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Removing the modem and GPS from my 2024 RAV4 hybrid

arkadiyt.com

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Re: Removing the modem and GPS from my 2024 RAV4 hybrid

#101

Post by garaetjjte »

Animats wrote: post #62

How good a position can you get from GPS today in receive only mode? You can download and store Open Street Map for individual states. Map data doesn't have to come in over the air. That's not the problem. It's enhancing GPS with cell phone tower data that's the problem. That requires a cell connection.

I don't think cell tower connection will give you any more precision, GNSS fix will be much more accurate. (within few meters)

You could get more accurate fix with RTK data, but I'm not sure if that's actually widely used. And in any case that doesn't require active communications either, you could get correction data from satellite broadcasts too.

Re: Removing the modem and GPS from my 2024 RAV4 hybrid

#102

Post by adestefan »

vk6flab wrote: post #82
Angostura wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Standard Carplay is essentially an additional screen for your phone - your existiing privacy settings carry across. What's your concern?

Unfortunately that's not quite true, since the "app screen" on the media display during Android Auto use has an additional "Toyota" icon that AFAIK isn't coming from my phone. What's more concerning is that it's entirely unclear exactly what information is shared over the Android Auto link, in my case, over Bluetooth.

That icon is a "close Carplay/Auto" button. My Subaru has a Subaru button; my wife's Mazda has a Mazda button.

Re: Removing the modem and GPS from my 2024 RAV4 hybrid

#103

Post by bell-cot »

xattt wrote: post #44
everdrive wrote: post #30

The 2024 Ford Maverick has a single fuse for the telematics unit that you can remove without throwing a code or an error. No idea if this remained true after the 2025-2026 refresh, but worth knowing. https://www.mavericktruckclub.com/forum/threads/telematics-f...

Kias have a “Massachusetts mode” flag hidden behind a service menu (that needs a dealer code) that disables telematics at the owner’s request. However, the service menu pin also has timeout protection that will inject a waiting period between retries so there is no guessing. I don’t think there’s convincing my dealer to get into the service menu and disabling it. I would presume that other manufacturers might have th…

> I don't think there's convincing my dealer...

How far do you live from Massachusetts, and how do your feel about driving vacations?

Re: Removing the modem and GPS from my 2024 RAV4 hybrid

#104

Post by everdrive »

embedding-shape wrote: post #43
nurple wrote: post #5

> Even after the modem is removed, if you connect your phone to the car via Bluetooth then the car will use your phone as an internet connection and send all the same telemetry data back to Toyota. However, if you use a wired USB connection then it does not do that (see the discussion here and elsewhere), so I exclusively use CarPlay via USB. The problem with this is that both carplay and android auto capture their o…

And once you've gotten rid of Google and Apple, your telecom company tracks you, your CC payments help track you and even cameras in public do. It's hard to not want to throw your hands in the air screaming "whatever" when almost everything you use in public is somehow used to track you either as you move around, or in the future.

Nonetheless I'll still try to maintain what privacy I can.

Re: Removing the modem and GPS from my 2024 RAV4 hybrid

#105

Post by brewdad »

arkadiyt wrote: post #35
drnick1 wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Older Toyotas also had a DCM fuse, and this was the easiest way to get rid of telemetry. I am not sure if partially disassembling the dash and physically removing the DCM is now necessary.

There's still a fuse for the DCM even in this car but: - It has an internal battery and will keep running for quite a while after pulling the fuse. This is a safety feature in case you get in a crash that disconnects the 12V battery - It will break your in-car microphone as discussed. Repairing that requires opening up the dash - That won't do anything for disconnecting the GPS antenna

GPS is receive only. If you've disabled the ability to send telemetry, there should be no reason to be concerned about the GPS antenna.

Re: Removing the modem and GPS from my 2024 RAV4 hybrid

#106

Post by Jblx2 »

embedding-shape wrote: post #45
everdrive wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What about if it's just paired as an audio device rather than through an app?

Don't get CarPlay/Android Auto that way though, so no navigation/maps for example.

Are there any cars that support CarPlay/Android Auto that don't have built-in navigation/maps?

Re: Removing the modem and GPS from my 2024 RAV4 hybrid

#107

Post by razakel »

zekyl314 wrote: post #92
embedding-shape wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And once you've gotten rid of Google and Apple, your telecom company tracks you, your CC payments help track you and even cameras in public do. It's hard to not want to throw your hands in the air screaming "whatever" when almost everything you use in public is somehow used to track you either as you move around, or in the future.

Exactly, and more and more places are removing cash as a payment option :(

Cash handling isn't free, and for smaller businesses might actually end up being more expensive than accepting electronic payments.

Re: Removing the modem and GPS from my 2024 RAV4 hybrid

#108

Post by lucisferre »

I have the same car and want to do this, but not for the reasons the author noted but because the GPS unit in the car is broken when paired with Carplay and has the wrong compass heading causing navigation to be completely useless.

I have reported this to Toyota multiple times with videos detailing the problem and they have denied the problem and ultimately when faced with the evidence simply refused to fix it.

I've been a big fan of Toyota's Production System and their management culture, but this experience has really diminished the brand for me. I realize these problems exist with all cars today. The pattern seems to be to foist low-quality hardware and software on their customers and take no responsibility for the results. Software bugs aren't what they consider a "typical car problem" so they simply don't fix them.

Re: Removing the modem and GPS from my 2024 RAV4 hybrid

#109

Post by nullc »

nurple wrote: post #5

> Even after the modem is removed, if you connect your phone to the car via Bluetooth then the car will use your phone as an internet connection and send all the same telemetry data back to Toyota. However, if you use a wired USB connection then it does not do that (see the discussion here and elsewhere), so I exclusively use CarPlay via USB. The problem with this is that both carplay and android auto capture their o…

> then the car will use your phone as an internet connection and send all the same telemetry data back to Toyota [...] so I exclusively use CarPlay via USB.

I would be concerned that a passenger connecting their phone to it while I was driving.

In other cars I've been successful picking up the relevant modules for peanuts from surplus/scrap then just desoldering the RF-active components (like bt radios, etc) and swapping them in. YMMV but if it doesn't work you're just out the cost of a junk part.

Even if some radio feature is benign its existence means that its hard to be confident that there isn't some other telemetry feature you missed. With no connectivity at all you don't need to worry that you missed something because you can monitor the car with a spectrum analyzer and observe its never transmitting.

Unfortunately in some newer cars you can't swap any modules without a dealer tool to pair the module to the car, presumably in a bid to prevent third parties from fixing the car (presumably preventing people from lobotomizing their surveillance isn't on their radar yet).

Re: Removing the modem and GPS from my 2024 RAV4 hybrid

#110

Post by hoistbypetard »

Jblx2 wrote: post #106
embedding-shape wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Don't get CarPlay/Android Auto that way though, so no navigation/maps for example.

Are there any cars that support CarPlay/Android Auto that don't have built-in navigation/maps?

Mine (a US 2017 subaru impreza) supports both and doesn't have built-in navigation/maps.
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