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Can I defeat telematics in a GM car?
Previously, I wondered what model car I should buy if I wanted to maintain my privacy. Thanks to everyone who chimed in, especially @kari, @qot, and @Narry. Although I astound myself to be typing this, I may just have found an option in a Cadillac Lyriq.
Earlier this year, the FTC banned GM from selling driver data to consumer reporting agencies and GM ended their egregious program. This and privacy laws in my state give me some small hope of avoiding the worst data collection practices. But, if I buy this car, I would want greater certainly that can only be had by physical intervention. Local audio/security aftermarket installers have nothing for me. Would anyone have a resource or ideas?
So, GM has these special coax connectors called Fakra Z. If you get a Fakra Z to SMA adapter, you can disconnect the cellular antenna and replace it with a 50 Ohm terminal.
First, though, you would have find said cellular antenna connection, which could be anywhere. I'm not familiar with the Lyriq (we only have the Volt), but someone on the internet said that "Its behind the right wall of the cargo area. Youll have to remove the floor storage to properly get into that panel to access the module." [cadillacforums.com]
Once you find this connection, you might need some instructions like those on this reddit post.
I have read the tutorials. I have purchased the parts. I have still not installed the fix. Good luck, friend.
Now that I reflect on it, I was running on 2 hours of sleep and four conversations deep at a dealer when I posted, so my question was a bit low on value. I pledge to detail my journey well enough to deserve your helpful reply, my friend!
Oh my, i have tried to research this online, but this really is a mine field.
There seem to be no standard solutions, disabling the connectivity may introduce negative side effects or even degraded functionality. Some people experiment with firewalls.
Anyway, at least they won't charge you $1500 for a forced subscription for their online "services" you don't plan to use, as they did a few years ago.
Notes on my journey so far:
The service manager at the dealer hasn't been able to send me information yet. Believe it or not, I have spoken to dealers of other brands who were willing to disconnect things like microphones for the shop minimum charge.
On the 2023 and 2024 Lyriq, only one fuse is identified for the OnStar telematics module.
Maybe nothing else is linked on that fuse, and pulling it would be enough?
I wanted to respond to this for the benefit of anyone else that might want to try this approach. I wouldn't do this first. The reason for the 50 ohm terminator is that it makes the telemetry unit believe that the antenna is still there, it just isn't receiving a signal. It doesn't know the difference between the terminator and the antenna, except that one is silent and the other isn't.
Accordingly, it can continue to try to broadcast your data to its little silicon heart's content. Alas, there is no longer an antenna, just a dead end for that signal. Even so, the system doesn't know that anything is wrong, it's just that the reception is poor. It's not like the car should brick itself just because you drove outside of its cell phone range.
On the other hand, removing fuses or leaving connections unterminated tells the system that something is definitely wrong, that something needs to be repaired, and that maybe it should prevent operation until it can be fixed (for your own safety, of course).
This is just my understanding, though. If I'm wrong, I'm happy to learn differently.
Edit: " "
Very good point. You mentioned cellular range. Would a hobbled transmitter not cause problems? Certain cars have had issues with battery drain when parked in spaces with weak cell reception. Surprisingly, drivers found a fix in pulling the fuse. One of several threads in a Ford owners' forum discusses doing so for privacy concerns and features users happy with the result (no nags or warnings, no other systems impacted). That's another manufacturer altogether, though. GM, OnStar's owner, may have implemented it differently in the Lyriq. And messing with it, either by pulling a fuse or capping it with a terminator, may be problematic. I don't yet know enough.
Thank you for all of this info and thought!
I wonder how much data the car will store waiting for signal to return.
Certainly, one of the very first things that insurance adjusters do today, is connect a device to the vehicle to extract all of the stored telemetry.
Is there a way for a hobbyist to try this out on their own car?
Hey, if it's as simple as pulling a fuse, go for it. I've never heard of battery problems associated with poor cell phone reception, but that doesn't mean it hasn't happened. After all, you can always put the fuse back.
Edit: Just to be clear, the fuse supplying power to a certain device and the coaxial RF cable connecting that device to a separate antenna are two different components. The antenna can be disconnected, but the resulting open circuit will produce atypical signals that may be detected as a malfunction, thus the 50 ohm terminator. Pulling the fuse just disconnects the power to the device, completely preventing operation.
I'd always kinda been toying with the idea of an electric car (vs hybrid), but researched a Tesla back in '19 and did not like the telemetrics/connectivity requirements.
I did not realize that was still a requirement until that original post you did. As I now commute ~120 miles (almost 200km) daily, and with me working at a power plant that would install a charger, it seemed like the thing to do, but hell to the f'in nope with all that. Thank you again for updating your journey, I honestly do appreciate it, and I wish I could get an electric vehicle that would operate within a Faraday cage. But until then... I need to hack my Honda head :)
You could do a conversion! I can't vouch for the company, and have no experience with the concept, but it's fun to dream.
For us, it's come down to choosing between a Lyriq and a Genesis GV70. And since the GV70's data vacuum seems much more entangled, we're leaning toward the former.
Made me sad to see the old Mustang on there... I used to have a '65. Not that I'd convert it though haha, but in general it's definitely an interesting idea!