12 votes

A fight over the right to repair cars turns ugly

4 comments

  1. [3]
    NoblePath
    Link
    The reporting doesn't track with my understanding of how things work now. OBDII was in the late 90's I thought, but the article says standardization happened after 2012 law. It also says that all...

    The reporting doesn't track with my understanding of how things work now. OBDII was in the late 90's I thought, but the article says standardization happened after 2012 law. It also says that all diagnostic info is available to mechanics. But my '14 Mazda requires a highly restricted, proprietary interface to access most diagnostic info. My local mechanic and I can read basic OBD codes, but that's it. Never mind what telematic info might be available.

    3 votes
    1. soks_n_sandals
      Link Parent
      I wonder if they're referring to "secret" dealer/shop menus available on some vehicles? My Honda is basically running a reskinned Android tablet as it's info-tainment center. There's a "secret"...

      I wonder if they're referring to "secret" dealer/shop menus available on some vehicles? My Honda is basically running a reskinned Android tablet as it's info-tainment center. There's a "secret" button press order that access all sorts of onboard diagnostics, debugging, and sensor data. I used it once when my speedometer/dashboard crashed and I wanted to photograph the logs that showed the crash before bringing it to the dealer, lest they claim it didn't happen. But there was a wealth of information I poked around at. You can watch an older video here that shows the dealer menus I'm referring to.

      4 votes
    2. AugustusFerdinand
      Link Parent
      No clue where they got 2012 for OBDII which was 1996 and started with, as far as I know/can find, California's Air Research Board (CARB). As with most articles where the author isn't an expert, or...

      No clue where they got 2012 for OBDII which was 1996 and started with, as far as I know/can find, California's Air Research Board (CARB). As with most articles where the author isn't an expert, or likely even all that familiar, on the subject matter. I just skip past the parts where they're obviously wrong; it happens too often.

      The OBDII connector is only required to report emissions related codes and data, even though manufacturers, like Mazda, use it for all of the data gathering and programming for the car's ECUs. Which is why you can only see the basic codes and why right-to-repair is important, gaining support, and being fought so ardently.

      2 votes
  2. AugustusFerdinand
    Link

    In the wake of a voter-approved law, Subaru and Kia dealers in Massachusetts have disabled systems that allow remote starts and send maintenance alerts.