If The Problem Persists, Reboot The Car

Posted by timothy on Sunday February 6, 2005 @07:47AM from the slight-problem-fellas dept.

prostoalex writes "Ever-increasing presence of high-tech devices in modern cars is a double-edged sword, the New York Times discovers. Software from different suppliers brings up to some peculiar bugs, such as a heater turning itself on during a hot summer day. In December last year ABI Research estimated that roughly 30% of all warranty issues with new cars were microprocessor- and software-related. The NYT article also quotes an interesting prediction from IBM, saying that by 2010 almost all cars will have the same mechanical systems (hardware), and the differences will be primarily on software level." (That prediction seems as accurate as the IBM prediction that there was a worldwide market for 10 or so computers.)

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had a problem with my 2002 Jeep by malus · 2005-02-06 08:07 · Score: 5, Interesting

which was supposedly "repaired" by the dealership. 2 days after I picked up my jeep, the check engine light came back on.

Rather than take it in for a $90 diagnostic fee, I found a trick: put in key, turn "on", "off", "on", "off", and finally, "on", and the diagnostic code(s) display in the digital odometer.

Take that code to google, and I found that the jeep had the same problem which was supposedly "repaired".

I took it back in, and mentioned the codes it was showing, and put up a fight with the service manager saying, "No, you will not charge me for the 'diagnostic' check, I already know what it is. It's code ABC and XYZ. Now, fix."