Is your Dealership tracking your truck without your knowledge?

[Bigboyram]

A buddy of mine is thinking of setting his miles back on his ram, he gets those vehicle health reports. I told him not to do it plus that means mopar is tracking you . They can catch him that way I’m pretty sure. Can someone please verify so I can show him

 

[AmericanRebelution]

A buddy of mine is thinking of setting his miles back on his ram, he gets those vehicle health reports. I told him not to do it plus that means mopar is tracking you . They can catch him that way I’m pretty sure. Can someone please verify so I can show him

#AskingForAFriend

 

[Scap]

Sorry for reviving a dead thread.
Just wanted to say thanks to the OP for posting this. My dealer forced the Apex Protect hardware on us, but we at least got the finance guy to offset the charge so it was "free"...
It still looks the same, and is still mounted in the same place. ( <--I should have said "was", lol)
Quick FYI: There's a SIM card under that cover. Be sure remove the SIM in case there's a battery in the device.

 

[revjvegas]

100% Thank you to you guys for sharing this info.
Just got my truck two days ago.
This little bugger has been removed and while you can't pull the internal battery, you can pull the sim card and I'm putting her in foil for safe keeping

 

[Scap]

100% Thank you to you guys for sharing this info.
Just got my truck two days ago.
This little bugger has been removed and while you can't pull the internal battery, you can pull the sim card and I'm putting her in foil for safe keeping

View attachment 91876

Out of curiosity, did they get you to purchase the Apex extended warranty too?

 

[revjvegas]

Out of curiosity, did they get you to purchase the Apex extended warranty too?

Nope.
Had them remove the cost of that crap before I'd sign the deal.
I went in with my bank financing already set, so just had to listen to the FM try to push that junk and give the doom and gloom "what if's" to try and get the extended warranty added.
Walked out of there a little over 8k below msrp.

 

[djwdjw]

That’s definitely the same gps tracker as the “apex” tracker grapevine ram put in my truck.

 

[mmcbeat]

There was one in my truck. The story I got was that the dealer used the Mopar device to keep track of the vehicles in their inventory then tried to sell said device to customer. If the customer didn’t want the LoJack type device, the dealer didn’t charge for the device but left it in the vehicle because that was less expensive than taking it out. Anyhow, I didn’t pay for mine and I took it out, a five minute uninstall.


edit: I took the device out about a week ago. When I took this picture just now I noticed that there is still a red light blinking. I have to wonder what will happen when the back up battery dies and the device quits transmitting.

 

[BowDown]

Anyone have a pic of this installed in the truck before you took it out? Other than the OP pic

 

[mmcbeat]

Anyone have a pic of this installed in the truck before you took it out? Other than the OP pic

It’s under the dash so it would be pretty hard to take a picture. They are a piggyback install. They are plugged into the diagnostic port under the dash for power and a like port is used for future diagnostics. The actual unit has an adhesive backing that is used to attach it to the inside of the dash, the higher the better. Just unplug the cable and trace it to the unit, and remove. Put the original diagnostic port back in the holder and you are good to go. A lot simpler to do than my explantation.

btw, this is a “dealer installed option”, not standard equipment on a new Ram.

 

[revjvegas]

Anyone have a pic of this installed in the truck before you took it out? Other than the OP pic

After you remove the two screws so you can remove that panned under the steering wheel, you'll see the y-harness on the OBD port. I just followed the wire and all they'd done is drop it down the side panel. Not zip tied or anything. Pinch the harness out of the panel and put the OEM one back in its place.

Once you get it out, remove the screw holding the battery compartment and pull the SIM card out if you want to make sure it can no longer "phone home".

 

[Aseras]

Clone the IMEI to a LTE router and use the sim for free internet and try to run up their phone bill.

Since you "own" the original device, you can legally repair the IMEI to another piece of equipment.

Maybe a few of these https://www.forbes.com/sites/krisho...ing-sms-bill-for-researchers/?sh=68e64f637948

Polish charity gets huge phone bill thanks to stork

A lost stork has left a Polish environmental charity with a hefty bill to pay.

www.bbc.com

A $25,000 roaming bill comes with one big lesson: Roseman

Employee sells his company iPad and gets a nasty surprise.

www.thestar.com

Stuck With a $10,000 Cellphone Bill

When in roam, be careful with your phone. Data plans have become a more expensive travel gotcha than expensive voice-call rates overseas—as high as $5 or more per minute.

www.wsj.com

will get them to stop doing it.

 

[BowDown]

After you remove the two screws so you can remove that panned under the steering wheel, you'll see the y-harness on the OBD port. I just followed the wire and all they'd done is drop it down the side panel. Not zip tied or anything. Pinch the harness out of the panel and put the OEM one back in its place.

Once you get it out, remove the screw holding the battery compartment and pull the SIM card out if you want to make sure it can no longer "phone home".

I looked more than a few times after I bought the truck and didn't find anything. Just curious about how good they are about hiding these things. I'm gonna go look for the 25th time tomorrow

 

[sheepdogtrail]

Keep the Y harness. It could come in handy someday.

 

[sheepdogtrail]

So this is something a individual dealer does by choice in having these units installed.

Perhaps we can start our own dealer blacklist so when we go kick the tires on a new purchase we can unplug them.

No wonder my local servicing dealers charge $185.00 per hour for labor.

 

[revjvegas]

I looked more than a few times after I bought the truck and didn't find anything. Just curious about how good they are about hiding these things. I'm gonna go look for the 25th time tomorrow

It's not super obvious.
But attached are a couple picks showing the location of the two bolts to remove to snap that panel loose and in the other where the thing was actually hiding.
Just had to keep pulling on all the spare wire till it just popped out.

Here's a closer look at one of the bolts to remove to get that panel down and the ODB connector will just pop out the back.


And here is where mine was hidden. There's an opening atop that side panel and it was just dropped in there with all the extra wire.

 

[Scap]

It's not super obvious.
But attached are a couple picks showing the location of the two bolts to remove to snap that panel loose and in the other where the thing was actually hiding.
Just had to keep pulling on all the spare wire till it just popped out. View attachment 91942

Here's a closer look at one of the bolts to remove to get that panel down and the ODB connector will just pop out the back.
View attachment 91943

And here is where mine was hidden. There's an opening atop that side panel and it was just dropped in there with all the extra wire.
View attachment 91944

Tomball Dodge was much lazier. It was just sitting on top of the part that the OBD port clips to.

 

[BowDown]

It's not super obvious.
But attached are a couple picks showing the location of the two bolts to remove to snap that panel loose and in the other where the thing was actually hiding.
Just had to keep pulling on all the spare wire till it just popped out. View attachment 91942

Here's a closer look at one of the bolts to remove to get that panel down and the ODB connector will just pop out the back.
View attachment 91943

And here is where mine was hidden. There's an opening atop that side panel and it was just dropped in there with all the extra wire.
View attachment 91944

I've opened the left panel and found nothing, I looked at the OBD2 port but didn't take the panel off

 

[BowDown]

Nope, nothing on mine. My truck came from Mak Haik in Austin, the Mac Haik in Temple that I was working a deal with installed them and said all their dealerships did the same so I've checked multiple times since delivery

 

[redneck]

I found one in mine need to pull the panel tomorrow to remove it red and green blinking lights on it all the time it's some other tracking company that starts with a k