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Any guesses as to what this connector is for?

aaronpaul
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dieselfan1 Senior Enthusiast

dieselfan1

Posted
Posted

Sure looks like an aftermarket pigtail for a brake controller but since you have factory brake controller it has to be for a beacon light or something like that. 

aaronpaul Enthusiast

aaronpaul

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Posted (edited)

Thanks everyone for the assistance.  I removed some panels and followed the wires until they dead ended at another connector up above the gauge cluster...  So, it's not hooked into anything???

 

It was obviously done by the dealer, the way the wires are wrapped around another harness looks pretty janky.  See pics below:

 

 

IMG_2336.jpeg

IMG_2335.jpeg

IMG_2334.jpeg

Edited by aaronpaul
gemarsh Senior Enthusiast

gemarsh

Posted
Posted

I don't have that felt pad either. Is it the female side of velcro?

 

 

aaronpaul Enthusiast

aaronpaul

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2 minutes ago, gemarsh said:

I don't have that felt pad either. Is it the female side of velcro?

 

 

Yes, it is Velcro. It looks a little out of place as well… 

CXXX Enthusiast

CXXX

Posted
Posted

I remember a post where someone mounted a tollway pass where the velcro is, those are not powered though...

latreille89 Enthusiast

latreille89

Posted
Posted

Why not call the dealer you bought it from? Report back. They must know why it’s there  it’s clearly not stock. 

lapoolboy Senior Enthusiast

lapoolboy

Posted
Posted

Being up high in the dash with a pad of Velcro like that, I'd say it was a GPS tracking device.  Does this dealer order and outfit trucks like yours to a local business by chance?

John F. Enthusiast

John F.

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Posted
13 hours ago, lapoolboy said:

Being up high in the dash with a pad of Velcro like that, I'd say it was a GPS tracking device.  Does this dealer order and outfit trucks like yours to a local business by chance?

Hmm. Most newer GPS trackers plug directly into the OBD port with no need for an antenna. Some older ones use a small puck antenna that sit in the upper corner of the dash. My guess would be maybe an aftermarket Head Up display?

aaronpaul Enthusiast

aaronpaul

Posted
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Posted

I sent the pics to my brother, who has worked in dealerships for 15+ years and he said that one dealership he worked for pre-wired all their cars for tracking/kill switch devices for high risk (bad credit) customers.  In some cases, banks require them in order to finance the car to a high risk customer.  He said that's what it looked like to him.  Makes sense that it would have to be somewhat hidden and not easy to unplug or disable.

 

The dealer I bought it from traded it with another dealer from Houston because it matched my desired specs better than what was in their local inventory.  I'm guessing maybe that dealer sticks the harness in when they prep the trucks.  Or maybe someone else was trying to buy the truck before I did, so they put in the harness but then removed the device...  

 

dieselfan1 Senior Enthusiast

dieselfan1

Posted
Posted
On 2/13/2022 at 8:03 AM, Silverado4x4 said:

Iam thinking the truck was outfitted with a dash mount emergency/caution strobe flasher light that someone ordered and never bought the truck. 

This ^^^^

lapoolboy Senior Enthusiast

lapoolboy

Posted
Posted
On 2/14/2022 at 10:09 AM, aaronpaul said:

I sent the pics to my brother, who has worked in dealerships for 15+ years and he said that one dealership he worked for pre-wired all their cars for tracking/kill switch devices for high risk (bad credit) customers.  In some cases, banks require them in order to finance the car to a high risk customer.  He said that's what it looked like to him.  Makes sense that it would have to be somewhat hidden and not easy to unplug or disable.

 

The dealer I bought it from traded it with another dealer from Houston because it matched my desired specs better than what was in their local inventory.  I'm guessing maybe that dealer sticks the harness in when they prep the trucks.  Or maybe someone else was trying to buy the truck before I did, so they put in the harness but then removed the device...  

 

This is your answer.

Silverado4x4 Senior Enthusiast

Silverado4x4

Posted
Posted
On 2/14/2022 at 11:09 AM, aaronpaul said:

I sent the pics to my brother, who has worked in dealerships for 15+ years and he said that one dealership he worked for pre-wired all their cars for tracking/kill switch devices for high risk (bad credit) customers.  In some cases, banks require them in order to finance the car to a high risk customer.  He said that's what it looked like to him.  Makes sense that it would have to be somewhat hidden and not easy to unplug or disable.

 

The dealer I bought it from traded it with another dealer from Houston because it matched my desired specs better than what was in their local inventory.  I'm guessing maybe that dealer sticks the harness in when they prep the trucks.  Or maybe someone else was trying to buy the truck before I did, so they put in the harness but then removed the device...  

 

I don't see that happing at all, first the wire would not be routed to the upper dash to connect to a locater, it would be hidden up and under the dash like lo-jack. It would be far easier for them to get a court order to activate OnStar to locate the vehicle as they would have to do anyway to repo the vehicle. There not going to pre-install it in every vehicle because not every buyer is going to be high risk. Now if a very high-risk buyer purchases the vehicle and signs a contract stating the locater is installed then that's a different story.   

TxTruckMan Senior Enthusiast

TxTruckMan

Posted
Posted
On 2/16/2022 at 8:17 PM, Silverado4x4 said:

I don't see that happing at all, first the wire would not be routed to the upper dash to connect to a locater, it would be hidden up and under the dash like lo-jack. It would be far easier for them to get a court order to activate OnStar to locate the vehicle as they would have to do anyway to repo the vehicle. There not going to pre-install it in every vehicle because not every buyer is going to be high risk. Now if a very high-risk buyer purchases the vehicle and signs a contract stating the locater is installed then that's a different story.   

The lien holder of a vehicle cannot activate OnStar, only the owner.

 

You'd want to go to the upper dash if you needed a strong GPS signal, so his assessment is certainly plausible.

 

I have a buddy who had a bunch of aftermarket trailering equipment (cameras, tire pressure monitoring, etc.) routed up on the dash and attached to an aftermarket display unit.  That's another possibility.

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