Unfortunately there are still too many people who would rather park on the street instead of getting their garages sorted out, even if they drive an upper class car. This is seen by thieves as an invitation to steal expensive parts, e.g., the built in navigation system, or for that matter, to even take the whole car.

Precisely for this reason, there is the locating assistant. The first thing this type of system needs, is its own battery, which makes it independent from the car battery. Thus disconnecting the battery and putting the car on a transporter won't be any good at all, because the locating assistant will still be working.

It does however, require the terminal 31, to keep it's battery charged, even when the car is not being used. In addition it is fitted with a GSM device so that it can make contact with the outside world. With its own SIM- card it is basically an additional mobile phone. This is important for those tracking the movement of the car because the assistant, through its own GPS-unit, transmits a signal by GSM in short time intervals.

In addition, the locating assistant must be able to ascertain the proper operation of the vehicle through the Driver Card. To be able to do this an aerial is also necessary. Simply using the ignition key is no use to the thief at all. This however, means that the driver must always keep the key and the Driver Card separate from each other.

The locating assistant is offered by special companies, who provide the respective organisation in most countries. This is why periodic fees are due, not only for the linking of the devices into the mobile phone networks. The advantage is: Should the car be stolen in a foreign country, one is connected to a station which speaks one's own language.

The device that checks the Driver Card, must be integrated into the vehicles Bus-system. Although locating devices, even in the case of buying a new car, are built in afterwards, an interface to the Bus-system must be laid on during manufacturing. This cannot be done afterwards. This variation can make it very difficult for criminals, because e.g., in communication with the immobilizer it prevents the car from being restarted.

Fundamentally, the handling of the locating assistant is not that simple. There are fees to be paid and the legal situation in the respective countries is to be taken into consideration. The rightful owners/drivers must also make sure that they have the necessary Driver Card with them at all times. Apart from this, criminals very often have an eye open for valuable parts inside the car and stealing them can cause a great deal of damage, even if they don't steal the car itself. So, wouldn't it be a better idea to clean out the garage? 05/14