Merc Mania

Ever the optimist, and thus expecting my newly acquired 2009 CLK550 to eventually be freed of its few remaining electrical bugs, my thoughts turned to security of this vehicle, with a view to reducing the chances of anyone making off with my long-sought dream car.

Having read a bit online about GPS car trackers, I found one that also features a remote vehicle disable capability, and so went ahead to order one of these devices from the UK, given that the GSM cellphone technology used throughout Europe is the same as the system used in African phone networks over the past decade.

http://www.dx.com/p/multifunction-qu...1#.WfQhnmhSy71

Now, given the exacting and unforgiving nature of the electronics that govern most operations in the CLK family of cars, I got to wondering whether the inclusion of an after-market GPS tracker in my 2009 CLK550 would be possible, such that all other aspects of the car's normal operation remain unaffected. If, in the opinion of the experts in this forum, damage is likely to the electronic circuitry of this car should it be modified in this way, then I will restrict my car tracker experimentation to my older Mercs from the W126 and W124 family. In other words, I do not want to modify the CLK by adding in a remote vehicle disable feature, IF such an alteration has the potential to disable the car at random, or worse still, compromise other performance parameters of the vehicle, either immediately, or over time.

Any opinions from MBWorld readers about this question of adding after market GPS trackers to a CLK550 would be much appreciated.

Thanks in advance for any thoughts that can be shared on this subject.

Anker

No problem at all. There are several non used fuse locations in the trunk that go to the always on battery circuit and there are also a lot of places where you can hide the device. The trunk lid is plastic, so the signal will have no problem. Use a fuse tap to get to the un-switched power.

Merc Mania

This is good news, Anker. I thank you for taking a moment to respond. It is amazing how many features are packed into these tiny auto tracking devices these days. Not only can one monitor the vehicle's location on a map in real time, but also it will be possible to listen in on conversations inside the car as it is tracked, and even respond with a few choice comments over the car speakers, if the occasion called for that. Not quite sure what I'd want to say to a car thief in the process of making off with my car, but hopefully the car won't be stolen in the first place, so that predicament won't ever arise, knock on wood.

Rudeney

I put an aftermarket tracker into the C240 since it was driven by my teenage. The one I used had capabilities for video, audio, and four "I/O" ports - two in, two out, that could be used to control anything. For example, you could tie one of the outputs to the door locks for remove unlocking, the other to the starter relay to enable/disable it. I never got that fancy. I just installed it in the trunk, under the carpeted section right behind the rear seat where the TeleAid control module and some other electronics were located. Being right there the rear SAM, I had easy access to wiring in the constant and switched +12v supplies. I tied into a couple of unused circuits. Also, I was able to place the cellular and GPS antennas under the rear hat shelf paneling for good reception, but still being hidden.

Merc Mania

Wow, that is some awesome technology. The way these systems are evolving, it won't be long before cars can be remotely operated, and for example ordered to report to the parking lot of the nearest police station, where the doors would be locked to keep unwanted guests in the vehicle until the boys in blue have been alerted that they have company requiring "assistance".

I will need to do a lot of careful study about the installation of this device when it arrives in the post, to be sure I don't adversely affect the vehicle's heavy reliance on its numerous electronic and computer systems. Back when woolly mammoths roamed the earth, I earned a BSEE from a university in California, but in today's rapidly evolving world of drive-by-wire automotive technology, I feel as inept as a time-travelling caveman, when it comes to carrying out DIY vehicle wiring modifications like this one.

Rudeney

What's interesting is the unit I installed was fairly inexpensive, and I bought it about eight years ago. I never connected any of those option inputs or outputs - It was simply wired into the constant and switched +12v and used for tracking my teen driver. The software was not too bad. I logged into a website to locate the car, and it would also offer logs of locations and speeds captured in 5 minute intervals. I could setup alerts for geofencing and high speed to be emailed to me. Here's the unit I used, though I think it's USA-only:

http://scytek.net/main/files/manual/skytrak/s2500.pdf

Merc Mania

Being able to monitor vehicle speed, and set up geo-fencing parameters are capabilities I previously assumed were restricted to the world of RC aircraft fitted with autopilot modules, and the new generation of RC quadcopters produced by the likes of DJI. To learn that these technologies have been available for nearly a decade is a reminder to me that I've been living out in the sticks way too long already.

Having never owned a brand-new car in all my decades behind the wheel, I treated myself late last year, to a couple of weeks tooling about the San Diego area at the helm of a brand new Chevy Camaro rental car. While rolling down the 8 freeway, I reached up to adjust the rear-view mirror, and accidentally hit the road assistance button, which only became apparent when the "Voice of God" came in over the stereo speakers, asking about the nature of my emergency. It was at that point that I realized that there may indeed have been video and audio monitoring of all rental car occupants, possibly coupled with some form of geo-fencing that could be invoked at the click of a computer mouse in the car rental office at the airport, if for example a customer tried to take a day trip down to Tijuana.

Rudeney

Nah, that's just GM's OnStar telematics system. It uses a cellular transceiver to communicate voice and data to the OnStar service center. After the first year free, it requires an annual subscription. I would image most rental car companies would keep the subscription. Look here for all the details:

https://www.onstar.com/us/en/home.html

These type systems are common on most all modern USA vehicles. MBZ has had it for years, since the mid-1990's. It was originally called TeleAid, and is now called mBrace. I had it in my 2001 ML320 and even our lowly 2002 C240 had it, but since it was pre-2005, it used the older analog cell system that is now defunct, so it was worthless. It was in the 2007 CLK and also in the 2011 SL. I don't pay for the service, though. At one time, they offered a "lifetime" subscription on the CLK for $350 or so, and I thought about it, but decided I'd probably not use it. The version in the CLK was the older style, limited to emergency and non-emergency assistance calls and remote door unlocking (via a call to the service center - no app). I think the SL has the app interface that would include NAV destination downloads. The latest MBZ models now include remote starting with an active subscription:

https://www.mbusa.com/mercedes/mbrace

Merc Mania

Ah I see. I was under the impression that I had unintentionally alerted a representative of the car rental company, that one of their vehicles might need road assistance. One would think though, that with the technology now so affordable and precise, car rental agency would as a matter of routine, electronically monitor the location, speed and heading of all vehicles released to customers. Industry-wide adoption of rental car telemetry and remote eavsedropping would go a long way to encouraging best behavior on the part of customers, at least while they are seated in their rental cars ha ha.

Rudeney

I do think that they may install tracking devices on cars not equipped with factory telematics systems. In fact, I know that some used car dealers do that. We have "buy here - pay here" used car dealers that cater to the "financially challenged" or "high-risk" borrowers. In order to qualify for the loan, the buyer must make a large down-payment, often close to what the dealer paid for it at wholesale prices. Then, the buyer has to make weekly payments for the remainder of the loan term, usually for a two or three years. These type dealers often install devices that will allow them to track the car and even disable the starter in the (likely) event that the borrower fails to pay. Knowing that the car won't start if the payment is late is an incentive for the borrower, and if they don't pay, the GPS locator makes repossession easier for the dealer who is carrying the loan.