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Installed Trak N Tell GPS tracker & immobiliser in my car: Review, FAQs

2nd January 2024, 13:35 by Utkarsh Chaudhary

I got it for my used Hyundai i20 for Rs 6,500 which included a 3-year plan and fitting charges. The device comes with a 1-year warranty.

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Hello, and thanks for stopping by.

I'd like to share my review of Trak N Tell's vehicle tracker which was installed in our pre-loved Hyundai I20, 2012 variant.

Being our first 4-wheeler, I had a few initial sleepless nights, since we don't have a dedicated parking spot in the society premises, we have to park the vehicle on open road. Would always visit the car at least once or twice a day to check if it's still there or if you know what I mean. Since the RC transfer was still pending & insurance transfer would take even more time, so there had to be a solution to this problem. I would every time take out the car documents after the commute & carry them back home & take them back to the car every time we had to go somewhere.

I had the idea of installing a killswitch in the car (Thank You, Fast and Furious, Mad Max movies), approached a friend of mine who owns a car workshop & asked a senior guy about getting a killswitch installed. He advised against it, i.e. not to cut wires, instead recommended the Trak N Tell device, which has a GPS Tracker + immobilizer function. I was sold instantly & requested to have the device installed on our vehicle, without even asking for its price.

A technician from Trak-N-Tell visited my premises the next day & opened the panel below the steering wheel to unplug wires & plug the accessory. Asked me to download the app & register, and there it was, I could see the live location of my car no matter where it was, and could even check the battery condition (Since there was no warranty card provided by the dealer for the installed battery, probably lost in transit, all I could find is that it was purchased in Jan 22, so should hold up for some time). I get a notification every time the car ignition is on, the car is powered on, the ignition is off and the car is powered off along with live location and the ability to immobilize it.

It costed me Rs. 6,500 for a 3-year plan including fitting (About 20-30 minutes job, or even less), the device comes with a 1-year warranty, and it can be transferred to another vehicle if you plan to shift cars, but I am not sure what it will cost but you can connect with Trak-N-Tell guys. Post 3 years you can get the recharge done yourself through the app, again since it's not even 6M old, I am not sure of the cost for recharge.

The cost comes to less than 200 rupees a month, I mean see it this way "Would you be willing to pay less than 200 rupees a month to know where exactly your car is, be able to immobilize it from anywhere in case of an unfortunate event?", I would, as it ensures peaceful sleep knowing your valuable asset is sharing its live location 24 x 7.

I'll share a few screenshots of the app, cannot show the alerts as it has location details, but the app is pretty good. I can immobilize the car, know the exact location, and share my location with someone for a pre-determined time. I haven't used geo-fencing but will do it some other day.

Yesterday our neighbors borrowed our car for a family function, without hesitation I shared the keys, I kept getting alerts for ignition on and off, where the car was, they used about 12 or 13 kilometers, but I was extremely relaxed, not that they are our neighbours, but because I knew where the vehicle was, makes it easy if you share your vehicle amongst family members/friends.

Some FAQs, which am sure will come up:

Can I install the mobile app on multiple devices at the same time?

I haven't tried it, since I use the vehicle alone so extremely sorry but I have no answer.

Did the technician cut any wires for installation?

Nope, he called me a day prior and asked for my exact model, and year of manufacture so he could bring the unit accordingly, he unplugged the sockets and added the unit in the middle, which took him about 20 minutes or so.

Is the installation visible to any person?

Absolutely not, (though it may differ for others/skill of the technician), but a layman will have zero idea that a tracking device has been installed in an old vehicle. Unless one decides to unhook the panel below the steering (in my case) unplug the device & replug the connections before starting the car which is highly unlikely.

Have you used the immobilizer function?

Nope, the technician advised to use it for emergency purposes only, thankfully there hasn't been one till date.

Does it drain the battery?

I really don't think so, as the battery shows anywhere from 11.2-4V (When switched off) to 12.7-9V (When running), apologies again I am a layman here but I haven't seen 1 bit drop in performance when starting the vehicle post installation of the unit.

Does it have to be recharged constantly/periodically via some power source?

No, it is powered by the car battery, no matter where you are in the world you can see the exact location of your vehicle within the app's map as long as you have internet. I am not sure what will happen if the car battery power runs low, but I am yet to experience it.

Does it void any warranty?

I am not an expert to answer this, since my car did not have any warranty & it was our first vehicle I did not give any thought before making the purchase. You may want to check with your authorized service center team for this if your car is still under warranty, if not, by all means, go for it, we can surely spend 200 bucks a month towards our first love.

Does it impact mileage?

I don't think so, I am yet to measure the mileage of our car (Barely did 250 kilometers in about 2 months)

What happens post 3 years?

You can recharge the unit via app (That's what I was told)

I sold my car & purchased a new one, can I remove the device & re-install it myself?

Can I remove it - Yes, can I remove & reinstall it myself - I will not recommend it as it is better to contact Trak-N-Tell guys to have it done for you, I am not sure of the charges but am sure it will be nominal.

Are there any hidden costs/upsells?

There hasn't been any hidden cost, the 6500 I paid is for complete peace of mind for 3 years, there was nothing to upsell (at least to me)

Can I install the app on the car's Android unit?

I don't see the reason why you have to, since it's supposed to be used on a mobile, but if you can find it in the app store I don't see a reason why you cannot, but again I am not sure if you can install it on multiple places with 1 login.

Does it lower the insurance cost?

Please check-up with your insurance provider, I checked Acko and they offer a 2-2.5% discount if you have Anti Theft Device installed approved by ARAI, since my premium is due in Feb 24 & the discount will come to 120-140 rupees, I did not bother getting into the fuss.

Any other questions?

Please ask I'll try my best to answer them.

P.S. - Although the workshop partner is my friend, I gain nothing if you plan to buy the device from them. This is not a sponsored post by any means, I have paid for the device out of my own pocket & felt I should share the review. In fact, they (Workshop) have a tie-up with Trak N Tell, so they don't sell it directly, they only help you secure your car.

In case you need to get it installed, feel free to contact them.

Name : Mr. Pratik (Autospace)
Contact : 9167773343

The workshop is located in Malad West, Link Road next to Hyundai Showroom. Bear in mind, is not any local corner garage, they have a proper workshop, with a trained team & the owner (Mr. Lalit) has extensive experience in the automobile industry, they have always helped me in making the first pre-loved car buying decision by inspecting it and pointing out the issues (Most memorable one was an Automatic i20 which had water accumulated under the lamination (Felt like I was sitting on a water balloon), replaced bonnet, fully repainted etc, even the dealer was totally unaware about the water under lamination lol, hats off to Lalit Sir for quick observation & saving me from the pitfall). I have seen cars like Thar, Honda City, Skoda, BMW in their workshop so am sure they cater to all segments.

Once again, this is not a sponsored post, nor an ad for these guys, if you plan to get your vehicle serviced from them give them a shot as they have always saved me from buying the wrong car. The post was more to share about the device which is super economical & provided me with complete peace of mind contributing towards my experience of owning a first car.

Below are a few app screenshots, (I do not use the app for anything else than tracking the car's location. Also cannot show some screens since they have proper locations)