Issues with the computerization of cars
 

Has anyone run into this? Do you think it's a right-to-repair issue, or simply time marching on?

In the linked story, a woman had her Nissan's brakes replaced, but they wouldn't function correctly without the car's software being reset. The catch is, only the Nissan dealer has the ability to do that.

https://www.dailydot.com/news/mechanic-not-allowed-to-fix-nissan/

That’s terrible for the customer on so many levels.

What if your nearest dealer is 100 miles away and you need to leave it at the dealer for a “dealer only” repair? Hopefully this backfires on them.

That's seriously FUBAR.

Wow!

I use a body shop for alignments on my El Camino. They have an old grey that understands old cars alignment.

Anyway, last time I was in there some lady was upset on the delay on her car getting fixed after she rear ended someone. They were explaining ONLY the dealership has the setup to align the parking sensors and collision sensors, and they were waiting on the dealership to do that step.

Most new cars have to have the computer reset if you mess with the brakes, bleeding et you’ll trigger the abs, traction control, ebrake.
Fortunately there are aftermarket computers that can do it, people just don’t know about them.

I long for the good old days.

Generally, I support the "right to repair" movement. What I know about it is from my friends with farm tractors and some of the things you need software for are just ridiculous.

OTOH, ABS and Traction Control are pretty sophisticated systems, and I wouldn't want someone who wasn't well trained in messing with them messing with them. Fixing the brakes on a modern car is more complicated that "...just take the damn tire off, get to the rotor and flip the pads or something."

Auto manufacturers picked up on the 'leasing/licensing' not 'owning' movement from the computer software industry.

NHTSA started making vehicles 'safe' by requiring all sorts of airbags/crumple zones/etc which is very expensive and cuts into mfr profits for every vehicle design change.
And vehicle changes mean new parts sold. No more junkyards full of interchangeable bug spare parts. Every year and variation needs new parts.
They begin to make their big money on the printer ink service instead.

The PIPA/SOPA infringement laws started being used against shops and aftermarket parts to monopolize and capture the entire vertical chain and force consumers into dealerships.

'Connected' software (like GM OnStar) (mandatory 2013?) allows the mfr to change vehicle systems remotely.
And not a peep from the consumers who keep buying them.

Now they decided that quietly installing surveillance software is profitable as long as the customer doesn't know. That's the next thing.
Collecting 'profiles' and 'consumer use data' is a nice way of saying 'spying 24/7'.

Things like ADAS sensor systems need legitimate callibration when installed, that is tricky or expensive to standardize.


Porsche Sucks for things like this. You cannot even reset the oil light or replace the battery without proprietary software. Thankfully aftermarket has you back relatively cheaply. Completely egregious though would be so easy to just program those reset features into the cars normal functions.

We are about a decade from cars being completely disposible like the industry wants

We're there now. There was a post in an earlier thread here about a $30k+ Audi that was totaled buy a rodent chewing through the wiring.

Yep. Can change the oil in my Giulia but can't reset the oil light without the dealership so I end up just going there for the service anyway. Extremely frustrating.

At least the brakes do have a service mode that's owner operable, and can be reset with disconnecting the battery.

The future is ass when it comes to cars.

How about Audi making you subscribe for heated seats, or BMW’s no oil drain plug. My brother in law has a brand new ford f150 rodents chewed the main harness and nobody wants to repair it.

You can reset the oil light on a Giulia.

I have a Nissan rogue here. Main harness melted a few wires together . The client is just stunned that I have zero desire to repair it . I told him it will be a financial disaster for both of us.

My '08 boxster once a year says "needs service". I'd love to be able to turn that off. I know that I can buy something to turn it off, but I think it's several hundred dollars. What a PITA to spend that much to turn off a warning.

And some folks wonder why I have a thing for Free/Open Source software ....

Hard to comment on this without getting political..here in the "land of the free"..

Its funny how technology has made everything better, while simultaneously making everything worse

The tech is good and evil. Evil is the parts like the Nissan brake issue. The good is its nice to tweak the timing or richen/lean the AFR with a couple clicks in the tune and never open the hood.

My girlfriend was locked out of her brand spanking new Volvo for 2 hours while the car was updating software in a grocery store parking lot.

You could see the circle spinning in the Volvo app on her phone that she had to download in her phone.

I want 3rd world tatas or shiatbox toyotas that are sold in africa

WTF???

Hint: Go to Parf. Read my post titled "Mark Levin"...listen to his opening segment of maybe 10 minutes. The "why" may become more clear to you.

17 posts ahead of yours managed to do it. It's not that hard.

That's seriously crazy! It's only a matter of time before someone thinks to sue Volvo for "I was trying to go to the Dr for a medical emergency/my wife was going into labor/etc.. but couldn't drive."

:D**lol

I think it was something like 5 warnings to do it and she kept pressing skip not now.

Until the darn thing just did it.

Apparently you are supposed to click at night when you garage it. It makes sense but at the same time is like WTF to me....

I get it. It probably asks "do you want to update" every time you get in the car. Well, you get in the car when you're getting ready to drive the car, so that's not a good time. By the time you're getting out of the car, you've probably forgotten about the cars desire to perform an upgrade.

There are lots of cars available. Do some research before you buy.

Want a secure car? Don't get pushbutton start. Want to know what repairs require dealer software? Do some research...

If there are no financial repercussions to the manufacturers, the trend will continue.

Also, when you take 'technical information' from an article that confuses breaks with brakes, that's on you.

:rolleyes:

It will only stop if large numbers of consumers stop buying . When $$$ stops everyone pays attention .

Do y'all believe car companies will provide free parts and open software if we just elect the right guy?

Some of y'all have an uncanny ability to turn any topic into a political piss-and-moan session. Heck, y'all even did it with WWII bombers! But go ahead and whinge. Holler at the clouds too while you're at it. Just count me out when you do.

Just another reason why I'll continue to drive my 20yo vehicles until they physically wont run anymore or just rust apart...

.

LOL I have a 07 Cayman and an 08 WRX that both require computer interface to do certain things.. I invested some money into scanners so I could reset service minders, some sort of no where near where things are technologically now...

Cars are so complex that it can limit how much and what the independent mechanics can do.. My friend Bill has worked for Porsche and BMW, has owned his own shop for almost 40 years...

He spends thousands of dollars a year to have the latest scanners/software to be able to do more than simple things on modern cars... He knows that telling a customer they need to go the the dealer to complete a repair is a no-go....bad business

I've invested in some scan tools... I have an Icarsoft, Autel, a Durametric (somewhere)..and the Torque app on my phone with a OBD ll Bluetooth dongle

And have access to a PIWIS

I also have a timing light and a dwell meter, a vacuum gauge.. stethoscope.. old skool stuff

The scanner I got for my Cayman is pretty thorough

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1711405829.jpg

Oil reset, electric parking brake, battery management, electronic throttle, steering angle, abs bleeding, injector set up

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1711406247.jpg

I should have ponied up a few more bucks to get a universal scanner, but still this one does have the ability to work with 15 current generations of Porsche

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1711406471.jpg

And yes I actually did use it today.. I just started noticing a intermittent miss on my Cayman..

It is when about 99% is driven be regulation

Looks like the current icarsoft for Porsche is only $260. That's not too bad. Although I'm not sure that I'd use it for much more than oil change reset. Still, it's not completely unreasonable.

You know, I was puzzled when this OP moved. I didn't open it when it was in off topic and I sure won't now that it is in PARF.

Works for the 356 too if you have a copy of Elfrink's for the actual numbers/values

I had to sign up for Obamacare to get my airbag light to go out .
See ya on the island !

I'd be so ****ing pissed.

Honestly, this 'tech' BS has gone too far. Screw hi-tech culture.

rjp

It's all about making money.