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Proposed Law To Open Code ... In Cars

SEWilco writes: "A Minneapolis Star Tribune story points out that small repair shops say they lose money because they don't have access to car computer codes. These 'codes' are the diagnostic messages used by onboard computers to report problems and perform tests. Older designs only required a jumper wire to make a test light flash code patterns, certain dashboard actions to display codes, or a cheap display terminal from a parts store. Now the interfaces and code meanings are more complex and undocumented, so only auto dealer repair shops can easily find causes of some problems. U.S. Senate S.2617 and House H. R. 2735 would force auto manufacturers to share the codes. Sen. Wellstone says that manufacturers are acting like a cartel, blocking independent shops and car owners. But GM is being helpful."

381 comments

  1. This is a good thing by i_want_you_to_throw_ · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Finally an open source analogy your grandmother can understand

    1. Re:This is a good thing by sc00p18 · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Finally an open source analogy your grandmother can understand

      Actually, I prefer to think of this as an analogy my redneck friends can understand. When talking to my grandmother I relate to cooking: secret recipes vs. sharing and modifying recipes with others. Giving people something to relate to is half the battle!

    2. Re:This is a good thing by Hal+Roberts · · Score: 1

      Actually, I think it's not such a good thing. The fact is that our grandmothers have been buying mostly unserviceable cars for years now, and they have been pretty happy with them. This situation means that the answer to the traditional free software question "would you buy a car with the hood welded shut" is now "yes."

      If the car is cheaper and more reliable, the evidence shows that people will definitely buy it with the hood welded shut, because the vast majority of folks don't know how to service a car these days anyway. And, more importantly, most folks are simply short sightedly selfish -- they will generally choose to save a couple of bucks on a car now rather than hold out for a serviceable car that will save them money in service fees in the long term. And they certainly will not spend even a few extra dollars to buy a serviceable car on the principle that it's important that people be able to understand the basic technologies through which they navigate the world.

    3. Re:This is a good thing by Dwonis · · Score: 4, Insightful
      It's not really an open source issue, it's an issue of open protocols, which is far more important than open source.

      Closed source allows some companies to make money directly from the software they produce. If closed-source software producers can do this and still remain competitive, then good for them! BUT, it's only acceptable when they compete fairly in the market and if consumer choice is really there. In order for this to happen, we need open protocols.

    4. Re:This is a good thing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      what are some sort of fscking racist? how about your nigger friends, would they understand?

    5. Re:This is a good thing by BrokenHalo · · Score: 1

      It is a good thing(tm) but for my part, I still prefer to drive a car that, with a smallish but well-chosen set of tools I can fix myself if it breaks down in the forests outside cellphone range.

    6. Re:This is a good thing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      How many open protocols does Micro$haft have? Maybe a few, but not all!!

    7. Re:This is a good thing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And they certainly will not spend even a few extra dollars to buy a serviceable car on the principle that it's important that people be able to understand the basic technologies through which they navigate the world

      I didn't know my mother needed to know how to make an alternator, thanks for letting me know. Now I'll only buy open source cars.

    8. Re:This is a good thing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

      Standards should be adopted on a voluntary basis. And under no circumstances should the Government force someone to be responsible for publishing specifications.

      Provided these people aren't doing something retarded like using the DMCA to keep you from figuring it out, die.

    9. Re:This is a good thing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      Booze is for the weak.

      I (b|t)oast in my weakness...

    10. Re:This is a good thing by afidel · · Score: 2

      Actually these companies get the power of patents to protect their IP, in return we should be getting the information to use their inventions.

      --
      There are 4 boxes to use in the defense of liberty: soap, ballot, jury, ammo. Use in that order. Starting now.
    11. Re:This is a good thing by homer_ca · · Score: 1

      I don't think anybody's bothered to protect their diagnostic codes with patents. It's all locked up with proprietary protocols and security by obscurity. If you signed an NDA it would be protected by trade secret.

    12. Re:This is a good thing by doorbot.com · · Score: 2

      It's not really an open source issue, it's an issue of open protocols, which is far more important than open source.

      So you're saying this is more akin to the SMB/CIFS issue... in which case I'd have to agree with you. Actually it seems very similar, especially if what some of the previous posters' comments are accurate; Honda only sells the manuals to their dealers/mechanics... but I'll bet you don't have to sign an NDA (yet) or some other restrictive contract limiting your ability to disseminate their proprietary information.

    13. Re:This is a good thing by God!+Awful · · Score: 2

      Finally an open source analogy your grandmother can understand

      Yeah, despite the fact that it's a ridiculous analogy. Analogies don't prove anything. They just make you more convinced of your beliefs, whether they're right or wrong.

      Don't you think the huge difference in proportion is relevant? When you buy a car, you do so with a 100% guarantee that the car will require service, and that service is a significant portion of the total cost of ownership of the car. The average consumer who buys an off-the-shelf software product (e.g. a game) will probably never need support. In the case of a more major purchase (e.g. an OS/Office suite), you get free updates off the web. The average consumer doesn't pay to have someone customize their OS for them. If they're technically challenged, they might pay someone to install it for them.

      -a

    14. Re:This is a good thing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      that's not the issue here. it's about private technicians loosing business to dealerships because the the comp code are being withheald. people will be more happy with their cars if their techies can work on them.

    15. Re:This is a good thing by fain · · Score: 1
      Don't you think the huge difference in proportion is relevant? When you buy a car, you do so with a 100% guarantee that the car will require service, and that service is a significant portion of the total cost of ownership of the car. The average consumer who buys an off-the-shelf software product (e.g. a game) will probably never need support. In the case of a more major purchase (e.g. an OS/Office suite), you get free updates off the web.

      The difference might not be so great.. Yeah, for (most) current software you will get updates for free, though even here that's not certain. In many cases you also have to pay huge monthly or yearly fees to be eligible for those updates, even if they fix bugs that should never have been there to begin with. However, the analogy starts making even more sense if you invert the timeline:

      For cars, old models are more easily serviced as they're of less complex design, easily accessible by just lifting the hood. New models however integrate more and more advanced electronics, and software, making them far less accessible without the mentioned test codes and lots of documentation, etc.

      For computer software, new models are easily serviced as updates are often freely available on the web, along with support services etc for those who are inclined to pay. Old models, on the other hand, are often abandoned by the software companies, if the company behind the software even exists anymore.. Updates from a few years ago may be available in archives, you could possibly get some help from other users as far as support goes, but for new bugs or known but unfixed flaws you have -no- choice except to tolerate the problems or stop using the software. In addition, much software might be so incompatible with today's standards that you can't even install it on a current operating system, forcing you to maintain an older system where the software does work.

      If software owners would be protected by a similar right as that which is proposed for car owners, we would be able to take our software to a local computer shop and perhaps get that (by now) well-known bug fixed in 10 minutes. For that matter, you could take your software to your neighbor's son, or even try to fix it yourself.

      To pretend that there is a huge difference in proportion here seems somewhat akin to hiding under a blanket and hoping the world will be all fine if you just lie still. These are real concerns, especially as we come to depend more and more on precisely.. computer software.

      -- fain

    16. Re:This is a good thing by packeteer · · Score: 1

      your idea could be right but im sure that one of your first staements was true... how do you KNOW people have been happy with their unservicable cars... im not saying i know but i would be interested to know if people actually DO like it or if they have just been living with it...

      --
      unzip; strip; touch; finger; mount; fsck; more; yes; unmount; sleep
    17. Re:This is a good thing by ColaMan · · Score: 2

      It's not that cars are *unserviceable* , it's the fact that cars these days are very reliable. Gone are the days when you had to change the oil and filter and check the points every 1000 miles.

      What with EFI and EGO sensors, cars are pretty much self tuning and will put up with all sorts of crap. They can now run for ludicrous distances without major repairs - you can get 150,000 km from a car and only have to remember to change the oil and put on a set of tyres occasionally. The buick-derived motor in my Australian-built car has seen over 350,000 kilometers, and still contains all it's major components and doesn't blow smoke. The bits that have worn out (water pump, battery, alternator) do not require a diagnostic computer to diagnose.

      Speaking as an auto electrician, yes, your company is pretty much screwed if you come across a late model volvo that's fried its crank angle sensor, and you don't have the reader to figure it out. Speaking as the person who drives their car however, it's still a damn sight better then when you had to set the mixture on your carby for winter and pull a little knob marked "choke" to get your car to start.

      I saw a quote the other day (from fortune, no less), it went :
      "When all else fails, pour a pint of guinness into the gas tank, shout 'God Save The Queen!', and pull the starter briskly.
      - MG A series workshop manual
      "

      It think it still sums it up nicely.

      --

      You are in a twisty maze of processor lines, all alike.
      There is a lot of hype here.
    18. Re:This is a good thing by Farmer-Al · · Score: 1

      I am not so sure this is so good. What you are saying is it is up to the car manufacturer to decide what is good for not only grandma, but everyone else.

      What if I want to tinker or fix the car my self. Without the info/protocalls I cannot do that. To me it seems equivilent to saying that Compaq/HP should make all computers and not release anything about any new protocalls they develop in efforts to speed up thier machines. We dont need to know whats going on, it is just better for us. Keep it all proprietary.

      If you do not want to know what is happening in your car, fine. But I do and the information should be freely available.

      Anyway...

    19. Re:This is a good thing by CrayzyJ · · Score: 1

      I agree cars tend to last longer, but it is quite rare for them to run 200K miles without issue. Sensors go bad more often then you think, and when shadetree mechanics like myself get under the hood it is impossible to know if the car itself has a problem or if the sensor is bad.

      If you have gone that long without issue, be happy. Most people are not at all that lucky.

      --
      Holy s-, it's Jesus!
    20. Re:This is a good thing by ichimunki · · Score: 2, Interesting
      I wonder when Senator Paul Wellstone will stop playing at being a common-people's liberal. I don't buy a word of it. This particular issue is an obvious case of a senator using his current seat in office to generate press releases that amount to little more than free campaign advertising (he's up against Republican Norm Coleman, a GWB anointee, this November). Since recent Census information indicates that Minnesota is one of the most car-happy states (i.e. higher car ownership per capita), this sort of press plays right into the theme of small business and "the people". The StarTribune is extremely pro-Wellstone, DFL/Democrat partisan-- so of course they're willing to print such a slanted article.

      That said, if you want full information about your car, buy your car from a manufacturer who will give it to you (or your mechanic at least). There is no reason for government laws to mandate the release of this information into the public domain. If you really care about it, vote with your pocketbook. Most Americans don't seem to think like this though. Oddly, a sense of personal responsibility is usually only applied to others in American discourse. Whenever someone asks us what we're doing, we spout nonsense like "I shouldn't have to ... it should already be like that .... why should I clean up someone else's mess ... blah blah blah".

      To recap: this is a campaign stunt. Consumers hold the power here, but they have to take some responsibility for how they use it (personally, I'd wish they'd not buy cars at all and take the bus or bike). There is no legitimate reason for government to make a law forcing this information into the public domain. You don't have a right to a car, nor to information about cars. If you don't like it, shop somewhere else... or don't shop at all.

      --
      I do not have a signature
    21. Re:This is a good thing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This particular issue is an obvious case of a senator using his current seat in office to generate press releases that amount to little more than free campaign advertising (he's up against Republican Norm Coleman, a GWB anointee, this November). Since recent Census information indicates that Minnesota is one of the most car-happy states (i.e. higher car ownership per capita), this sort of press plays right into the theme of small business and "the people".

      So what your saying is that Wellstone is taking advantage of his senate seat to introduce legislation that benefits the country as a whole and his constituents in particular, in order to win an election???!!!

      Shame on him! Why can't he campaign the old fashioned way, with mudslinging and pie-in-the-sky campaign promises?

      What we really need is a law preventing legislators from introducing useful, popular bills. Only then can we have any hope of free and fair elections.

    22. Re:This is a good thing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I wonder when Senator Paul Wellstone will stop playing at being a common-people's liberal. I don't buy a word of it. This particular issue is an obvious case of a senator using his current seat in office to generate press releases that amount to little more than free campaign advertising (he's up against Republican Norm Coleman, a GWB anointee, this November). Since recent Census information indicates that Minnesota is one of the most car-happy states (i.e. higher car ownership per capita), this sort of press plays right into the theme of small business and "the people". The StarTribune is extremely pro-Wellstone, DFL/Democrat partisan-- so of course they're willing to print such a slanted article.

      I'm impressed. You've just argued that introducing popular legislation is a form of sneaky, underhanded politicking. What's really impressive is that you argued this absurd point effectively enough to get modded up. Have you ever considered a career in politics?

    23. Re:This is a good thing by dorsey · · Score: 1

      Sensors go bad more often than you think

      Yeah. Right after the warranty expires.

      --
      hinderfreude ('hin-dur-"froi-d&), n. The feeling of joy derived from being in the way.
    24. Re:This is a good thing by ichimunki · · Score: 1
      I'm impressed. You've just argued that introducing popular legislation is a form of sneaky, underhanded politicking. What's really impressive is that you argued this absurd point effectively enough to get modded up. Have you ever considered a career in politics?

      You're not half as impressed as I am. You just managed to say the same thing a different AC said without any apparent sense that you were being completely redundant.

      But since this raises an important issue I will respond: I think there are many examples of laws which were introduced primarily as election stratagems or to curry favor with special interest groups, rather than because there was an honest need for such legislation. I suppose my examples, things like COPA, DOMA, USA-PATRIOT, might seem like needed laws to you. To me they come across as stuff that was introduced so that litmus tests could be created (e.g., respectively, "my opponent supports online child porn", "my opponent panders to homosexuals", and "my opponent thinks terrorism is fine"). But what did those bills really accomplish? One was struck down by the Supreme Court (COPA), one is fairly inert (DOMA), and one intends to solve a problem that didn't exist (USA-PATRIOT). This bill seems likely to fail (to me), either on the Floor or in the Courts.

      And yes, I've considered a career in politics. But I'm far too blunt and far too liberal. I'd last four days before I'd offended about 95% of everyone and alienated the rest. I have no interest in saying what folks want to hear to make them like me. Case in point: my attitude towards this bill. I think it stinks. The American consumer has no one to blame but himself for the power auto manufacturers have over their lives, and now their cars. Maybe if Americans were less dependent on cars this would seem like a less important issue. It sure doesn't bother me a whole lot for some reason. Now if I had to take my Adidas into a special shop to get new laces put in... ;)

      --
      I do not have a signature
    25. Re:This is a good thing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      how do they save money by buying a car with the hood welded shut? There is no cost savings. The only thing this does is eliminate competition for auto repairs, with the specific purpose of driving up the price of repairs.

  2. The scourge of IP by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    Yes, another case of intellectual property rights being used to extort money or exercise a monopoly.

    How long before the world (particularly the USA) wakes up to the fact that the changing face of communications and information sharing means that this old model of IP protection needs to be reviewed.

    I guess anyone who reverse-engineered these components would automaticaly be in breach of the DMCA and anyone who passed on the information would be stung for copyright infringement.

    As a result -- we all pay far too much for products and services while the few who were smart enough to corner the IP involved do very nicely.

    But hey -- that's what capitalism is all about so I guess we can't complain. But then again -- how capitalist are we when we use taxation as a method of redistributing wealth?

    Someone ought to make up their mind on this one.

    1. Re:The scourge of IP by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      you misspelled 'automatically'.

      hope this helps.

    2. Re:The scourge of IP by dnoyeb · · Score: 1

      Man please. If you knew that you pay $150 for something that You can order for $1.50 you wouldnt complain about software. Thats the least of the auto industries overcharges.

      As far as software goes, if you work for an automotive supplier as I do and you live in Detroit, then you know someone at just about all the auto companies and you can get the codes if you need em. Of course the tool will be another $200...

      We don't use taxes to redistribute wealth in America. I have never seen ANYONES wealth redistributed, I really don't know what your speaking of.

    3. Re:The scourge of IP by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Are you really that naive? The federal budget is over 20% GDP. Our national government is in the business of redistributing wealth. Taxation, especially "progressive" taxation on income, is tantamount to redistribution of wealth. That's what they do, and we are letting it get out of hand. Perhaps you're familiar with a little program known as Social Security. What do you think that is? The Constitution is fading away. It's really disturbing that you can't see that. You should read Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged. Great book.

    4. Re:The scourge of IP by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      How about I hit you with Ayn Rand's book Atlas Shrugged?

      If you think unchecked capitalism works, you're as naive as the poster your responding to. Due to the nature of many services, with unchecked capitalism they head towards monopoly and not the competition that "capitalism" thrives one. Think about what life would be like if there were only one long distance company, because if America were capitalist, there sure wouldn't be any baby Bells. I'm not going to bore you with a list of other services that would be monopolized right now if America were capitalist, but I will if you insist.

      And if you'd care to explain how Social Security (albeit a flawed system) flies in the face of the constitution, I'm all ears.

    5. Re:The scourge of IP by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I don't advocate unchecked capitalism, but the biggest monopoly of them all is government, and it's getting completely out of hand. The disasterous government schools, the nightmare that is Amtrak, the constant bailouts of an uncomprehensibly unprofitable airline industry (except for Southwest), a Pentagon that just "loses" 17 *billion* dollars, a collapsing Social Security program, $500,000 to research pig feces, millions in other pork, etc. etc. etc.. Yes, I don't advocated unchecked capitalism, but we cannot allow unbridled government either.

    6. Re:The scourge of IP by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Don't be silly rich people (and companies) don't pay taxes. They have accountants.

  3. Karma Whoring: by bentini · · Score: 2, Informative
    CNN article on similar subject is here. It's pretty good and interesting.

    Basically, they're leveraging their IP. I say good for them, but most people here will probably want to skewer them.

    People rarely think about this kind of thing before purchasing a car. Maybe they should.

    1. Re:Karma Whoring: by rmohr02 · · Score: 1

      And CNN doesn't require registration...yet.

    2. Re:Karma Whoring: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Who would mod this overrated? It could only have been at a 2 before, and most people view at a 3 anyway.

    3. Re:Karma Whoring: by jethro200 · · Score: 2, Insightful
      People rarely think about this kind of thing before purchasing a car. Maybe they should.

      Think about what? What are they supposed to do - buy a car without and onboard computer? or maybe buy a car from all those car companies who willingly make their codes available for anybody? or they could just not get those parts of their car fixed. this is pretty much out of the consumers hands, other than writing their congressperson to get the bill passed.

    4. Re:Karma Whoring: by nathanm · · Score: 2
      or maybe buy a car from all those car companies who willingly make their codes available for anybody?
      Yeah, buy American! The article mentions that GM is the best, when it comes to sharing the codes. A previous poster said he works as a mechanic and codes from the big 3 (GM, Ford, & Chrysler) were readily available.

      If the 3 of the largest auto makers in the world release the codes, why can't the others? It obviously isn't helping their business grow.
    5. Re:Karma Whoring: by ksheff · · Score: 1

      But since these systems are required by the EPA for the purpose of emissions regulations, don't you think these codes should be available to third parties in order to make sure that the manufacturers are following the OBD-II standards? Or do you expect the Feds to _always_ keep them in line? Actually, most people in the automotive industry that aren't dealerships or OEMs want to skewer them.

      --
      the good ground has been paved over by suicidal maniacs
    6. Re:Karma Whoring: by zangdesign · · Score: 2

      I really don't think the car market is based on whether or not the code for the fuel-injection chips is open or not.

      People buy cars for the look, the comfort, the convenience, the capacity, or the performance. When was the last time you heard anyone ask if the diagnostic computer code was available?

      The car market shrinks and grows based on the economy. As the economy thrives, then the big ticket cars become popular. When it shrinks, buyers get frugal and buy lower-priced cars.

      --
      To celebrate the occasion of my 1000th post, I will post no more forever on Slashdot. Goodbye.
    7. Re:Karma Whoring: by bigdavex · · Score: 2

      I really don't think the car market is based on whether or not the code for the fuel-injection chips is open or not.

      People buy cars for the look, the comfort, the convenience, the capacity, or the performance. When was the last time you heard anyone ask if the diagnostic computer code was available?

      Not specifically, no. But people are aware that maintenance and parts for some cars are more expensive, in a general sort of way.
      --
      -Dave
    8. Re:Karma Whoring: by markmoss · · Score: 2

      maybe buy a car from all those car companies who willingly make their codes available for anybody?

      Exactly.

      Find a good independent repair shop. Get to know the guy in charge and ask him about repairability before buying any car. It's not just the codes (and the real situation for most makes is not nearly as bad as that article suggests), but also things like spark plugs positioned so they have to pull the engine or cut a hole in the fender to change them... Things like this can make thousands of dollars difference over the life of a car.

      And if you change your mind about buying a car because of unpublished codes or any other maintainability issue, please write a letter to the dealer and the president of the auto company expressing your displeasure. Auto companies choose to save $5.00 per car by some shortcut that will eventually cost every owner $500 in repair shop costs because they think we won't find out about it. Let them know they're wrong.

      And if the pressure to keep the diagnostic codes secret comes from the dealers, so their repair shop doesn't have to compete - they don't make nearly as much on repairs as on selling cars, so let them think they're losing sales, and they'll reverse the pressure real fast.

    9. Re:Karma Whoring: by fishbowl · · Score: 2

      > When was the last time you heard anyone ask if
      > the diagnostic computer code was available?

      That one example might sound silly, but when you're negotiating with a car dealer, it's questions like this that give you power! They
      can't answer these questions, they either don't know the answer (and don't even know how to make one up!) or they are expressly forbidden from answering. That gives you all kinds of power over them! They are prepared for you to ask specific types of questions for which they have rehearsed answers. They operate under a principle that influences your reaction to what they say and do. If you can throw them off their program, you have the opportunity to negotiate in ways that you do not have when they are in control. So, think creatively; think of things they haven't been asked 30 times today. Then make sure they understand that the answers are influencing you to walk away without signing a loan paper...

      --
      -fb Everything not expressly forbidden is now mandatory.
    10. Re:Karma Whoring: by zangdesign · · Score: 2

      Let me know if it works. I'm not going to go out of my way to make a car salesman feel foolish.

      --
      To celebrate the occasion of my 1000th post, I will post no more forever on Slashdot. Goodbye.
    11. Re:Karma Whoring: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      How does knowing that the car is stolen (by comparing the emissions codes) help the thief, as CNN claims?

    12. Re:Karma Whoring: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      what part of 'cartel' don't you understand?

      hint: It has nothing to do with "hands free" cell phones.

    13. Re:Karma Whoring: by markmoss · · Score: 1

      and what part of "there's more money in selling them than in fixing them" don't you understand?

      There is competition here - the article does say that GM publishes its data. If the result is that GM sells more cars, they'll make more money than the competitors, even if they lose the repair business. And if their sales increase enough, their repair business will probably do well anyhow...

  4. Preventing antitrust? by 3seas · · Score: 2

    Or being able to prevent an accident?
    Hmmmmmm...

  5. I'm an optimistic by boa13 · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Step 1: Wait for this law to be voted and put into effect.
    Step 2: Start pushing for a law that mandates opening code... everywhere. Say that it prevents small independant consultants from repairing Microsoft ware.

    1. Re:I'm an optimistic by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      i believe you meant to say 'i'm an optimist'.

      optimist is a noun, and optimistic is an adjective.

      hope this helps.

    2. Re:I'm an optimistic by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Step 3: Profit!

    3. Re:I'm an optimistic by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      "i believe you meant to say 'i'm an optimist'."

      I believe you meant to capitalize the "I" at the beginning of that sentence.

      And look at his title again, he said:
      "I'm an optimistic (Score:2, Insightful)"
      :-)

  6. This is @ CNN by MikeD83 · · Score: 1

    An article on this topic can be found at CNN as well.

    1. Re:This is @ CNN by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The CNN article focuses on EPA required antipollution devices. The Star Tribune article refers to things like air bags and doors.

  7. I own an Acura RSX.. by windex · · Score: 2, Interesting

    It has alot of tweakable settings, none of which I can preform myself but if I give the kid who works for the big bad car dealer $10 he'll do whatever I want.

    Next car I buy, I will demand open specifications for, I'm getting tired of paying the kid to do what should have come with the car that I own.

    I'm sure as fuck not signing a EULA when I buy my car not to violate its software.

    1. Re:I own an Acura RSX.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Hope you have fun driving the car you build yourself. You'll never get full open spec.. maybe diag codes but they sell the good info to the people that make the "mod chips" that you can upload into your car for 200-400$ a pop to tweak engine settings.

    2. Re:I own an Acura RSX.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      I give the kid who works for the big bad car dealer $10 he'll do whatever I want.


      You should be ashamed of yourself! Takin advantage of a young lad like that!

      I can see it now.

      *drops oil filter*

      you: Oh my butterfingers! looketh at what I hath
      done! My aching back, oh me! Could thine
      bend over and picketh that up for me?
      him: uh....
      you: *whips out wallet*
      him: ^visions of shiny things^ ... Dammit - OK.

      Shame on you I say! TEN dollas!!! I know the economy is bad but sheesh!
    3. Re:I own an Acura RSX.. by Squeezer · · Score: 0, Offtopic

      Why not go to http://www.helminc.com/helm/homepage.asp and go to the repair infomation section and purchase the factory service manual and electronic troubleshooting manual and do it yourself? you should also become a member of http://www.rsxworld.com if you are not already, so that you can learn more about your vehicle.

      --
      Does the name Pavlov ring a bell?
    4. Re:I own an Acura RSX.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0


      I own a rebadged Honda Civic, and I'm going to use this opportunity to make sure everyone knows about it.

    5. Re:I own an Acura RSX.. by windex · · Score: 1

      Eh, at least its a rebadged prettier Civic Si.

    6. Re:I own an Acura RSX.. by IanO · · Score: 1

      Actually it would be a "rebadged" Honda Integra as it is known in Japan. They're both based on the same platform but are totally different in body and interior, as well as the suspension tuning (although the design is the same). In Canada and US, the top Civic engine is almost exactly the same as that used in the base RSX.

      It's actually a much more significant reworking than many other car companies do between cars that are built on the same platform.

      And the advice provided in one of the other replies to get the Helms manual is excellent... no Honda owner should be without one.

      --
      ------
      Objects in Mirror are Losing!
  8. This has always driven me nuts... by tgd · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Its funny, because its sort of related to the Ask Slashdot question about car performance tuning software a week ago. All these computerized systems have left cars incredibly complex to tune, repair, or modify.

    Thankfully for some vehicle types, the enthusiast market has reverse engineered a lot of these protocols and codes. I've driven two different Audi's for the last three years, and spent an ungodly large amount of time and money tweaking and otherwise customizing them. Our enthusiast community has software like VAG-COM which can provide a suprisingly large amount of capability for Volkswagen, Audi's and other VAG-group cars. But now Audi (and presumably Volkswagen) is changing their protocols yet again, keeping things proprietary and secret. Thankfully, I'm sure they'll be reverse engineered yet again.

    Even with the capabilities the software has, we're still faced with having very good documentation for what most "sensor" blocks are, but essentially none for what the "settings" blocks are. I can read anything I want, but without insider VAG knowledge, I can't recode a damn thing.

    Amazingly through trial and error, people have even figured out how to reprogram basic functionality on their cars, like how the automatic transmissions shift.

    I would love to see this law passed, but it doesn't help things much if its just emissions codes that have to be released.

    1. Re:This has always driven me nuts... by danb35 · · Score: 1

      VAG-COM is a very neat piece of software, but you're right in that it doesn't solve the problem all by itself--you need documentation. Fortunately, in VW's case, we have the folks at Robert Bentley Publishers to thank for the availability of the complete factory repair manuals, either in print or on CD. It's not "everything", but it's everything the dealer techs have access to, which is a good start--and should be all you need for maintenance purposes.

    2. Re:This has always driven me nuts... by El_Nofx · · Score: 1, Flamebait

      After reading about 20 posts and noone else saying it, I feel I need to set the record straight.

      1. These codes are available to anyone who wants them for very cheap, all they have to do is purchase a book from the manufacturer or from a dealer, I know I own 3 at home for OBD2 systems. OBD2 = On board diagnostics Second Generation

      2. The car companies do not want to protect their IP, they make this information public to anyone, the real reason for this bill is that,
      A. It is an election year and anyone pushing
      this wants to look like he is out for the
      little guy, against big corporations.
      B. Backyard mechanics are complaining because
      they have to re-invest in their education
      more and more frequently now because
      automotive technology is changing about
      500 times faster then it used to. They
      have to spend thousands to buy equiptment
      to service the vehicals and they don't
      want to.

      The reason cars are much more complicated and computerized then they used to be is that the enviromental regulations placed on vehicals neccesitate them. These draconian laws force the big 3 to make their cars more and more complex every model change to keep up.

      The problem with alot of people is that they just believe what they read. Don't ever do that. This law is political and nothing more. It is a waste of time that adds more burocracy to a fat cat.

      --
      It's not the OS it's the user that sucks. If it's user friendly, you get stupider people. - clinko
    3. Re:This has always driven me nuts... by British · · Score: 2

      Dude, I have a Robert Bently manual for my Triumph Spitfire. Mind you, it's a primitive car that's easy to fix, but...

      The Bentley manual for it is about 99% "remove and refit" for parts on the car. There's some diagnostic stuff, but the Haynes manual(lists just about everything to do for it, rebuild engine, etc) compliments it.

      I wouldn't call it 100% useful unless you are a gearhead.

    4. Re:This has always driven me nuts... by M-G · · Score: 2

      Usually what Bentley publishes are the factory manuals, which assume a certain level of diagnostic and mechanical competence, so they just give you the important details specific to that car. (At least this is the case with the British-Leyland era manuals.)

      The Haynes books are written for the home mechanic, so go into much more detail. Unfortunately, Haynes sometimes gets things wrong, so it's always good to have the factory book handy as well.

    5. Re:This has always driven me nuts... by jafac · · Score: 2

      . . . and to think I can tune my 30-year old smog-exempt Aircooled VW with a screwdriver.

      Some stock setups, without catalytic converters, tuned properly, can still pass California's smog inspection.
      Some stock setups can still get 30 miles per gallon of regular unleaded gasoline.
      Some *modified* setups can crank out upwards of 250 hp from a 2 litre four cylinder aircooled engine, drive a beetle, or karmann ghia upwards of 120 mph, and 0-60 in under 7 seconds.

      My 72 karmann ghia has a 1.6 liter Porsche 912 engine that gets 25 miles per gallon, 0-60 in 8.5 seconds, tops out at 110+ (I don't dare take that body any faster without an air-dam, because the body produces too much lift). Doesn't need coolant, doesn't need no chips, I set the points and valve clearance and change the oil every 3000 miles, and it just plain runs.

      The Stock VW engine can be overhauled; rebuilt, for under $500. A single person can remove the engine with a simple floor jack.

      These cars DO have their limitations, but a lot of us Air Cooled enthusiasts often wonder whether there's been any real progress in the auto industry since 1973.

      --

      These are my friends, See how they glisten. See this one shine, how he smiles in the light.
    6. Re:This has always driven me nuts... by adolf · · Score: 2

      ...and to think my car tunes itself, as I drive down the highway.

      Some stock setups, with catalytic converters, in a state of complete negligence, can still pass Canifornia's smog inspection.
      Some stock setups can still get 30 miles per gallon of regular unleaded gasoline.
      Some *modified* setups can crank out upwards of 300 hp from a 2.4 litre four cylinder watercooled engine, drive a car that seats 5 upwards of 150 mph, and 0-60 in under 7 seconds.

      My '95 Beretta has a 2.2 liter Chevrolet engine that gets >25 miles per gallon, 0-60 in about 8.5 seconds, and hits its in-built governer hard at 113MPH (I'd take it faster if it'd let me). It doesn't drink coolant, doesn't need chips, I pour oil into it when I feel like it, and it just plain runs. I did replace the (factory) plugs at around 100k miles (the horror!), after it began stumbling on cold, wet mornings. Now it starts within a couple of rotations, even when below 0.

      The Stock Chevy engine can be overhauled; rebuilt, for under $500, as with most other single-cam 4-bangers. It does take a team of seven midgets and a step stool to remove it, however.

      These cars DO have their limitations, but a lot of us driving modern, bone-stock, base-model economy grocery getters often wonder whether the old codgers who harp on about the beauty of an air-cooled engines left what remained of their brain in 1972 on the head of a pin, stuck to a big hairy resin ball, on the coffee table right next to Bertha (the plumbing store bong), a pile of dusty-looking sandwich bags, and two empty three-peice pull-tab cans of PBR.

  9. That's all fine and dandy... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    But can it run linux?

    1. Re:That's all fine and dandy... by bergeron76 · · Score: 2

      This one does. It's even open source.

      Disclaimer: I am the owner of said vehicle

      --
      Don't think that a small group of dedicated individuals can't change the world. It's the only thing that ever has.
    2. Re:That's all fine and dandy... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Well, I would like my car computer to emit fuel and mileage info on an LED so my Linux handheld or laptops could report MPG and miles-in-gas-tank.

  10. haha! CLIT sux0rz!!!!! CLIT is teh suhxz! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    a serious logged in phristy! you all suck tacoass!

  11. ������ � Obligatory by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Imagine a beow...

  12. Hack Your Car by Kargan · · Score: 4, Informative

    This article here, even though it seems to be written for the person wanting to do their own maintenance, seems like it would have some handy information for small repair shops, as well.
    It basically points out a few new programs and an physical interface that is designed for use with a laptop that can interpret many diagnostic codes. Just install the software, plug in your car and off you go.

    --
    Palaces, barricades, threats, meet promises
    1. Re:Hack Your Car by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I administrate an office full of the people who write that code, and many of them have a simple application written for PalmOS that was less than $100 and came with an interface cable. It read the full proprietary diagnostics data (and helped fix a misfire in my own engine), as well as the OBD-II data. It can't modify the code itself, but it was enough to diagnose and repair my car. The hardware required to flash the EEPROMs in production ECUs is still prohibitively expensive and complicated (at this company, we even have our own version of C), but I don't think the guys at Greasy Joe's should be modifying my spark curves anyway.

  13. CARtel by ObviousGuy · · Score: 1, Funny

    That's funny.

    cartel... hehehe

    heh

    --
    I have been pwned because my /. password was too easy to guess.
  14. It ougghta be a law! by Nogami_Saeko · · Score: 4, Interesting

    It would make car repairs so much easier... Which is exactly WHY the dealerships and manufacturers don't want any part of it. When your car starts breaking down a lot you either bring it to the dealership who has the only tool out to read the diagnostic info (dealership wins), or you buy a new car (SOME manufacturer wins).

    I mean, if the manufacturers wanted to, it would be easy enough to put a text readout in the dashboard that would say "engine airflow sensor failure" or something similar. Even an error code that you could look up in the manual would be decent.

    When I buy a new car, part of my shopping checklist will be to see if I can get a (most likely) 3rd party diagnostic plugin tool.

    If more buyers demand onboard diagnostics to be usable by owners without expensive dealership computers, it might start forcing manufacturers to make the information easily accessible.

    Reminds me of Harry Harrison's "Deathworld" trilogy (part 2). Give the buyers of the vehicles (in that case, steam wagons), the bare minimum of information to make servicing/repairing them impossible. At least the manufacturers aren't sealing the hoods and putting mustard gas inside to prevent repairs (yet).

    --
    "Nothing strengthens authority so much as silence." - Charles de Gaulle
    1. Re:It ougghta be a law! by GigsVT · · Score: 1

      Speaking of airflow sensors, my car's been stalling randomly, so I took it in to a shop that had the hardware to read the computer. The airflow sensor is faulty, and Nissan wants $500 for the replacement. It looks like it doesn't matter who has the diagnostic hardware, the manufacturer always wins. I bet that part costs $10 to manufacture.

      --
      I've had enough abrasive sigs. Kittens are cute and fuzzy.
    2. Re:It ougghta be a law! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Check up on the service manual for the part number and get a price quote from another dealers parts desk.. you may be able to get away with giving the dealer a 60$ diag fee and getting the part cheaper if its easy to install.. i think they have to legally tell you what part they have to replace and you have the option to deny repair for a diagnostic fee.

    3. Re:It ougghta be a law! by lrichardson · · Score: 4, Insightful
      "I mean, if the manufacturers wanted to, it would be easy enough to put a text readout in the dashboard that would say "engine airflow sensor failure" or something similar. Even an error code that you could look up in the manual would be decent."

      Actually, some cars have this. Got a Malibu ... turn the key slightly differently on start up, and watch the dashboard lights, then cross reference that with the manual (Chilton's, IIRC, not the manufacturers). Yeah, I'd love to have it display "Ignition coil #3 is f$cked", rather than what amounts to a binary display, but, then again, it keeps casual tinkerers out from under the hood ... and, IMHO, there's a whole lot more stuff now (compared to a decade back) that is not user servicable.

      The other sad thing is that computer diagnostics are replacing brains. Take the alternator ... 99% of the time, it's the diode pack. But garages love to go the long route ... which involves more parts, more time, and thus more money. One car I've looked at was quite clear on the error message (Dead battery and/or bad ground). Well, at least it had the right system (electrical), but it took a pair of 25 cent brushes (in the alternator) to fix it.

      Keeping the error codes secret also hides another problem ... a good percentage of the time, the error message is just plain wrong!

    4. Re:It ougghta be a law! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      After your "forced" return to the dealership for the computer diagnosis you couldn't get elsewhere, you now know what's wrong w/the car and have it fixed anywhere BUT the dealer

    5. Re:It ougghta be a law! by ksheff · · Score: 1

      "People will use this to bypass emissions controls" is the excuse that many of the car manufacturers have been giving of why NOT to release this specs. Of course the real reason is to drive more revenue to the dealerships and their own parts suppliers. Having a person inside the repair shop smuggle out documentation (for a fee of course) is probably the best bet for now.

      --
      the good ground has been paved over by suicidal maniacs
    6. Re:It ougghta be a law! by karnal · · Score: 2

      I'm not wanting to start a fight, but what exactly on newer cars isn't user serviceable? Other than the computer (buy a new one, don't even bother to repair 75% of the time) etc...?

      Granted, for larger work, I have the work done on my 95 chevy by the dealer. But I assure you, with the right amount of time, I can do anything the certified dealer technicians can.

      --
      Karnal
    7. Re:It ougghta be a law! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If I remember right, the Pontiac Grand Prix had an option for an in-dash Diagnostics read-out or something like that.

    8. Re:It ougghta be a law! by jweatherley · · Score: 1

      At least the manufacturers aren't sealing the hoods and putting mustard gas inside to prevent repairs (yet).

      The Audi A2 has a sealed hood^H^H^H^Hbonnet. Stuff you need to access like the windsreen fluid refill live behind a small flap at the front of the car otherwise entry is verbotten. Don't go giving them ideas about the mustard gas though.

      --

      --
      Reverse outsourcing: it's the future
    9. Re:It ougghta be a law! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I mean, if the manufacturers wanted to, it would be easy enough to put a text readout in the dashboard that would say "engine airflow sensor failure" or something similar. Even an error code that you could look up in the manual would be decent.

      My father-in-law's Chevy Impala has that very feature. It is in the radio.

    10. Re:It ougghta be a law! by dasunt · · Score: 2

      With older cars (not sure about newer), a paperclip shorting out two pins in the diagnostic connector and the engine trouble light can be used to pull trouble codes from the vehicle.

  15. Please note by MisterBlister · · Score: 3, Informative
    They are talking about what amounts to ERROR CODES here. Not SOURCE CODE. Mechanics want to know what certain error messages mean, they don't want the fucking source code. How many mechanics are going to fix bugs in a RTOS car? And if they had access would you even want to drive your car knowing that "Big Joe" from down at Jiffy Lube reworked some of the brake logic?

    Everyone saying this is some sort of victory for Open Source is an illiterate moron, or didn't read the article.

    1. Re:Please note by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Mod this up. I don't want "Big Joe" reworking the brake logic on my car!

    2. Re:Please note by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Brake logic? When you say stupid shit like that, it becomes obvious who the illiterate moron is.

    3. Re:Please note by Tri0de · · Score: 2

      Not an illiterate moron; just hoping that for once the confusion can work *FOR* us. keeping information proprietary is evil, even deception lies and confusion are good and just weapons against any who would withold information from anyone else.

      --
      "Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but not their own facts."
    4. Re:Please note by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Kindly stfu. Thanks.

    5. Re:Please note by TheFrood · · Score: 3, Insightful

      They are talking about what amounts to ERROR CODES here. Not SOURCE CODE. Mechanics want to know what certain error messages mean, they don't want the fucking source code. How many mechanics are going to fix bugs in a RTOS car? And if they had access would you even want to drive your car knowing that "Big Joe" from down at Jiffy Lube reworked some of the brake logic?

      Everyone saying this is some sort of victory for Open Source is an illiterate moron, or didn't read the article.


      It's not a victory for Open Source per se, but it's a similar issue. It's the idea of openness versus closedness. Does the consumer benefit more if the protocols for talking to car computers are kept closed so that only the manufacturer can perform repairs? Or is the consumer better off if his car's computer has open protocols that allow any competent mechanic to diagnose and repair the car?

      There's a very direct parallel to the open-source-vs-proprietary-software debate. If this issue gets a lot of publicity, it'll make more people think about then open-versus-closed issue. That will make it easier to explain the benefits of open source to non-technical people.

      Wasn't it Bob Young who asked "Would you buy a car with the hood welded shut?"

      TheFrood

      --
      If you say "I'll probably get modded down for this..." then I will mod you down.
    6. Re:Please note by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Ever hear of ABS?

    7. Re:Please note by tswinzig · · Score: 3, Insightful

      And if they had access would you even want to drive your car knowing that "Big Joe" from down at Jiffy Lube reworked some of the brake logic?

      That's insulting to smart automotive technicians everywhere, and there are plenty.

      It's like saying all programmers are dumb, just because there are some dumb programmers in the world.

      --

      "And like that ... he's gone."
    8. Re:Please note by Paul+Komarek · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Not to excuse the other guy, but I expect the real issue is whether you want to drive a car run by source code that hasn't been *thoroughly* tested. I can't be sure that the auto manufacturers *thoroughly* test their code, either. However, the manufacturer has more time between writing the code and releasing it than the mechanic did.

      On the other hand if auto manufacturers were run the same way software manufacturers seem to be, I'd be less confident that any serious testing had been done at all. =-)

      -Paul komarek

    9. Re:Please note by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      For us? Don't speak for me, crankjob. I don't want laws forcing people to publish information if they don't want to.

    10. Re:Please note by fermion · · Score: 1
      Everyone saying this is some sort of victory for Open Source is an illiterate moron, or didn't read the article

      Well, perhaps everyone who is saying this is a victory for open source may be an illiterate moron. However, for the poster to take such a literal and obvious interpretation of the situation indicates an equal lack of analytical skill and creativity.

      The issue here, at the top level, is an open API. In a closed software system, it is often good to insist on an open API to insure fair competition. Microsoft has know this since the early days of DOS, which is why MS has always kept some hooks secret, and varied the API to insure that few people outside of Microsoft could maintain expertise. If the article is correct, it seems that the auto manufacturers are doing the same thing to maintain a non-competitive environment. Consumers are forced to have their cars repaired at dealers and pay artificially high prices.

      The link to open source software is direct. If a software project is open source, then the API as a consequence is also open. The API may not be directly published, but it can be more easily and reliably reversed engineered and then published. Likewise, if the software is not only open source but also subject to open review, then the standards may change slowly enough to maintain a large base of expertise(see the difference between the W3C web standards and MS arbitrary extended code).

      If the poster cannot make this connection, then I see know reason why the poster should feel the need to insult the rest of this community.

      --
      "She's a scientist and a lesbian. She's not going to let it slide." Orphan Black
    11. Re:Please note by MisterBlister · · Score: 1
      I didn't meant it to be insulting. My point isn't that automotive technicians are dumb, its that they aren't programmers.

      And by THAT I don't mean to say programmers are better/smarter, they just have a different skillset.

      How about if they stick to fixing cars, and I stick to programming? Everyone's happy...

    12. Re:Please note by afidel · · Score: 2

      Not to excuse the other guy, but I expect the real issue is whether you want to drive a car run by source code that hasn't been *thoroughly* tested. I can't be sure that the auto manufacturers *thoroughly* test their code, either. However, the manufacturer has more time between writing the code and releasing it than the mechanic did.

      Every serious car enthusiest that I know already does so, in the guise of performance enhancing EPROM's. They get chips that mod their fuel injection ratios, throttle points, and even automatic transmission settings. While this is not really code, more data tables to feed the code, incorrect values can still have the same effect as broken code.

      --
      There are 4 boxes to use in the defense of liberty: soap, ballot, jury, ammo. Use in that order. Starting now.
    13. Re:Please note by Paul+Komarek · · Score: 2

      To prevent confusion, by "*thoroughly* test" I would like to mean drive 1,000,000 miles in mixed city/highway conditions and a variety of weather, coupled with synthetic testing for extremes and corner-cases. That said, I probably have to live with something like testing 100 cars for 10,000 miles, at least one or two of which had special testing done. Even then I might be pressing my luck.

      Not to disparage the enthusiast, but it seems very likely they have fewer than 100 cars with the same computer. =-)

      -Paul Komarek

    14. Re:Please note by Paul+Komarek · · Score: 2

      A second response: but you have a good point -- if they're using the same mod chips that other enthusiasts are using, then you might have more than 100 cars driving 10,000 miles. That said, you might (or might not =-) lack the systematic synthetic tests like crash tests.

      -Paul Komarek

    15. Re:Please note by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      > keeping information proprietary is evil, even deception lies and confusion are good and just weapons against any who would withold information from anyone else.

      Uh, huh. Bad + Bad == Good.

      Riight.

      No, ends do not justify means, not unless you want to be regarded with as much contempt as those you rail against.

    16. Re:Please note by afidel · · Score: 2

      Well for edge cases I can almost guarentee that the enthusiests test them a lot more than the manufacturers. The enthusiest market tends to wring 110% performance out of their cars and if it doesn't break in their use then it is unlikely to break for "normal" people.

      --
      There are 4 boxes to use in the defense of liberty: soap, ballot, jury, ammo. Use in that order. Starting now.
    17. Re:Please note by liquidsin · · Score: 2

      Would you even want to drive your car knowing that "CowboyNeal" over at VA/Linux had been tinkering with your airbags? He wasn't making the point that "Big Joe" was unintelligent, only that he most likely wasn't qualified to be rewriting code for your car's braking system.

      --
      do not read this line twice.
    18. Re:Please note by lightcycler · · Score: 1

      "Everyone saying this is some sort of victory for Open Source is an illiterate moron, or didn't read the article"

      Making the car -- mechanic interface non-proprietry is obviously not of interest to open-source advocates, right?!? Just like publishing the MsWord format would be useless without MsWord's source code?

    19. Re:Please note by SEWilco · · Score: 1

      Everyone saying this is not some sort of victory for Open Source hasn't tried to get email from a "secure" Microsoft mail server, nor read of the problems encountered by the Samba team in sharing disks and printers. It is API progress in the right direction.

  16. Won't Work by rmohr02 · · Score: 1

    M$ will veto it.

    1. Re:Won't Work by fizban · · Score: 2, Funny

      M$ has veto power? Oh, right, the repubs are in charge now.

      --

      +1 Insightful, -1 Troll. What can I say, I'm an Insightful Troll.

    2. Re:Won't Work by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You are right, better to give people who don't want to work the veto power through social programs that don't work.

    3. Re:Won't Work by DNS-and-BIND · · Score: 2

      People actually think there is a difference between the republicrats and demoblicans? Rather like the difference between Oceania and Eastasia.

      --
      Shutting down free speech with violence isn't fighting fascism. It IS fascism!
    4. Re:Won't Work by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      As opposed to cutting social programs to the point where they can't work? Then you can call them failures and dish out the cash to your favorite campaign sponsors to reward them for their support. All in all, I'd rather have people help the less fortunate as an excuse to enrich themselves rather than have people help those who already have way too much as an excuse to enrich themselves. They're both crooks, but at least some good comes from one of them.

    5. Re:Won't Work by fizban · · Score: 1

      Oh please, lighten up and learn to love life instead of being a bastard.

      --

      +1 Insightful, -1 Troll. What can I say, I'm an Insightful Troll.

    6. Re:Won't Work by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      "As opposed to cutting social programs to the point where they can't work?"

      And in what way have 30 years of these social programs "worked"?

      "...at least some good comes from one of them."

      Yes, one of them hires a lot of people and creates a lot of wealth. Wealth does get created, it's not a matter of one person getting rich requires that other people become poor -- if that was not the case then you and all your relatives would be sharing great-grandfather's first horse instead of having cars. (Oh, you earned your car from your wages? If wealth is not created, everyone getting wages would be getting their share of the few coins brought from overseas by immigrants. Your ancestors came on the Mayflower, so their 50,000 descendants have to live on the 100 pieces of money which they brought. Less taxes.)

    7. Re:Won't Work by rmohr02 · · Score: 2

      You mean Eastasia and Eurasia, right? We don't really know anything about Eastasia or Eurasia except that we were at war with Eastasia and then we were at war with Eurasia and we had never been at war with Eastasia--or maybe there never actually was a war.

  17. relevant url by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
    1. Re:relevant url by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Ironic to have this on Qwest.Net, an ISP now using MSN so one must have the Microsoft mail program to use email. And who tried to trick people during the switch to MSN. Speaking of openness...

  18. Good news for Linux! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Maybe we can force GM to install linux on the cars! Soon everyone will be driving because of Tux!

  19. ODB-II by thesupraman · · Score: 4, Informative

    Most manufacturers (well, certainly most japanese ones, and I'm 99% certain all US..) have used ODB-II from 1996 onwards to allow a standardised interface to their diagnostic (and often tuning..) information. This is a standardised interface, and does exactly what is being requested here.

    You can buy standard ODB-II scanners, or PC interface boards. You can read and write data values in real time, it is a great system.

    Of course, it is only manditory in some US locations, and manufacturers are free to make non-ODB models for other markets. More pressure for them to all support this would be a good thing.

    The biggest problem is that 90+% of 'normal' mechanics out there seem incapable of interpreting the complexities of modern fuel injection systems (I've helped design some, and even I find them hard to understand at times), more information does not always fix that problem! The number of times 'they' (your normal mechanic) fall back to a mode of just replacing bits at random to 'fix' a problem is high.

    1. Re:ODB-II by gmhowell · · Score: 2

      I think you mean OBD-II. It is an emissions requirement for all 1996 and newer autos and light trucks sold in the US. It largely has to do with ensuring that the emissions controls of the car (O2 sensor, cat, etc) are working properly. Problem is, it is possible for a non-OEM to make a part that, while it doesn't bugger up the emissions, it does bugger up OBD-II stuff, making the car think there is a problem (when it comes to emissions, running better than it should is just as bad as running not as well).

      --
      Jesus was all right but his disciples were thick and ordinary. -John Lennon
    2. Re:ODB-II by jred · · Score: 2

      The biggest problem is that 90+% of 'normal' mechanics out there seem incapable of interpreting the complexities of modern fuel injection systems (I've helped design some, and even I find them hard to understand at times), more information does not always fix that problem! The number of times 'they' (your normal mechanic) fall back to a mode of just replacing bits at random to 'fix' a problem is high.

      Hey I can do that... No, what they do is decide that since they don't know what the error codes mean, it must be a problem with the computer. "Oh, your brakes are pulsing? Hmm, must be the computer, you know that controls the antilock brakes, don't you?" Or, "your headlights don't work? Must be the computer..."

      Ok, I'm exaggerating (how the f* DO you spell that??). But you know what? It doesn't bother me any more. I've got my pimp-ass '79 Caddy Coupe Deville, w/ 7.0L V8. Sure I get ~10mpg, but it'll get up and go. Talk about your sleeper :) Plus, it's pimp, did I mention that???

      Memphis, Making Easy Money Pimpin Hoes In Style :)

      --

      jred
      I'm not a mechanic but I play one in my garage...
    3. Re:ODB-II by obdii_for_dummies · · Score: 1

      In case anyone is interested...
      Here's an example of the OBD-II SAE-J1850 VPW protocol as used by GM, wrapped by another protocol of the hardware interface being used.

      This is from a PC based software scan tool called EFILive V5.

      The VIN is fake but can anyone tell me where the vehicle was made and by who?

      22:27:12.226: Scanning for T16 - Multiplex Engineering's #T16 interface on Com1
      22:27:12.226: Connected to Com1 using baud=19200 parity=N data=8 stop=1
      22:27:12.326: Send: $1F,$00,$00,$00,$00,$00,$00,$00,$00,$00,$00,$00,$0 0,$00,$55
      22:27:12.346: Recv: $40,$80,$42,$02,$7F,$55,$05,$5A,$5F,$00,$00,$00,$0 0,$56
      22:27:12.346: Interface: T16 V66.127
      22:27:12.346: Auto detecting OBD-II protocol: SAE J1850VPW (GM)...
      22:27:12.346: Probing OBDII link...
      22:27:12.356: Send: $1F,$82,$05,$68,$6A,$F1,$01,$00,$00,$00,$00,$00,$0 0,$00,$4B
      22:27:12.397: Recv: $40,$82,$48,$6B,$10,$41,$00,$BF,$BF,$F9,$90,$B5,$0 0,$42
      22:27:12.397: OBD-II protocol: SAE J1850VPW (GM) detected.
      22:27:12.397: Request OBD compliance.
      22:27:12.467: Send: $1F,$82,$05,$68,$6A,$F1,$01,$1C,$00,$00,$00,$00,$0 0,$00,$67
      22:27:12.507: Recv: $40,$82,$48,$6B,$10,$41,$1C,$01,$2F,$00,$00,$00,$0 0,$D2
      22:27:12.507: OBD compliance: OBD-II (California ARB)
      22:27:12.507: Request GM PCM#.
      22:27:12.567: Send: $1F,$82,$05,$6C,$10,$F1,$3C,$04,$00,$00,$00,$00,$0 0,$00,$34
      22:27:12.607: Recv: $40,$82,$6C,$F1,$10,$7C,$04,$00,$F7,$81,$C2,$52,$0 0,$FB
      22:27:12.607: PCM#: 16220610
      22:27:12.607: Request GM VIN.
      22:27:12.667: Send: $1F,$82,$05,$6C,$10,$F1,$3C,$01,$00,$00,$00,$00,$0 0,$00,$31
      22:27:12.707: Recv: $40,$82,$6C,$F1,$10,$7C,$01,$00,$36,$48,$38,$56,$5 4,$CC
      22:27:12.767: Send: $1F,$82,$05,$6C,$10,$F1,$3C,$02,$00,$00,$00,$00,$0 0,$00,$32
      22:27:12.807: Recv: $40,$82,$6C,$F1,$10,$7C,$02,$4B,$36,$39,$46,$59,$4 C,$12
      22:27:12.867: Send: $1F,$82,$05,$6C,$10,$F1,$3C,$03,$00,$00,$00,$00,$0 0,$00,$33
      22:27:12.907: Recv: $40,$82,$6C,$F1,$10,$7C,$03,$35,$38,$31,$33,$36,$3 5,$AA
      22:27:12.907: Vin: 6H8VTK69FYL581365
      22:27:13.859: Request Diagnostic Trouble Codes.
      22:27:13.869: Send: $1F,$82,$05,$68,$6A,$F1,$01,$01,$00,$00,$00,$00,$0 0,$00,$4C
      22:27:13.899: Recv: $40,$82,$48,$6B,$10,$41,$01,$00,$07,$60,$00,$89,$0 0,$77
      22:27:13.899: No diagnostic trouble codes detected.

    4. Re:ODB-II by yoduh · · Score: 1

      I'm pretty sure its an LS1 F-Body from somewhere between 00 and 02. if it was an f-body it was made in Ste. Thérèse, Quebec (Canada) I could be wrong tho, it might be from a full sized truck or a y-body (vette- which is made in bowling green KY)

    5. Re:ODB-II by cdrudge · · Score: 2

      The VIN is fake but can anyone tell me where the vehicle was made and by who?
      . . .
      22:27:12.907: Vin: 6H8VTK69FYL581365


      It was made by Holden's Motor Company in Australia around 2000 in Elizabeth...maybe. I'm not too sure about the city.

    6. Re:ODB-II by yoduh · · Score: 1

      you could be right....i just guessed by the PCM id.....i took it as the whole VIN was incorrect. the PCM could have been used in the LS1 driven Holdens.....

    7. Re:ODB-II by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      GM? The article said that GM has already been cooperative.

    8. Re:ODB-II by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Fuel injection? The article mentions extra expense in repairing door problems.

  20. Re:The scourge of IP (DMCA) by bbqdeath · · Score: 1

    I thought violation of the DMCA for reverse-engineering only happened if the person doing so bypassed a security method intended to protect a copyrighted work? Now, technically the DMCA gives copyright to so everything with as much creative input as a hearty fart, but the auto manufacturers would have to have some sort of copy protection mechanism on their codes to claim the DMCA violation. Again, the DMCA is so lame it doesn't take a particularly stout protection mechanism, but would the auto manufacturers bother? Would they implement public-key encryption between the OBD-II microprocessor and the error code display device? Would they say they use N-8-1 serial encoding to protect their copyright? Would a court fall for that?

    Code-reading software these mechanics could use exists, and it's cheap, once you have a laptop. What is the precise complaint of the auto shops, I wonder? Because it can't simply be that there's no way for them to get the codes out without paying the manufacturer. Are they just bitching that they have to do work? That they have to have specialized tools (like that's new)? Or that they have to learn how to use PCs?

  21. On Trolls by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    While trolling takes on many forms, many of them merely being nuisances (crapflooding, goat links, page widening, etc) you'll find the vast majority of trolling occurring in posts similar to posts such as your original. On Slashdot, well-thought out and reasoned posts have become indistinguishable from trolls. This is made all the more obvious by the dimness of the moderators who would mod you down -1 in a heartbeat if not for the length of your post (as if that were the measure of an argument).

    I too am a troll, much along the lines as you (though perhaps you don't realize yourself as such yet). I used to post, IMO, well argued posts and was consistently modded down by the Slashdot groupthink moderators. This is not to say that I didn't eventually hit the karma cap, but that along the way it was painfully obvious that my pro-Windows, anti-GPL opinion was not tolerated here.

    Upon the realization of that I had my epiphany that pearls are not to be given to swine (this seems to be the same satori experience you are having now). Pigs deserve slop, and now that is all they get from me.

    In any case, I'm not one of the nuisance trolls as I listed above, but one of the provocative trolls such as yourself (please do not take offense, this is not an insult as it may first appear). The Slashdot feeding frenzy that follows any post that attempts to support Microsoft or attack Linux or posit Creationism is a wondrous thing to watch, much like a thunderstorm or a supernova. The one difference is that you, the troll, have total control over the experience, much like a god who views his masterpiece from another dimension.

    This is not to say that Slashdot is void of intellectual content. On the contrary, you'll find quite a bit of interesting information in the Science and Developer sections. You will find *no* intellectual content in the YRO section.

    It's a travesty that a good idea like Slashdot, allowing users to create their own content, has succumbed to the mindless pursuit of mental masturbation of FSF zealots.

    So while this may be the end of your Slashdot infancy, I think you will find your maturation into a Slashdot provocateur quite fulfilling and fun. Isn't that why you joined the technology revolution in the first place?

    1. Re:On Trolls by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I notice that you are a Coward (So am I).

  22. M$ in Cars by kurt555gs · · Score: 1

    The I-DRIVE system in the new BMW 745 is based on Windows-CE

    Does this bill mandate opening that?

    Of course , im sure BMW is now thinking they should have used home grown SuSE instead, considering all the computer related problems the 745's are having

    --
    * Carthago Delenda Est *
    1. Re:M$ in Cars by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Im sure thats what theyre thinking this very moment.

      Do you even know if the 745 computer problem is anywhere near related to WindowsCE? I dont see iPAQs and my Dreamcast having problems all the time.. maybe bmw just couldnt write software? No of course not! Its always microsoft.

      Morons like you will ruin the linux and open source movement

    2. Re:M$ in Cars by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The dreamcast does not run windows CE. There is no windows code in the dreamcast firmware. Certain GAMES use windows CE code on their GD-ROM, but none of the good games do this.

  23. IP laws would have stopped me from stealing this by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    IP laws would have stopped me from stealing this rhyme off some dingleberries webpage if i gave a fuck about shit like IP laws.


    my name is shaki im a paki smell real nasty like ass cracky and nut sacky cuz i dont use soap so i smell like dead goat like a horse eating oat and taking a shit dont make me bitch about your high prices seventeen cents and i have a crisis my wife is a bitch who thinks shes hot but shes not cuz shes all i got from my mom for droppin the bomb on isreal and still i smell cuz i know i suck you american fuck but you still need us cuz we got the fuel butt fuckin mule come into my tent and i sodomize you i do not speak english very well as you can tell and i dont use soap as you can smell make you wanna impale your head on a rail as i drive like a snail down the highway dont make me say batarahzees get on your knees and suck my dick you american prick as i eat garlic and take a piss on your store on the floor dont want no more you fucking whore cuz you want to be lord then BUTT SULTAN BUTT SULTAN bitch be boltin as i fuck you like an animal ride you like a camel sportin my towel and worshipin cow i tell you right now i bring you down so batarahzees lets go to chuck-e-cheese and play some games as us kids take a shit on the ride want to make you cry want to make you die then fry you fucking guy PAKI RHYME.

  24. This would be great! by MsWillow · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Back when I worked for Sun Electric (before they got bought by Snap-On Tools), one of the hardest parts of making diagnostic disks for the newer cars was getting access to the codes. Information about what the codes mean, and how to get them, are "trade secrets" jealously guarded by the big automotive manufacturers, so they can provide *their* repair facilities with the stuff they need to do the work, thus effectively gauranteeing them a captive market.

    We'd eventually get copies of the specs, by having some employee schmooze the people at the auto makers, and they'd conveniently leave the codes on their desks, and step out for a loooooong lunch ... while these "confidential" documents were copied. We ran a few years behind - not that it mattered much to Sun, because nobody takes a new, still-under-warranty car to Joe's Auto Repair & Bait Shop. Our customers got the cars after they went out of warranty, and by then we always had the codes, and hardware to allow them to be read.

    It'd be a whole lot less sleazy, though, if the car makers had to release the codes, and how to get them. I do see, however, that this could cause problems, as many of the datastreams are bi-directional, allowing you to change things while the engine is running, potentially causing a malfunction. I wonder if the lawmakers have considered that?

    --

    Lemon curry?
    1. Re:This would be great! by hey! · · Score: 2

      This is interesting, because it points out a difference between engineering and management culture. If the management level knew how much informal cooperation goes on between their engineers and those working for other companies, they'd probably have a fit and issue a stack of policies to limit this.

      --
      Post may contain irony: discontinue use if experiencing mood swings, nausea or elevated blood pressure.
    2. Re:This would be great! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "I'd be a whole lot less sleazy, though, if the car makers had to release the codes, and how to get them. I do see, however, that this could cause problems, as many of the datastreams are bi-directional, allowing you to change things while the engine is running, potentially causing a malfunction. I wonder if the lawmakers have considered that?"

      Nothing there for the "lawmakers" to consider. Or if the "lawmakers" would have to consider that, then they should also include a law that prevents you from using a sledgehammer on the engine, putting your hands into moving parts of the engine, running with no or low oil...

    3. Re:This would be great! by way2muchsense · · Score: 1

      Error checking to counter user stupidity is basic first-year computer science.

  25. Worst $80 I ever spent on my car... by tgd · · Score: 2

    I've never found a damn thing of use in the S4 Bentley manual. It has minimal documentation of ECM codings, and no way to search by DTC. The one or two things I've had to look up how to do in there have been wrong, as well. Maybe VW ones are better...

  26. I'm a pessimist by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I feel that your attempt to fix the vocabulary issues on Slashdot will, in the end, be worth about as much as a fart in a hurricane. If 18 years of our excellent public schooling system here in the United States can't produce expert wordsmiths, what on Earth possibly can?

    1. Re:I'm a pessimist by MaxVlast · · Score: 1

      18 years of a public schooling system that works?

      --
      There should be a moratorium on the use of the apostrophe.
      Max V.
      NeXTMail/MIME Mail welcome
    2. Re:I'm a pessimist by DeputySpade · · Score: 1

      18 years of a public schooling system that works?

      If it took him 18 years to get through public school, that's about the command of the english language I'd expect. k through 12 is actually 13 years. K stands for Kindergarten. It is not a variable.

      --


      This space intentionally left blank
    3. Re:I'm a pessimist by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Kindergarten is a variable. At least in this state it isn't required....

  27. I bet it costs less... by cr0sh · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I bet that part costs $10 to manufacture.

    Actually, it probably only cost $5.00 max - the MAP sensor tends to be one of the most complicated sensors in a vehicle today, but even so it is typically only a stress gauge mounted in a custom body that is part of the air intake so that as air passes by, it exerts a force - typically a custom chip inside interprets this force and relays it back to the computer (in some manner).

    But back to your assertion - my brother-in-law's truck was having problems, and one of the codes in the ODB-I system said that he needed a new throttle position sensor - we found it was a dealer part - the dealer wanted $50.00! Since he needed it, he bought it. But guess what this "sensor" was...

    Yup, a 100K potentiometer with spring return to zero, in a custom molded body.

    F'in car manufacturers...

    --
    Reason is the Path to God - Anon
    1. Re:I bet it costs less... by SN74S181 · · Score: 1

      Was it a linear taper potentiometer, or some special non-linear taper? What's it's rated wear life? One rated for the continual change that a throttle goes through would have to be pretty high quality. Motion control hardware, if designed for duty in extreme environments (i.e. the hot and cold of an engine compartment) isn't the same as the potentiometer you buy at Radio Shack.

    2. Re:I bet it costs less... by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      Probably the only expensive sensor on any car is the O2 sensor, which has some kind of funky coating on it. I'm not karma whoring right now -- I'm on vacation -- so I'm not going to go look it up, but it's expensive.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    3. Re:I bet it costs less... by elbarsal · · Score: 1

      Probably the only expensive sensor on any car is the O2 sensor, which has some kind of funky coating on it. I'm not karma whoring right now -- I'm on vacation -- so I'm not going to go look it up, but it's expensive.


      O2 sensors cost a fortune (~ $150 CAD each) and I'm lucky enough to have a set of 4 on my 96 Chev. Had to replace two of them. The thing is (according to the mechanic) that it isn't the sensor itself that went bad, but the heating element surrounding the sensor, since it's the part that usually fails.

    4. Re:I bet it costs less... by shepd · · Score: 1

      >Motion control hardware, if designed for duty in extreme environments (i.e. the hot and cold of an engine compartment) isn't the same as the potentiometer you buy at Radio Shack.

      Yes, but for the price of the Radio Shack potentiometer, you can probably buy the Mil-Spec part, which will beat the pants off the auto-grade part.

      BTW: I thought Nat-Semi was out of the business of making TTL parts... ;-)

      --
      If you could be told what you can see or read, then it follows that you could be told what to say or think - BoC
    5. Re:I bet it costs less... by SN74S181 · · Score: 1

      Sales are kinda slow in the Schottky product line anyway.

      I've seen a lot of T.I. parts with the SN prefix.

    6. Re:I bet it costs less... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      "we found it was a dealer part - the dealer wanted $50.00!"

      A non-dealer repair shop might have gotten a rebuilt one more cheaply --- or paid a junkyard $5 for the part and $20 to have them yank it and have it delivered. (No junkyard parts business in town? Start a next-day parts service for people and garages who are willing to wait an extra day to have cars repaired more cheaply. The garages would gain business from "dealer-only" repairs, and people wouldn't have to travel/tow 20 miles to the dealer in the big town.)

    7. Re:I bet it costs less... by ejasons · · Score: 1

      I've always maintained that automobile companies should have to publish a "repair index" -- the cost (or ratio, or whatever) of replacing every single part in the car. This might attract attention to the unreasonable parts costs that the companies charge...

    8. Re:I bet it costs less... by cr0sh · · Score: 1

      Ok, the O2 sensor may be the most expensive (I think it uses some kind of ionization with the heater, the exhaust, and a palladium or platinum coating) - it may also be a bit more complicated, but I am not sure - it may only emit a varying voltage, directly, whereas the MAP sensor takes input from a stress gauge, then passes it through that custom IC (I am not sure why this is, but that is what I saw when I openned the old MAP sensor). Of course, this may just be for that model of MAP sensor - for others it might be less contained or complicated...

      --
      Reason is the Path to God - Anon
    9. Re:I bet it costs less... by The_Rippa · · Score: 0

      I had a headlight wiring harness burn out on my grand prix...the GM dealership wanted $50 for literally the equivalent of a hard-drive power cable. I found a generic-brand at pep boys for $5 that has THICKER wires than the GM one!

    10. Re:I bet it costs less... by drinkypoo · · Score: 2

      Er, I hate to reply to myself but I should comment that MAF (mass air flow) sensors are usually the most expensive to buy... a generic O2 sensor costs about $60. Most MAF sensors (not MAP) are $150 or more.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
  28. Since when... by hackwrench · · Score: 1

    was redneck a derogatory term... My cousin who happens to be into cars happens to also fancy himself a redneck. He says that since he doesn't drink alcohol, he takes a root beer with him to job interviews.

    1. Re:Since when... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Heh.. "redneck" is a derogatory term in the same way that "geek" is a derogatory term.

    2. Re:Since when... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "redneck" is a derogatory yerm in the same way "retard" is.

    3. Re:Since when... by packeteer · · Score: 1

      redneck comes from a while back when "rednecks" where the ones who were too poor to buy slaves in the south so they had to work their own land or even someone elses... redneck hints to being poor so it comes a derogitory term... in the southern at the time people used this phrase with its original intent people hwo were poor were thought to be dirty/stupid/uneducatable slobs... this is why rednecks are thought of as "trailer trash" or "country yokels" or some other name... but in a more modern US the term redneck is used to identify southerns and is a point of pride often as it identifies them with where they come from...

      --
      unzip; strip; touch; finger; mount; fsck; more; yes; unmount; sleep
  29. Something Similar... by dmadole · · Score: 5, Informative

    I recently ran into something somewhat similar. I have an older Acura Legend that has had a couple of nagging problems I've been trying to track down. First is a ticking sound from somewhere within the mass of emissions-control components. The other was an occasional failure of the air conditioning to cool.

    Anyway, I was doing some searching on Google and Google Groups, trying to see if someone had been down either of these paths before. I ended up, through an Acura enthusiasts site, at Alldata, a mechanics' and do-it-yourself'ers online technical reference subscription site.

    Alldata had a list of Technical Service Belletins (TSBs) for my car -- these are notices sent from the manufacturer to dealers notifying them of, let's say "anomalies", in their product to be aware of. Sure enough, one was titled "BUZZING FROM EMISSIONS CONTROL BOX" and another was titled "A/C INTERMITTENTLY BLOWS WARM AIR". Jackpot!

    All I had to do now was subscribe to Alldata for a (relatively) measly $25 a year to read the full text of the TSB. But wait! It turns out that of the world's car companies, Honda (who makes Acuras) and BMW (you know what they make) do not allow their TSBs to be distributed to the owners of their products.

    I called Acura's toll-free number and complained, and sure enough, they said they only provide and authorize distribution of TSBs to dealers. Seems Honda likes to keep secret what they know is wrong with their cars, giving their dealers an advantage and making owners and independent mechanics suffer along rediscovering what's wrong with Honda's shoddy products.

    Anyway, fortunately, I discovered an excellent service, Taylor Automotive Tech-Line which is a kind of a pay-per-incident tech support for mechanics and others. A simple web form and $20 later, and they emailed me TIFFs of the "secret" TSBs. Both of which were exactly what was wrong with my car!

    Turns out the air conditioning problem was caused by a circuit board chock full of cold solder joints that had cracked. Ten minutes with a soldering iron and fresh solder corrected that manufacturing defect. The clicking sound was diagnosed in less than five minutes with the help of the TSB and fixed by replacing a $59 chunk of plastic (a "Constant Vacuum Control Valve").

    Taylor Auto Tech's motto, by the way, is "We Fill In The Cracks On The Information Highway". Thankfully, someone is.

    1. Re:Something Similar... by Squeezer · · Score: 1

      I don't know how you came to the conclusion that honda won't release the TSBs. You can call any Honda or Acura dealer and tell them what car you have or the VIN # and they will tell you what TSBs are available for your car. You should know that not all TSB are due to problems with cars. Honda releases TSBs on things such as proper car cleaning, scan tool usage, etc... I am a Honda S2000 owner and I can go to http://www.s2ki.com/article/archive/1/ and look at all the othe TSBs for the Honda S2000. All of these TSBs were gotten by Honda S2000 owners from their dealers. I think your problem was that you are shy and don't like to talk on the phone so you would rather search around the internet to find a solution to your problem then rather taking 5 minutes to call the service department at your local dealer and ask the service writer what TSBs are available for your car.

      --
      Does the name Pavlov ring a bell?
    2. Re:Something Similar... by borgillel · · Score: 1

      I had the same intermittant A.C. problem (cold solder joints in the A.C. dashboard control unit) with a '93 Prelude. Fortunately, I was able to figure out the problem on my own using the old shot-in-the-dark method and probably saved myself a fortune in repair costs. In fact, the mechanic that I mentioned the problem to said that he wouldn't even bother with it unless it occurred more frequently. Electrical problems have always been, and will probably continue to be, a thorn in the side of all mechanics because of the lack of information regarding them. One thing that I have found useful has been the authorized Honda Service Manuals which contain complete instructions, nice illustrations, plenty of electrical schematics, and quite a bit more info than the Chilton or Haynes manuals.

    3. Re:Something Similar... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The ticking noise could be normal, Oil dripping back into the Pin or your valve timing needing to be adjusted. have your car tuned and that should stop.

    4. Re:Something Similar... by dmadole · · Score: 1

      I came to that conclusion by calling Acura and asking them how I can get TSBs for my car. They didn't tell me to go down to my dealer, they said very clearly that I can't have them, that they are only available to and intended for their dealers (which is exactly what Alldata said). Among major automakers, only Honda and BMW have this policy, by the way.

      Besides, lighten up. Just because you and some other owners have cooperative dealers (or inside contacts at dealers) and are willing to (probably) illegally distribute Honda's intellectual property, doesn't mean that there's something wrong with me. My dealer happens to suck and be very difficult to work with.

      Did you not notice that the bottom of each TSB on the website you linked says "(c) 2000 American Honda Motor Co., Inc. - All Rights Reserved"? Did the website or those who posted these documents obtain permission from Honda first?

      Just because it's possible to steal these doesn't make everything OK in my book with Honda's policy. It took me less than 3 minutes to get access online to every TSB for both my Saab 9-5 and my Toyota Tacoma. I shouldn't have to jerk around with schmoozing a dealer just to get the same from Honda.

    5. Re:Something Similar... by Marasmus · · Score: 2

      Another place that's good to look is automotiveforums.com - the honda/acura crew (at least 50 regulars) are extremely active and very helpful :)

      --
      .... um, i lost you after "0110100001101001".
    6. Re:Something Similar... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Sure, the dealer will tell you what TSBs they think are relevant. Will the dealer give you a copy of the full TSB, rather than just the title on the page, so you and your favorite mechanic can see the causes and solutions?

    7. Re:Something Similar... by makohund · · Score: 1

      check out your local library...

      They just might have a subscription to something called "Mitchell's auto-repair database". It's very expensive, but has just about everything you'd want to know, including full text of TSB's. I'd have to double-check to make sure Honda is in there, but I'd bet it is. (It is marketed to auto-repair shops, not owners/consumers.)

  30. Codes by mrycar · · Score: 5, Interesting

    This is interesting. As a co-owner of a small independant garage that primarily works on GM, Ford, and Chrysler, I never had difficuly in obtaining error codes and how to pull them. Not only do the manufacturers provided manuals, but so do the aftermarket companies. Even getting a quicky codelist from the dealerships have never been difficult.

    Now in the beginning of ECM's, all the sensors had different names, but the SAE has been working hard at even removing these obstacles. Also the auto industry is naturally working at producing standard error codes. Todays mechanics owe no loyatly to a dealership or brand (not a bad thing) Its much easier and cheaper if when another dealership or garage picks up a skilled mechanic they don't need to retrain them on that brands codes.

    The automotive manufacturers know this and are migrating to common codes on their own. No need for the government to come in and add an additional expense to a process that is already happening.

    What is happening is the liability of working on a car is becoming too expensive for small independant garages. This will be the death of mom and pop shops before nonstandard ecm codes are.

    --
    Gator/Claria is Spyware.
    1. Re:Codes by nathanm · · Score: 2
      This is interesting. As a co-owner of a small independant garage that primarily works on GM, Ford, and Chrysler, I never had difficuly in obtaining error codes and how to pull them. Not only do the manufacturers provided manuals, but so do the aftermarket companies.
      The article mentions that European manufacturers aren't as open with their proprietary codes, with the specific example of an air-bag light on a BMW. The owner brought it in to a local garage to get it fixed, but was refered to a dealer as the codes aren't available. He had to drive 70 miles to the nearest BMW dealership.

      My friend had a similar problem: the idiot light (service engine) was on, so he went to a mechanic to have a look at it, who found nothing wrong. He then talked to a dealer that said it automatically comes on at 60,000 miles, and for $60 they would give it a tune-up & the light would go out. Instead, my friend just put black electrical tape over the light & ignored it.
    2. Re:Codes by Rob+Simpson · · Score: 1
      "He then talked to a dealer that said it automatically comes on at 60,000 miles, and for $60 they would give it a tune-up & the light would go out."

      That is just...appalling. I can't express how pissed off I'd be at the car company if that happened to me. Was that also a BMW?

    3. Re:Codes by SerpentMage · · Score: 2

      I would not say that this is appalling. This is called regular service on your vehicle. If you do not realize it, but if your car is not regularly serviced then the warrenty is null and void. Check the fine print. Regular servicing is a good thing to do on your car. Keeps it running well.

      --

      "You can't make a race horse of a pig"
      "No," said Samuel, "but you can make very fast pig"
    4. Re:Codes by freq · · Score: 1

      Step 1: using a 10mm wrench, loosen and then remove the negative battery cable from the negative battery terminal.

      Step 2: tap the brake pedal a few times

      Step 3: reconnect the negative cable to the negative battery terminal.

      Idiot light gone.

      --
      "Tension is the great integrity" -- R. Buckminster Fuller
    5. Re:Codes by cdrudge · · Score: 2

      This is not about getting regular service though. I'm a shade tree mechanic. I can replace 6 spark plugs, an air cleaner and a PCV valve (a typical "tune-up" these days) for a lot less then $60. Even if I do the "tune-up" religiously I will always get the little service light. The manufacturer assumes that I will never work on the car so they just set up the light to come on every 60,000 miles whether it is needed or not.

    6. Re:Codes by M-G · · Score: 2

      Service interval counters have been around for years. Nothing new there. They are usually for items that have a limited life and impact emissions, such as O2 sensors.

      On more recent cars, the EPA requires an emission warranty that exceeds the life of some emission control components. On our Ford Ranger, for example, the PCV valve is to be replaced at 60K, which is done for free by the dealer. (No check engine light triggered by mileage though.) So it's very possible the 60K light that this car had was for such a component that should have been replaced for free, but the dealer wanted to get some more money out of them...

    7. Re:Codes by nathanm · · Score: 2
      This is called regular service on your vehicle. If you do not realize it, but if your car is not regularly serviced then the warrenty is null and void.
      This was a few years ago. At the time, nobody offered a 60,000 mi warranty (only a few offer them now). Besides, I'm not against regular maintenance, just being forced to use a single maintainer.

      Regular servicing is a good thing to do on your car. Keeps it running well.
      I just want a choice where I take it for maintenance. If I own a car, I should be able to take it anywhere, even if it voids the warranty.
    8. Re:Codes by cdrudge · · Score: 2

      No arguments here. The idea that you are REQUIRED to pay a dealership to reset the light is silly and not necessary. I don't know about newer cars, but the pre-OBD-II GM vehicles would trigger the light and remain on until the negative terminal of the battery was pulled for 30 seconds or so. This I think was ideal since it would still remind our 80 year old aunt Ethels to have the car serviced, but us shade tree mechanics could still reset it.

    9. Re:Codes by SerpentMage · · Score: 2
      I just want a choice where I take it for maintenance. If I own a car, I should be able to take it anywhere, even if it voids the warranty.

      Point taken and accepted. True...

      --

      "You can't make a race horse of a pig"
      "No," said Samuel, "but you can make very fast pig"
  31. Open code? by anthony_dipierro · · Score: 2

    Wouldn't the equivalent of forcing them to open the code be to force them to hand over the patents and specifications on their assembly equipment?

    1. Re:Open code? by rusty0101 · · Score: 2

      Um, by definition of Patent, if their assembly equipment is patented, then it is open. (of course the fact that it is patented means that they get to charge other people using that same assembly equipment royalties...)

      -Rusty

      --
      You never know...
  32. The combination is 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 by Daetrin · · Score: 1
    Someone else already mentioned the similar article at CNN which says:
    "The emissions repair codes are linked to anti-theft devices, which is causing the insurance industry to oppose the EPA proposal. Getting the codes to more repair shops could make it easier for auto thieves to obtain that information, insurers say."

    Ok, is the auto industry just making this up so they'll have support for not giving out the codes? Or did some nimrod in the design stage actually think that linking the _emissions control_ system and the _anti-theft_ system was a _good_ idea?

    Perhaps there's an unadvertised theft protection device in newer cars, if the onboard computer think the car is being stolen, instead of running the exaust through the catalytic converter it redirects it into the air condtioning system.

    --
    This Space Intentionally Left Blank
    1. Re:The combination is 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 by mrycar · · Score: 1

      A separate computer module contains all of the vehicular identity. It is physically separate from the main ECM in the car. Sharing the diagnostics codes and main engine parameters would in no way effect the theft or lack of it. Usually the modules are at least a foot away fromt he main engine/drivetrain and body control units.

      I don't think the reporter understood what the person telling them about the modules was saying.

      The Main body computers usually triggers the alarms though, and the ECM will store the captured event. Sharing the schematics of the sensors has a greater chance of increasing theft then sharing the codes. Every helms and chiltons manual include those schematics or a place to purchase them for a bit extra.

      --
      Gator/Claria is Spyware.
    2. Re:The combination is 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "Sharing the diagnostics codes and main engine parameters would in no way effect the theft or lack of it. Usually the modules are at least a foot away fromt he main engine/drivetrain and body control units."

      Bullshit. In newer VW's, the ECU is specifically coded to the dash...if you try to put the ECU in a different car with a different dash, the ECU refuses to run. Most Audi/VW immobilizers also 'talk' to the key, and the ECU needs to be programmed to recognize a particular key.

      More and more ECUs DO contain this kind of immobilizer; thieves simply can't bypass this kind of immobilizer without a lot more work, even with the scan tools(generally ECUs aren't very easy to quickly get access to.) It may be separate on YOUR car, but not on all of them.

      The problem is that someone along the line confused "emissions stuff" with "the engine control unit", which contains, in most cars, absolutely all engine functions(and now these days also contains anti-theft stuff.) Emissions has never really been separate from the ECU, since it is one of its most basic functions(proper mixture.)

      Giving access to one does NOT require giving access to another. The manufacturer simply doesn't have to release the codes to talk to the theft control functions of the ECU to recode it to talk to a new ignition key/dash/whatever.

    3. Re:The combination is 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 by kanadalainen_rami · · Score: 1

      that's amazing! i've got the same combination on my luggage!

  33. You think ODB-II is bad? Check out ODB-III! by cr0sh · · Score: 4, Informative

    Here is an article about it.

    And you think it is bad now...

    I have very little doubt that as the technology matures, they will be able to build a car that ONLY runs on "dealer gas", which has certain molecular marker "tags" in the gasoline to identify it, custom sensors (similar to that used for DNA analysis, only MUCH faster) in the fuel lines, etc hooked up to the computer. When I mean "dealer gas", though, it will probably be a "cooperative" agreement between a gas company and the manufacturer - or maybe it will be something where all gas will work, but a "certain" gas will work "best" - literally.

    --
    Reason is the Path to God - Anon
    1. Re:You think ODB-II is bad? Check out ODB-III! by BrookHarty · · Score: 2

      And since the car sells for 1/2 the price of other cars, people will flock to it.

      Embrace, Extend, Litigate.
      -
      www.

  34. Everybody does it by Goonie · · Score: 3, Insightful
    Virtually everybody that makes big, complex machinery that needs periodic repair tries to obfuscate things so that a) you have to use their spare parts, and b) you have to use their technicians to do it.

    Photocopier makers used to be notorious for this sort of thing (they still are, it's just that all new photocopiers are now laser printers :) ).

    --

    Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from a rigged demo
    --Andy Finkel (J. Klass?)
  35. Standards Needed! by VernonNemitz · · Score: 1

    It seems to me that this is a situation just begging for the Govt. to mandate that all the auto manufacturers should get together to create a standardized list of error codes, that they all use, and everyone who wants to know can find out the codes and their meanings. Note that the Govt. should NOT specify the codes; the Govt. is usually too stupid/ignorant to do something like that right. The industry, however, knows what kinds of codes are needed, and their relative importance, and so it is the industry that should create the list (preferably open-ended, for future expansion).

    1. Re:Standards Needed! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's a problem, but I'm not sure that the gub'mint is the right body to try to fix this.

      They fuck everything up.

      Customers should just demand it when buying new cars. I will do this myself next time I start looking.

    2. Re:Standards Needed! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      Oh, good. Now define "automotive industry".

      The WindowsCE Consortium states that all automotive test commands must begin with "Bill Says:". No action should be done for any message which does not begin with "Bill Says:".

      The Tux Association says that all automotive test commands should be reported in plain language, with the driver's choice of twelve major world languages, and always broadcast on the FM band so nearby drivers can know that there is a problem nearby.

  36. this just in by Em+Emalb · · Score: 5, Funny

    Apparently all mechanics that work on cars are named Joe.

    In a controversial move today, Slashdot.org opened a new can of worms with their posting of open source the error codes message. Joe's everywhere are in shock at finding out that they indeed missed their calling.

    From Joe C in Paduka, Ky.: "When I found out I was supposed to be working in automotive repairs, I completely was flabergasted. I have always felt like I was missing something in my life, this can explain why. Thanks /.!"

    From Joe E. Muntzenburger in Lake Okeechobee, FL.: "Man, when they told me I was supposed to be "Big Joe" down at my local auto-shop, I was stunned. I mean, being CEO of a large paper mill is great, but it can't compare to sweating underneath the hood of a car I don't understand!"

    Mods: If you don't get it, then you haven't been reading the comments.

    --
    Sent from your iPad.
    1. Re:this just in by FunkSoulBrother · · Score: 1

      as of 11:04 Eastern time, there are 2 threads that refer to mechanics as "Joe". One is a SINGLE POST. I dont think 2 threads constitutes everyones opinion everywhere.

      You could have at least put this in the thread where "big joe" was mentioned like 3 times.

    2. Re:this just in by Em+Emalb · · Score: 2

      I don't know which is worse, the fact that you felt the need to debunk my (attempted humor) theory so intently, or the fact that your sense of humor is slightly above that of a frozen horse turd.

      Jeeze man, let it go.

      --
      Sent from your iPad.
    3. Re:this just in by FunkSoulBrother · · Score: 1

      I will concede to you the shot about my feeling the need to debunk you, and taking the time to do it. I have a lot of free time. Flame on at will.

      but...

      To attack my sense of humor, after writing such a piece of unfunny "horse turd" (no matter what the moderators say), well, thats just silly.

    4. Re:this just in by Em+Emalb · · Score: 2

      Fair enough, I consider it a 1-1 draw. No penalty kicks though.

      peace

      --
      Sent from your iPad.
    5. Re:this just in by FunkSoulBrother · · Score: 1

      agreed. G'day.

    6. Re:this just in by Pansy · · Score: 0

      The proud residents of PADUCAH, KY are outraged, our reputation has been sullied by the fact that you are not even aware of the proper spelling of our illustrious bastion of civilization. The pronunciation of our town includes, like all other words in Kentucky, the suffix -ah, as in horsah, doggah, sistah, pah, and mah. The one exception to this immutable grammatical law is ya'll, which only sort of includes an -ah.

      FYI - I actually do live in KY, though not in PaducAH, so don't bitch at me if you're offended.

      --
      People are the problem, stop procreation now!
    7. Re:this just in by Tenebrious1 · · Score: 2

      Check the story at CNN, they also mention "joe's garage"

      --
      -- If god wanted me to have a sig, he'd have given me a sense of humor.
  37. Yeah, GM is real helpful... by CrazyDuke · · Score: 2, Interesting



    ...I had a brake problem for years, every couple of days to weeks, the computer would bitch about something wrong with the brakes (brake warning light). All the places I took the truck to basically kept saying, "We can't do anything because we can't read the computer codes." So, I kept having to take the truck to the GM dealer and pay their premium prices to "fix" the truck.

    1 set of pads and disks replaced and cleaned, 2 master cylinders, a brake computer, and a dump valve later, after bitching relentlessly with the dealer about the problem, the light stopped coming on, yet the problems with the brakes continued. The truck liked to drift to the left or right when braking, sometimes hard. I suspected they cut the line to the warning light somewhere.

    After taking the truck in for inspection at another place that is reputed as trustworthy, they replaced my brake lines (the only thing the dealer hadn't) saying that they where old and that the drifting was a sure sign they where wearing out. Problem fixed. Over a thousand dollers to fix a $50 problem thanks to GM.

    --
    Any sufficiently advanced influence is indistinguishable from control.
    1. Re:Yeah, GM is real helpful... by unitron · · Score: 2

      So why haven't you been back to that GM dealership for a refund?

      --

      I see even classic Slashdot is now pretty much unusable on dial up anymore.

    2. Re:Yeah, GM is real helpful... by CrazyDuke · · Score: 1

      Tried that, the best I got was free labor on the second master cylinder. They claim each time I went in was a seperate problem with the brake system and that they are not obligated in anyway to refund any money.

      --
      Any sufficiently advanced influence is indistinguishable from control.
    3. Re:Yeah, GM is real helpful... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It says right there in your GM End User License Agreement that GM is not responsible for the behavior of your vehicle in any way or under any conditions. Especially since merely taking the car out on the road is a situation which risks human life, which is a traditional reason for a EULA to remove responsibility.

  38. VAG-COM by Monkelectric · · Score: 2

    VAG-COM, My girl friend got that once. Some Cephlexin cleared it right up.

    --

    Religion is a gateway psychosis. -- Dave Foley

    1. Re:VAG-COM by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Didn't see that one coming...

    2. Re:VAG-COM by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      She just had to buff the Cephlexin on the bumpers for ten minutes and put on a new layer of wax.

  39. I have some experience here.... by tang · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I work as a mechanic full time right now... and I worked as a technician for the past 4 years while I went to school (CS major working as a mechanic, go figure). Anyway, I've never had a problem with this mysterious hidden code problem. It's pretty simple, I use a handheld diagnostic scanner (Genisys scanner, it runs a Lynx realtime linux, has usb ports, pcmcia ports, ethernet, large color screen, pretty sweet)
    it plugs into ALL cars made after 1996 (when the standard for OBDII came out) and most domestic cars with computers made before then. It tells me what code (or codes) have been set, and the data from the time it was set (RPM , engine temp, TPC value etc).
    I then take the code, and usually it will say something along the lines of "PO0047 OXY Sensor Bank 2" (I made that code up, but it is very close to something which would actually occur)
    Now, that tells me its an oxygen sensor in bank 2, no problem.
    It seems to me all these "independent shops" just dont have the proper equipment(sidenote: I work at an independent shop). I have NEVER had a car give me a code that was "secret" and that I didnt have access to. Ofcourse, We have the proper equipment (the scanner was $6,000) and we also have several DVDS which , for each code in the computer give you a flow chart of what to check that could set that code.

    It seems that the backwoods shops that people go to because they are cheap, dont have that equipment. Which is why noone understands that when we scan your computer for codes, we charge $55 just to check what the codes are for, not even to fix them.
    So remember, when you get your car fixed and it costs a lot for something you think must be simple, remember that the mechanic is probably still paying for thousands of dollars in tools he needs for his job.
    That was a long rant,but some of it was ontopic I guess.

    1. Re:I have some experience here.... by Butane+Bob · · Score: 1

      Yerp, as I was saying somewhere below, the codes are usually accessible with a good diag computer. I have seen some codes in mid 90s cars that were listed in the database, but not described. They dont generally mean anything is wrong, they usually indcate a temporary fault like: You hit a very large bump, or Try driving with the handbrake off, or You ran completely out of gas, you moron. Im just guessing, I never had time to test to see if these things actually triggered a code to be generated. But it would have been nice to see them in the documentation somewhere....

    2. Re:I have some experience here.... by tang · · Score: 1

      Yeah, lots of conditions like that will set a code, depending on how they hit the system. The most common code I see is the one for having the gas cap loose. It happens constantly, I just scan the system, clear the code, and put the gas cap on properly.

    3. Re:I have some experience here.... by unitron · · Score: 2

      Six grand for a machine that basically justs accepts and displays a short serial transfer of data? What a racket.

      --

      I see even classic Slashdot is now pretty much unusable on dial up anymore.

    4. Re:I have some experience here.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

      I think that at least some of the diagnostic computers inside of cars don't take in enough information from the car so that when it says what it "thinks" is bad, is not actually bad. My parents had some type of mercury. The car ran fairly rough (this was during Jan in MN) and my Father didnt want to fix it. So he took it into Ford. They charged $50 to hook up their computer system to the one in the car and the dealers computer said the onboard computer was bad and it would cost $700 to replace. My Dad didnt want to spend that much on the car w/o looking at it himself. Ford replaced the spark plugs because they claimed they were fouled ... could be because the engine was rough. The car was running fine then and my Dad picked it up. By the time he got a mile down the road it was running rough again. He got home and looked at the car the next night. He noticed that the distributer-cap was cracked. Replaced that ($15) and presto, everything fixed. Car still runs good. These so called "mechanics" and their diagostics computer were crap. The computer obviously didn't take enough information from the car and the mechanics are stupid.

    5. Re:I have some experience here.... by SpotBug · · Score: 1


      we charge $55 just to check what the codes are for

      You know the lift(s) you have in your garage? Those are pretty expensive, too. How much do you charge to lift the car if you have to get underneath it?

      That $55 charge is lame.

      --
      cygnuhchur
    6. Re:I have some experience here.... by cdrudge · · Score: 2

      Why should I buy AutoCAD when I can just draw pictures in MS Paint? Because AutoCAD was specificly designed for detailed engineering/architectural/etc drawings and Paint wasn't. Why should I pay for a Linux maintance contract from RedHat when I could maybe find an answer somewhere on the internet? Because I don't want answeres that might work. I'm paying for a solution and they will work with me to find it.

      If this scanner was just a serial interface, then yes $6000 would be a racket. But it is not. It's more then just a serial interface. It's support. It's updates to the codes. Its the man-hours that went into designing the interface, the ruggedized housing, the database of codes. Its the programming to graph everything in a coherent manner instead of just displaying the values in a table and making you figure out what they all mean. A mechanic doesn't want to sit down looking at 5 different data sets to try and diagnose a problem. He wants something that he can plug in, turn on, and it just work. That is what costs $6000.

      Simplifing it down to "justs accepts and displays a short serial tranfer of data" is like saying the linux kernel is "just 0's and 1's in a combination." Yes they are both true, but it's a little bit more complex then that.

    7. Re:I have some experience here.... by tang · · Score: 1

      We generally charge 10-20$ just to pull a car in and lift it up. It's not worth our time otherwise, if we didnt charge, wed be losing money.
      I'm not sure what profession you're in, but we all need to eat.

    8. Re:I have some experience here.... by SpotBug · · Score: 1


      I never said charging your customers was lame. Charging them $55 when you use one of your tools is very lame.

      We generally charge 10-20$ just to pull a car in and lift it up

      Nothing wrong with that, but, when you hand your customer the bill for this, what does it look like? Something like this?:

      $14.85 - labor
      $5.00 - use of lift
      $0.05 - use of wrench
      $0.10 - paper towel to wipe hands after getting them greasy looking at your car

      The code-reader is just another of your tools. You shouldn't line-item charge for its use.

      --
      cygnuhchur
    9. Re:I have some experience here.... by Scottl_h · · Score: 1

      Okay - I enjoy working on my own vehicles. I can afford to take them to a shop for repairs, but I choose to work on them myself. Call it a "caveman mentality" or whatever. I'm not some backwoods redneck who fixes problems with bailing wire and duct tape, either. I have the tools and skills to do most any kind of repair. The only repairs I won't attempt are those that are dangerous (fixing a leaking fuel tank) or require costly specialty tools (alignment rack) that would not be cost effective to purchase for my own use.

      I find it personally insulting that car manufacturers purposely deny consumers access to repair information, whether it's for economic gain or because they feel the "average" backyard mechanic is not smart enough to know what to do with the information. This is the epitome of arrogance and a slap in the face to someone who has been loyal to a carmaker and has purchased hundreds of thousands of dollars' worth of their products.

      Someone a few posts back drew a parallel with the copy machine industry. This is true. I serviced a major brand of copier for several years. The Japanese engineers arrogantly withheld certain specs and procedures from their American service force because it was their opinion that we weren't smart enough to know what to do with the information. As a result, you'd get technicians "experimenting" with settings and values they had no clue what effect they would have on the product. I say give the end-user the information and let them decide whether they should attempt it or defer to a "trained professional".

      --
      Excessive drinking is fine...in moderation.
    10. Re:I have some experience here.... by tang · · Score: 1

      So then how do we buy the specialized equipment we need? Instead of raising the cost of jobs which use that specialized equipment, raise all of it?
      That makes less sense. We still charge 19.95$ for oil changes, should we increase those to help pay for equipment that we only use on other jobs?
      And actually we have "Shop Supplies" on the invoice, it generally covers items such as Brake Clean, Rags, etc.

  40. hmm by mrmag00 · · Score: 1

    car company, cartel. ha ha. sounds wierd in some odd way.

    *runs off*

  41. error codes by Butane+Bob · · Score: 2, Informative

    Every time I plugged in my 96 Audi A4 Quattro, three or four undocumented codes would come up. One of these was due to a co-worker starting the car while it was in gear ( I was in the back seat, completely intoxicated after a lunchtime margarita fest.) I was lucky enough to know a mechanic who had _some_ of these codes in a database on a nice diagnostic computer. However, many codes were not listed at all, mostly non-critical or not a real error condition, and would not show up again when cleared. (these are the mystery codes) When I was a mechanic a few years ago working on Navistar Diesel truck engines controlled by the MC68HC11 microcontrollers (motorolla 68ks) all codes were documented and the engines could perform real-time checks of all the electronics. The ECU had to be plugged into a hand-held computer that would display all the engine's feedback in realtime on a 5X5 screen. I want one in my car, but that looks like its a few years down the road.

  42. Um, OBD-II is NOT the same thing... by tgd · · Score: 5, Informative

    1) Most manufacturers in fact do NOT provide any information about their ECM codings or diagnostic trouble codes. The ONLY published codes are typically the OBD codes, which everyone knows anyway. While we're all proud of you for having three systems to do that at home, clearly you've never used them for actually diagnosing real non-emissions related problems with your car, or you own an older-model (early OBD2) American car.

    2) Also blatently incorrect. Companies absolutely hold this information close. In the example I used, Audi's tech manuals cost well over an order of magnitude more than the "consumer" level manuals cost. They are virtually impossible to purchase, anyway, if you're not certified by them. Not coincidentally, virtually all certified mechanics work for dealerships. The manuals that we end users have access to have the very bare minimum of information to perform very basic maintennance on the car. For example, say I want to flush my brake fluid. The procedure that the consumer manuals lists is very different from what the tech manuals list -- they don't even mention that you need to cycle the ABS controller using a VAG tool.

    a) Yeah, thats a pretty common excuse stated by people who want to spout off and make people think they know what they're talking about
    b) In most cases, this is also blatently wrong. The basic principles of how cars work have not changed much. No one needs to know how the internal code that runs the engine works, but knowing what all the errors it can tell you mean is pretty damn important. Knowing that changing your brake fluid the "old" way isn't doing the job completely is important to know too. This isn't stuff that "backyard" mechanics don't understand, this is stuff they are being deliberately not told. There's a big difference.

    You know, you're right, there's a big problem with people who believe what they read. On here, though, there's a bigger problem with people who know a lot less than they think they know. Not that I'm pointing any fingers directly at you.

    1. Re:Um, OBD-II is NOT the same thing... by El_Nofx · · Score: 0, Flamebait
      In the example I used, Audi's tech manuals cost well over an order of magnitude more than the "consumer" level manuals cost.

      Well, do I need to even tell you why this is a problem? I don't ever deal with foreign cars, just the big 3 and their manuals aren't that much, about $100 a piece.

      Yeah, thats a pretty common excuse stated by people who want to spout off and make people think they know what they're talking about

      Senator Paul Welstone (D) MN had a press conference for the very purpose of pushing this issue yesturday. It just so happens he is running for re-election this year.

      The manuals that we end users have access to have the very bare minimum of information to perform very basic maintennance on the car

      You are right about this, that is why you make friends with a guy at a dealership and get access to the books with the info. 99%of end users don't need that information and shouldn't have it. It is just like computers, they just take it to someone who can fix it and pay the bill, then pretend to know what the guy is talking about when he explains what was wrong, (smile and nod). The information is out there if you want it, and you whining about an AUDI is just sad, BUY AMERICAN NEXT TIME.

      --
      It's not the OS it's the user that sucks. If it's user friendly, you get stupider people. - clinko
    2. Re:Um, OBD-II is NOT the same thing... by ANTI · · Score: 2, Informative

      Wrong. At least for the german/european manufacturers I talked to.
      Ford was very helpfull.
      BMW and Mercedes had to "ask the boss".
      And Audi (VAG) even send me the codes via email.

      ODBII isn't even worth mentioning.
      The hadware costs less the 5Euro plus around 15Euro per manufacturer if you want a nice plug.
      And the codes are well known and documented.

      That consumer manuals don't mention to cycle the ABS after flushing the brake fluid is understandable - my TV manual doesn't say anything about changing R26 from 220K to 470K if I change the Sony driver IC for a Philips one - and if you don't know what you are doing you shouldn't do it yourself anyway, a car is a dangerous weapon.

      Car development got a lot faster in the last years,
      at least the software side.
      (I broke up with my last girlfriend, because she spent more time debugging car "OS" code than ....)

      --
      On the other side of the screen it all looked so easy.
    3. Re:Um, OBD-II is NOT the same thing... by scumdamn · · Score: 2

      Actually, we have a Dodge truck with the exact same problem. OBD doesn't give the information that you need and you can't find out what's wrong except for going to the dealership.
      Also, some parts are patented. (Oil pressure sending switch.

    4. Re:Um, OBD-II is NOT the same thing... by qubit64 · · Score: 1

      uhh, why buy american when i can have a car that i like... If an american manufacturer built a car that suited me, then maybe i would, but I'm not going to buy what I consider to be a piece of crap when I could have something i like for a little bit more.

      --
      "Save me jebus!" - Homer Simpson (btw, I'm probably talkin out of me arse)
    5. Re:Um, OBD-II is NOT the same thing... by mpe · · Score: 2

      That consumer manuals don't mention to cycle the ABS after flushing the brake fluid is understandable - my TV manual doesn't say anything about changing R26 from 220K to 470K if I change the Sony driver IC for a Philips one

      Hopefully the service manual does...
      Isn't what this is about anyway, the ability of independents to get hold of service manuals?

    6. Re:Um, OBD-II is NOT the same thing... by zero_offset · · Score: 2, Interesting
      No one needs to know how the internal code that runs the engine works, but knowing what all the errors it can tell you mean is pretty damn important. Knowing that changing your brake fluid the "old" way isn't doing the job completely is important to know too. This isn't stuff that "backyard" mechanics don't understand, this is stuff they are being deliberately not told. There's a big difference.

      No one? In fact, there is huge interest in how the code works. A very large number of the aftermarket chips and often things like A/F ratio controllers are directly dependent on how this code works. As an example, I race Vipers, and it was very important to know exactly what both ECUs were up to for optimizing the fuel map (I say both because the Viper V10 is really a V6+V4, right down to having a pair of ECUs). Just watching how the cells change (even using a dealership's $3000 monitoring tool) won't help much unless you can see the code. It's like watching Windows Media Player GPF. You sort of know what it did, but you have no idea why...

      Also, I've never saved the URLs but I've seen quite a few discussion forums on the 'net dedicated to reverse-engineering the code in stock engine computers. The discussions commonly include chunks of assembly code. They're very serious, and they're very interested in the code itself.

      On here, though, there's a bigger problem with people who know a lot less than they think they know.

      Indeed... :P :)

      Finally, this whole issue might be barking up the wrong tree. It may not even be the automobile manufacturers who keep this stuff "secret". I saw VW mentioned a bunch of times. A guy I know (who races Vipers) is an engineer who designs the chips for stock VW ECUs, and his company also writes the code -- and he doesn't work for VW. In other words, VW and other auto manufacturers do not necessarily own the code that runs their cars, it's often contracted out.

      --

      Slashdot quality declines as the number of hot grits posts decreases. - Provolt's Law, Apr-09-2005

    7. Re:Um, OBD-II is NOT the same thing... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      A couple thoughts on this -

      1. Yes, a lot of engine control code is jobbed out. I used to work for a contract house that did work for Motorola for the Saturn engine controller. Don't know how much "higher level" engine control was involved; it may have been mostly OS-type stuff.

      2. As someone who has worked in auto repair, this has been a problem for years. The aftermarket industry has just gotten more organized about complaining since OBD came out. A major contributing factor to that, I think, is that the OBD cars will turn on evil looking idiot lights if they just think that you *might* *be* *poluting* more than you should, and the lights scare consumers half to death.

    8. Re:Um, OBD-II is NOT the same thing... by cdrudge · · Score: 2

      Isn't what this is about anyway, the ability of independents to get hold of service manuals?

      Usually you can get a service manual for under a 100 bucks from the dealer/manufacturer. Check in the back of your owners manual. Usually there is a page to send in to order one.

      I think this law is to release the diagnostic code values and descriptions for the computer. These codes wouldn't need to be in the manuals since they are programmed into the dealer's diagnostic machine.

  43. Re:ODB-II (ps) by gmhowell · · Score: 2

    It could be ODB-II. I haven't looked that much into car stuff in a while.

    --
    Jesus was all right but his disciples were thick and ordinary. -John Lennon
  44. Wrong approach: no need for new laws by MobyDisk · · Score: 3, Insightful

    This is what makes too many laws. There is already a solution in place, the citizens and representatives just need to use them:

    1. Most of the posts I see say that these codes are easy to obtain. If the codes for some manufacturer are hard to obtain, shops should not work on those cars. Or charge more. So customers will not buy them. That is how capitalism is supposed to work. Consumers and service shops just need to stand up for the good manufacturers.
    2. "Sen. Wellstone says that manufacturers are acting like a cartel, blocking independent shops and car owners." We already have laws against cartels. Use them.
    1. Re:Wrong approach: no need for new laws by rusty0101 · · Score: 2

      Point 2, requires providing reasonable evidence that the manufacturers are acting as a cartel, not simply the accusation.

      I might point out that it requires some very strong evidence, not just the observation that they are behaving publicly as a cartel.

      If public behaviour were sufficent, you could sue the major oil companies. Ever notice how all their unrelated gas stations are adjusting their prices on the same day, always to within a couple of pennies of each other? That is cartel like behaviour. However because the managers of the various gas stations do not talk with each other, and come to an agreement ahead of time, providing each station with a schedule of when to adjust prices, and by how much, they are not defined as a cartel.

      There are other reasons for the price changes happening as they do. Reasons like the amount each station is paying for gasoline delivered. The fact that the manager of one station observes that the manager of another station has dropped that station's prices and drivers are going to that station now.

      Likewise for delership mechanics having "proprietary" information. That "fact" is not sufficient to take a collection of car companies to court for acting as a cartel. However it is very much cartel like behaviour.

      -Rusty

      --
      You never know...
    2. Re:Wrong approach: no need for new laws by civik · · Score: 1

      If the codes for some manufacturer are hard to obtain, shops should not work on those cars. Or charge more. So customers will not buy them. That is how capitalism is supposed to work. Consumers and service shops just need to stand up for the good manufacturers.

      Except this is not how it is working. Did you even read the news article? The small garages are being withheld information about the car YOU bought, so they are forced to refer business to the dealer. Who is more than happy to fix it at a lower price than the small guy can charge.

      --
      Make it a malt liquor. I want to be as clever and handsome as possible.
  45. Re:OBD-II by baudbarf · · Score: 1

    First, it's OBD (OnBoard Diagnostics) not ODB (OnDiagnostic Boards) just for future reference.

    I agree totally that OBD-II rocks, standards rock, etc.. but I'll bet you can't point out a single website explaining how it works, what the pinouts are, or (praying for a miracle here) downloadable software to interface with!

    I was just thumbing through a JC Whitney catalog and the only thing they offer is a $300 unit (a dumbed-down PC in a cute little case with an LCD screen). Oh, and look at this! The unit can interface with your PC to give you even MORE information! (addressing manufacturers of such units) Dumbasses!!!!!!! Stop pretending that your lame little $50 device can do more than a top of the line PC and start making SOFTWARE!!!

    --
    You can run but you can't hide, except, apparently, along the Afghan-Pakistani border.
  46. Let's count the FUD by FearUncertaintyDoubt · · Score: 4, Interesting
    The dealers are waging a FUD war in order to cast the independent mechanics much in the same light as Microsoft would open-source:

    Fud #1:
    "From a business standpoint, it's diluting our franchise" to make the codes public, he said. "A franchise becomes meaningless."

    I'm not even sure what that means, but it sounds scary. We can't have meaningless franchises! The whole system will break down, and then who'll fix your car, huh?

    Fud #2:
    William Abraham, executive vice president of the Greater Metropolitan Automobile Dealers Association of Minnesota, said that manufacturers "want it to be repaired right the first time. . . . All things being equal, they'd rather have you repair them at a dealership because they know they can get the job done right."

    Translation: independent mechanics are scam artists who will leave your car in worse shape than they found it. We can't have them using our codes, that would be like endorsing them to ruin your car and rip you off. And you don't want that, do you? Never mind, of course, that dealer mechanics work on a pay system where the less time they spend fixing your car, the more money they make, and the least profitable jobs go to the worst mechanics. Now that's a system you can endorse!

    Fud #3:
    Lambert, of the car dealers association, said there is no evidence that independent repair shops are being driven out of business, and he said that consumers enjoy "a wealth of options." He said that no products are more regulated than automobiles, adding that manufacturers must be concerned with safety equipment, recalls and warranties.

    There's two in here. 1) These codes are hurting independents? Prove it! Sure pal, right after I prove global warming when Antartica becomes a beach resort. Stall long enough, and there won't be any independent mechanics around to raise a fuss. 2) We're regulated, so you can be sure the government is making sure the system is fair. Oh, please. See US vs. Microsoft.

    Fud #3:
    They have a right, I think, to restrict who has access to all of that technology," he said. "Otherwise, they're left with people they don't have any relationship with working on vehicles that they're still responsible for."

    Of course the manufacturers don't have a relationship with the independent mechanics -- the manufacturers deliberately refused to establish one to keep you away from them! If they started sharing the codes, then they would have a relationship, now wouldn't they? And you know what? I have a better relationship with my mechanic than with the dealer! But apparently that relationship isn't important (or maybe it is, that's why the dealers are trying to break it).

    Fud #3:
    "The old garage mechanic is gone," he said. "In fact, the term 'mechanic' is gone. They're called technicians now. These people have to be very intelligent people. They're working on computers, and it's a high-tech industry.

    Of course, the guy from the dealer association said that customers have lots of "options", and that there's no evidence the mechanics are in trouble. Now, having assuaged our concern for the little guy, this other dude says that they don't even exist anymore anyhow. Pay no attention to that shop that says "Main St. Auto Repair" down the block. He's just a gorilla in overalls that couldn't possibly understand how to read a number from a screen, and look it up in a book that says, "water pump is failing." That's way too sophistamacated for a dumb schmoe like that. Forget that he has twenty years of experience and the dealer guy is some kid fresh out of a technical school (see Unix admins vs. MSCEs).

    How many times have you heard someone ask, "when your Linux server breaks, who are you gonna call?"

    FUDFUDFUDFUDFUDFUDFUDFUDFUDFUDFUDFUDFUDFUDFUDFUDFU DFUDFUDFUDFUDFUDFUDFUDFUDFUDFUDFUDFUDFUDFUDFUDFUDF UDFUDFUDFUDFUDFUDFUDFUDFUDFUDFUDFUDFUDFUDFUDFUDFUD FUDFUDFUDFUDFUDFUDFUDFUDFUDFUDFUDFUDFUDFUDFUDFUDFU

  47. Re:The scourge of IP (DMCA) by baudbarf · · Score: 1

    If you're correct, which I hope you are, prove it by pointing me out to the software and pinouts/adapter cables. I'll be eternally grateful, as I've been searching for ANYTHING like that for quite some time. Thanks!

    --
    You can run but you can't hide, except, apparently, along the Afghan-Pakistani border.
  48. What? by The+Cat · · Score: 2

    What? What? Huge companies attempting to limit competition so they can collect assured profits perpetually?

    Say it isn't so!

  49. One way to protest by ortholattice · · Score: 2
    So now we have another RIAA/MPAA-like cartel. The dealers are the ones who want the codes kept secret (from everyone else but them). So the next time you buy a car, ask for the codes as part of the deal. If the dealer refuses, let him/her know that they lost a sale - there are plenty of brands to pick from. If possible wait until all the paperwork is prepared, then just before signing on the dotted line, act shocked to discover that essential repair information is being withheld from you (which means you will not really "own" the car, so you are being cheated). That will help drive home the point. Probably more so than returning a copy-protected CD. If enough people do this...

    If you don't see the problem with secret repair codes, would you buy a computer with diagnostic codes that were kept secret in order to force you to return it to the factory for repair at exorbitant rates?

  50. Just some clueless idiots in congress by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    Have you ever heard of SAE? All this is allready published and easy of access to anyone who is willing to pay for the documentation.

    We have all those FMI code which are not hidden to anyone, they are all well described. Buy yourself the latest SAE books and build a small board with a can controller that supports J1939, J1850 or whatever other can protocol you wish to snoope at.

  51. More proof... by rzbx · · Score: 1

    I do not understand how people still believe patents have a place in our society after all the proof of how much damage they do. All the hiding and/or prohibiting of technologies is causing more problems than it will ever, theoretically, solve. For those of you that still believe patents still have a place in our world, do you think changing protocols like this benefits society? does it benefit the company? does it benefit anyone at all? Does making a technology/invention/idea proprietary help any person or company? There are many myths to patents, and all the arguments for patents have already been shot down. Do a search for "Brian Martin Intellectualy Property" and you'll find some good papers by him. His papers contain many references pertaining to intellectual property. Mod me down if you wish, it is not Off-topic even though it does sound like it though. Thank you for your time.

    --
    Question everything.
    1. Re:More proof... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You're not the sharpest screwdriver in the ol' toolbox, are you?

  52. reverse-engineering by SlugLord · · Score: 1

    Wouldn't it just make sense to reverse-engineer this stuff and post it on the internet? I mean it can't be that difficult as far as reverse engineering goes...

  53. Ripple Effect by RAMMS+EIN · · Score: 1

    Hopefully this will be extended so that all hardware specs will be open. People who would otherwise be using Free software are losing money because they have to stick with commercial products, because vendors don't release specs and provide {no,lousy} drivers. Yada, yada.

    ---
    The nice thing about standards is that there are so many of them to choose from.
    -- Andrew S. Tanenbaum

    --
    Please correct me if I got my facts wrong.
  54. Sen. Wellstone. by MrFrank · · Score: 1

    I am from Minnesota. The only reason Wellstone is proposing this now is because it is an election year. He is trying to show his support for the "little guy". He knows he has a fight on his hands with Coleman. I won't vote for either one because Wellstone is a jack*ss and Coleman was put into place by Bush when Chenney came to town and asked all the other Republicans to step out of the primarys.

    As many peolpe have already pointed out. Car manufactures are starting to go in this direction on thier own. They started with ODB-II and are going even further with ODB-III.

    1. Re:Sen. Wellstone. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Oh grow the fuck up moron. I am from Minnesota too. So what if he's proposing it because its an election year. So if he proposes a bill during an election year it's bad? What the fuck? For the most part he does support the "little guy". I'm not even sure how he's a jackass -- that you dont even state so I won't respond. I do agree with you about Coleman, he's the GOPs puppet and he doesn't care. If you don't like "big political parties", which it seems you dont, Wellstone doesn't always follow the DFL whip. The DFL does take its marching orders from the Democrats but it is also technically a seperate party so they do have some different agendas. Wellstone is one of the people in the DFL who can issue "orders".

  55. A perfect opportunity! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Didn't Microsoft get itself involved with project that involved putting Windows in cars to run things like the sound system, or GPS or whatever?

    It was probably based on either WindowsCE or WindowsNT...but either way...wouldn't this law force Microsoft to reveal the "codes" (read: source) to fix any "problems" (read: bugs) in that product?

    ???

  56. new GNU song by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Join us now and share the car codecs, you will be free mechanics, you will be free. Join us now and open the car codecs, you will be free mechanics, you will be freeeee"

  57. Amazingly enough... by YrWrstNtmr · · Score: 2, Informative

    a little sniffing around yields this ODBScan Protocol Interface

    They also sell the interface hardware and software for
    There are also numerous places to download free OBD demos.

    1. Re:Amazingly enough... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      What good is the Protocol Interface to me? I'd rather buy the useless $300 thingy then write the software myself? You said you can download a free demo but where? Give links or your post is void.

    2. Re:Amazingly enough... by YrWrstNtmr · · Score: 1

      If you had bothered to look, my child, you would have found a significant amount of information on the exact data that the program is looking for. From there you can write your own, and display whatever you want. If you don't want to, or can't write your own, oh well. You expect the developers to give their software away? Free as in beer, right? Not a chance. Go buy it.

      As far as my post being 'void' for not posting the specific links as to where you can download a free demo of OBD-II compliant software, it took me all of a few seconds to find several on google. I'm sure you have an adult close by who can show you how that very useful tool works. If not, oh well.

    3. Re:Amazingly enough... by obdii_for_dummies · · Score: 1

      Only for GM cars at the moment but due to support Ford and Chrysler in the future.
      Eval version here:
      http://www.starrperformance.com.au/efilivev 5
      Of course you'll need to buy an interface to connect to your vehicle.

    4. Re:Amazingly enough... by baudbarf · · Score: 1

      Forgive me father, for I have sinned. Wait.. I'm not your child... why did you say that?

      --
      You can run but you can't hide, except, apparently, along the Afghan-Pakistani border.
  58. Re:ODB-II (ps) by nlh · · Score: 2

    It's OBD -- On Board Diagnostics

  59. Also this... by YrWrstNtmr · · Score: 1

    Specifically, for VW/Audi, but the concept still holds
    OpenDiag.org

    1. Re:Also this... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Vag-Com will work for VW and Audi but not OBC I don't think. So, since I cannot useit on my OBC-II interface, the concept does not hold.

  60. Your hood *WILL* be welded shut! by DavittJPotter · · Score: 1

    Soon, I fear, you will buy a car with no self-servicable parts. Many people already pay someone else to change their oil and other service items. "Sorry, but you must be an authorized dealer to access the engine compartment of your 2007 Chevy SuperAvalance EXT. No service is needed for normal use."

    Most people have no idea how or why they change belts, oil, tires, etc.

    Sure, on my 1957 Chevy Bel-Air, I do all that myself (plus some! *Grin*) - but, honestly, on my 2000 ZR2, I do the oil changes and other services, and not much else.

    People don't care how their cars run - only that they do. If you give them a spout on the outside - like behind a headlight, etc. for washer fluid, and the gas fill door, that's all they'll care about - and manufacturers will seal the hood for "aerodynamics, strength, and safety of the frontal impact zone."

    *Sigh*

    God, I'm such a cynic these days.

    --
    "If there's hope, it lies in the proles..."
    1. Re:Your hood *WILL* be welded shut! by Sanat · · Score: 1

      You are right, there is a parallel that i have already seen with disk drives.

      The first disk drive (CDC) I work on had a big hydraulic actuator to move the head carriage and the whole drive was about 5 feet long, 3 feet wide and 4 feet high with a total capacity of 262K or something like that. A detent dropped into a slot on a gear to keep it on track. It required daily periodic maintenance - cleaning the heads and rollers

      Then the move was to voice coil head movement and the drive got smaller and required less service, however you could trace a signal through the logic to fix it when necessary. RM05 types

      Then CDC came out with an onboard computer to run the drive. All sensors and buttons were inputs to the computer and all relays and motors were outputs from the computer and what really happened depended upon the embedded microcode. Signal tracing was very difficlt and readout lights displayed the errors that accumulated similar to cars today.

      The drives become more and more reliable until now a typical drive's MTBF will outlast your computer twice over not to mention the storage capacity increase.

      It would be nice to see this progress with cars as well. And well, one can still fix their own hard drive if they wish, but why bother unless the data isn't backed up.

      I was a teenager in the 50's and 60's and we tinkered with our cars so they would run.

      Today my S-10 has 55,000 miles on it and other than periodic oil/lube maintenance all I have replaced was the serpentine belt because of a cross country trip i was taking. That is 55,000 miles without any problem at all with the pickup, and this is not uncommon.

      My Mistibushi Montero has over 125,000 miles on it and except for scheduled maintenance items there has been no failures either.

      We never achieved that in the 50'd or the 60's. If we got 5,000 miles without a breakdown of some kind we considered ourselves lucky.

      So maybe a welded hood is not such a bad idea eventually, or perhaps a bolted one for those who want to tinker or experiment.

      --
      And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make
    2. Re:Your hood *WILL* be welded shut! by Bangback · · Score: 1

      Corvettes are like this. But in a good way since they are notorious for high maintenance costs. They are designed for minimal maintenance. BTW, the maintenance manuals are outstanding but about $125 for a four volume set and the codes are all visible on the dashboard and extensively documented online and in the manuals. Maintenance first 100,000 miles for a C5 Corvette
      ---
      Change oil every 6-10K (counter shows oil life)
      Inspect air filter every 20K and probably replace
      Drain and refill radiator every 5 years
      Replace spark plugs at 100K; Inspect rest of ignition
      Replace tires when necessary
      Replace brake pads when necessary
      Replace battery when necessary
      Replace windshield wipers, headlights, washer fluid when necessary
      That's it -- differential, transmission, brake fluid, etc. are all maintenance free under normal driving conditions. And every single piece of routine maintenance is easily performable by a home mechanic with the manuals.

  61. gee, why does this remind me of "share the APIs"? by e40 · · Score: 2

    It's the classic little vs big guy.

    The auto makers should share the codes for the same reason Microsoft should share the (internal) APIs: openness fosters fairness and competition, which is good for the consumer.

    Hopefully, someone will point this out to the congress-critters, and the analogy might finally turn on the light in their heads about software.

  62. Cartels are good by phriedom · · Score: 5, Insightful

    "The old garage mechanic is gone," he said. "In fact, the term 'mechanic' is gone. They're called technicians now. These people have to be very intelligent people. They're working on computers, and it's a high-tech industry. . . . How does the guy that's in a little town of a population of 500 people get educated about the electronics of a $30,000 new automobile?

    Could he be any more condescending?

    --
    Don't moderate flamebait as Troll. Know the difference or you will be Meta-moderated.
    1. Re:Cartels are good by kenp2002 · · Score: 1

      One word wittless, COLLEGE

      --
      -=[ Who Is John Galt? ]=-
    2. Re:Cartels are good by fishbowl · · Score: 2

      I wish this clown could receive a scathing letter from a person who grew up in such a little town, and became a successful automotive engineer.

      It would be even better if that person was an ethnic minority, and if he or she had gone on to be an executive in the automotive industry.

      It would be even BETTER if that person were in a position to execute the walking papers of the moron who said that crap in the parent post.

      --
      -fb Everything not expressly forbidden is now mandatory.
    3. Re:Cartels are good by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Ha! A working man becoming a CEO of an auto company? its all nepotism nowadays.

  63. Re:gee, why does this remind me of "share the APIs by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I'll be interested in seeing a list of internal APIs that aren't painstakingly documented on MSDN.

  64. Re:gee, why does this remind me of "share the APIs by e40 · · Score: 2

    I don't remember the API, but MS didn't give Netscape an API until it was released, but gave it to others before the release. This was part of the DOJ case against MS. There were also allegations during the same trial that MS withheld important APIs from competitors that their applications developers had access to. In other words, information passed between the OS and applications groups at MS that should have been public for other application developers to see.

  65. Re:The scourge of IP (DMCA) by GMwrench · · Score: 1

    You can get a scan tool from many sourses (try Snap On) That will give codes and much more. The interface is described by law and must be adheared to by manufactures. The problem is not the codes or even repair manuels which are more important than just the codes. The real problem is training. The auto industry is one of the fastest changing ones. I have to spend a lot of time training just to keep up and I only work on GMs mostly Chevys. The independants multiply there problems by every manufacture they work on.

  66. It is interesting by Edmund+Blackadder · · Score: 5, Insightful

    It is interesting how senators are willing to help the little auto mechanic, from being locked out by the large manufacturer, but not the little pc software developer from being locked out by the large software developers.

    What is it? Is it because auto mechanics is an easier bussiness to understand? Are they better organized? Or is it because the small automechanic is an old institution.

    1. Re:It is interesting by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Do you have any fucking clue how many billions of dollars are earned by "little PC softwre developers" writing for Microsoft platforms?

      No?

      I didn't think so. STFU until you understand what being "locked out" means.

    2. Re:It is interesting by Planesdragon · · Score: 2

      Well, gee, that's simple.

      It's because there are *more* small town auto mechanics than small-town "software developers." More people use their services, and more people even tinker at home with their cars.

      I'd be willing to guess that the percentages of the relative populations (of computer users and car drivers) that do personal or semiprofessional maintenance is at least a few % in the car's favor.

    3. Re:It is interesting by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      And you never heard of Microsoft Excel using undocumented Microsoft OS features, so as to give Excel an advantage over 1-2-3?

      What's 1-2-3, you say? That's exactly the point. What happened to 1-2-3?

  67. CNN has a story on it too.. by cOdEgUru · · Score: 1

    I didnt see any post relating to the story on CNN. I guess I have to do it then.

    Here ya go : CNN Story

  68. why do I need a subject? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Well, hopefully this sets a precident that, if you don't at least expose your functionality through APIs or whatever the car equivalent is to an API, that you'll be made to!

  69. Why spend $6000 for a computer with a cable? by wadetemp · · Score: 2

    I personally think I shouldn't have to pay $55 for this... because I think you shouldn't have to pay $6000 for that dumb scanner in the first place (times however many of them you have.) The problem is that mechanics are getting ripped off because this equipment they use is so rare.

    How hard would it be to connect one of these $6000 machines to a PC with some kind of cable connect? You could have the PC generate every possible code sequence, over the line, then watch the results on the scanner and renter the results into the PC. Viola, the database is yours. Now reverse that connector so the PC can detect the codes, and for the price of whatever cable and port you need to hook up, the (hopefully free) cost of a 486, and a little programming for your UI, you've got yourself an equivalent scanner. And then you can start charging me what that service is actually worth (next to nothing) and make bank because people will actually start having the money to fix thier car everytime the mystery "check engine" light comes on.

    1. Re:Why spend $6000 for a computer with a cable? by zangdesign · · Score: 2

      shouldn't have to pay $6000 for that dumb scanner

      We're not talking about a very high demand item here. The high price is probably due more to the lack of demand for a very durable good.

      hard would it be to connect one of these $6000 machines to a PC

      Not very. But how much time do you lose working up that database? Somebody needs to be minding the garage.

      you can start charging me what that service is actually worth

      Well, how much the service is worth to you depends on how badly you need your car. While it may not cost the mechanic much after your "simple" process, YOU'RE still the one with the broken car. Sure, his job is easier, but you're failing to take into account the rest of the job, like labor, wear, insurance, tools, etc.

      None of that stuff is cheap.

      --
      To celebrate the occasion of my 1000th post, I will post no more forever on Slashdot. Goodbye.
    2. Re:Why spend $6000 for a computer with a cable? by tang · · Score: 1

      I think you're getting into a pointless arguement. Naturally there are cheaper solutions avalible for tools, but as professionals we prefer a no hassle solution which just works. This is an integrated realtime solution that does just that, works. No need to boot up, or worry about what it's doing. We hit the switch, its instant on, its inside the car, we can drive down the road watching the values, and it fits in our hand and is very ruggedized.
      They have cables that connect to Palms etc.
      And really, the machine we have does more than just the DTC, it has realtime graphs of the data, etc. Which you could spend the time to make a computer to do, but for the most part these are mechanics, not computer hardware/software people.
      If you think you can make a computer that does that and stores all the DTC's(and we get updates all the time.. because we paid for the scanner in the first place) go right ahead! If it works the same way, independent shops would be the first in line to buy them...
      And what it boils down to is, thats exactly what the scanner company did. (in our case OTC TOOLS).
      They built the scanner, software and hardware, and they decided it costs that much. Are they making a profit? Sure! They arent buidling these scanners and giving them away. By the time we did all that (the computer, figuring out DTC's, we'd have lost 6000$ worth of time we could have been doing what we do well, fixing cars.

      Basically it's about having the right tools for the job. Sure we could scrimp on equipment, and natually people now bitch about the price...You know what tho? The people who want their car fixed now, and fixed right, are willing to pay. If you want to complain about price, we usually just laugh and point you in the direction of a shop that charges 20$ an hour, but will take 10 hours and a bunch of guesses as to what part it will take, instead of paying 60$ an hour, and having it take an hour or two, without our time or your time being wasted:)

    3. Re:Why spend $6000 for a computer with a cable? by Methuseus · · Score: 1

      So, you're saying that when someone's taking bids from contractors for a building job, they shouldn't even be able to see the possible blueprints from each bidder until they pay a portion of the blueprint paper cost, cost for the computer he used to calculate most of the values, cost for his time thinking about the project, etc? Last time I checked that's not how any business works, and if it did, business would die as we know it. People wouldn't be able to bid for a better price, they'd have to deal with the first offer where they could pay the contractor's beginning costs, before any work is even agreed upon.

      --
      Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity, though I'm not yet sure about the universe. - A Einstein
    4. Re:Why spend $6000 for a computer with a cable? by wadetemp · · Score: 2

      The original point of the article was that smaller shops can't cough up $6000 for that scanner. All they need is the data for the codes, which could be easily obtained by one resourceful person and shared around the community. The fact that the data's bottled up in a $6000 contraption which makes graphs is not really the point.

      Hell, if rather than having a check engine light, the car itself just had a readout that showed a log of valve cloggings and electronic malfunctions, I could probably figure it out for myself, buy the part at the parts store, and put it in. But then again that would end this little circle of "pay me and I'll tell you what part is broken" wouldn't it?

      I suppose I've just been to too many automotive shops (the $60/hr ones) where they charge me a full hour to hook my car up to a cable for 10 minutes... and then still can't fix the car properly, $500 and several parts later. Codes or not, the best mechanics I've been to never had scanners, and just knew the cars and the problems that they have as they progress though their lifetimes. Think of how much better they'd be if they could have the car tell them what it "thinks" the problem is.

    5. Re:Why spend $6000 for a computer with a cable? by tang · · Score: 1

      Yeah, getting back to the original point of the article...You can get a list of the DTCs pretty cheap from a place like AllData, which just sends you a DVD with the list of DTCs for each car.
      I just think this is silly, if a business cant afford the equipment it needs to do business, who cares. There is just an associated cost with doing business, and in this case its, if you want to properly fix electronically controlled cars, you need to get the DTCs from somewhere.
      And for most people, just having the DTCs wouldnt help. The thing that helps is that the people who spupply the DTCs usually provide flow charts for checking out the various components.

    6. Re:Why spend $6000 for a computer with a cable? by bluGill · · Score: 2

      My Mechanic gets $60/hour. I get about half that. now granted the mechanic himself makes less than I do, overhead in the shop makes up the rest. I own my own tools, I work on my own cars. I have rebuilt engines before, and I would do it again (except modern engines normally run longer than the car lasts). I won't mention that I often get parts cheaper than the mechanic charges)

      The point is I work on my own cars whenever I can. It might take me twice as long, but I break even at that, and it is a nice change from my day job. I can't justify having a mechanic do most of the work on my car when I can do it.

      I cannot justify a $6000 tool though. It doesn't pay when I will only use it every three years. Flash out the code on the dash, and give me a book/database (put it online please!) to look it up in and I will fix the problem. The comptuer already knows, and it already has lights that it can flash. Sure it is less convient than the $6000 computer which displays P01005, where I have to count flashes, but I can count flashes just fine. Just tell me what the code means.

    7. Re:Why spend $6000 for a computer with a cable? by Marasmus · · Score: 3, Insightful

      http://www.obd-2.com/ is your answer. About $150 and you can interface with any of the 3 main OBD-II interfacing protocols. Downloadable updates. Error code sets for your manufacturer. Tons of information. And the author has a very impressive resume when it comes to automotive and computer diagnostic design!

      Mix this with a little bit of community-brainstorming on an automotive message board, and most car problems can be solved.Not having the tools to fix something is a whole other issue :) Software has a hard time transforming into a torque wrench!

      --
      .... um, i lost you after "0110100001101001".
    8. Re:Why spend $6000 for a computer with a cable? by wadetemp · · Score: 2

      Very cool. Funny how that doesn't cost $6000, isn't it? I also find it funny that shops who make use of this sanely-priced tool probably *still* charge you $55 to have your engine's codes downloaded. :)

  70. Not the same at all... by Mustang+Matt · · Score: 2

    You're comparing apples to oranges...

    Giving out the source would be like giving out the engine design specs. Ford and GM go through a lot of R&D and don't want to have to give out every piece of info about the cas they build and they shouldn't have to, Microsoft goes through a lot of R&D and also shouldn't have to give out their "engine source."

    Giving out the API would be good though...

    --
    The man who trades freedom for security does not deserve nor will he ever receive either. - Benjamin Franklin
    1. Re:Not the same at all... by DeputySpade · · Score: 1

      Um... The engine design specs are far from l33t s33cr3tz, d00d. Anybody with a micrometer and some wrenches can acquire the design specs. Torque specs, hardness of bolts, materials, it's all available. Anybody with a slab of aluminum and a heavy-duty machine shop could reproduce an exact replica of an LS1. There's nothing stoping them from drawing what they find on a napkin and selling it, either. If I sold you the specs of my engine and a drawing of it you could machine a replica from those drawings. This is the whole concept behind the aftermarket performance parts industry.

      --


      This space intentionally left blank
  71. Re:This is NOT a good thing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Nothing Government does these days is good, besides, it's none of their damn business anyway. I bought a 1994 Lexus 2 years ago because I was told they are the most reliable car, and I have to say I have not put any money into it, besides scheduled maintenance, in the last 2 years. I won't go anywhere else but the dealer for anything. Modern cars are too complicated to be handled by inexperienced grease monkeys @ the Joe's Garage (Frank Zappa reference). It's the same crap as the Government forcing cable operators to open their lines to all the ISP's. Get the GD Government out of our life & let us do as we please. There are way too many fucking laws already. Let's start eliminating them before we get anymore that restrict us from doing whatever we want.

  72. Who wants to take this one? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
    the former chairman of the board for ASA, said that it took him a day and a half to figure out why the electric door locks and windows on a 2000 Honda had quit working

    Nah, never mind. This one's just too easy.

  73. Re:This is a bad thing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Forgive me if I may seem anti-tech, but..

    Cars shouldn't depend on computers. I know they're useful for diagnosing problems, but when you can't give someone a jump without worrying about zapping the computer, things have gone too far.

    Just wait till a bug some place in MS-Car causes your airbag to activate , or you have to "upgrade" the damn thing every 3 months with new software.

    I always look for older vehicles that don't have extra gadgets to break. Just like good software design, anything that doesn't need to be there - shouldn't.

    Standard gauges (temp. oil pressure, alternator etc..) and a good mechanic should be able to figure out whats wrong. Thats why they make the big bucks.

  74. uninformed by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Most newer automakers use a standard dignostics program called OBD2. Most competant repair shops have these scan tools as they are readily available on the internet and updates are downloadable.

    The scan tool can be purchased from
    http://www.autotap.com/

    You can't fix a computer with a 21mm wrench!
    With all their computer controlled complexity, today's cars require more than a normal toolbox to keep them running smoothly. Computer controls and a vast array of sensors require today's mechanics to have access to all of that information going on inside the car - whether they work at a dealership, small shop, or their back yard.

    Are you frustrated because you want to fix the "service engine soon" or "check engine light", but you can't seem to pinpoint the problem? For the first time, you can access the same information as the dealership mechanics. Use AutoTap scan tool and your PC to monitor real time data from virtually every sensor on your car, as well as read and clear Diagnostic Trouble Codes.

    AutoTap OBDII scanner is an OBDII scan tool that performs the same job as the big diagnostic scanner that a dealership uses. It converts the SAEJ1850 or ISO9141 specification of your vehicle's computer circuits into the RS-232 format that your PC can understand. Then it organizes the data on your screen and adds useful help links to make your diagnosis easier.

    Autotap offers a model that covers all OBD2 equipped vehicles for $489.95

    That is a drop in the bucket compared to the amount of money most mechanics have invested in their own tools.

  75. Let's make one thing clear.. (OBD and these codes) by Kerosene · · Score: 1

    OBD and the codes aforementioned are different. OBD (on-board diagnostics) is a very limited system that only gives certain diagnostic information about the car. The codes in question here are ones about more detailed systems, and are basically the "dumps" of all of what the computer processes, not just if a fault code is stored. This way if your computer doesn't sense something is wrong to store a fault code, the dealerships can still figure out exactly what is going on with the engine and what settings the computer has the engine running at. Most car manufacturers have extra computer systems attached to cars nowadays that arent linked to the OBD system. The bill Senator Wellstone is proposing basically makes it so any information that a dealer can extract from the computers must also be shared with the 3rd party mechanics. This goes far above and beyond OBD. I personally think it's a good step. It seems to me like the dealers want to hide information from the customers and then claim the problems are not covered under warranty.

    --
    -- There's only one replacement for displacement.....
  76. Dirty Little Secret by brad3378 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Automakers make money by keeping this stuff secret. Why?

    Dealerships do two types of repairs:
    Customer Pay, and Warranty pay. As a way to protect consumers from questionable hourly billing, shops use a refrence book that tells them about how many hours a job will take. This book is how your estimate is determined (plus or minus whatever the service writer thinks they can get out of you)

    What you're not told is that customer pay jobs
    are often quoted TWICE the time alocated for warranty jobs. Very few mechanics like warranty jobs unless it's something that they have a really good shortcut around (i.e. A faster way to replace an engine than the shop manual shows)

    Since automakers tell the dealerships how much they will pay for warranty jobs, Dealerships tend to make up for it by overcharging for customer pay jobs (via padding the quoted labor times)

    So who gets screwed?
    Not the automakers...
    They sell more replacement parts when they can eliminate independant shops and
    aftermarket parts. Independant shops tend to buy more aftermarket parts than OEM parts.

    Not the Dealerships...
    The dealership mechanics don't like to give up their "gravy" jobs like brakes & transmission services to Independant shops because those gravy jobs are what help them compensate for warranty work. Dearership owners feel the same way. For a given week, if mechanic 1 can replace 10 customer pay transmissions, and mechanic 2 can replace the same number of warranty transmissions, Mechanic 1 just earned the dealership twice as much and without all the BS warranty paperwork.

    Independant shops get screwed.
    Common sense. They can't compete because automakers are trying everything they can to get customers to come to them for all their needs. Independant shops must then rely on oil changes & mufflers to make their money, and there's too much competition there because it doesn't involve as much training. There isn't nearly as much money to be made changing oil as there can be for drivability & electrical stuff. The little shops must do a lot more little tests that the Non-OBD2 codes provide. How can a little shop compete?

    Customers get screwed.
    Mainly because competition is eliminated.
    Don't expect to see any improvement either.
    CNN headline news has been reporting that there will be a shortage of about 200,000 mechanics by the year 2010. Expect to see dealerships take advantage of that and watch labor rates and times skyrocket.

    --

    1. Re:Dirty Little Secret by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "Independant shops get screwed.
      Common sense. They can't compete because automakers are trying everything they can to get customers to come to them for all their needs. Independant shops must then rely on oil changes & mufflers to make their money, and there's too much competition there because it doesn't involve as much training. There isn't nearly as much money to be made changing oil as there can be for drivability & electrical stuff. The little shops must do a lot more little tests that the Non-OBD2 codes provide. How can a little shop compete?"

      Hey, this is actually kind of an unrelated question, but you sound like you know what you're talking about so here goes. :)

      On the training issue. Where I used to live, I had to hit a few small shops before I found a good one. I moved, and I don't want to hit a bad one or two before the good one. But I'm not going to the dealer-- as you mentioned, they overcharge horribly on customer pay jobs.

      I've asked around, but a lot of people here seem clueless about their cars. Is there a good way to find out about the best mechanics in the area? Quick google didn't turn up anything, but it seems like there's gotta be a resource out there....

    2. Re:Dirty Little Secret by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      Note: I used to be a service advisor (aka service writer) at a BMW dealership in New York.
      Dealerships do two types of repairs:
      Customer Pay, and Warranty pay. As a way to protect consumers from questionable hourly billing, shops use a refrence book that tells them about how many hours a job will take. This book is how your estimate is determined (plus or minus whatever the service writer thinks they can get out of you)

      Book rate is supposedly the average number of hours it takes to do a job, as benchmarked at the factory. If a service writer at a franchised dealership tried to charge more, the franchise could be revoked. Oh, and its horribly unethical.
      What you're not told is that customer pay jobs are often quoted TWICE the time alocated for warranty jobs. Very few mechanics like warranty jobs unless it's something that they have a really good shortcut around (i.e. A faster way to replace an engine than the shop manual shows)

      No, customers are not quoted anything other than book rate. And occasionally, a generous technician will agree to do small work for free if there is a larger job on the same car while its in the shop, essentially agreeing to NOT get paid for work performed.
      Techs LOVE warranty work because it is automatically authorized by the factory, as opposed to a customer who doesn't want to agree to new valve gaskets because the car will still run for a few thousand more miles before its critical.

      Since automakers tell the dealerships how much they will pay for warranty jobs, Dealerships tend to make up for it by overcharging for customer pay jobs (via padding the quoted labor times)

      Thats just offensive.

      aftermarket parts. Independant shops tend to buy more aftermarket parts than OEM parts.

      Which brings up an interesting point, which is that aftermarket parts tend to be poorly manufactured and need to be replaced sooner than the factory equivalent.

      The dealership mechanics don't like to give up their "gravy" jobs like brakes & transmission services to Independant shops because those gravy jobs are what help them compensate for warranty work. Dearership owners feel the same way. For a given week, if mechanic 1 can replace 10 customer pay transmissions, and mechanic 2 can replace the same number of warranty transmissions, Mechanic 1 just earned the dealership twice as much and without all the BS warranty paperwork.

      Here's a little dealership secret for you: technicians have an hourly wage. As many hours as they can book in a day, they get paid for, either warranty or customer pay work. The only reason they like warranty work better is because the repairs are always authorized, as opposed to wasting time waiting for the service advisor to get approval over the phone from a customer.


      Its stunning just how much misinformation there is circulating about car dealerships. May I suggest an alternate perspective:


      As any computer support person knows, customers/clients/coworkers think that computers are magic boxes. All you have to do is press the pretty buttons and nothing will ever go wrong, and if it does, it is obviously the fault of the technician.


      Being a service advisor is pretty much the same story. People think cars are magic boxes that never break, or at least thats what they wish because cars cost so much to buy and maintain. Guess what: complex machines break. End of story.

    3. Re:Dirty Little Secret by bluGill · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Which brings up an interesting point, which is that aftermarket parts tend to be poorly manufactured and need to be replaced sooner than the factory equivalent.

      This is a generalization, and like all of them, it is false. OEM parts do tend to be high quality, but that doesn't mean the aftermarket parts are not. Some aftermarket parts are better, some worse.

      Many OEM parts are not made by the OEM, they are made by some other company, who slaps the OEM name on the first 1000 parts off the assembly line, and then their name on the rest they make that day. Often one assembly line will make the same part (which may or may not be the same quality) for several different manufactures. Manufatures outsource a lot of this because a company that focuses on just one part can often make that part cheaper and better. Sometimes the buyer will order parts with lower quality, othertimes it is exactly the same. As and example, 80percent of all spark plugs are made by Champion for example, they put whatever name the buyer wants on it.

      I have used both OEM and non-OEM parts. When there isn't a cost difference OEM is a good way to be sure. When there is you need to check out quality, if there is a choice on quality or price stores will warn you and give you a choice.

    4. Re:Dirty Little Secret by rot26 · · Score: 2

      Here's a little dealership secret for you: technicians have an hourly wage. As many hours as they can book in a day, they get paid for, either warranty or customer pay work. The only reason they like warranty work better is because the repairs are always authorized, as opposed to wasting time waiting for the service advisor to get approval over the phone from a customer.


      This may have been true at your BMW dealership. It's definitely NOT true everywhere. My parent's friend and neighbor owns an Olds/Cadillac dealership, and his service writers AND mechanics are paid commission as well as hourly rate. It sounds unethical to me too, but according to him, the advantage is the same as for any business paying employees commission vs. straight wages: they work a hell of a lot harder. He says (and I have absolutely no reason not be believe him) that he has several mechanics who make $50k-60k per year. (Actually, I never heard of a service writer who wasn't paid a commission.)

      --



      To ensure perfect aim, shoot first and call whatever you hit the target
    5. Re:Dirty Little Secret by Bangback · · Score: 2, Informative

      As a datapoint I just replaced an oxygen sensor in a Jeep Grand Cherokee. The OEM part is $180. The aftermarket part is $60. The ONLY DIFFERENCE is the plastic interface plug on the end (the sensors are identical and are both manufactured by Bosch). $120 compensated me nicely for five minutes with a crimp kit.
      Jeep is notorious for jacking up the price of old parts.

    6. Re:Dirty Little Secret by CancerSpam · · Score: 1

      Some companies don't even feel good enough to just use maker specific codes. A couple of american car makers (who's non-ISO standards were rolled into the SAE standard) use a proprietary signalling method... and a german car maker has a 9600bps mode that normal scanners can't get to.

      I am less offended at the special codes than I am at the wonk comm meathods used to get the codes from the car. Don't computers already HAVE a pretty reliable method to talk to one another?

    7. Re:Dirty Little Secret by brad3378 · · Score: 2

      &gt Is there a good way to find out about the best mechanics in the area?

      Unfortunately, it is not easy.
      A dealership will typically have a guy specialize in one area, so a shop might have a really good Transmission guy, but maybe not a very good engine guy.

      The best way to find a good mechanic is probably to ask the local part stores.
      They usually don't fix stuff there, so they don't have a conflict of interest, and they usually know the shops quite well. Try to find an employee you think has worked there longest; they probably know more horror stories, and will likely have a better idea where to send you.

      Overall, dealerships have better repair records, because they have more repition than shops that work on everything. The comprimise is that they typically cost more. If it is something that you can't risk - try a a dealer. If you want to save some bucks, try a privately owned shop.

      Two last bits of advice,
      Privately owned shops are typically more willing to buy used parts from salvage yards. You may need to special request it, but you can save a lot of money.

      Example:
      My Ford Escort needed a new camshaft and misc. parts
      Dearercost for new cam - about $300.00
      new roller lifters - eight @ $16.00 each
      lifter guides - 4 sets @ about $6.00 each

      Junkyard sold me the entire aluminum cylinder head with a warranty for $75 - parts sold separtely would easily cost over $1000.00
      after removing the parts I needed, I bet I could still get my $75 back if I sold the rest of the parts on E-Bay.

      Salvage yard parts work best for stuff like windshields, hard to find body panels, and non-moving parts. For obvious reasons, try to avoid using used brake parts, shocks, or other common wear items.

      Lastly,
      Don't be afraid to check out performance parts.
      Another dirty secret in the industry is that the plain jane parts cost more money than hard-core racing parts.

      Example:
      My dodge Shadow had a snapped camshaft.
      OEM replacement cost was about $300.00
      but a Mopar (Chryslers racing brand) cam sold for about $130.00 at the same dearlership! In the end, I got a better than stock camshaft for less than half the cost!

      --

    8. Re:Dirty Little Secret by brad3378 · · Score: 2

      &gt Note: I used to be a service advisor (aka service writer) at a BMW dealership in New York.

      Note: I used to be a Ford Dealership tech/mechanic in Michigan. (Master ASE certification - I know what I'm talking about)

      &gt Book rate is supposedly the average number of hours it takes to do a job, as benchmarked at the factory. If a service writer at a franchised dealership tried to charge more, the franchise could be revoked. Oh, and its horribly unethical.

      I disagree.
      I don't believe it's unethical to quote different labor rates for different vehicles. For instance, Owners of conversion vans are often charged more for tune-ups because it is often much more difficult to remove the "dog-house" cover from the interior with all the added non-standeard trimwork.

      4x4 trucks with aftermarket skid plates - one more thing to remove (not in labor time book)

      Custom wheel covers - more crap that needs to be taken off - often without the aid of the original wheel wrench tool. (not in labor time book)

      Crap inside the car - I remember changing an entire vehicle wiring harness in an escort. I needed three stalls, One for the car, One for the parts removed, and the 3rd stall for all the stuff inside the car.

      &gt No, customers are not quoted anything other than book rate. And occasionally, a generous technician will agree to do small work for free, essentially agreeing to NOT get paid for work performed.

      The second sentence contradicts the first.

      &gt Techs LOVE warranty work because it is automatically authorized by the factory, as opposed to a customer who doesn't want to agree to new valve gaskets because the car will still run for a few thousand more miles before its critical.

      In this particular case, it would not be unethical for the shop to charge for the work performed. In this case a diagnosis fee for determining the problem was a "valve gasket" (as you call it) Usually they're called "valve cover gaskets".

      &gt Here's a little dealership secret for you: technicians have an hourly wage. As many hours as they can book in a day, they get paid for, either warranty or customer pay work. The only reason they like warranty work better is because the repairs are always authorized, as opposed to wasting time waiting for the service advisor to get approval over the phone from a customer.

      Technicians are usually paid via the "flat-rate" system - this means they are paid by book time - not clock time. Oil changers could be either flat-rate or hourly paid. Higher-end technicians can be paid via a salary system. They are usally the first people to be kept busy because they are getting paid whether or not a car comes through the oor. This option only works for high volume shops. I don't doubt that BMW techs would be paid on an hourly basis. Quality suffers (how much is arguable) under the "rush it out the door" flat-rate (book time) system. BMW dealerships would be willing to make this sacrifice because they'll be more likey to keep selling their $50,000 cars. Yes, you will likely be treated differently if you are a lifetime BMW customer.

      &gt ...wasting time waiting for the service advisor to get approval over the phone from a customer.

      often repairs are authorized to a certain amount before a repair is made. If authorization is needed, mechanics switch to another vehicle while the customer is contacted. No time is wasted as long as the mechanic has more than one car to work on.

      &gt aftermarket parts. Independant shops tend to buy more aftermarket parts than OEM parts.
      Which brings up an interesting point, which is that aftermarket parts tend to be poorly manufactured and need to be replaced sooner than the factory equivalent.


      This is a common automotive flamewar. Neither side is right every time. Often OEM parts are better, but other times, SOME aftermarket parts are better. And in some cases, the parts are "vendor made" which means those lift gate struts you buy from the dealership are made by the same factory as the OEM parts. No Automakers use their own parts exclusively anymore.

      Buyer Beware. Some vendor parts are better, some are worse. Don't believe somebody that says "ALL" OEM parts are better.
      And don't believe people that say "ALL" aftermarket parts are "ALWAYS" equal to OEM - They're sometimes not.

      If OEM parts cost $500 and aftermarket parts cost $250 for 90% of the quality, Sorry, but I'm gonna buy the aftermarket parts for my own car.

      I think I agree with the rest of your comments.

      --

  77. EULA by ziegast · · Score: 2, Funny

    Perhaps one day our cars won't start until we break the shrink wrap that says we must agree to the End User License Agreement before using the car.

    It brings new meaning to the term "24-month lease".

    -ez

  78. Many ECUs One in the Same by stuffman64 · · Score: 3, Informative

    The problem here may not be just getting car manufacturers to divulge engine codes, but rather the maker of the ECU itself. For instance, Bosch produces ECUs or other engine components for virtually every car maker. Last year, Bosch had over $23x10^9 in sales in the automotive sector alone. Since nearly all European manufacturers rely on the Motronic ECU for higher-end engine applications, I'm sure that many Engine Control and Error Codes are similar amongst many different models and manufacturers.

    I'm not entirely sure about whether or not the problem is the manufacturers' reluctance to supply codes. Perhaps they have a contract or something with the supplier of the ECUs to keep things hush-hush. Not only do the manufacturers make out by requiring service at their garage with their advanced tools, but the ECU supplier stays safe from the competition by not having all the details of their system easily divulged.

    --
    --- At my sig, unleash hell.
  79. Fault codes... by sven_kirk · · Score: 1

    I, right now am having car problems right now. It will cost me $75 to have the mechanic to "download" the fault codes for my Mazda. And after that, I will probably get ripped off yet again for the repair. But as for my previous car, an Isuzu, told in the manual how to check the fault codes. It was an easy thing to do.

  80. uninformed by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Also for those having car problems many Automotive parts retailers such as Autozone are offering free OBD2 service to pull codes and tell you what the problem is.

  81. fucking moron by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Troll
    BUY AMERICAN NEXT TIME

    Maybe he wanted a decent car. Not everyone drives American cars, nor should they, and there are many foreign cars manufactured here so don't go whining about jobs you sniveling little dweeb.

  82. Join the LP! by SonicSpike · · Score: 1

    Join the Libertarian Party!!

    http://www.lp.org/issues/

    They want to keep capatalism, but revamp the current IP system.

    --
    Libertas in infinitum
    1. Re:Join the LP! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      A mob society of gangs and thugs doesn't really appeal to rational people. :)

    2. Re:Join the LP! by DEBEDb · · Score: 1
      A mob society of gangs and thugs doesn't really appeal to rational people. :)


      To continue the syllogism:

      - Congress, apparently, appeals to most Americans.

      - Therefore, most Americans are not rational people.


      Makes sense, actually.

      --

      Considered harmful.
  83. ol' dirty bastard? by beckett · · Score: 2
    ODB? yeah.

    "because Biggie done do some of that shit too"

  84. OBD scanning by detritus. · · Score: 2
    From OBDII.com regarding the purchase of an OBD scanner:
    Not all scantools are equal. In fact, some aren't even close. As part of the OBDII standard, the US Environmental Protection Agency mandated that a basic set of emissions related readings be supported on all OBDII vehicles. The SAE specification J1979 defines these legislated parameters. Many low-end tools only support these emissions related readings, giving you access to only a dozen or so truly useful parameters. While these give you some basic vehicle information, they are just a small set of the vehicle information available through the OBDII port. When shopping for a scantool, be sure to find out if it supports just the legislated parameters or if it also includes the enhanced (sometimes called proprietary) diagnostics.
    It goes to show that auto manufacturers will only cooperate because of laws and regulations. They have no intentions of developing standards with their competitors (or in some cases, even within the divisions of their own company!). Just as some automotive companies made their own "enhanced" OBD-based diagnostics only for their own interest, they do the same with car parts. It's all finding a way for them (or their business partners) to make money. Sadly, these car companies fail to see that when they work together to develop a standard, they all benefit.
  85. I was at AutoZone the other day... by Cinematique · · Score: 2, Informative

    and I noticed a banner in the window that caught my eye.

    This pretty much sums it all up. They offer FREE code retrieval.

    Back when I had a Jeep Wrangler, I bought a Haynes service manual that showed me what its codes were. I could easily obtain the error messages through a morse-code system.

    To see what the diagnostic computer felt was wrong, you turned the ignition key so that it went off/on/of/on/of/on. After the third and final "on," the check engine light would flash a certain number of times, which corresponded to a specific problem code.

    flash - flash - flash
    *pause*
    flaah - flash - flash

    ... that would mean 33. 33 stood for Air Conditioning, IIRC. That code would always come back since my Jeep didn't have an A/C unit plugged into the diagnostic box.

    Anyways... the Jeep was a '91. I miss it so much.

    *tear*

  86. Your analogy is flawed.. by Myself · · Score: 2

    The hard drive is but a small chunk of a computer. I don't mind if the drive is sealed and the firmware proprietary, as long as it conforms to a well-documented standard interface, and doesn't require any proprietary tweaks to perform well.

    Likewise, I don't care what shape my pistons are ground in, or how the valvetrain actually works. Overhead or pushrod, seal it up so I never see it, I don't care.

    However, my computer as a whole had better not be welded shut! I want to be able to inspect its operation, make sure I'm the user and it's the tool, not the other way around. I want to be able to control its operation, write my own programs, and tweak the misfeatures of others' programs. I'll never need to manually adjust the flying gap on my hard drive, but I definitely do want to customize my boot sequence, and scrutinize data leaving over my net connection.

    Likewise, my car should be open enough that I can change the parts I want to. I'm happy with the engine, but why can't I turn off my headlights when I pull into my friend's driveway, so as not to wake his neighbors? I want wiring diagrams, so I can make the lighter socket behave more sensibly. I don't care if certain parts are sealed for practical reasons, but the rest of it should be open for me, the owner, to customize.

    I think your analoy is flawed because you compare the hard drive to a car. The drive can be a black-box with no ill effect. It's the computer system as a whole that must be open to the user. The car can contain several black-box components, but I should be free to inspect and reconfigure the connections between them.

    If you think this tendency in cars is scary, go read this article on Microsoft's Palladium plan. Talk about welded shut! At least your car doesn't refuse to carry passengers and cargo that haven't been approved by the manufacturer.

    1. Re:Your analogy is flawed.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      "The hard drive is but a small chunk of a computer. I don't mind if the drive is sealed and the firmware proprietary, as long as it conforms to a well-documented standard interface, and doesn't require any proprietary tweaks to perform well."

      Do you remember before IDE, when there were four different hard drive interfaces? And you had to find out the proper jumper settings on the drive...before the Internet let you search the manufacturer's web site?

      That's the situation now with cars. Except some makers have secret ways of reporting and mapping bad sectors, and of telling the drive to park the head.

    2. Re:Your analogy is flawed.. by Sanat · · Score: 1

      Like I said "perhaps a bolted one for those who want to tinker or experiment."

      I was not trying to make a top to bottom comparison, rather that disk drives have greatly improved in MTBF over the years and I see cars following a similiar path.

      Perhaps it is anedotal and only appears to be so to me based a limited set of occurrances with which I have been involved, however I don't believe that to be the case.

      I headed up the PC integration center for McDonnell Douglas (when it existed) and saw many many PC's with disk drives being built. Mr expwereince with cars are much less though.

      I do concur that comparing the disk drive to the whole car is not totally adequate, however comparing the disk drive to the engine isn't either.

      --
      And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make
  87. Honda Accord by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I didn't seem to find any ODB stuff for my Honda Accord, anyone know where I can get it?

  88. Re:ODB-II (ps) by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It's Old Dirty Bastard. What he's doing in my car, I'll never know.

  89. The biggest U.S. wealth redistribution by Catbeller · · Score: 2, Interesting

    There is a Federal debt, about 4 trillion dollars worth. Most of it was run up during the Eighties when major tax cuts were instituted. And the Fed engine is once again running in the red due to the new tax cuts, especially the ones phasing in over the next eight years. It's going to be huge, the debt.

    Now here's the income redistribution part. 17% or so of every tax dollar taken in by the IRS is spent to pay the interest on those trillions of dollars of tax-cut spawned debt. Year after year since the middle '80's, 17 percent of our country's gross revenue is peeled off and sent to...

    Bond holders. When the Guv, in our name, can't raise enough money to pay for bread and tanks and roads, it has to borrowed. Usually this is done through bonds, paper bought by investors, both in the U.S. and abroad, which will earn interest year by year.

    We pipe tens of billions of dollars of our income every year to very wealthy individuals and institutions. A great deal of the wealth in this nation is generated by that distribution. It's better than a gold mine, better than real estate.

    Multiply this yearly welfare payment by about 21 years. We have, in the name of tax cuts, pumped hundreds and hundreds of billions of dollars into the pockets of people who could afford to buy all those bonds and float all those loans. A goodly number of them are offshore... just about anyone can buy our money-making debt. To be really awestruck, adjust those dollars for inflation and recalculate what wealth we have transferred for a few bucks off our taxes.

    Is it no wonder that wealthy people love tax breaks and don't mind a massive debt? Hell, I knew of an economics professor who straight-out declared that reducing or eliminating the national debt would spread destabilization around the world -- and he was right. Investors around the world love the money pump! It's like a rain of gold that will never end.

    Now, for an exercise, compare the amount spent on debt service, which goes to wealthy/well off debt owners, to the amounts spent on aid for dependent children or Head Start. It's pitiful. The spending on our debt to the enrichment of the very well to do dwarfs anything we spend on the poor or schools.

    The debt and deficit spending due to tax cuts are the biggest wealth redistribution scam in the history of mankind.

    1. Re:The biggest U.S. wealth redistribution by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Let's look at another scenario. We have two high school students, Bob and Jim. Bob studies hard, gets into a good college, then works hard to get a degree which he pays for mostly through student loans. Once he gets out, he gets a decent job writing code making good money. He pays 20% of his yearly income to the federal government in income taxes. Meanwhile, Jim cuts classes in high school and eventually drops out. He gets a low end job, gets married and has 5 kids he can't afford to support. He pays no income taxes AND gets a big fat "tax refund" from the taxes he didn't pay at the end of the year, and feeds his kids afford by using government subsidy programs. His tax refund and government subsidies are paid for, at least partially, from Bob's taxes. This is the biggest vehicle for redistribution of wealth in the US, and don't let any college professor tell you differently. Once you have spent some time out in the real world where you go to the grocery store and buy what you can afford, then watch someone in front of you in line pay for steaks with your money, you might begin to understand that.

    2. Re:The biggest U.S. wealth redistribution by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I think you mean "year after year since the middle thirties." If you're talking about national debt and you know what you're talking about, you do. But you don't. The deficit expanded more under Clinton than it did under Reagan. Both numerically and proporitionally. Same thing with Carter. There were no tax cuts in the eighties, by the way. There was the "Income Tax Reform Bill of 1986", but that didn't lower anyone's taxes, although that was the original intent.

      You are right about the distribution of wealth though. It's just that you're a little bit blinded by your politics.

  90. Yes, it does by Catbeller · · Score: 2

    CNN requires registration for video viewing.

    1. Re:Yes, it does by rmohr02 · · Score: 2

      But not to read an article. Also, I have a dialup connection and I never bother with videos.

  91. Getting Chrysler computer codes: by Kymermosst · · Score: 2

    As always when this subject comes up, major props to Chrysler for making the codes easy to get. At least, in the past. Looks like it's not so easy on newer models. (Must be the Daimler folks that are influencing it.) Too bad.

    --
    "Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives" should be a convenience store, not a government agency.
  92. confidence by bewdy · · Score: 1

    I'm fortunate to have access to diagnostic equipment and also be involved in automotive product development. Why give access to the general user? 99% of people would see a code and panic. Our product is a fuel regulation device, has 10 possible trouble codes and over 100 separate components. I have three years of experience on the part and still consult the official manuals from time to time.
    We see here a lot of people sprouting complaints of FUD and conspiracy. Think of your safety, what would you do if an ABS module code came up? Disassemble the module on your kitchen bench? It's a potentially dangerous situation and as system complexity increases, who best to mess with it than the trained "expert".
    Are there many software developers who provide full source code to users when they know the non-skilled user will mess with it and potentially affect the functionality of the product (and ther image)?

    On the other side of the coin, as an informed consumer I would like more than the obligatory "check engine" light so I can keep my mechanic honest!

  93. Sinister thoughts. by Skraggy · · Score: 1

    I would buy American. Except you put the steering wheel on the wrong side of the car. Bloody stupid place to put it if you ask me, I mean what does a passenger need with a steering wheel. Oh wait, your in america, your passenger is your driver, and that is Sinister. ;)

    In the UK, there aren't that many US cars sold new. More European LHD cars are appearing because their prices are cheaper than in the UK, so maybe that will start to change the balance, and we will see more UK specced, but LHD American manufactured LHD cars here. Chevrolet sell the Camaro amongst other models, and the price for the performance, and specs is impressive compared to other cars on the UK market for the price, but the LHD scares a lot of people off buying, along with the percieved higher cost of imported parts, and the lablour at specialist repair shops.

    --
    A Skoda is for life, not for casual humour.
    1. Re:Sinister thoughts. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      do you know why American cars put the steering wheel on the wrong side? It's because American companies have been building cars longer than everyone else, and they did usability tests that determined that

      a) most people are right handed.
      therefore, having the other controls (radio, shifter, etc.) be accessed by the right hand proved more efficient, safer, and convenient.

      b) most people are right-eye dominant. This means that you are better able to see your lane (including the edge of the road) and will tend to steer towards the outside line instead of the inside line. Most of those annoying people who cling to the inside lane (in the US) despite their speed are probably left-eye dominant.

      There is also a natural tendency to avoid things from your less dominant side ... ie. which way do you flinch? This makes you want to stay away from oncoming traffic.

      This was all common knowledge in the US long before people started driving in Britain or elsewhere.

  94. Re:This is NOT a good thing by EzInKy · · Score: 1

    Ridiculous. Your "inexperienced" grease monkeys just may discover a much more effecient way to repair or maintain your car if the source were open.

    --
    Time is what keeps everything from happening all at once.
  95. computers and cars by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You know, there's sites and people who likes to mess with the computers in cars too. and many sites were they take them apart and see what makes them tick. one example. For a computer geek like myself, I it have been fun to get into this, and then "modding" the car by replacing the software ROM with a more performance oriented(granted, fuel economy and emmisions takes a blow).

  96. ECM (ALDL) There is Trouble Codes and Serial Data by BlackListedCard · · Score: 2, Informative

    After reading the many messages regarding this topic. Here is a breakdown of information. There are many trouble codes which can be transmitted by the ALDL unit. Also, which most people did not discuss here is the serial data. This data is streaming information which contains information on fuel mixture, speed, and A/C information. The serial data can be read from the ALDL to your computer. Please visit this site for a simple hardware interface and some information on ALDL timings. http://www.techedge.com.au/vehicle/aldl8192/8192hw . tm There is tons of software out there. http://www.andywhittaker.com/ecu/ecu_software.htm Here is the best site on the ALDL(ECM) protocol. Check this site out........ http://www.ws6transam.org/ALDL.html I have a working interface board for my car computer. GPS, MP3, DVD and realtime (yeah right) automobile information from the ALDL unit. Enjoy..!!!!!!!

  97. Not about cars: it's about software by juliao · · Score: 3, Insightful
    We seem to be missing the point here:

    This is NOT about cars, this is about software and about interchange formats!

    I hope this law makes it: this will be the grounds for asking for a law that forces Microsoft et al. to open their document format.

    Today, independent programmers cannot perform services for their customers because large software makers hide the specifications for document formats. This means that an independent programmer cannot properly access and service the customer's database/spreadsheet/file without specialized tools that he would be required to buy from the software maker. This, in fact, amounts to some degree of cartelization, in so far as only programmers "licensed" by the software maker have access to these tools, in what amounts to a cartel. By effectively preventing independent programmers from obtaining revenue from services, this situation limits choice for consumers and harms many independent programmers, who are sometimes the sole financial support for their family.

    This about it. This may be the way to go.

  98. Re:This is NOT a good thing by gRa · · Score: 1

    The Government is a monopoly trying to get as much as possible from its subj.. ehm citizen.

  99. Welcome, IE Lusers! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

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  100. OS BMW by jpthegeek · · Score: 1

    I have a BMW and was floored to learn that the local mechanic Bubba could purchase software from BMW USA and hook his laptop right into my M3.
    According to him, BMW was one of the first car companies to allow third party shops access to their diagnostic software. While I'm sure it's not cheap, it is a good way to transfer knowledge into a different busniess sector. Most of Bubba's clients are BMW fanatics who want to squeeze every ounce of horsepower out of their little German bathtubs. I think it's a good niche.

  101. Re:Mitchell Books. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I haven't checked (since I don't have a car that is 1996 or newer which has OBDII), but would the Mitchell Books give more information since they seem to be better than the Haynes books?

    One of the problems with OBDII is that there are three (3) protocols instead of just one. The ISO for European and Asian cars, the variable pulsewideth and the pulse modulation one that I believe Ford or Chrysler use since they want to be different! Thus the American car manufacturers use one or the other pulse modulation technique (opposite of their competitor) instead of using the ISO one! Thus, when you buy a cheap diagnostic tool ($200) at PepBoys it is only geared to a specific manufacture, Ford, Chrysler or Foreign since the hardware interface is designed for only one of the three protocols. Moreover, the device can't be updated if one should buy a newer car and thus one has to buy another $200 device that has been upgraded from the tool company. NOTE: I wonder if the new Zaurus Linux PDA can be adapted to do a wireless interface to the cars computer so that it is portable.

    See http://www.obd-2.com which contains shematics for a universal OBD-II interface or for $76 they will build it for you. They sell s/w for the laptop too! Also there is GPL software called freediag on sourceforge, but I don't know how functional or good it is. Any comments on it?

  102. I'll tell you what drives me nuts by p3d0 · · Score: 1

    Please read this.

    --
    Patrick Doyle
    I mod down every jackass who puts his moderation policy in his sig. Oh, wait a sec....
  103. OS software not likely for a while by maddogsparky · · Score: 2
    The software that my company puts in its products for the OEM is given to them for "free". I've approached my managers about opening up the source code, but they are fearful that it could give our competitors an advantage over them and open them up for lawsuits if a bug was found.

    Any ideas on how to answer these concerns?

    --
    science is a religion
    1. Re:OS software not likely for a while by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Easy. It's expected to work if unmodified, so then its covered under warranty, but if the code your running isin't stock, no joy for you.

      I would be happy to sign an EULA saying that if I fucked with the source code you gave me for XYZ I won't blame you. Don't want to sign the EULA? Don't get the code.

    2. Re:OS software not likely for a while by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      1. If your competitors want your code, they only need one day to cut your memory chip out of however you have it packaged, connect it to a ROM reader, and run your hex code through a debugger to get their own copy of the source code. Another two days for one of their programmers to add comments to make it easier to read ("I recognize this is how to talk to the ignition system...so here is the code which sets its parameters and the table of conditions."). Keeping the source code secret doesn't block your competitors.
      2. Bugs are found without source code. People other than Microsoft have published fixes to Microsoft bugs. And many MS viruses take advantage of bugs which were found without source code.
      3. If your source code is wrapped in the GPL, the improvements which anyone else makes will be available to you also. If it's automotive systems, some expert may come up with a better way to detect a misfiring spark plug, a better way to detect Alaskan weather conditions and handling them, or of detecting a failing timing chain and preventing destruction of an "interference" engine. If you're making cordless phones, someone might add smarter redial (recognizing phone number and voice menu options), better channel selection, prettier paging/handset-finder chimes, or helpful low-battery warnings.

      ...also read these articles and the proposed laws to see some of the benefits of open "codes".

    3. Re:OS software not likely for a while by maddogsparky · · Score: 1

      The problem is if somebody finds a bug in our code. Then it IS covered by warranty or we could be hit with liabilty lawsuits (frivolous or otherwise).

      --
      science is a religion
  104. yeah by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    like smoke'n blunts

  105. Two stories... by wowbagger · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I have three related stories about the absence of good diagnostic information, both showing WHY the auto manufacturers should open the protocols.

    First story. I was on vacation at the Grand Canyon's South rim, and the plan was to head to the North Rim. While that is only a few miles as the neutrino flies, it's about 150 miles by road. Furthurmore, the South Rim is pretty damn far from anything else. So, I get into my car (a 1997 Grand Marquis that had just had its 100kMile service) and lo and behold, the "Overdrive OFF" indicator starts flashing - a fault has been detected in the automatic transmission. Between having the "Check Engine" light come on or this, I'll pick the "Check Engine" light any day - you can troubleshoot an engine in the field, and generally most engine failures are "limp home" failures. A tranny failure tends to be a "walk home" moment.

    After poking, prodding, and checking, the light goes out. No explaination. So, we head off for the North Rim. 80 miles from anywhere the tranny goes "thump", the light flashes, and I curse. I managed to get to civilization, rent a UHaul truck and car trailer, and tow my car home. The dealership tells me the ATF had started to break down - they flushed it and changed the filter.

    Now, BECAUSE the South Rim is so far from anywhere, and because so many vehicles go there, there is a service shop there. Had the car been able to tell me "Clutch #2 slippage detected - possible fluid breakdown" I could have gone to the shop at the South Rim, had the fluid changed, and gone on without having my plans screwed up. Instead, I paid US$900 to tow my car home, and US$200 for the service.

    Second story: A couple of months later, I was going to work. I turned the key, and the "Check Engine" light stayed on. I checked the oil, listens for strange noises, and said "Emissions problem, not serious, call the dealer." Sure enough, the dealership read the codes, and said "Transient failure to pull a vacuum on the fuel tank vapor recovery - It's not showing now. Keep an eye on it. And damn guy, but according to this you've hit the rev limiter on this thing! How fast were you GOING?" Cost: $150. Had I been able to read the codes, I could have cleared it and kept an eye on it.

    Third story: A few weeks later, I was heading home, pulled out from a stop, and the tranny said "bang" and the "Overdrive OFF" indicator began to blink. It turns out the fluid had gone bad BECAUSE the #2 clutch had failed. US$1300 later, I have a rebuild in place. I took the car to a tranny shop nearby, rather than the dealership. As I was demonstrating the failure to the mechanic (at that point, it was still intermittant) I commented "Yeah, I know how hard it is to troubleshoot intermittant failures - I am a software engineer". His immediate response: "Maybe you could write some software for us that would work on all of these cars!"

    Conclusion: There is a clear harm to the consumer by the practices of the auto manufacturers, who together are acting in an anti-competitive and monopolistic fashion. I hope we CAN make them play nice (imagine a nice GTK front-end for diagnostics....)

    1. Re:Two stories... by kenp2002 · · Score: 1

      I have read your story and I seen no correllation between your babbling and the fact that the "codes" are somehow proprietary. As to reading the codes, all the codes come with the scope machine upon purchase. I spoke with my mechanic in St. Paul and he saimply said, "He's full of BS. If I can't get the diagnostic info for you car Ken I'd just tow or drive it to the dealer and have em pull the info for me. They charge me $60 to get the info from em." You smell like a party plant campaigning. Why did you tow it home? Was there not a Mercury dealer near by? I bet you wouldn't have paid that much if you had a Ford. I guess next time via capitalism you would get educated and read Consumer Reports and find out just how expensive a Mercury is versus a Ford, Saturn, Chevy, etc. I don't hear any people who bought Fords or Chevys complaining about towing it an absurd distance? The article in the paper talks about a BMW owner, it rough not having the Beamer dealer near by, but that is part of the price you pay for buying an import. I guess the 90 mile drive was too much for the owner, even though the garage could have simply subletted the work and drove the car to the dealer for the customer. Sounds more like a case of a crappy garage. It's called Capitalism you Socialist! If you don't like the high price of owning a particular brand of car I guess, a reasonably intelligent person would find a car with a lower TCO (I am assuming as a SE you know what TCO means.) My suggestion to you is learn from your mistakes and buy a car with a lower cost next time. Jeez why should we pay via more government for you poor lack of judgement.

      --
      -=[ Who Is John Galt? ]=-
    2. Re:Two stories... by Brian+Feldman · · Score: 1

      It's a Ford Crown Victoria. I'm sure he could have gotten it towed to the nearest Ford dealership and gotten it fixed on the spot.

      --
      Brian Fundakowski Feldman
    3. Re:Two stories... by dlakelan · · Score: 1

      You've obviously never been to the grand canyon.

      The south rim of the grand canyon is like 100 miles by road from anywhere. The north rim is like 200 miles by road from anywhere.

      That being said. It doesn't sound like this guy takes care of his car very well (rev limiter on an automatic?)

      There's nothing capitalist about the government mandating on board diagnostics and then letting the car manufacturers put proprietary codes in and refuse to document them.

      That being said, this problem isn't as big a deal as you'd think. OBD-II computers exist, and the dealers know what the codes mean. A simple law that required manufacturers to document all software readable codes of OBD systems would be easy to write, and easy to comply with.

      not that the government would do a good job of writing this law, just that they COULD.

      --
      ((lambda (x) (x x)) (lambda (x) (x x))) http://www.endpointcomputing.com a scientific approach to custom computing.
    4. Re:Two stories... by AForwardMotion · · Score: 0

      Hey how about this. As soon as the codes are released to the public (?) I will take time out of my OWN busy life and write a front end software that determines what each means for each car. Then sell it for an ABSURD licensing fee. No. Really. I don't know how popular monitary gain is here, but I'd invest in the company that does this (then take my money out when it has become overinflated :P)

  106. The independents can barely manage to... by gatkinso · · Score: 1

    ...change your oil correctly - and now you want them hacking your ignition?

    No thanks.

    The specs should be published - that much I agree with (after all you bought your car and it should be fully documented).

    However, I will stick with my personal motto: if you want it done right (well, done right some of the time) take it to the dealer.

    --
    I am very small, utmostly microscopic.
  107. Wellstone ( a bit off topic) by I_am_God_Here · · Score: 1

    As I live in minnesota I am against anything that wellstone is for. Hey has done nothing useful in his years in the senate. The first two times he ran he promised only to go two terms. Now he is running for a third. This man is full or crap and I hate all the things he has done to minnesota, it is a worse place for him being born.

    --

    Capitalism: unequal distribution of wealth
    Socialism: equal distribution of poverty
    1. Re:Wellstone ( a bit off topic) by way2muchsense · · Score: 1

      The Senate wasn't 50/49/1 when he promised that, either. The conditions of the game have changed, and now Wellstone must run again for the good of his party (and the nation), unkeepable pledges not to run again be damned.

      I bet you don't object to any of those House Republicans who are running against similar pledges made when they signed on to the Contract With America. Again, the GOP holds the house by a bare six seats - about the same percentage by which the Democrats hold the Senate. If they don't run for reelection, who's going to run in their places?

      It's WAY easier to run an incumbent for reelection - even one who is breaking a campaign promise by doing do - than to run somebody else. Simple fact.

    2. Re:Wellstone ( a bit off topic) by I_am_God_Here · · Score: 1

      Actually for the record I do object to Republicans who are running again against pleges to. But you missed my point and to clear that up I will reiterate

      I HATE WELLSTONE, I HATE WELLSTONE, I HATE WELLSTONE

      are we clear?

      Him breaking his pledge was one of a bunch of thing I dislike about him. He honestly thinks that illegal immigrents should be able to collect welfare for an unlimited amount of time. He collects campaign funds from Californa when he runs for MN offices. He supports the estate tax, let me see I pay income tax all my life then I pay another tax for the "privlage" of giving my kids money I earned. So money handed down is twice taxed, income and then estate.

      Just to reiterate
      I HATE WELLSTONE, I HATE WELLSTONE, I HATE WELLSTONE HE MAKE AMERICA WORSE.

      --

      Capitalism: unequal distribution of wealth
      Socialism: equal distribution of poverty
    3. Re:Wellstone ( a bit off topic) by way2muchsense · · Score: 1

      So what? Most of the Repig politicians do this. One that I remember from 2K was (thankfully) former Rep. Rick Lazio. I still get a kick out that; he outspent Hillary by 2:1, mostly with out of state money, and still got his ass handed to him. Bwa ha ha ha ha!

    4. Re:Wellstone ( a bit off topic) by I_am_God_Here · · Score: 1

      Oh your one of them...
      Those who vote demacrat because they are told republicans eat babies. You decide on who to vote for then you rationalize why. You, for whatever reason, like Hillary and you can do that. But then you say Lazio is scum, which he might be, and say he is all wrong on the issues even though you never looked at his stance with open eyes. You believe your standpoint is so great because you never look at any others, other then to attack them. It is ok.

      I am a recovering demacrat. You can change your views. You can grow mentally. You can make an informed voting decision. But not unless you give up the party line, all parties. You assume because I hate Wellstone I am a republican. I am not, I have no party. You think I am a right winger, but they wouldn't have me as I believe in things like gay rights, and more money for education. I make my own decisions as I am smarter then to fall for a party line. Unlike some.

      --

      Capitalism: unequal distribution of wealth
      Socialism: equal distribution of poverty
    5. Re:Wellstone ( a bit off topic) by way2muchsense · · Score: 1

      What a coincidence. I'm a recovering Republican. I made the switch in 1999 after the impeachment. All it took was one look at those small-minded morons running Congress to make me say, "no more for me, I'm driving."

      Which group do you think was so dead-against campaign finance reform, election reform, social security reform (other than to set a torch to it), etc.?

      The sooner those people are out of power, the better for all of us, Democrat, Republican, and Independent alike.

    6. Re:Wellstone ( a bit off topic) by I_am_God_Here · · Score: 1

      I don't know how it is in NY but in MN things suck, and the librals have been in charge for a while. MN is one of the 5 most socialized states in america.
      Almost 50% of you income goes to feeding the government and for what? The roads are perpetually congested. They dems refuse to turn the beltway into a threelane beltway in favor of more mass transit. Mass transit gets just short of half of the transportation budget and services less then 10% of the population.
      The dems have succeeded in doubling the education budget over the last 10 years and education is getting worse.
      In the Minneapolis the city council is corrupt. They routinly use extortion to get money out of small business. Three of the them recently were found guilty of raceteering, extortion, and coersion.
      Use of Emminet Domain is becoming common place for these scum bags.
      The librals have been in charge of this state for decades now and they have failed. Life is worse for everyone around because of them.
      I don't know how it is elsewere but here we desperately need right wingers to bring us back to the middle.

      --

      Capitalism: unequal distribution of wealth
      Socialism: equal distribution of poverty
  108. Nice misleading title and description by sunking2 · · Score: 1

    Did anyone actually read the article. (I read the cnn one, not the other). Despite what a lot of people are suggesting, this is not about making the code open or available to people so that they can hack their cars. It's about documenting what the diagnostic codes that the mechanics receive mean.

    The post seems to imply that poor Mr automachanic lacks the equipment to interface with these cars. That is simply not true. What he lacks is the documentation that tells him that a '5642AGDS' returned from the fuel control systems means the plugs are not firing correctly.

    I'm not saying this is not a good battle to fight, but at the very least it would be nice if people actually knew what they were fighting for.

  109. Re:OBD-II by cloudmaster · · Score: 2

    Different manufacturers use different pins on the standard OBD-II conenctor, though most pinouts are documented. You can find generic software that can read the raw code, but it's hard to find anything (and nearly impossible to find something affordable) that will translate those numbers into something human readable. It's also hard to find something that will write back to the computer. All manufactuerers extend the standard few codes with their own propreitary stuff, and the things that get written back are different from manufacturer to manufacturer (and model to model). *Those* are the things we need opened, not the already open standard.

    People see that there's a standard and assume that it's all OK. Kerberos is a standard and LDAP is a standard, I wonder why it's hard to make programs that work with MS's kerberos implementation and Active Directory? Is it because of undocumented vendor-specific extensions? I'll bet it is... :) The OBD-II thing is the same idea.

  110. --just last week by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    --just last week was listening to a mechanic bitch about this. Said in a lot of cases he would get stumped on analysis and was forced to send potential customers to the dealer. This is literally just a young couple who scraped together the loot to start a small repair shop and are struggling. I'm gonna pass the info on these bills to them.

  111. The other hand by AirWrench · · Score: 1
    Having worked for 12 years for, ah, shall we say the largest car company in the World, and also having been a lead on that companies' OBD-II development, I can say with confidence what one of the main motivations for keeping the OEM bus codes a secret is this case:

    It really is a case of a few bad apples ruining it for all the honest shops, backyard mechanics, and hotrodders out there. What happens all too often is somebody adds/modifies/improves some feature on the car, usually with very little knowledge of how the thing works, and then has a problem - like breaks or burns out some part. Then they remove their mod, and come into the dealership complaining about "doesn't run right" - hoping to be taken for an innocent fool. The repair shop usually can spot what the most likely case is, but goes ahead and turns in a warranty repair anyway - the manufacturer ends up paying for it...

    This is real $$ here - and anything, even a diagnostic display that says "turbo overboost", that can help/encourage/egg-on the few bad apples is not released (If anybody out there rememebers the '86 Buick Riv/Olds Toronado with the CRTs, did you know that with a special key press the CRT became a built in real time dianostic/test station? Things like running parameters, test output, etc. were available... just not publicized). BTW, the original reason for standardizing on CARB's OBD stuff was so that small shops could buy 1 $200 tool and work on the emissions of all vehicle manufacturers. Well, today, its more like a $700 tool..

    The case that all manufacturer fear, is that with new car systems, substantial control of the vehicles basic safety parameters are at the command of the electronic systems onboard - nobody wants to see a person modify their own car, and end up having an accident that kills them (like 200 degrees of timing adjustment available to the engine computer, Yaw rate selectable by the Dynamic Stability Control, etc.).

    1. Re:The other hand by interstellar_donkey · · Score: 2

      Then they remove their mod, and come into the dealership complaining about "doesn't run right" - hoping to be taken for an innocent fool.

      With all that technology you put into those things, don't you think you can find something that logs the changes? I don't see how that would be so hard.

      "yeah, this part is burned out. According to your system logs, a mod chip was placed into the car on 7/14, and was replaced with the orgininal yesterday. I can't cover this"

      --
      The Internet is generally stupid
  112. Codes? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    Screw the codes! What I want is an led readout with a descriptive message that *I* can read.

    I want to be able to call my mechanic and tell him that my car says my left front brake pad is bad. This way, I don't have to wonder if my car needs service, and if it's gonna be expensive.

    Stupid engine lights. Stupid car mfr's. They don't *want* customers to know what's wrong because it *might* lose repair business. They miss the true point that customers would be happier with dealers and repair shops if they didn't have to take their word for what is damaged.

    It would also be good for everyone, dealers, repair shops, and customers, if customers knew what the problems were as soon as they developed. As it is, the mechanic might be able to tell from the codes reported, but the customer doesn't know until he/she hears a weird noise or the car just won't go.

  113. I agree by macdaddy · · Score: 2

    They should be made public. My father owned a garage up until the early 90s. He got out just as computerized cars were really becoming popular and widespread. The few years he had in them were hecktic. Every damned car had a different monitoring device and connector. Do you have any idea how much those bitches cost?! I think there should be a standard. Make it like SNMP where the basic, common things are given a common/standardized OID and then let the vendors put their proprietary stuff under their company OID. More things need standards.

  114. On their own? Nope. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    As many peolpe have already pointed out. Car manufactures are starting to go in this direction on thier own. They started with ODB-II and are going even further with ODB-III.

    ODB-II & ODB-III are mandates of the Clean Air Act of 1990.

  115. Re:Mitchell Books. by nolife · · Score: 2

    I've used Mitchell books for various electrical problems and projects over the years, They are far more in depth then a Chiltons or a Haynes manual. I do not know what they contain as far as computer codes and diagnostics are concerned though. The manuals are very expensive but you can usually find them at a larger community library. Worth a look if the regular manuals are not detaled enough for your project.

    --
    Bad boys rape our young girls but Violet gives willingly.
  116. Re:The scourge of IP (DMCA) by SEWilco · · Score: 1
    "... the DMCA gives copyright to so everything with as much creative input as a hearty fart, but the auto manufacturers would have to have some sort of copy protection mechanism on their codes to claim the DMCA violation."

    It's a matter of whether a lawyer decides to wield the DMCA...and if a court agrees. A Florida court has already decided that automotive computer hex codes have copyright protection.

  117. define "Redistribution" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
    "We don't use taxes to redistribute wealth in America. I have never seen ANYONES wealth redistributed, I really don't know what your speaking of."

    Look at how much you pay in taxes. Tally up how much of that money you get back from the government in various forms. If you don't get back exactly the same amount then either you paid for someone else's benefits or someone else paid for your benefits.

    Then look at the tax tables -- the rich get taxed at a much higher rate, and look at the government benefits given to the poor. Do you think that taking from the rich and giving to the poor is not redistribution?

    Or...do you think that taking from taxpayers to build a $200 million stadium for a rich team to play in is not redistribution?

  118. Re:This is NOT a good thing by SirCodeAlot · · Score: 1

    How can you think you so tchnologically advanced to be on /. and not have the sense to be able to fix your own car. I won't let anyone not a dealer or local shop. Dealer shops are just as sloppy and stupid as ant other shop. These codes would help tremendously at diagnosing problems.

  119. Pollution System Codes by SEWilco · · Score: 1
    The CNN article focuses on antipollution EPA-required codes, and does mention that the codes needed for maintaining antipollution devices are required to be available.

    The StarTribune article mentions problems maintaining thing such as door locks and air bags. I personally once had a car which decided to refuse to start -- it stumped a garage, but fortunately I found it was reporting a published code that an impossible throttle position was detected. The switch which reports that you've floored the gas pedal was always on, and the computer shut off the ignition when it saw both that and the throttle-at-idle switches were on. I fixed it by unplugging the cable to the broken "full throttle" switch, as I don't drive at full throttle.

  120. Not quite (& cartels are only good for the car by MatthewDunbar · · Score: 1
    Try TRADE SCHOOL.

    Colleges don't have automotive programs, unless perhaps it's a 'technical college' -- i.e., a two-year technical program -- i.e. a trade school...

    Or, even more accurately, specific training provided by the auto manufacturers themselves.

    Ever notice those signs on the garage wall, "A.C.E.", "some-manufacturer-or-other certified" and such? They're automotive certifications, just like for we computer geeks.

  121. Sue them in small claims court by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    If, due to their negligent or incompetent service technicians, you have incurred unreasonable expenses, let them take their parts back and put the old ones on for refund.

    GM SUCKS!

  122. ...and then.. by multipartmixed · · Score: 2

    ..if your car runs like shit, start it in the parking lot, let it idle until the fan comes on, and shut it off. Do this twice. Now take it for a drive, like you usually would drive the vehicle.

    That should reset the ECM FI map (it's sort of a neural net with some node weights pre-programmed) that you probably wiped out by disconnecting the battery.

    Also, your stereo might get angry, too.

    --

    Do daemons dream of electric sleep()?
  123. Re:Not quite (& cartels are only good for the by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Yeah, and we all KNOW how useful computer certification programs are. Heh.

  124. Re:Karma Whoring:(not) by fishbowl · · Score: 2

    I won't set foot in a new car dealer!
    Also, you don't want them to feel foolish, just hungry!

    --
    -fb Everything not expressly forbidden is now mandatory.
  125. (-10, Tim Rue) by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Oh no! he's escaped from comp.sys.amiga!

  126. Re:The scourge of IP (DMCA) by DeputySpade · · Score: 1

    HERE is scanner and software for under 500 bucks that will scan a GM, Ford or Chrystler.

    If you just want one for your particular model, it's only 300 bucks.

    --


    This space intentionally left blank
  127. The original argument was offtopic by Catbeller · · Score: 2

    The original argument/question was offtopic. The poster had rhetorically asked about any U.S. wealth redistribution programs currently in effect, and I provided the one, big, All-Father blessed money transfer of all time. And one that is simply not discussed anywhere that I have noticed. It's like ignoring a T. Rex eating your family in the living room whilst you are watching Buffy. Weird.
    With the money spent on that debt service, we could rebuild all our public schools, finance the space program, give true tax cuts, on and on. But we have a permanent wealth drain leaching 17% of our tax contributions into a chuckling black hole of investors.

  128. I agree... by cr0sh · · Score: 1

    To be honest, I never checked it out that far, and it was obvious from the checking I did (with a multimeter) that it had a "dead" spot (can't remember if it was an open or short).

    You also bring up good points about the longevity and environment it was in. However, I still believe that Ford (it was an F-150) was selling them at a HUGE markup. The thing was made of plastic, with a plastic inner "knob" that the throttle shaft passed through to engage it. It was probably made pretty sturdy for the environment, but I doubt it cost much to manufacture - certainly not anywhere close to $50.00...

    --
    Reason is the Path to God - Anon
  129. Correction: by Catbeller · · Score: 2

    The U.S. debt is 5.95 trillion, not 3. And the Bushers want the debt ceiling raised by 450 billion, or we default on the debt by next week.

    That will be nearly 6.5 thousand billion dollars. And we pay interest on that, every day. It's strangling us. And making some people filthy rich.

    BBC online: Monday, 24 June, 2002, 12:07 GMT 13:07 UK
    US could default on debt

  130. Reverse engineering is hard for non-PCs by maddogsparky · · Score: 2
    1. We don't have a memory chip; we use a microcontroller with no external bus. And even if you do manage to bypass security, all you'll end up with is assembly code. Have you every tried to decypher 50K+ of assembly?

    2. I would wager that most bugs found in Microsoft code are found by studying APIs or by running debuggers on the code to find buffer overflows and the like. Automotive computers don't run outside programs.

    3. If we did GPL the code, it would be hard to prove that another company was using it. As it is, automotive companies heavily use patent laws and trade secrets to protect their IP from their competitors. Granted, an individual may come up with something better, but how do you convice a manager that this is more likely than losing IP to your competitor?

    --
    science is a religion
    1. Re:Reverse engineering is hard for non-PCs by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      1. You're probably using a run of the mill microcontroller (probably a COPS from natsemi which has an onboard CAN interface, but that is an educated guess). How long do you think it's going to take for someone to extract the rom code from a device like that? 50k of 8-bit machine code is a whole lot of code, but how much of it is data? I would probably start tackling your code by checking which sensors get hooked up to which ports and individual pins on the controller and start tracing from there. Remember, I'm not trying to reinvent your software, just tuning it.

      2. Right. That is exactly the way to do it. Incidentally an approach similar to that by exploiting buffer overruns in the command set of a PayTV smartcard lead to success on that device allowing the extraction of firmware and system-wide master key data.

      3. You're already loosing IP (see #1), but please don't release your sources and documentation. There are people out there who would stand to loose "intellectual assets" for want of a better word to their competitors :-)

  131. Audi is endangering people. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    If the technical manual for end-users specifies a procedure for changing the brake fluid and on purpose fails to inform the end-user that they need to use a certain software tool on the ABS controller to regain safe operation then Audi is risking people's lives for profit. The proper way to do it would be to either make the ABS post fluid-change procedure unnecessary, make the ABS post fluid-change accessible to the end-user or advise the end-user that neither they nor an unauthorized mechanic can not change the brake fluid and retain safe operation of the vehicle.

  132. Re:I have some experience here. TOO! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    So remember, when you get your car fixed and it costs a lot for something you think must be simple, remember that the mechanic is probably still paying for thousands of dollars in tools he needs for his job. That is as lame an excuse as I'd expect from any car mechanic, buddy. YOU should be bitching to the auto makers that their toolkits are too expensive instead of just passing the cost on to your customers. Bet those DVD's with the problem resolution procedures cost a lot too, but I also know for a fact and from painful experience that "authorized mechanics" are the worst kind of crooked scum on the planet. BTW... on my Mercedes the "Check Lights" indicator just came on. Must be some kind of replacement part lifetime issue because my lights are working just fine. Guess what, if the lights go I'll just replace the lights myself and that "Check Lights" indicator can stay on forever for all I care. Oh and one more thing... Interestingly enough the "Check Brakes" came on after I had to brake real hard on the Autobahn a while back. Apparently it had come on when I was already braking on the bare metal so I had to get the brake plates "Bremsplatten" whatever replaced. Fuck that indicator. You automechanic cunts probably set some sort of configuration value on that sensor so that I would have no advance warning and that's exactly what happened. Well I took it to an authorized Daimler shop and it cost me a fucking 400 EUR to get my brakes fixed. Now I'm worried what those cocksuckers did to my car that would pop up as an issue next. I know that the automobile mafia uses parts with a defined lifespan. I wouldn't put it beyond Daimler to include a feature in their firmware to cause problems on purpose after so much time or so and so many miles.

  133. Why tune cars, when you could be tuning people? by gd23ka · · Score: 1

    Not really, but the one analogy my grandmother would understand real quick was if I could get at the wireless interface they use in the hospital to reprogram her pacemaker. Yes... pacemakers are nowadays very smart and they accept commands over a wireless interface and I pretty much doubt that they bother with message authentication codes or encryption. Imagine how fast I could get the diag codes to all the car a certain company makes if I told the auto maker's CEO I already have access to the command interface of his pace-maker, while standing next to him with a Palm in my hands? :-)