Bring a flashlight and a mirror to help you look around corners and dark edges. Despite what you may have seen on TV, GPS trackers never look like spare or loose wires. A random wire under your hood or in the glove box may be a sign that someone did some shoddy work on your vehicle at one point, but it’s not a bug. If you do end up finding a tracker, don’t assume you’re in danger. The odds are much higher that your parents are just worried about where you’re going or your partner is scared you’re cheating.
If you can, get the vehicle up on jack stands. You’ll have an easier time inspecting the underside of your vehicle. If you see something odd, give it a light tug. Most tracking devices are magnetic and will detach easily. Check the gas tank first. Its large metal surface makes it an easy spot to attach a magnetic device.
Do you have hubcaps? Pry them off with a flathead screwdriver and check to see if anyone has placed a tracker there. You do not need to remove the wheels to search your wheel wells, but you can if you want to be super thorough.
In fringe cases, a device under the front bumper may be wired to the car’s electrical system. Always compare the wiring to the manual before you remove anything.
Don’t start ripping things out all willy-nilly. Take your time and only pull gently on any potential trackers. The front of a car is a hot, solid metal box that is regularly inspected. This makes it a terrible spot for a tracker, so you’re unlikely to find a tracker here. If you haven’t found a tracker by now, the odds are very high that you’re in the clear here.
There should be nothing plugged into your OBD port. You should see 16 open ports with a wide opening in the middle, sort of like a VGA port. Unless you suspect you’re being tracked by someone who has access to your car, it’s extremely unlikely that there’s a bug inside of your vehicle. Someone planting a tracker would want to be able to access it easily.
If your glovebox is packed to the brim, now is a super good time to organize it. Even if you don’t find the tracker, at least you’ll get something productive out of this whole thing.
Mechanics know vehicles inside and out. Unless the tracker has been magically installed inside of a door panel, they’ll spot anything that doesn’t belong. If you don’t trust your mechanic’s findings, ask a car alarm installer or a private investigator to search your vehicle.
If you do not have an iPhone, you can search for AirTags using your Android device by downloading the Tracker Detect app. Hit the scan button to search your vehicle for any AirTags.
The tracker may only transmit occasionally and/or when the car is running, so you may want to run a test with the ignition on. If you still can’t find a bug by this point, rest assured that there are no GPS trackers in your vehicle.
