Tracker devices are now becoming very common and they are available in various sizes and shapes.  Also gone are the days where you needed a professional to install a tracking device on a vehicle, but now with simple plug and play you can install a GPS tracker on any car with ease.  Having a GPS tracker on a car is pretty useful in case of theft recovery and to also know the whereabouts of your loved ones.

This is all good only if you are aware that the car you’ve been driving is being tracked. However, if you suspect that someone has placed a GPS tracker device on your car without your knowledge to spy you, and then it becomes illegal. Now you have every right to find it and through the tracker into to the garbage, provided you are the vehicle owner and don’t have any criminal past which gives the FBI rights to monitor your activities.

Where can I find a GPS tracking device on a car?

As mentioned GPS trackers are available in different sizes and shapes depending on their manufacturer. Hence, before you start your investigation you should look at the different GPS tracker models available on the internet to get an idea of how it looks, so you can locate one on your car easily.

There are two common types of GPS tracking devices available, OBD trackers and Hard-wired trackers.  An OBD type GPS tracker is basically easy to find because it requires no extra professional help to install, so you could find it hidden under steering board or dashboard.  OBD port location varies with every car model therefore do check with the car’s manual.

A Hard-wired GPS tracker is probably the hardest one to find mostly because it gets installed on a car by a professional/mechanic and a thorough manual inspection of your car is required to find the hidden tracker.  Look for strange wires and antennas.

Some of the most common locations where you might find the GPS tracker on your car:

• Top of Roof
• Under Front Dash
• Under Rear Dash
• Under Bug Shield
• Inside Plastic Bumper
• Inside Speakers
• Inside Rear Bumper

If you fail to find the GPS tracker at any of the above-mentioned places you should then continue your inspection inside glove box, under back or front seat, under grill as well as the gap between window and hood.  Splitting your inspection into interior and exterior will help you pin down the GPS tracker devices location quickly.

Using a GPS/Bug Sweeper to locate hidden GPS tracker

A simple manual inspection of your car sometimes reveals only a small percentage of the trackers that are poorly concealed.  However, if the GPS tracker is put on your vehicle by a professional then a mere visual inspection will find nothing. In this case, you might need the help of a Bug detector that helps finding electromagnetic signals used by GPS trackers.

You can find one online for $60.  Most GPS tracker detectors are small, portable and easy to use, comes with built-in battery as well.  Slowly walking around your car with a bug sweeper ON will help you detect the hidden GPS tracker device.  Your bug detector will beep or light up once you are closer to the tracker device.

        Disadvantages of GPS/Bug detector:  Since bug detectors rely on the radio frequency, they can detect only the active GPS trackers.  So, a vehicle installed with passive GPS tracker needs a comprehensive checkup by a professional to dismantle it.

What to do if you find a GPS tracker hidden on your car?

Once you have found the GPS tracker hidden on your car, now its time to remove it.  A battery-operated tracker doesn’t require any wire, so simply pulling out the unit will stop the tracking.  However, with a hardwired GPS tracker you should unplug all the wires attached to the unit, then remove the device carefully by cutting it loose if it’s taped or tied.  In the process make sure you don’t damage any internal wiring’s of your car.

Conclusion

Prior to disabling any GPS tracker make sure you didn’t void any agreement, because violating contracts might bring repercussions to the involved.  Other than that, invasion of privacy is a punishable offense and you can take the person to the court who is involved in tracking you without your consent.