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Help me identify possible tracking device found in my car

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Re: Help me identify possible tracking device found in my car

#211

Post by throwaheyy »

junga wrote: post #205
rocqua wrote: post #166

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Note that, for emmesions, heating up the car in stationary is actually positive. It prevents driving a car with a cold engine. Cold engines cause horrible inefficiency in cars. It's one of the reasons why city driving is worse for mileage and emissions than highway driving. Shorter trips.

I am unable to find a source for this. Until now I thought heating up stationary is bad concerning all possible aspects, including emissions.

Seems to be caused by the period before the catalytic converter gets up to normal exhaust temperature.

“Vehicles fitted with catalytic converters emit most of their total pollution during the first five minutes of engine operation; for example, before the catalytic converter has warmed up sufficiently to be fully effective.”

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catalytic_converter

Re: Help me identify possible tracking device found in my car

#212

Post by closewith »

CraigJPerry wrote: post #199
aaaaaaaaaaab wrote: post #187

Earlier quoted context omitted.

https://www.customled.com/collections/brake-light-flashers-a...

That's pretty wild that this is sold as aftermarket. This is baked into VAG & BMW car products for at least the last 12 years, and it was on my 2015 S1000XR, but it'll only activate under hard braking scenarios. I don't know if i'd want this to activate for every brake press, at least here in the UK i've gotten used to the idea flashing brake lights = car ahead is braking very hard.

Flashing brake lights in certain circumstances are required in the EU (Uniform provisions concerning the approval of vehicles with regard to the installation of lighting and light-signalling devices 2016/1723), although the linked brake light flashers seem to be unlawful as they flash on onset of braking rather than extreme braking force.

Re: Help me identify possible tracking device found in my car

#213

Post by rightbyte »

fortran77 wrote: post #207
rightbyte wrote: post #194

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> useless addons like undercoating Bad example really. Depending on car age that might be insane value. If people treated their cars like boats the car bodies would last for 30 years easely. Take it up once a year and paint the belly ...

On a new car? No. In fact the Toyota owner's manual warned against after-market undercoatings. The dealer was trying to do something that the manufacturer warned against.

Ok ye not worth it the first 6-10 years or what ever it takes until the original coat gets bad.

Re: Help me identify possible tracking device found in my car

#214

Post by rightbyte »

driverdan wrote: post #209
rightbyte wrote: post #194

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> useless addons like undercoating Bad example really. Depending on car age that might be insane value. If people treated their cars like boats the car bodies would last for 30 years easely. Take it up once a year and paint the belly ...

Dealer undercoatings are a scam. They are significantly overpriced. You can get it done elsewhere for much less or do it yourself.

Oh ok. I assume they entomb dirt and rust in the coating to keep costs down? Or do it when it is not needed?

I just wanted to defend the awesome concept of "painting" the belly of cars.

Re: Help me identify possible tracking device found in my car

#215

Post by RuggedPineapple »

closewith wrote: post #210
mellavora wrote: post #191

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Works just fine. The major German carmakers have an alliance to share data, and treat cars as roving sensor networks. The data is used for improved road safety (real-time traffic jam awareness) and also so premium clients can find parking spots.

Do you have a source for these claims? Without informed consent, they would be significant breaches of both national data protection legislation and the GDPR.

People tend to VASTLY overstate what sort of protections you get under the GPDR, to the point that I tend to assume nobody has actually read the regulations built off it.

In this case, there is no protection for data from your car, beyond the fact that carmakers don't want to share it. Writing regulations to cover it is being done now, and the tug of war is between giving any company who wants it access and giving companies the car manufacturers themselves select and get paid by access to it.

https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/your-c...

Re: Help me identify possible tracking device found in my car

#217

Post by gambiting »

franga2000 wrote: post #183
NonNefarious wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The law isn't limited to cars.

It is in practice. Rooting a smartphone? Overclocking your CPU? Replacing parts in a laptop?

Replacing parts in a laptop absolutely does not void your warranty no matter what the manufacturer says.

Re: Help me identify possible tracking device found in my car

#218

Post by hedora »

morpheuskafka wrote: post #35
jowsie wrote: post #24

If you google KARR Honda or KARR Alarm you should find some better information. I found identical looking devices by using Google Lens and focusing on just the black box with the green button. https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2016/08/never-buy-car-alar... https://www.reddit.com/r/whatisit/comments/rnr48t/found_unde... https://www.reddit.com/r/subaru/comments/7m9dv9/mysterious_b...

How is it allowed for a dealer to cut wires and install a non OEM-approved electronic device onto the CAN bus? This seems like it would void all the manufacturer warranties and potentially create liability for the manufacturer if it malfunctions.

When we bought a brand new GMC, Dealer A installed a counterfeit backup camera.

Half a tank of gas later, Dealer B claimed the warranty was void because of the camera. We brought it in because the radio kept freaking out and it would drain the battery if left off over night.

There was an active recall for both those issues. Dealer C fixed them by installing a firmware update.

Re: Help me identify possible tracking device found in my car

#219

Post by franga2000 »

gambiting wrote: post #217
franga2000 wrote: post #183

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It is in practice. Rooting a smartphone? Overclocking your CPU? Replacing parts in a laptop?

Replacing parts in a laptop absolutely does not void your warranty no matter what the manufacturer says.

What do you mean "no matter what the manufacturer says"? If the manufacturer says your warranty is void - it is. If they broke a law in doing so is a separate issue that you would have to battle out in court.

When your 800$ laptop's speakers start buzzing and the service center says you need to pay 80$ for the repair because the tamper seal on the RAM was broken, are you really going to spend 30k and a year of your free time to sue them over it?

Re: Help me identify possible tracking device found in my car

#220

Post by hedora »

franga2000 wrote: post #183
NonNefarious wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The law isn't limited to cars.

It is in practice. Rooting a smartphone? Overclocking your CPU? Replacing parts in a laptop?

All of those things are protected. If the firmware melts the board, the CPU overheats, or the replacement part shorts something out then the warranty is void. However, if the failures are unrelated, then it's fine.

I once caught a motherboard on fire, then found some unrelated mechanical issues with it. (It still worked, except for the bad connector.)

The burn marks were cosmetic, and the shop sent me a DOA replacement. (That's more a story about the shop being awesome, but they were technically legally obligated to honor the warranty.)

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