Stop someone planting a tracker on your vehicle

You can't make a car untrackable, but regular checks make any tracker short-lived and noisy.

Five minutes with a torch: wheel wells, bumpers, OBD-II port, undercarriage. Set a calendar reminder. Cars driven into shared parking, valet parking, or used by an ex are higher risk and warrant weekly checks.

OBD-II locks are inexpensive (~$20–$40) and screw onto the port, requiring a key to remove. Most consumer GPS trackers plug into OBD-II — a lock makes it almost impossible without raising suspicion.

A handheld detector (~$50–$200) finds active GPS transmitters by scanning radio frequencies. Useful for active trackers; passive (data-loggers that don't transmit) require physical inspection.

At your annual service, ask the mechanic to flag anything aftermarket they don't recognise — especially under the dash and around the battery. They'll spot hardwired devices you'd miss.