Stargard "Service" Required

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hopslover

New member
Joined
Sep 29, 2019
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2
Hi all, this is my first post to the forum.

I purchased my 2017 i3 REX a month ago and have been loving driving it (1,500 miles in one month!). My dealership had just started installing the StarGard GPS stolen vehicle device on all new and used vehicles they sell the same week I purchased my car and charges buyers $695 for this "accessory".

I called this night it was posted online and negotiated the purchase price over the phone. I told them that if it helped price-wise, I'd prefer not to have the device installed. I was told they were sure the device had already been installed, but that they hadn't even had time to detail it yet since it "just came in". I took the car home the next day.

A month later, I get a call from them asking me to bring the car in because they need to perform "service" on the StarGard unit. Really, they need to "service" a GPS device one month after it's supposedly been installed?


1, Does this sound fishy to anyone else?
2, How do I know if this was really installed?


The conspiracy-theorist in me thinks they realized it was never installed and now they're trying to "fix" that before I find out I was charged for something they never gave me.

I've done my Google research and can't find much of anything about this, beyond basic info on what it is.

Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you.
 
Is this a BMW dealership? Did you finance the car through them?

I've heard the tales of these dealership-installed GPS devices which they advertise to consumers as anti-theft devices, but have a dual-use for dealerships to track and immobilize the vehicle for easy retrieval in the event they need to repossess.

Regardless, I can't imagine what "service" they would perform. I'd service it with a wire cutter.
 
All i3s have a built-in gps. They also have a cellular connection. Both are partially integrated with the alarm system. I'm not sure what an add-on system could augment that hasn't already been done by the factory. Sounds fishy to me. They would have to be very explicit on what benefits it provided over the stock system for me to consider paying for it.
 
It's a vehicle recovery system for the Dealer to quickly and easily repossess your vehicle if you stop making payments. My guess is they are laughing up their sleeves as they make the buyer pay for the device. They likely want the car back, because in the rush to get the car ready, it didn't get installed. No benefit to you, other than if you have less than great credit, it is easier to get a loan and better interest rate, if the Dealer knows, that because of the tracking device, they can easily find the car if you default on payments.

Here is the web site:
https://www.stars-gps-tracking.com/?websource=home
 
MKH said:
Here is the web site:
https://www.stars-gps-tracking.com/?websource=home

I believe that the above is not the correct company/link, but this is:

https://stargardgps.com/

It has been a car dealership add-on sale for at least 20 years now, starting with an ignition immobilizer and no GPS function. I'm sure that the dealership gets a commission on each one that they install, which is why they want to make sure that they didn't miss your car.

Here's two web forum threads about their prior generation of ignition lock-out hardware, and how easy it is to bypass:

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/5040-stargard-anti-theft-device.html

http://forums.mustangworks.com/f22/stargard-what-junk-5653/

Anyway, the i3 Owner's Manual is clear as day when it says that thou shalt not install any radio transmitter devices whatsoever into your car, lest it interfere with or damage the on-board electronics. If you have the remainder of the factory warranty (or a CPO warranty), then there's no way that I would let any electrical tape wiring harness butcher near your car to install something that you do not need or want.....
 
I believe that the above is not the correct company/link, but this is:

https://stargardgps.com/

Good catch! :)


there's no way that I would let any electrical tape wiring harness butcher near your car to install something that you do not need or want.....

Ditto :eek:

The potential for them to do damage during the install, or install it in such a was as it eventually causes damage or even just pulls down your 12 volt battery is there. Tapping into the wiring harness on an i3 is NOT like tapping into a normal ice vehicles' harness. I wouldn't let them touch the car. Had the same kind of 'this is automatically installed as part of the car prep, and adds cost to the invoice', on a previous car. I told the sales guy flat out, that if those 'dealer profit' add-on went on the car, then I wasn't buying it. Funny how fast they changed from "must be installed' to, OK they won't be installed.
 
Best case scenario is that nothing gets damaged and the thing never activates improperly if you let them do it. But that's the default case if you don't let them.

I definitely agree with the comments not to let them touch your wiring harness.
 
Thank you all for the replies. Yes, this was a BMW dealership. There are two in the Portland area and both install this device on all cars they sell. Portland BMW has done this for as long as I've been looking (6+ months), but Kuni just started adding them. Portland only charges $599 for this "accessory", but Kuni charges $695 for the same thing.

I hadn't thought about the repossession aspect. They market it as an ant-theft device, but since it's required on all vehicles, I figured it was some way they could get discounts on their insurance or something. Sounds like that's what it is.

I will not be making an appointment to bring my car in for this. However, it's still under warranty, so it's going in for service next month. I think I'll take it to Portland, rather than Kuni, since Portland can't care less if it's installed or not.

Does anyone know WHERE this is installed typically? If it's accessible, I'd like to take a peek and see if it's actually there or not.

Thanks again.
 
I don't know where, but the most illogical place is over the driver side footwell where wires and fuses as easily accessible, as well as something resembling an ignition switch (in most cars, anyway). Not to mention this area is readily accessible, and nobody is going to waste time tearing open a dash to install this gizmo. I'd think if one was installed, it ought to stick out against all of the factory installed wiring and modules.
 
I don't know where, but the most logical place is over the driver side footwell.

Another place might be behind the panel in the passenger footwell, where the fuse box is. The panel is held in with two torx-head screws.

Also, the device should have some sort of GPS antenna 'eye', so look around your windshield for a wire poking out near the pillar trim. Whatever side the antenna is on, should be the side the device is located. Should be about the size of a pack of cards, with the antenna wire and several other wires leading out of it.
 
MKH said:
...the device should have some sort of GPS antenna 'eye', so look around your windshield...

This sounds crazy (at least it did to me), but I updated the factory Nav hardware on another of my cars (Ford Flex) and per the installation instructions, the vehicle's rooftop GPS antenna is unplugged and replaced with a new antenna a bit larger than a computer keyboard key, which is supposed to get buried inside the dash! Now, granted, this wasn't Ford saying this, but the company selling the retrofit kit has a reputation to uphold and uspet customers to deal with if it doesn't work, and yet this is how they chose to proceed. So it's possible there's no visible antenna on this Stargard dohickie.
 
I think you'll find that the antenna array on the i3 contains both a gps antenna and the cellular one. The gps antenna, obviously, is used for the navigation system, but also it is tied into the remote services so it can tell you where the car is at the time (useful in parking lots and if the car is stolen). If you have an accident, it lets the BMW concierge know where to send help. I'm not sure what an add-on system would actually add-on. I suppose having the antenna hidden somewhere inside might mean a thief wouldn't be able to disable it as easily, but then, most don't really want to be exposed tearing apart a car prior to driving or trucking it away, and, depending on where the antenna is located inside the car, may not have great view of the sky, so its ability to derive a position may be lessened. Personally, I think it's a dealership trying to gain some extra profit sort of like when they used to sell rustproofing prior to most (not all) manufacturers doing a much better job.
 
I've been digging around and trying to come up with more Stargard info.

I found this telling statement on their web page: "Introducing the first customer-financed auto-inventory system. Here’s how it works:
Stargard helps locate and protect your inventory while it’s on the lot. The most efficient way to track your inventory." It goes on to pitch a bunch of benefits to dealers for use while they are in possession of the car, but pitching it as something the consumer will end up paying for.

The parent company, All Lines Dealer Services (https://alllinesdealerservices.com/products/products-overview/), also peddles all the after-sales add-ons many of us try to avoid while purchasing a car from a dealer: paint protection coatings, underbody coatings, pulsing brake lights, warranty and service add-ons. They also provide salesforce training and inventory management software.

I couldn't locate the installation manual for Stargard, but I found one from a competitor called GuidePoint Systems. These two paragraph from the manual sure make it seem like they don't want the owner to know it's there:

"The GPS-SID Control Module should always be well hidden in the vehicle. The control
module should only be accessible by removing various dash panels and should never be
visible to the vehicle’s driver. Additionally, cable ties should always be used to secure
the module in place so that it does not come loose. Hiding and securing the control
module properly will reduce the chances of tampering."

"The antenna should never be visible to the vehicle’s driver. Make sure the antenna is
underneath the plastic of the dash. As long as there is no metal above the antenna, it
should function properly."

Maybe I'm just jaded, and the manufacturer is trying to keep us consumers protected by minimizing the risk of a thief locating and deactivating the system.
 
Given what I hear from you, it totally sounds like a benefit for the dealer if the vehicle is stolen off of the lot, on a test drive, or to track you on your test drive(s) to confront you if you were to drive way over the recommended speeds, especially on an ICE where some yahoo might want to test the top speed on a green engine. That's not an issue with an EV...there is no motor break-in. Given what I hear from you, there's no way I'd pay for this add-on. There may be more to the story, so that's not definite, but I doubt it.

The existing nav/gps system can tell them the location, but that requires them starting the term of the contract performance duration. If the car isn't sold, the actual buyer would probably end up with a shorter term, or have to argue with BMW to make it start on the day of delivery. Regardless, it sounds like a benny for the dealer, not you.
 
Hi. I’m wondering if there is any recent information on locating the Stargard device and then removing the gadget from my 330i X?

Thank you.
 
Hi. I’m wondering if there is any recent information on locating the Stargard device and then removing the gadget from my 330i X?

Normally they are Dealer installed. Usually they are installed near the main fuse block, as they tie into that for power. I think on the F30 series, that is below the glovebox in the passenger footwell or in the trunk. Panel underneath glovebox drops open for fuse access. If it is 'attached' to that fuse block, you'd likely need to take the glovebox out, to see if the Stargard device (small flat black box) is tucked into some of the empty space in the under-dash area now accessible. I think some are also installed in fuse panel in trunk, on those cars with one there.

Here info on some of that. https://f15.bimmerpost.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1687824
 
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