Are you looking for best methods on how to tell if your car is bugged and how to find a hidden GPS tracker on your car or pickup truck?
As you are reading this guide, we can assume that you are curious to know how to scan your car for a tracking device. Is that right? And if it is then before we proceed to the step by step process of finding a tracking device on your car, let us discuss a few relevant details about hidden GPS trackers or standard GPS trackers, for that matter!
In most cases, GPS trackers are used to locate vehicles from any point on the earth. Be it for investigation purposes or for spying on the spouse (pun intended), a GPS tracking device is usually a beneficial device.
But as is the theory of nature, every coin has two sides and when the GPS tracking devices are used for something good, they can also be used for something malicious. Thus, you must know where are GPS tracking devices placed on cars and how to check your car for a tracking device in case it has been hidden there for carrying out unauthentic activities.
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Last update on 2024-04-25 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
There are countless and different types of hidden GPS tracking devices for cars available on the market and someone might be spying on you without your knowledge using a hidden GPS tracker, and if you know how to find these discrete GPS tracking devices, you are all game!
In this article, we will focus majorly on knowing the easiest and best ways to find a hidden GPS tracker on your car in case you feel you are being spied on. So, just keep reading to know everything you need to know about finding tracking devices on cars.
What Does a Tracking Device Look Like on a Car?
In today’s time, with such advanced technology, car tracking devices are used for various applications, be it for keeping an eye on rented vehicles or finding the whereabouts of your little child when they are out with the driver alone.
But sometimes, these devices can also be used for unethical intentions. And so, you must know what does a tracking device look like so that you can find them easily if they are hidden!
Well, a tracking device has to be smaller in size so that it can be hidden easily, and this is the primary outlook of such a device.
The next features to look out for when you try to figure out what does a car tracking device look like is the portability and wireless components, and they have to be portable and wireless to not get found easily.
And they are also primarily black in color so that they can be mimicked inside the car parts without the possibility of getting noticed easily.
Though these are the common criteria of the car GPS tracking devices when it comes to ‘looks’ only, they can differ according to the brands they belong to or the type of capacity they carry! In short, finding tracking devices on cars can be difficult if you don’t know about these traits!
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How to Find a Hidden GPS Tracker on Your Car (4 Best Ways)
This is the most significant section of the entire article. In this part, you will know how to find a GPS tracker on your car in the best possible ways. These are tried and tested methods to find out about a hidden GPS tracker in your car, no matter where it is.
So, without further ado, let’s get started to learn how to check your car for tracking devices. Here we go:
(1) Check the Exterior of Your Car
When you are looking for ways to know how to find a hidden GPS tracker on your car, you should start inspecting the exterior of the vehicle because the car exterior is easy for criminals to access and fix the hidden GPS devices!
So, where exactly should you look for finding tracking devices on cars when checking the exterior? Consider the given areas at most!
Check the Wheel Wells
The wheel wells are one of the best places to find a hidden GPS tracking device on car. The ones who hide such devices for wrong intentions find this area easiest to access for both inserting and pulling out the GPS device.
When intervening, you must first look for anything bulky or cylindrical in shape on the wheel wells. If you cannot notice any such thing, you must use your hands to feel anything that might be attached to the wheel wells.
And in case, if you find anything dubious, you must inspect it properly and call for action.
Look Beneath the Undercarriage
Wondering how to tell if your car is bugged? If you find nothing on the wheel wells, look beneath the undercarriage. Yes, it is another important section of the car where miscreants can place the GPS device.
Most magnetic devices are easy to keep in the undercarriage because of the ease of accessibility and the optimum space it has!
And when you check your car for tracking devices, you cannot miss this area. Such devices can be hidden under the car’s trunk with the help of velcro straps. But since most undercarriages are dirty, it is not easy to trace the devices, so watch out carefully!
Check Behind the Bumpers
If you are still wondering how to find a tracking device on your car, consider checking behind the bumpers. The area behind the bumpers can be small and compact, but it can be well used by people to hide GPS devices that have unscrupulous intentions against you.
The area behind the bumpers is also risky to check as the car’s sensors or lights can be affected if somehow you disturb the wires.
It would be best to be very careful while checking the area behind the bumpers. So, now you know where to find a tracker on your car exteriorly!
Inspect Under the Hood
Last but not least, if you want to know where are GPS tracking devices placed on cars when it comes to the exteriors, you must also consider looking under the hood.
The air ducts, the battery nooks, the radiator, etc., have the potential to hide such devices. Although the signal is weak, some robust devices can still be placed under the hood to get good signaling!
It is, in fact, one of the most common GPS tracker hiding places because of getting unnoticed for the longest time as, of course, it is not every day that you are opening your car’s hood, right?
(2) Inspect the Interior of Your Car
Apart from checking the exterior of the car, examining the interior of the car is also one of the best ways to find a hidden GPS tracker on your car. In most cases, when a GPS tracker is installed inside the car, it is someone you know who might be spying on you.
Because it takes time and access to plant a whole GPS device inside the car, and someone close to you can only do this! Are you wondering where would a tracker be on a car? Well, consider the following areas to be highly common:
Check the Data Port
The car data port is an area where the GPS devices can be easily fitted without getting noticed by the driver. The device can be plugged in directly to the data port that lies below the dashboard on the car driver’s side.
You must be wondering how to know if your car has a GPS tracker in the data port? Well, you must check whether there is a linked wire surrounding the data port or if there is any type of box attached to it.
If you notice such things, you can check for the device, and as soon as you find one, cut the wire or remove the box to unplug the GPS tracking device from the data port.
Check in the Trunk
You can think, where would a tracking device be on a car when it comes to the interiors. Right?
There might not be too many options for those looking to hide the device inside the car, but the ones they know of are enough to execute their harmful intentions. And one such place is the car trunk!
The storage compartment or area below the spare tire is one good place to hide the GPS device. Thus, if you think there is something unauthentic going on inside your car, do not forget to check the car trunk immediately!
Check Under All the Seats
Are you still wondering about how to find a GPS tracker on your car? Well, here is another clue- the area under the car seats!
Yes, how often do we check below our car seats? Very seldom, we guess! And that is why people take advantage of it while trying to hide their GPS devices.
As these devices are small and portable, they can easily be stuck below the seats without getting noticed. Thus if you are keen on finding a tracking device on your car, you must not leave the area under your car seats to be sure of its presence.
Examine the Area Beneath the Dashboard
Another place to examine when you wonder how to find a tracker on your car is to examine the area beneath the dashboard!
In today’s time, most cars come with a removable dashboard panel that detaches the glove box compartment without much hindrance. You must also detach the car dashboard panel if you are keen on how to know if there’s a tracker on your car.
Check whether there is any kind of cable wire attached to the dashboard panel or see if you can locate any type of antenna. If you find any such stuff, it can be a hidden GPS device!
(3) Use a GPS Tracker Detector
Are you keen on knowing how to find a hidden GPS tracker on your car immediately? If at all, you cannot find the hidden GPS device after examining both the exterior and interior parts of the vehicle.
In that case, it might be that the person who planted the device in your car is way smarter than you probably thought! Other than the ones mentioned above, there are certain places where they can hide a GPS device without your knowledge!
But then, there is no problem that doesn’t have a solution, right? And so, you can take the help of the best GPS tracker detector to find out the exact location of the hidden GPS device in your car. Wondering which detector device to trust?
Well, you can go for the JMDHKK Anti Spy Detector and KAXYUYA GPS Bug Detector, as these two are the best GPS Tracker Detectors present in the market today that can scan your car for tracking a hidden GPS device easily. These are affordable, work faster, and are easy to operate also. If you are looking for a professional GPS tracker detector, you must go for any of these two!
With features like a camera lens finder, bug detector, magnetic field detector, anti-sneak shooting, etc., these lightweight and compact detectors are all you need to find a hidden GPS device in your car!
(4) Seek Professional Help
The above-mentioned methods are suitable for finding the hidden GPS device in your car. But what if you don’t know how to remove GPS tracker from car or fail to find the hidden GPS tracker even after applying all of the above formulas?
Well, then the last option to resort to is to take help from a professional! In any situation, when your DIY methods fail to draw results, it is the professional who comes to your rescue. And in this case also, if you feel you have not been able to find the hidden GPS tracker on your own, then seek help from a professional.
In an alternate case, even if you know how to locate a GPS tracker on your car but either you do not have time, or you are unsure of the results, then also you can seek a professional’s help to be sure about finding the hidden devices.
At times there can be more than one such device in your car, and after discovering one, you can overlook the other! But the professionals are thorough at their work, and they will end up finding all hidden devices on your car easily! They know how to detect a tracking device on your vehicle smoothly and effectively!
Do you know? How to Find Out Who Owns a Car by License Plate for Free
Is There an App to Detect GPS Tracker on Car?
When you want to get information about hidden GPS trackers on cars, you might ask yourself- is there an app to detect a GPS tracker? It is because technology today has advanced to umpteen levels, and thus, you have an app for everything now. In this case, you also get an app to detect a hidden GPS device easily.
If you are wondering what is the best GPS tracker detector app, then you can trust the Detectify – Device Detector app as the best app present in the market today that not only helps in finding the hidden GPS tracker but also allows you to find any hidden device in your surroundings easily.
With this app, you can easily locate the hidden GPS tracker inside your car from your phone. It has unique features that allow you to get a graphical representation of the magnetic field values related to the hidden device.
Detectify is the best app to find GPS tracker on car with ease and effectiveness. It work excellent when it comes to detecting any type of hidden device near you that may be unsafe for you.
And using it makes finding tracking devices on cars easier and hassle-free; you just need to install the app, follow the instructions, and it will work accordingly! Overall, if you want to find a hidden GPS tracker on your car, use the Detectify – Detect Hidden Devices app for quick results.
We hope, now you know exactly how to scan your car for a tracking device with your phone.
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You Found a Hidden GPS Tracker in Your Car; What Next?
Till now, you have read about how to find a hidden GPS tracker inside your car. But have you thought about what to do when you find a hidden GPS tracker on your car? Should you inform the police? Or should you just deactivate it first and respond promptly?
Well, let us discuss the most probable possibilities. The first thing that you must do after finding out about a hidden GPS tracker is to stop it from sending signals to the desired person behind the trap. And for that, you must know how to remove GPS tracker from car without having to call a professional.
Most GPS trackers are battery-powered, and that works well for you for easily disabling it when you find out. When you pull out the battery from the device, it will power off and stop sending your location details to the other end.
If at all, the GPS tracker is not battery operated and connected to a car diagnostic tool or the cigarette lighter socket, then also you can cut the connection to disable it. This should be your first step after finding a tracking device on your car.
In rare cases, if you find that the device is wired, you might need professional help to cut it off smoothly!
How to Know If Your Car Has a GPS Tracker – Author’s View
If you have reached this part of the article, you obviously know how to find a GPS tracker on your car. The methods mentioned here are effective in knowing whether there is a hidden tracking device on your vehicle, and you have also got to know other relevant details about the same.
Now, you might still want to know which method out of these is the most effective one to find the hidden GPS tracker inside your car quickly.
Well, I would suggest going for all four methods mentioned here, but if you are in a hurry or want to make the searching process faster, use a GPS Tracker Detector to get the fastest solution. If you are wondering how to tell if your car is bugged, then this method will work wonders for you!
For instance, you would not have to thoroughly check the interiors to exteriors of your vehicle and save a lot of time when you have such detector devices.
Nonetheless, I would still suggest you remain cautious if you think there might be someone spying on you with a GPS tracking device. Do not allow any unknown person to use your car, and conduct regular checks for finding such tracking devices on cars so that you do not waste too much time before you find the device. Wish you all the luck; stay safe!
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