Who charges it
- Imposed by
- the dealer, as an optional product
- Legal status
- Optional — never required to buy the car or get the loan
- Negotiable?
- Yes — typically removable from the order
- Attention level
- medium
Dealer add-ons
GPS Tracker / Recovery
A dealer-installed tracking device with a recovery service, often carrying a subscription term.
Negotiable: Yes — typically removable from the order
Benchmark range
$100–$500
typical $300
Hardware plus a multi-year service term; many vehicles include manufacturer app-based location
- Carlarity operator benchmark (starting hypotheses from the 2026-09-07 brief, cross-checked against dealer F&I menus) — F&I ancillary product starting ranges (secondary source, accessed 2026-09-07)
The report pre-fills $699 for this line as a catalog starting point you can overwrite; it is not a market benchmark.
Why it matters
A tracker is a real device, but many new vehicles already offer location through the manufacturer's app, and the dealer product often includes a subscription that renews. Check who the service provider is and what happens when the term ends.
What to ask at the desk
“Please identify the hardware, the service provider, the subscription term and renewal cost, and confirm the device can be declined.”
What Carlarity evaluates
- Classifies the line as gps tracker / stolen-vehicle recovery from its name and aliases, and the fair price depends on the contract terms.
- Compares the quoted amount with the benchmark range above and states any potential excess as a range, never a point estimate.
- Flags the line for contract review: the coverage terms, exclusions and cancellation rights decide its value.
- Checks the coverage term against the factory warranty still in force, and states the overlap.
- Checks the order for a second line covering the same thing.
- Keeps government, manufacturer and lender charges out of the negotiable total by construction.
Reading this page
Legal and expensive are two different questions. An optional product can be entirely legitimate and still cost more on the buyer’s order than the same coverage elsewhere; a low-value item can be fairly priced. This page tells you what the product is, who is charging for it and what a fair range looks like. Your report judges your actual quote against that range, as part of the whole deal.
Benchmarks are market ranges from the sources cited, not exact prices, verified 2026-09-07. Nothing on this page is legal or financial advice. The product’s contract terms decide its value on your deal.