StarGard Tracking Device Found

I had a rattle in the dash area develop a couple days ago. I stuck my head under the dash by the pedals and saw a red and black wire dangling a bit lower than usual. After removing the plastic cover that secures the OBD I found a StarGard tracking device. I didn’t think my truck had one as I declined the $1,000 option for it.

I ripped that crap out and destroyed it. It had some flashing red and green lights. So it was active.

Haven’t driven truck since it’s been removed but I hope that was the cause of the rattle.

Assholes tapped into the wires and left small nicks in them. Covered them with electrical tape.

If you didn’t pay for the tracking, it still may be installed on your truck.

 

Is yours leased?

 

I wonder if you can take hold of that account? Use it for your own anti-theft tracking. I paid for mine aftermarket.

 

If they give you the login info. Otherwise, forget it.

 

Yikes

 

Six bits says the owner put it on, and he's leasing it.

 

Not leased

 

Interesting. Did the dealer finance it?

 

Nope. I used a local credit union

 

I'd ask the dealer why they installed it. Definite BS.

 

First - for the nicks I'd replace the electrical tape with "liquid electrical tape". Clean up the surface with a bit of alcohol and it'll last longer without coming off.

I'd definitely ask the dealer why it was there, but expect the answer to be that it's to protect their vehicles against theft. I doubt they ever remove them - the device likely costs less than the labor to recover it.

That said - although the device was powered and lights blinking, it may not have been sending data. Particularly if nobody was paying for it to retain cellular service. Still best to just remove and destroy it.

Personally I'd also consider posting this info on yelp/google/etc review sites for that dealer. Don't write anything non-factual, don't want to risk a libel suit.

 

Absolute hack job of installation. Those are the worst kind of wire taps. Not only that, but they did it right up next to the connector plug. No bueno.

Thankfully, you found it - GOOD CATCH - and were able to tape up the punctures in the wire sheaths. Inside the cabin, that "repair" should last indefinitely. Best wishes!

 

Troubling. It's too sloppy to be anything but a dealership, but some people are in a line of work where their movements might be tracked by people. If that's you, maybe time to check everything.

 

Put a 9V battery on it and strap it to your local possum.

 

Well, removing it didn’t fix the rattle. Bummer. Still have an annoying rattle in the dash somewhere. Going to be damn near impossible to locate

 

Check your glove box. My hitch pin was left in there and buried under paperwork. Created a nasty rattle but sounded like it was from the back. Just a SWAG, but make sure there's nothing in there that could rattle around.

 

What’s it sound like? I have a really faint rattle too, sounds metal tap, seems like it’s coming from driver side firewall. I tried to locate one time under the hood and wiggled the hood rod when it was down and it sounded similar but can’t reach it and sit inside the truck.

 

Yeah similar. It’s definitely sounds like it’s coming from behind the gauge cluster. Gonna drive me crazy

 

Those jerks don’t even include a hitch pin

 

Assuming you have the trailer hitch, you should have gotten one as I understand it. It's wider than your typical hitch so a normal hitch pin won't fit.