a GPS tracker installed by someone because we did not request anything above and beyond the vehicle. No loans or leins on the car, paid for outright at time of ourchase. Since removal, not a single problem. Thanks for exposing this practice.
I wonder if the dealers are getting a kick back from law enforcement to install those.
There must be an advantage for them, or perhaps they're complying with a contract with the manuf. Think those devices are worth $$, the dealers won't be fitting them for free?
@@gerix5539 selling information about you and how you drive to someone? I would actually question the legality of this. Certainly in the EU our data protection laws would absolutely tear this apart. That's why even though my car does have some tracking in (for the application and some of the more advanced satnav stuff) it has to be explicitly enabled by the registered owner of the car. Nobody else driving it with a key can actually disable it...
Someone wants to steal the car
@@GeorgeKennedy-u4rthe banks are requiring them! When the loan is paid off they will remove them
This is very common, unfortunately. About a week after my wife bought her SUV from a used car dealership, I found a tracking dongle plugged into the OBDII port. I immediately removed the tracker and took it into the car dealership (after I cracked it with a hammer). Of course, they denied having any knowledge of any trackers installed on the vehicle and suggested that it may have been installed by the prior owner. I agreed that this could have been a possibility, but cornered him when I stated that the dongle should have been found and removed by their mechanic/technician when they plugged the vehicle into their scanner during the used car “inspection.” He gave me a blank stare and didn’t have an answer.
If dealerships install a tracker on your vehicle for potential “repo” purposes, they should disclose this fact to you.
My wife used to work at a used car dealer. I installed many GPS units in their cars. I asked my wife if the customers knew about them? Was told yes, they open the door for lawsuits if not made aware. But, I did a kickass job hiding them. Never had one disconnected.
I used to work in the dealerships a few years ago and our OEM scanners do not detect things like this.
@@gcross308 you are correct. My high dollar Snap-on scanner doesn't pick them up either.
@@gcross308 I found the one on my wife’s vehicle in under a minute by doing a visual inspection of the OBDII port and the wires going to it.
@@gcross308 Yeah, I found it doing a visual inspection. While looking at the OBDII port, anyone with half a brain would have noticed the tracker! They didn’t spend any time trying to be stealthy about it!
OBD-II piggyback sounds like the automotive version of a credit card skimmer at a convenience store.
Yeah they could do a lot more than just track you. They could record exactly how you drive the vehicle. Speeds, rpms, crashes, fuel economy etc
It is completely normal for commercial vehicles. When a driver needs electronic logs, that is how it gets the data. On a personal vehicle, it's a problem.
. Yeah. Had these piggyback plug-ins on van style transit units. It is a way for the bus manufacturer to tie in their electronics to the Ford, GMC, Dodge OEM electronics.
damn even looks like it too
Amen
I'll one-up you... I ordered a new F-250 from Ford through Young Ford Morgan, Utah. When I got it, they tried to charge ME $400 for the LoJack that THEY installed "to track ALL our inventory we have". I said NO, so they said okay, we'll cancel the sale. This was in 2022 with the country-wide chip and auto shortage so all vehicles were in high demand, and I'd ordered through their Military "X Plan" with a discount. Of COURSE they wanted to cancel the sale, that way they could resell it with a $20,000 dealer markup.
I ranted and raved enough to have them knock half the $400 off and give me two free years of that LoJack. I didn't find out until a year later that what they did is a violation under the Fair Trade Act. If I'd have known, Young Ford Morgan, Utah would have been in court in ten seconds.
The ONLY reason I agreed to pay extra is because it would negate THEM from getting that extra $20,000. I also cancelled my Dealer Financing by getting a Credit Union loan to pay it off so the finance guy at Young Ford Morgan, Utah would NOT get his bonus from selling a dealer-backed loan as it had to be in place for six months.
NEVER EVER USE *YOUNG FORD, MORGAN, UTAH.* Criminals!
I don't live in Utah, but your message is heard. If a random caller or anyone ever asks, I'll tell them this. Isn't the internet great ?? I do have a transit, and I will look, just to be sure.
I had a bad experience with Young Subaru in Ogden. I won’t use them anymore.
@@TroyCunninghamPhotography Yup, never do business with any YOUNG dealers. They're all bandits and thieves.
I almost bought a new 2022 Yamaha TW200 from Young Power Sports in Ogden Ut. They tried to sell me on a 3 year battery warranty and other unnecessary extras. I ended up buying my bike from a mom and pop dealer for almost $1,000 under what they quoted. I will never set foot in one of their dealerships again.
This is why I don't buy new garbage cars cause of shit like this
This isn’t Toyota tracking the car, this is a shady dealer practice tracking the car. I’m betting they install them in all their cars and one of two or three things is happening. One, they (at least try to) upsell “LoJack” services to every car buyer. Two, they get buyers better finance/lease rates from non-Toyota lenders. Or three, they pocket a small percentage from non-Toyota lenders because they can track their financial interests. All of these things are shit.
They tried to charge me for one as well. I told the dealership, I didn't order it, and I don't want it. They didn't charge me, but I bet its still in the car! Its winter here in SLC. I'll check for it this spring. Maybe it can be sold on Ebay?
Had the Same thing happen on a Ford. When it went in for a Pollution Inspection. They told me, they couldn’t pass it till I removed the GPS Tracker. I’m like what, it passed when I first registered the Ford. Sure enough it had a Tracker. Was put on when some Recall work was done. After I removed it, got a call from the local dealer about two weeks later. They wanted their tracker back. Told them I didn’t know what they were talking about.
I think I would've told them I sold it. After all it is part of your car, isn't it?
_Told them I didn’t know what they were talking about._ nyuk nyuk nyuk... PERFECT! #FookDaStealerships!
I’m a Ford Technician, I hate those things. They make it impossible to diagnose the car.
@pabloescabar1038 why are they putting it in without customer consent?
For the dealership, I would have told them to stuff it, it's mine now. If they insisted I would have documented and photographed it all over, inside and out, and then smashed it to small bits with a large hammer before returning it. Do you think they would sue you for breaking their tracker? It would be an interesting suit.
FYI most dealers are doing this and selling your gps/driving data to insurance companies. There is a big court case on this right now, so I have heard.
Really ??? I wondered why would they do that
They are mostly for easy repo.
@surronzak8154 Repo!! Easier to track and take back!😂
@@nightneko5131 It's brake not break which has an entirely different meaning.
@@heavystarch100it's more than just repo
I purchased a year old Acura in 2022 from Toyota of Murfreesboro (Tennessee). In addition to some pretty dodgy sales practices (they wouldn't provide a Monroney label), they also installed a tracker just like yours which I happened to stumble across within a few days of purchase. I returned it to the dealership. They denied having knowledge of it. Obviously, I should have destroyed it instead. Love the Acura but Toyota of Murfreesboro, not so much. Thanks very much for this rather important public service post.
Is that an American made piece of crap car? 😂😂
I bought a used 2016 Subaru in May from a dealer. They tried to sell me a anti theft tracker device for $900, when I looked up the brand name it showed the device only cost $60. I refused and they said it would be removed. Having just now watched this video I checked, and sure enough, the device was still in the car just like in this video. Thank you for making this video.
It's more evil then you think, Mozilla’s latest edition of *Privacy Not Included reveals how 25 major car brands collect and share deeply personal data, including sexual activity, facial expressions, and genetic and health information
Was it by chance a hyper blue brz?
It cost them $10 per unit max... and they probably selling the data that's why they left it in...
they do it for all cars in every dealerships inventory. people who dont work or never worked at dealerships have no fuckin clue why they do anything. customers arent always right.
@@nomercyinc6783and they're in the wrong every time for doing it to every car without people's consent. Making something standard procedure does not magically make it ok, it makes it worse and it shows intentional, systemic wrongdoing
My son’s Dodge was going dead when we got it and when cleaning the battery terminals under the hood, I found one of these GPS trackers / ignition immobilizers hidden under the fuse box. Was a private sale, but I could see that the car had previously been sold through a used car dealership with a motto that “everyone gets approved!”
Apparently dealerships who do subprime sales often use these devices to track and recover vehicles when the buyers miss payments.
After removing this device, my son’s car never went dead or failed to start!
You are correct. Buy Here Pay heres do it all the time. That wey they can get the car back if payments are missed.
If, more like when
Those places bank on setting people up for failure.
They keep these trackers in your car even after they are paid in full . You have to pay to have it removed.
@@christinedavis8774 Not completely true. I financed a used Tahoe from Car-Mart in Phenix City Alabama. They called me about a week before the last payment was due and asked me if I'd bring the Tahoe in so that they could remove the tracker at no charge. I knew purchasing the car that it was installed because I actually read the contract before signing. If you're not bothering to read a contract before you sign then you don't have much room to be whiney or pissed.
@retirednavychief6983 This really happened to me. I took car back and they said you have to pay for removal. The car will turn off even after it's paid in full.
Like you I was having a problem with a car I had financed. Looking through everything in an attempt to solve it, I found a GPS tracker installed in the vehicle. I removed it and a month later I got a call from the finance company wanting to know if I still lived at the same address. I politely replied yes and asked them if they wanted their GPS tracker back. She hung up.
If you have a GM it has a factory installed tracker. On Star. Your insurance company loves it. It also can get your warranty voided.
Down in the fine print somewhere is a clause about maximum speed. Now why would a insurance subscribe for that?
Why do they even put gps trackers in the cars?
@@kevinburke1325 Because OnStar. One feature is "Crash detection". They get an alert you may have been in a wreck and call you thru the OnStart system in the car. If you can't speak or are unable to provide your location, they know where you are because of the GPS.
Granted, if you CHOOSE not to have/ever have the service, it would be nice to have a way to force the dealer to remove it. They should also have to tell you if removing it would affect any other features -- i.e. if your car has built-in navigation, etc.
:shrug:
Mozilla’s latest edition of *Privacy Not Included reveals how 25 major car brands collect and share deeply personal data, including sexual activity, facial expressions, and genetic and health information
@@vgstbyeah, and you forgot body temperature and blood pressure, and whether your girlfriend is shaved or not… 😂😂😂😂
Ok, on a serious note, stop telling this BS.
Thank Anthony for this video which reveals your dealer installed a GPS tracker on your Corolla which had been paid off.
I'm 65 years old, driving a 2012 Tundra. With all the crap going on with these vehicles, once the Tundra bites the dust, I'm going back to my bicycle.
I'm 62 years old, driving a 1997 Mercedes C230. Runs great. I'm an ex mechanic and maintain the hell out of it. I have 280,000 miles on it now. Until the transmission goes or the engine blows or cracks, I'm keeping it. I have owned many cars in my time, maintained them all. This Mercedes has been the least expensive car I have ever had. I don't care about the misconceptions out there. This 97 Mercedes has been the most reliable, cheapest to maintain and operate vehicle I have ever had. Other than usual items that always go: plugs, hoses, wires, brakes, batteries, etc. All I've done is the water pump, starter, the pulley, cam position sensor, and oxygen sensor. I live in So. Cal., no rust. The Blue Book on it is about 1K, if even that now. But I wouldn't part with it for less than 10K. I'm serious. Not a scratch on it and runs like a top. I'll get another ten years out of it.
That tundra could make a million miles if maintained. I don't see the tt V6 ones making it.
I'm 54 and drive a 2014 Dodge Challenger and a 2010 Tundra and feel the same way. Dealerships get away with this bs because they know the court system does not give a damn and they will never be punished. I'll buy a bike next as well.
I’m an old fart and still drive my 1997 Toyota 4Runner that I bought brand new in ‘97. Has about 250K miles and runs great. I routinely find notes on it asking if I’ll sell it. Hell to the no! I’ll never get rid of it for any amount of money. ☝️🥴
I'm pretty sure many of us will be riding horses in a few years.
Son-of-a-B.... My Honda is 1 year old, bought it new, paid cash. I found one, and it's more than just piggybacked onto my OBD II port, it was connected to a wiring harness that disappears behind the driver side left kick panel. I figured out how to get that panel off and traced the parasitic wiring harness to where it was spliced into the factory wiring, removed the dang thing. The "communication"/GPS module (as labeled), it had two LED indicator lights on, even after I disconnected it from my wiring, I opened it up and there was an internal battery... not anymore, pulled out the battery, lights are off so it can no longer do its thing. I'm pissed.... thanks for this heads-up video!
@3henry214 I was so mad when I found out as well. I immediately began researching and found a work around!
Not everyone has the savvy to go looking for that! So, does this indicate an intention to 'reliberate' the vehicle or retain an interest in it for 'services'?
@cherylm2C6671 It just depends on what you're willing to do without. Does your privacy concern you enough that you would be willing to do without conveniences that you have every day? Piggybacks can be deactivated easily, but meshed, or integrated circuits are a bit more complicated to disable without losing said conveniences.
@@3AN0256 A lot of 'extras' awaken suspicion at first, but the flip side of the coin is that parts monitoring means that someone's bike leaves the floor and comes back to maintenance with the correct bits. 10 out 10 back and no funny stuff.
The dealerships install these so if your automobile is financed and you miss your payments they then turn around and sell that information to the repo Man to come get your car!!!😮
They found this happening out here near me. The mechanic who worked at the dealership was installing them, and following people's patterns, then having his friends go rob the house when they aren't at home. They eventually caught them, but it was a huge ring. The only thing in common with all the people was getting their cars repaired at the same dealership. They finally caught one of the house thieves who turned everyone else in for lesser charges.
Bull.
@@corndog6700 NOPE
Can make this into a movie script for sure.
I don't doubt this at all. Thieves were calling in Vin numbers to the service manager at a local Chevy dealer, getting keys to the high-end cars and driving away with them.
I call BULLSHIT, nobody is gonna go through that much effort when they could just look on the person's social media to get their habits. Quit making up stories
Thanks bro! My friend was behind on payments so she left her car at my house which is in the hood and to my surprise they were able to find it even though that nowhere on any paperwork was my address linked with this car. I’ll be checking that port tomorrow.
Last year, (2023), my wife purchased a 2019 Nissan Sentra from CarMax and no sooner did she drive it home, the car would not start the next day. Took it to the dealership as the car was still under the factory warranty and after keeping the car overnight, all they did was replace the battery and they could not figure out why the battery was dead. Drove the car home where it sat for another three days and dang if the new battery go dead and the car would not start. Thank goodness for Triple A, we get the car started and take it right back to the dealership. Another two days and they replace the battery again. Yea, the repair guys at Nissan are as sharp as a bowling ball. So, another battery installed and three days in the driveway and it's dead, no start, all over again. This time I did the looking myself and find a little green light under the kick panels at the drivers feet and find something plugged into the backside of the ODB port. Hell, if there is a light, then it has to be drawing current so I unplugged it and untangled it and took it out. Yep, it's a GPS tracking device. I threw it in my scrap box and I still have it. Just waiting for some idiot to show up at the front door asking for their tracking device to be returned. Sorry, not going to get it. In the meantime, the car is on its third new batter thanks to Nissan and no problems with dead batteries any longer.
They will not come looking for that tracker. Dealerships are buying them in bulk for less than $10 a piece. It costs more to uninstall them than the unit is worth, so they just get left in the car.
You need to contact a lawyer ASAP.
They will never know you had it. There is no power to the tracking device to send any signal aside from the last place it sent when it had power.
I wonder if it’s their escape clause if the engine comes apart and the GPS says you were screaming around the track at 9000 rpm.
Attach a battery to it and mail it to somewhere in the middle east or the antarctic.
Recently, when I was shopping for a 4Runner, I had 2 dealerships, a Nissan dealer with one on the lot and a Toyota dealer, both told me that they install these on every vehicle and added $2k and $4k on the sticker price as an add on. I told them I was paying cash and didn't want the GPS and was not going to pay for it. The one dealer told me they have a contract with the company to have them installed and can not take them out, so I walked out.
Mozilla’s latest edition of *Privacy Not Included reveals how 25 major car brands collect and share deeply personal data, including sexual activity, facial expressions, and genetic and health information
@@vgstbMy gawd.
@@vgstb Tesla is not on that list.
@@davidbeppler3032LOL - Tesla has been busted sharing videos internally of people banging in the garage near the car.
If you think Tesla respects your privacy, you're wrong.
@@davidbeppler3032tesla is most definitely on that list as of today and has been since at least last year.
Louis Rossmann would rip apart the dealership. This sounds like the dealership wants to sell your GPS data to insurance companies.
Mental Outlaw too
Louis... We really need Louis.
There already phone games and other apps that do this as well.
Please get Louis rossmans attention!
I was wondering why they were spending the cash for those things, and you explained it perfectly, thx. Law suit!
Somewhat related story - I’ll never forget buying my first ‘brand new’ vehicle. I was very explicit they did NOT drill holes in my new $30,000 trunk lid to install a dealer ‘advertising’ logo plate. I said its my car - not your free roaming advertiser! When I came back to pick it up the bastards had ignored me and done it anyways. I was barely 23 yrs old and they just walked all over me. I’ve hated the ‘car dealer attitude’ ever since, as though they hold some high power position for the government or something. You see these clowns dressed like lawyers or doctors in five piece suits…. their self image is a joke - your just a salesman
I would have found the money to remove them, patch the holes and get a paint match.
Just bought my car brand new last week outright. And I just found one in my circuit edition. Needless to say it's now being tracked all the way to the dump. Thanks for this video.
You might want to keep it so they can track it all the way to a civil action (i.e. lawsuit)
Yea this Def a civil rights lawsuit
you should also be speaking with an attorney.. I hope you didn't throw it out.
@@gregparrottThey cannot do anything about you removing something illegal from the vehicle. If I ever find something like this on my vehicle, the dealership wouldn’t exist any more, and neither would their employees.
@@gregparrott The guy bought it outright and it's his to do whatever he wants to with it. Since the tracker was on his car included with the sale and he owns that car 100% then he also owns that tracker free and clear. I'll bet you sh!t bricks whenever you see the do not remove tag on your mattress.
I’m a Toyota apprentice tech and I’ve never seen tampered obd ii ports or us installing any piggy back obd ii trackers. This shouldn’t happen and that dealer should get a lawsuit
Well obviously they wouldn't tell the apprentices about their crimes!
@@ninjalectualx I’ve heard about other dealers doing sketchy stuff but I’ve only found those obd ii plug ins from insurance companies when working on customer cars at our shop. Anyone found to do anything bad would be fired
This.
With all the mods on you car does it still have a factory warranty or did the mods void it
what would the damages be for this lawsuit be?
The stealership I bought my used Corolla from insisted on installing a Lojack in the car. I insisted they didn't. They finally agreed to not install it, then when I went to the tire shop for a new set of tires tried to plug in their diag tool to reset the TPMS system, I found the Lojack installed and operating anyway. I removed it. Eventually I got a refund on the Lojack they charged me for and buried the fees in the deal, but it was a hassle.
That is a Phillips Vehicle tracking device Arrow-VI or Arrow-GQ.
It's designed so the bank can more easily repossess the vehicle if the loan is not paid. It's as simple as that.
Buddy of mine was never told that there was a “ kill switch / tracker” installed in his vehicle.Something was draining his battery. He took the car to a mechanic and was told they found a device like yours. its used if you miss a payment to disable your car and can find it and repo it. The mechanic did some research and it seams this is normal practice by some auto dealers . Ive had all 3 of my cars checked all is good. My issue is this thing is still active when your car is payed off. They wont call and say hey we want our tracker back. Guaranteed it’s built into your loans.
By the way my buddy did have it removed on the spot and within a few days the dealer called said they need to check the car out “ some recall “ lol he has a lawyer now. It’s a waiting game now.
"thing is still active" -> those things are designed to be on all the time. There is no "deactivation" for them beyond removing the power.
Thing is I remember seeing a story from a few years back where a dealership fired a sales guy and forgot to do a password rotation/reset afterwards. Guy logged back in about 2 weeks later from a local library and just remotely triggered all of these to lock down their cars all at once. Those next two weeks were hell for that dealership. On the flip side: they managed to catch the guy and he's now in jail.
@@danielmills7972 wrong person in jail. It should be the owner of the dealership and all involved in the deceptive practices. The worst part is now we need to bring our NEW CARS to a mechanic before buying them.
Well he wasted money on a lawyer if he lot financed it its perfectly legal for them to do so because its not his car till its paid for. What a waste of money on something so minor.
@@danielmills7972 Uhh yes there is deactivating them.. its run on gps and the company that uses these devices has to pay a monthly fee similar to a cell phone...... So yes you can deactivate them without having to unplug it. But hey you must use them daily and know more than anyone else huh? WOW
@@cmo5807 that isnt true, the dealer just has a lien
My brother bought a used car from a dealer and played cash. One day after a year or so, he called me to repair his car. It would not start. I found a device under the dash that disabled the starter if the dealer called a phone number. He owned the car with all papers. I removed it and his car worked again. Lucky for him it was at home when it quit. Lots of dealers use them to keep people from skipping out without paying. I kept the box.
Sounds like they forgot to remove it
smash it!
Has your brother chased it up with the dealer for an explanation?
ha...they're drumming up business for themselves
I used to work at a dealership that used, "on time" devices. This was to protect the dealership asset if someone with not so good credit was to finance the car. Put in a code and you can drive the car for a month. Put in another code and it deactivated it entirely. I forget the code.
Stalking, and invasion of privacy are two things that quickly come to mind
yep, the more things like this that keeps happening we are going to start hearing about people and kids being assaulted by people tracking these things.
Retarded. Every used car has one and only higher ups have access to any of the info it gathers.
Isn't this shit _very illegal_ to do without someone's permission and opens the dealership up to get the shit sued out of them?
Nothing to do with stalking or invading privacy. Everything to do with being able to get an asset back if someone stops paying. Imagine you’re a mom and pop car lot. How many cars can you afford to lose before you go out of business? There’s no guy sitting at a screen somewhere watching everywhere you drive but if you miss a couple payments that tracker will be pinged by the lienholder and that car will repossessed.
Dealerships should be given a class action lawsuit. I am shore there is a lawyer who would like to make a name for his self.
Seeing this makes me have more appreciation for old cars, why not to tear them up and keep them goin. That old school 1960s truck completely rebuilt from a rotisserie for $17500 seems more appealing.
I have a nice collection of these (spent time working @ an auto auction ) I found three on one car, Granted one was from an insurance company and clearly visible but locked into place but the other two were hidden and piggybacked off each other and the OBDII port. it was a pimped out 2022 civic stuck in limp mode, after cutting the insurance tracker free and checking codes it appeared it needed a new ECM and BCM as it had more codes than a hospital full of hypochondriacs AND the OBDII port was purple as well as riveted in, I went deeper and found not one but two in line trackers. after pulling both of them out and re-attaching the proper OBDII port I was able to clear the codes and the car ran like a champ.
in your opinion why would they have 2 trackers?
@@battokizu as far as I could deduce 1) insurance 2) owner installed tracker for theft 3) dealership / seller repo tracker. #3 was deep and cable strapped tight. #2 was just kinda tucked in.
And #1 was just plugged in exposed and cable strapped to the exposed port.
I got no time to play games with capitalists
Louis Rossmann would have a field day with this.
Yes, he would.
@@loum5143 he woulds go nuts
You losers bobbing that clowns knob... He knows fuck all and you eat it up.
Yes he sure would!
Cars are already coming like this from the factory: ruclips.net/video/xb3jGLXw5og/видео.html
I pulled something like this out of a coworkers vehicle. And that instance, it was installed as it was a financed used vehicle purchased by someone with bad credit. The company could disable your vehicle if your payment was late, etc. I removed it for him and told him, it’s free of charge, I love helping people out.
Yes this is the most likely explanation.
This literally happened to my friend the night before it started snowing in February 2021. We couldn't get her car started and she had to spend the entire week at my house with clothes she had on her back.
I've installed several tracking devices, not this style, and not for a dealership or for a mom & pop shop but for a rental car agency, and these devices will drain your battery. They will also give off a beeping noise when the ignition is turned on, will be according to the model and type of tracker that has been installed.
Dealers install these on everything for inventory tracking. They are installed by the dealer when they get the cars off the truck. They usually try to make you pay for it under some anti theft device. Check your price breakdown.
yeah, and when a subscription isn't paid for when you purchase the vehicle, it just sits there, still in the vehicle.
That tracker is to let the loan companies track their cars. However, Toyota has another channel to track you. There's a telematics module built into the car with its own GPS and cellular transceiver to support Toyota Remote Connect, which also conveniently lets Toyota track where you go, your driving habits, and sell that data to data brokers who in turn sell to insurance companies.
You can call Toyota to disable connected services, and I'm sure they'll disable the services visible to you, but everything is still in place for them to keep it activated for their own purposes. There's a fuse you can pull (in the under dash box, labelled DCM) to kill it for sure, with the side-effect that it also kills the microphone for bluetooth/handsfree functions in the car.
I'd pull that module right out because knowing how companies are now Toyota will still have power going to it even if you pull that fuse out to get that data.
You can also probably dig in and unplug the can connections. Might allow you to maintain the microphone unless they have it physically wired into the same module
Shouldn't be on the phone while driving anyway, and there's always hardline connections to get audio into the car sound system.
@LexYeen let me know when you find a way to make a phone call through the cars sound system with a wire lmfao. Good luck
@@DarkAttack14 I use a USB DAC with an aux out and software loaded onto my phone to enable voice commands, it's super easy and can be done sub-$100.
Installing a tracker without consent is a crime in my state. First offense is good for $1000 fine and
which state is that? thx.
Dirty ,dirty dealers
Only if it’s active.
@@glucosewhisperer Nevada Assembly Bill AB356 was passed by both houses and signed into law by the gov and took effect July 1, 2023. I can't find it in the published Nevada Revised Statutes, but you can find the AB356 history and the date it was signed by the Gov.
"Section 1. Chapter 200 of NRS is hereby amended by adding thereto a new section to read as follows:
1. Except as otherwise provided in subsection 2, a person commits the crime of unlawful installation of a mobile tracking device if the person knowingly installs, conceals or otherwise places a mobile tracking device in or on the motor vehicle of another person without the knowledge and consent of an owner or lessor of the motor vehicle."
@@Justin-dy2ib It was powered on in this video. Draining the power. Ergo, it was VERY active. Doesn't matter if nobody was paying attention to it on the far end.
The statute makes an exception for a creditor who does it. And for cops with a warrant, of course. And for the manufacturer of the vehicle (so all those internal GPS trackers like OnStar who phone home so GM can sell your data to Lexis-Nexis are legal).
I drive a T/Corolla professional for the last 16 yrs. When i attach diagnostic obd ll reader, it shows "Monitor: 1"
Could this be the tracker?
Anthony, I am a car guy but I also care about intrusions in our privacy. Thanks for posting this and following up with more videos. Also, I'm sure you know to ignore the few simpletons questioning and/or attacking you.
Same! ALL new cars sell your data without your consent. That's why I drive 15 year old cars because the only wifi being used is my phone. And I only use it for maps. The rest of the time is that it's in a faraday bag.
@@Rab_Cee better wearing a tf hat than an idiot pretending everything is alright
As a mechanic that is fully aware of this scheme, it is a tracking device in case you stop making payments on the vehicle. That way the repo guys can dial in your location and tow your car in the middle of the night. Look for wires hooked up to the starter as well. It is a way to disable the vehicle remotely. Dealership is not your friend!
Updated edit: Yes I'm fully aware he paid for it. And sometimes they "forget" to remove it. That's on the dealership. I'm just trying to bring this to light guys. Go ahead and sue them for a million dollars. I just hope you read ALL the multiple pages on your agreement with the dealership. Because if you blindly signed off on all those pages, you can go ahead and present that to the judge, and the judge is going to say: Well you agreed to the dealership terms. You signed off on it. Case dismissed. Dealership laughs. The salesman laughs. With interest rates. Don't kid yourself. Wise up and buy from private party.
Better yet put it on another car you own if it gets repoed you have a good law suite. Make sure on the contract they aren't charging you extra for LoJack or they disable it in writing
So covert surveillance without your knowledge. Pretty massive infringement on human rights there!! 🤔
That’s what I was thinking. Or a more benign reason: locating for an emergency on star or sos call.
I imagine these have multiple uses.
@@theoriginaleb9616 the OnStar system should have its own GPS unit from the company, so Id imagine it'd be more integrated into the wiring harness and body
@@theoriginaleb9616 Pretty sure that if these were to be installed for a valid reason, the customer would and should be informed. No company comes up with beneficial features on/in a product and then decides to hide it and its uses from (potential) customers. That's not how reality works.
I work with these types of trackers for commercial vehicles, 2 tips on spotting them. The braided plastic sheathing on the wiring is one, the other is that most if not all factory OBD ports don’t populate every pin on the connector, there’s usually a few empty contact ports on the factory connector.the gps cables put a connector contact in every port so they cover every possible factory configuration.
Do they sell the data to Insurance Companies?
@@kendittrick it probably depends on who installed the trackers and what they want the data for
Thanks for the info. I'm checking my car tonight
Not sure if the auto industry is like the server industry but commonly in high end servers the hardware for advance features is comes in all "levels" of the unit. Then if the customer purchases the additional feature it is just magically turned on despite it actually being there the whole time.
Huh. An elderly neighbor had a paid-off truck that was always reliable, then a few years back she got this weird drain that we could not locate. This did not cross my mind! I have since moved, however, once and a while I see her when I go into town. I hope this comes to mind when I see her next so that I can suggest it to her.
Had that on a 2003 I inherited from my father. Battery would die every few months just sitting at their house. I finally looked at the manual and found it had a factory alarm.No key fobs or flashing led. I would charge it for them when I was there and now use a trickle charger at home. Added keyless entry for less than $10 eventually.
I had an F350 that would die for almost a year because the glove compartment light was not turning off when closed. Finally!
My sister's car had one too. Years after she paid it off the battery started draining overnight. My thinking is that at some point this device had no home to phone back too as they likely got around to pulling it from inventory. The device probably took that as a sign it was out of range and boosted the signal on it's radio and that's when the extra drain kicked in.
@@zachscott4867 Had similar, Toyota, boot light not turning off.
Years ago I know someone who was in a similar situation. They came want to get their hardware back. My friend told them "You only leave with it if you wear it as a suppository"
Yep, i work in a body shop and find these ALL the time on customers' cars. Had a few customers pay me to remove them. Had to do it after hours ofc but they all were happy when they took them back to the respective dealerships lol
Purchased a vehicle last year in the UK and, whilst fitting a reversing camera, spotted one of these trackers. Contacted the sales at the garage, and they said it had been disconnected. No, I said I wanted it removed permanently, or you get the vehicle back as it's still live. It was removed.
I used to work for a Chevy dealership in New Mexico and part of my job was installing those GPS devices in cars that were financed..... I assumed because it would make repossessing the vehicle easier in case they defaulted on the car loan.
They plug in, in series at the computer diagnostic plug under the dash to the left of the steering column.
They are easy to install/or remove.
Im fairly certain that ALL new & used car dealerships are doing this.
👍 information
Do they all go thru the obd port or do they hide them in other places? People start catching on and removing the devices they are going to switch the location to make it harder to find and remove.
When do you think dealerships started doing this? What year? My family has a couple of cars we bought new years ago and own outright, I'd be pissed if they've been here all this time.
@@reallyhappenings5597
Just assume they are : such practices always start sooner than anyone expects : whoever does it first, gains the greatest advantage. (No one is looking for the unexpected.)
Don't forget to check after maintenance.
Can someone try taking out the SIM card to a cell phone.
I just inspected my 2023 Corolla GR and found a tracker as well! I went ahead and removed it. Thanks for the letting me know it was there!
Father’s F-150 had a constant battery drain. Eventually found the tracker after he died. Paperwork said it was leased for a short time before it was sold to him from Salinas Valley Ford. It was a CalAmp device. Even had the matching sticker on the inside of the door.
Salas!?!
THIS SAVED ME!
I have lojack installed on my F150 and couldn't figure out why my tuner couldn't read my OBD2 port. I had a "piggyback" adapter installed from LoJack on the actual port which prevented my tuner from working. So basically I had to disconnect that adapter so I could have access to my REAL OBD2 port. THANK YOU SO MUCH!
It's called a Philips Connect tracker. I paused your video when you showed the model number and looked it up.
used one for sale $29 at ebay
handy info, thanks.
Mozilla’s latest edition of *Privacy Not Included reveals how 25 major car brands collect and share deeply personal data, including sexual activity, facial expressions, and genetic and health information
@@vgstb Tesla is not on that list.
@@vgstb mozilla is the one to talk with all their telemetry in their software.
I don't live in the US, but I discovered the 2011 mercedes vito I owned had a tracker built into a 3rd party immobilizer some previous owner had installed.
I didn't initially realize this, but after getting fed up with the van eating batteries, I went "bug hunting" and found the immobilizer was directly connected to the tracker box, which served two purposes: to track the vehicle and act as a relay for the immobilizer fob and/or disable the vehicle remotely.
I have no idea if the tracker was still active, but it's draining van batteries to death was enough of a reason for me to remove the whole kit and feed it to my woodchipper.
On an uptick, the last battery outlived the van!
My mom’s brand new 2023 Odyssey had one as well. I was trying to track down the source of some rattling noise around the dashboard and found that by accident. It wasn’t the source of the rattling unfortunately, but I’m glad I removed it.
We recently bought a 2024 Odyssey. Need to find the rattling too. Guess I’ve got something else to look for…
@@rickbishop3426 We found the source of rattling inside the steering wheel if that helps. I think it was a loose airbag module.
Your post is VERY informative!! (Had an old vehicle, so hadn't had to deal with the drama of a newer car, let alone dealing with a sleazy sales rep!)
Comments are terrific, too!
Doing a service to humankind!!!
Happy Thanksgiving, and Solstice/ Christmas/ Kwanzaa/ Etc!!
This happened to my sister years ago. She kept having issues with her car not starting. I went over there to help diagnose the issue and found one of these. I removed it and the problem was solved. She was always on time with her payments and had a good credit score. We never figured out way the tracker was installed.
It's installed so that if you stop making payments, the dealer knows where to go to repo the car
Crazy I came across this video. I just picked up my 2024 CE this past weekend. I paid all cash. I just went to go check and Sure enough the OBD port was black. Pulled the panel off and sure enough. There was the tracker.
Thank you for this video. Dealer barely breathed the word "Lojack" during our sale for our '21 RAV4 Prime; I didn't pay it much attention at the time, and I didn't remember that until I saw this video. And going back, I did find a 3 year subscription attached to the sale, and yes, I did find one of these trackers attached to the OBDII port and promptly removed it.
As a side note, I ended up refinancing through my credit union. The dealer completely ignored all of my inquiries regarding refunds for GAP and maintenance coverage that I was going to roll into the refinancing. Took a 1 star review on Google for them to finally respond, then they held my refund hostage until I took the bad review down.
Berlin City Honda in Portland, Maine.
i wish a public place of business that i can just walk into would hold my refund hostage lol. but instead of capitulating, you should have just filed a claim with the Better Business Bureau
Did you put it back up?
Id have put it right back up with the update of what went down as soon as I had the money back.
Man what a bunch of jerks.... we just have no respect for each other anymore
Put the review back up por favor. People need to know
Yep, had a dealer try to charge me $1000 for this “feature” to use for monitoring my son’s driving habits. Said it was already installed and they couldn’t un-install. When I said, nope and started to leave, they backed down quickly. Ripped it out in about 30sec. So much for a “complex” install….thieves and used car dealers are synonymous under most circumstances.
You should start your own dealership
You should've glued that to the underside of a city bus. Let them track that!
Or the bottom of a box car ! 😂😂😂
@ElectroAtletico
> You should've glued that to the underside of a city bus. Let them track that!
How do you suggest powering it?
It would be found during the 60 day inspection required on all city buses
I am pretty sure that's a felony.
@@anonnona8099 A RC Car battery can easily be used. Would last a few months.
In Germany where I live, such secret surveillance using a GPS tracker is a real criminal offense...
Sure it is.
That would fall under European data privacy laws, which have real teeth. The US needs a version of this as data sale here is such an issue. @@marioarguello6989
It is in our state, Utah, also.
This is not only Germany, this is for the whole EU. It just starts with the break of DSGVO law, even we will start to discuss all of the other European and country based privacy laws, which have been broken.
@@Nobodyisperfect-us6pk *GDPR (DSGVO is the german implementation of GDPR, but GDPR is the internationally known term)
You are much calmer than I would be if I found this in my car without my knowledge.
Exactly, IF CONTACT AN ATTORNEY IMMEDIATELY/ THEN.GO UP THERE AND LAUGH JN THEIR FACE AS I THANK THEM FOR THE NEW HOME THEY JUST BOUGHT ME!
(I'M GONNA CHECK THE JEEP I BOUGHT BACK IN 2019. LORD HELP THEM IF I FIND ONE! )
I'd be tempted to mess with them. Maybe connect it to a 12v source and just have it sitting in the garage for months. Pollute the data they are presumably collecting and selling - no real travels for this one. Then maybe if I was going to fly somewhere and rent a car, I'd take it with, plug it into the rental, drive around that city, then bring it back. They'd wonder how the vehicle leapt across country. Maybe power it back up in the garage, but wrap it in aluminum foil, preventing it from seeing satellites or getting a fix. Do whatever I could to make the data unusable.
@@argonunya6768: You typing in all caps doesn't win lawsuits. It might not even be illegal unless they're actively collecting and selling your data.
Just because you or I don't LIKE it doesn't make it illegal.
@@rogergeyer9851 if you aren't paying for a service it is you that is being sold...
@argonunya6768 sadly you wouldn't win shit. Guarantee their is wording I. The sales contract that allows them to install that. Court would show you signed the papers allowing it then they would turn the lawsuit back on you for their legal fees.
I just checked the f150 I bought last November. It had a Spireon tracker on it. Not anymore. Thank you for the video.
They are doing that because they are selling your GPS data, without your consent.
No they aren't. Dealers install them on cars bought with finance so if the terms aren't met they can easily repossess the car
@@australien6611 With a tracker in your car, is there any reason why they wouldn't collect your data and sell it to insurance companies, oil companies and other interested parties?
@@BigSlimyBlob hmm i guess not..
@@australien6611 They sell anything and everything.
Oh, they absolutely could be selling your GPS data. The NYT just had a huge article about phone apps selling your GPS location data to insurance companies. Guaranteed some manufacturers or dealers want to sell your GPS data.
I just found one of these in my Lexus thanks to this video.
I have a f-150 that I took in for engine repairs. Since then I’ve had bad battery drain. Three days and it’s done. I’m going looking for this thing!
I’m amazed that you can unplug electrical connectors with one hand. It usually takes me using both hands, pliers and a screwdriver, and breaking off at least one of the tabs on the connector just to free up a little wiggle room.
Obviously it was a staged video
Could this be more about selling your driving data to insurance companies?
Bingo! I have a 2018 Silverado and found out that Onstar, or the company they contract with sells my driving data to my insurance company! Even if i dont have Onstar active they still track you through the GPS located in the vehicle and you cant deactivate it! Its Illegal and I live in Texas I'm over 50 and still pay outrageous premiums and I haven't had a ticket in over 10 years. But I do set my cruise control at 5mph over the speed limit when on the highway traveling and this gets reported to my insurance, and when I called and inquired about it im considered a high risk driver because of the Onstar Tracking Reports.
Your free GPS in your phone does that and sells your information. Nobody reads the fine print.
Mozilla’s latest edition of *Privacy Not Included reveals how 25 major car brands collect and share deeply personal data, including sexual activity, facial expressions, and genetic and health information
My insurance company uses my phone to track me. If I don't like it, or if I feel the need for speed, I simple leave my phone at home 😱or simply put it in airplane mode.
@Really-AintBuyn-nit Do you get your phone for free, or PAY for it? 😅
As an automotive locksmith I've run into this problem many times. The tracker makes it so OBD2 tools won't work. You have to remove it 1st. Many guys assume there is something else wrong with the vehicle.
So they do it so you have to bring your vehicle to the stealership?
@@TheEnigmaticmuse Sounds like it to me.
I payed cash in full for a Tacoma and there was one in and it was on. It was wired in a little deeper than the one you removed. I had found the one they put in my Tacoma by accident while installing additional running lights... The stealership did remove it for me, initially they refused to do so until threatened legal actions, because in Texas they cannot install these devices without informing you through signed documentation, which they did not do...
I bought a used 2016 Toyota Sienna a few months ago and looked to see if it had a tracker a few days after purchasing it. Found one right away plugged into the OBD2 port just like in your video. I also found a SECOND tracker a week later when wiring in my dashcam.
Where was the second tracker and what was it plugged into for power?
@@jazzcattThe 2nd tracker was wired in using quick splice wire terminals and was behind the driver side fuse panel.
technician here, this a lo-jack system, its a gps tracking device installed in every new car that enters a dealership (depending on the dealership). its used by the dealerships bank to locate the car for repossession if the client failed to make payments when they leased or financed it, or to locate it incase it has been stolen during the lease/Finance. We as technicians don't know which cars are leased or bought out, so we install them on every new car when that comes in we do PDI's by the dealerships request. its the salespersons responsibility to let us know which car is bought out in full so we can remove the lo-jack system for when the customer gets their car to avoid this very situation. as to why this specific dealership lied and failed to remove the device, idk, it should've been taken care of way before you got it. hope this clarifies some confusion
Edit: let me clear up some confusion since apparently people still don't understand what's happening, the Lo-jack system isn't used by the Dealership, it is used by the bank to track the car IF it is LEASED or FINANCED (Leasing a car is just a fancy term of saying "renting" a car, and finance if you're gonna make payments on it instead of paying it out in full). The dealerships turn the Lo-Jack access over to the bank once a deal is made for Leased or Financed customers (why do you think they know where the car is when you miss payments and ultimately catch you at a gas station or your house late at night?). If the customer out right buys out the car (pays in full the same day or in advance) the sales person has to try to sell the service to the customer (once bought, the customer gets full access to the device and the only way to get access to it afterwards is through Lo-Jack themselves not the dealership), if the sales person fails to upsell the service upon signing paperwork, they have to let us Technicians know to remove the device completely. Also, once a Finance customer finishes paying off their loan with the bank, they can come back to the dealership to have the device removed or pay for the service and keep the device (most people just remove it). I can't explain this more than i already did, so if you still don't understand, then maybe don't comment.
And for those saying "that's a lawsuit" it isn't, it's stated in the paperwork that YOU signed and consented to, that the vehicle will be tracked by the bank if you Lease or Finance the vehicle. Again if you financed the vehicle and finish paying it off, you can have it removed at the dealership afterwards. Lease customers will never have this option as they need to return the vehicle after the lease is over.
another thing that i just learned through my service advisor, when the finance person tries to sell you the Lo-jack service, they're basically trying to sell you the access they have to the device, otherwise without that sale they won't give you access to it. so essentially you get the free gps device without access to the service itself. also, some dealerships still use the old style lo-jack device, which still works just fine in 2024, and those older devices come with a sim card installed that enables the gps side of the device, if you ever buy another car in the future and they forget to remove the system, you can take the sim out and use it on a burner phone for free service lol, depending on how long it takes for them to notice. anyways, i hope this helps and cleared out any confusion.
I don't care why they'd put one in my car. If I find one it's mine to keep, and the dealer will have a lawsuit. It doesn't matter if I own, lease, or am making payments to own the car. This is not OK at all, unless the customer specifically asks for it. In that case the tracking is for the customer not the dealer.
Ha! And here I thought BHPH lots were the only ones with such low expectations of their caliber customers.
NEVER TRUST SALESMAN
THEY JUST MAKE MONEY OFF OF THE PAPERWORK
It's amazing how clueless people are, to be honest.
Just found a tracker on my car now! I paid cash for mine too. Thanks for this video!
I've been unplugging the same sensor in mine and I only hook it up when going in for service.
Take out the Simcard, free data bundle baby!
I used one from a gps for a ip radio, it still works 3 years later. 🤷♂️
🤣
Lol! Perfect! 😂
That is a good idea. Hopefully it's a 5g sim.
This kinda shit is why I have trust issues. It’s also why I drive a 92 Ford Ranger. I put $5K into it two years ago. Engine swap from a trusted shop, clutch, brakes, full suspension rebuild including all rubber bushings for the body and frame. Got the seat refurbished so they are nice and comfy. It rides like a new truck and I paid the rebuild loan off two months ago. Best investment I’ve ever made.
Still driving my 88 Toyota pickup truck- and did the same! 👍🏽🛠️
That's less than 7 miles a day, get a bicycle
Retard alert
Awesome
@@koekum Bikes are also awesome. I got a mid-/late-90s cross-country bike for the same amount I spent on a replacement SLR saddle (and also-excellent XT Trail pedals). Anyway, new cables & housings and brake pads; A couple of years later, new chainrings, cogs, and two chains (one month with one, to break it all in, and get a basic stretch on the chain, so it meshes the drivetrain wear level by the time the second chain's stretched out). Old grips, terrible fork, slightly scuffed polished aluminum components... It's a total sleeper with outstanding geometry and handling at all speeds (except for the terrible/unpredictable fork lol so, road-only).
TLDR: Bikes are good.
--> Lock the frame AND the rim--together--to the [hopefully] uncuttable anchor point. ... Saddle & sestpost come indoors, every time.
That's why I love my old car that is without electronics, people ask me why I don't get a newer car but I prefer not to have them spying on me even when I go out my mobile stay at home.
pssst there is ways to track you that dont require this.
I leave my phone home too sometimes.
Same with me my 2008 Toyota Matrix just only with automatic locks is all and air conditioning is all I need. No fancy electronics.
@@zazuch
At least you can minimize the tracking.
they just add em when you send em for inspection/repairs. also there's camera's everywhere, you use your liscece for everything and have a phone, they already track where you are.
That unit is a PHILLIPS Vehicle GPS Tracker Control Module Arrow QG 4-6340-10. They are used to keep track of 18 wheelers going cross country.
Thanks for the heads up. I bought my GR Corolla last month all cash. No lowjack service. And I just found a GPS tracker on my car too.
I can’t help but think that’s grounds for a lawsuit… Like if your financing with a company that requires it, then yeah you have to agree but If you were all cash, that’s a privacy violation for sure
@@Jagrav77
They should also be required to remove it after the car is paid off.
Always look for additional GPS trackers. They know you will find maybe 1st and 2nd ones. Look for more! Dealers always have backups.
This product is called Arrow QG and is licensed/distributed by Phillips Connect Technologies
I worked at a dealer as a mechanic, most the time they will put these GPS trackers in every vehicle for a couple of reasons, one if someone steals the vehicle from the lot, two for people who's credit is not the best and last to check on where a vehicle been on a test drive either by sales, mechanic and so on. It's cheaper for them just to put them in every vehicle when they do inspection/repairs. Most the time they take them out when the vehicle is sold or traded to another dealership.
Just want to say that this kind of knowledge being made more broadly known is one of the good things about the internet.
I'm an ex Toyota mechanic and I can assure you that that is LoJack. I was told the customer pays for it and agrees to have it installed into their car. I don't know if that's true or not. I just did what they tell me to do. There should be a sticker under the hood of your car next to the Vehicle Emission Control Information label (at least that's where I always put it) with some info about the device. It always felt strange to me having to install that device in different Toyotas simply because it seems like it would be difficult to steal any new car. It's not a KIA.
Why did they tell you to install these trackers?
Difficult to steal any new car? What planet are you on mate, stealing cars is as easy as ABC, especially keyless ones and most are keyless.
@@joshbacon8241 Repossession. Either by the bank if a customer fails to make their payments, or by the customer in the event the vehicle is stolen.
LoJack doesn't use cell networks - this device is a GPS tracker using cell networks, note the IMEI.
Not LoJack lol
Lol that's some sneaky ish right there. I bought a 14 accord coupe v6 from a mom and pop dealership way back when and noticed the battery kept getting low when it was parked for more than a couple days. Finally popped the hood to see if the terminals were loose and discovered an extra wire coming off the battery terminal. Traced it and found a tracker zip tied to a hose. Needless to say that tracker wound up in the trash at an Autozone in town and i didn't have battery issues anymore after that.
I would have left it there and just cut the power cable.
I would have added a small battery, sealed it in Styrofoam, and pitched into a fast moving river that leads to the sea. Or maybe a weather balloon...
@@CaptainJimNoss Mozilla’s latest edition of *Privacy Not Included reveals how 25 major car brands collect and share deeply personal data, including sexual activity, facial expressions, and genetic and health information
Mozilla’s latest edition of *Privacy Not Included reveals how 25 major car brands collect and share deeply personal data, including sexual activity, facial expressions, and genetic and health information
@@vgstb And you accept that, despite the fact that there is no possible way for your car to record such information. Wow. You really are stupid.
Okay this was really interesting and very useful.
I have a vehicle which I had to have the engine replaced a few years back. I had a catastrophic engine failure (a screw used to attach a rod to the crankshaft failed and the rod went through the side of the block!) and had to have a crate engine installed.
But ever since that service I've had an ongoing issue with battery discharge. I was never able to track down what the source of that was.
Note, the car was totally paid off at the time that this happened. Everything is in my name only. No car loan, no liens... nothing.
I've had to replace the battery in this car several times, due to it discharging repeatedly. I always assumed that there was a wiring fault that was created during the engine block replacement. I ended up putting in a cutoff switch between the battery and the distribution block, and a bluetooth battery state monitor that transmits to my phone, just to prevent the current battery from failing.
I thought I'd have to run the entire wiring harness of the entire vehicle to find where the issue was.
But then I saw this video. So I thought I'd give it a look.
Guess what's in my car? The exact same thing that you just showed me.
I have no idea who installed the thing. It could have been at any time though it seems the most likely time would have been when the engine block was replaced. However it's entirely possible that an ex-girlfriend of mine could have had it installed. Or any of a number of ridiculous bad actors I suppose. As far as I can tell there's no way to track who originally purchased this device.
But yeah, I have a vehicle, which is entirely in my name, which no one had any lawful authority to install one of these devices in, which caused me huge amounts of problems over years, and which I've just discovered what serms to be the exact same device you've shown us, as a result of this video.
I really never imagined that you could hijack the OBD port to do this.
I really, really want to find out who put this in, and why. 🤬
Prior Restraint! Should be against the law! They assumed this car was going to be financed and had this thing pre-instaled and didn't bother to uninstall it when you bought the car without financing. Good catch!
It is against the law.
This is bad behavior and should be illegal if it isn't but it's not "prior restraint" - that's a 1st amendment issue involving the government censoring speech.
@@hallambakeras my father-in-law the judge used to say, an illegal is a sick bird!
I wouldn't be surprised if the dealership got insurance kickbacks to install those.
like ur cell phone ?
@@billhamilton7524 yep, we’ve given up our 5th Amendment right to remain silent a long time ago with the cell phone. The more apps you have, the less silent you are.
Mozilla’s latest edition of *Privacy Not Included reveals how 25 major car brands collect and share deeply personal data, including sexual activity, facial expressions, and genetic and health information
I would say kick backs from the banks that hand out the loans to the buyers. It makes it easier to find the car if they need to repo it. This is common practice at buy here pay here dealers. Looks like new car dealership use them too now. Its either that or an addon feature for road side emergency functions, lowjack and stuff, who knows with so much bull tech they keep adding to cars now days..
They don't get kickbacks per se, they sell the data to insurance companies. Or anyone else who wants to buy.
As a telematics tech I can tell you 100% that it's a GPS tracker as well as a data logger/reporter. Whoever has access to the backend dashboard can see everything from turn signal and seat belt use to throttle and brake application percentages. It's also equipped with a gyro to sense g's. Depending on the unit it can also work in conjunction with oem adas.
It’s commonly used in fleet vehicles as well
I've heard some of these devices are capable of listening to in car audio too.
As a car dealer who sells and installs this product in hundreds of cars per month I can tell you 100% that it can't do any of that. All it shows is speed and location data. If the customer does not pay for the device/plan we report it unsold and it comes off our dashboard. We have hundreds of them in our dash, the 3 people at the dealership that have access to it purge nosales often to keep it clean. Nobody is tracking you and it's certainly not the manufacturer, if you bought a car from a franchise dealer they don't hold your bank note so they're not using the device to repo your car either, everyone calm down with the conspiracies, it's just a product that we sell not stealing your freedom lol.
@@pm2282seems like you just believe what you’re told. Since you’re only an installer.
@@pm2282
So what is the product you’re selling that needs this dongle?
That is, or used to be, pretty common with dealerships, particularly ones with multiple dealers and one owner. They pay next to nothing for those add-ons, sell it as an expensive option, then if it doesn't sell, they just leave it in the car so they don't have to pay someone to uninstall it. Back in the 90's, I worked for such a dealership, and installed their own branded keyless entry alarms and daytime running light modules (at the time DRLs were not common). The units I installed were absolute garbage, and they weren't paying much for them, and my labor to install them cost many times what the parts cost. Every new car was done within a day or two of hitting the lot, and if they didn't buy them in the finance office, they just weren't given remotes and the toggle switch for the DRLs was turned off.
My alarm guy found one installed in my truck. He didn’t remember seeing one when he was installing my remote starter . We took it out and we really said how strange this was
I just heard something yesterday about car owners unknowingly being tracked by GPS and the info was being sold to insurance companies so they could find a reason to charge a customer a higher rate.
Unknowing isn't always the thing. My insurance first had an extra discount if you had such a beacon on board (works via bluetooth) and dashcam, for a total discount of 25%.
Later the beacon that reads car data became a mandatory thing and if you didn't want it you could cancel the insurance.
Coming off the back of 3 crashes that weren't my fault, but my lazy idiot insurer put 50/50, 50/50 and 0/100 but with removal of 'crash free years' (that give a discount) that was a very attractive proposition.
All it means is every months or so I get an e-mail explaining that if I were to open their app at all, it would claim the world will explode and 99999 Palestinian baby's die whenever you turn a corner at more than 25 kp/h. 😆
All the rest is top marks for an even higher discount, with the exception of the odd moment of speeding by more than 20 kp/h.
To "go green", they've stopped sending out insurance cards. They want you to download the app and use that as identification (paper is still, by law, required as a valid proof of insurance). Zero chance it doesn't track your driving.
@@zchris87v80Depends on the state. In Texas, the insurance card on your phone is accepted as proof as long as the dates show it’s current.
"We're sorry, Mister Smith, but according to our data you were driving 56 mils per hour in a 55 zone when the drunk driver T-boned you, so we are denying your claim."
@@zchris87v80
Tech experts have confirmed that cars are tracking driving habits and then selling the data to insurance companies.
Just found one on my GR corolla as well.
I'm stunned by this, I just went out and found one in my wife's Lexus. Service is getting a call in the morning.
@@pushrod4383Love to know what they have to say. Good luck mate
For real?
@@bradcrane4527 Thanks man! The claim was they are installed at all of their dealerships and activated depending on the circumstance. Either way, its out of mine. I removed it that first night. With my wife as the driver, it makes me feel better.
@@remyche8768 for real! Unit is sitting on my toolbox now. Battery removed from the unit of course 😁
my 2009 vw beetle i bought with cash from a dealership has always had a loose port. good grief. i think i know what i'm gonna find when i pop that panel off tomorrow.
Rule of thumb from a Toyota tech: if your OBD connector is any color besides white, check for an add on dongle. No matter what model you buy, the connector should always be white. We dont install these at the dealer I wrok at, but I have run into it on dealer trades and vehicles bought at other dealers.
My Scion port is black. I have no dongle.
Honda cars are grey , my ford truck is black.
@@ksavage681 read the mans words ffs, "rule of thumb from a TOYOTA tech , key word being toyota as this is video is about a Toyota car!🤦
@@lu34lyfScions are toyotas.
@xHICKORYx not all of them. If you have a mazda base platform or subaru, it won't be white.
Some of the most valuable information on the entire net. We all can see big brother becoming a real thing. Bet it's not just Toyota.
This isn't Toyota. This is from the dealer or some kind of aftermarket.
Toyota and the US government aren't even friends.
lol
@@drewa3597this is filler due to the discomfort you feel. good.
Many comments above yours mention Suburu, Ford, Jeep.
This is why i like old cars with no software. 60's & 70's
me also. That is why I am still hanging onto my 2008 Toyota Matrix, still runs like a charm and no software on it.
Me too. Bought our new Mitsubishi Magna in 2001. Still going strong with no bells, whistles or trackers.
@jeanmillburg3343
Those still have computerized stuff.
You have to get pre 90s cars to totally avoid spy tech
@@jeanmillburg3343 There is no way in hell a car manufactures in 2008 doesn't have a computer or any "software" on it. That was just a silly thing to say.
@@GeneralKenobiSIYE
Probably not like they do now.
Oh shit , Do boy came up in my suggestions organically.
@@BrentCRX 😅 ❤️
Yeah bud, I know I am volatile enough that if I found something like that, there would be chaos at the dealership. You are a much calmer individual than I will ever be.
Maybe that's the problem, abusive behavior should be met with equal punishment.