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What does this button do? – My new car has a mysterious and undocumented switch

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Re: What does this button do? – My new car has a mysterious and undocumented switch

#291

Post by markus_zhang »

afh1 wrote: post #25

The scary part is not the GPS installed by the fleet company that previously owned the car, which in all likelihood was just forgotten there, but the GPS and eSIM that comes with most (all?) new cars and that in most (all?) new cars cannot be disabled. Apart from privacy concerns of your data being used or sold by the car vendor, government outreach is also a concern. There was a bill announced in the US for all new…

Since I'm going to buy a new car in the following years, wondering which cars don't have those? I don't mind old gas cars but I don't have the knowledge to tell whether the car contains those eSIMs.

Re: What does this button do? – My new car has a mysterious and undocumented switch

#292

Post by floydnoel »

WarOnPrivacy wrote: post #87
dclowd9901 wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm with you here. I have an 89 BMW (which is old enough to have an actual servo motor attached to the intake manifold for cruise control) and an 83 Land Cruiser (whose most advanced feature is that it controls its emissions using vacuum controlled pneumatic circuitry). I'm very glad I've put in the time to learn how to work on cars because I have zero interest in the tech direction of modern vehicles.

> 89 BMW ... and an 83 Land Cruiser I'm with you. Our daily drivers are 2011 Mitsu, 96 Toyota, 92 Buick and a 63 Dart. Also a 61 Sunliner for when it's not-summer. The Mitsu is unfortunately drive-by-wire; I mostly avoid it.

The Cybertruck is the only vehicle on the market that has drive-by wire. There was previously an Infiniti model that was partially drive by wire.

Re: What does this button do? – My new car has a mysterious and undocumented switch

#293

Post by ndsipa_pomu »

djbusby wrote: post #162
snowwrestler wrote: post #81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes but the point is, this technology is a blocker for people who might otherwise be interested in an electric powertrain vehicle. If you want an old car without all this crap, you can get one. But it pretty much has to be an ICE.

Bild your own electric in an old style body? Fun, if nothing else.

Probably not a good idea as the battery weight wouldn't have been figured into the original chassis/brakes design.

Re: What does this button do? – My new car has a mysterious and undocumented switch

#294

Post by ndsipa_pomu »

BurningFrog wrote: post #208
brailsafe wrote: post #104

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> A car realistically just sits around doing nothing 80% of the time A bit besides the point, but isn't it wild how inherently wasteful personal cars are? Every time the thought crosses my mind to get another one, if I don't stop at the cost, I stop at the fact that I'll have this giant chunk of metal sitting idle on the street or somewhere else nearly all the time. It'd be useful in an extreme minority of cases (for…

Selfdriving taxis solves much of the 98% unused car problem.

They also create problems in terms of extra journeys as a private car will go from A to B, whereas a taxi goes from C to A to B to C.

It's quite amusing as people try to come up with more efficient use of cars and typically end up reinventing public transport (e.g. buses, trains etc).

Re: What does this button do? – My new car has a mysterious and undocumented switch

#295

Post by chgs »

rcpt wrote: post #189
justinclift wrote: post #107

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Pity about the downsides of the technologies you mention though. :(

What downside? You're not supposed to run red lights or exceed the speed limit. This should be enforced electronically. The machines are unbiased and more accurate than cops. Cheaper too.

There’s a big difference between being punished appropriately for doing something, and being able to present your mitigating circumstances, and being prevented from doing something.

By all means fine me for going through the red light, then allow me to explain to the judge the mitigating reasons (carrying a heart attack patient etc)

Re: What does this button do? – My new car has a mysterious and undocumented switch

#296

Post by chgs »

justinclift wrote: post #108
aeturnum wrote: post #96

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I work for a company that uses sensors with some kind of 4G connection. I don't know the details but I did ask our sensor guys what would happen if someone removed the SIM card (or whatever it is) and started using data. My recollection is that locking down those SIM cards is the responsibility of the sensor maker. We have an agreement to pay for all legitimate traffic at a contractual rate, but the device manufactur…

> they could charge you with a crime Doubt it. You'd be using a device you bought and now own, that didn't come with any kind of agreement/contract/etc to limit your usage. :)

I suspect that computer misuse / hacking laws could apply. I’m also certain that there will be small print if you bought it from a dealer.

Re: What does this button do? – My new car has a mysterious and undocumented switch

#297

Post by icehawk »

rglullis wrote: post #263
KineticLensman wrote: post #245

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Rural southern England here. Public transport is non existant where I live. You need a car if you want a life. I lost my driving license for medical reasons and have spent two years without driving. I am really conscious of what a car means in terms of having a social life, working, etc. If I was younger, I would have had to relocate

Tell that to the Amish. Car dependency is something that we've learned, not the natural state of things.

None of what you said here makes sense in the context of what you replied to.

> Tell that to the Amish.

The Amish have large populations in the northeast US, not rural southern England.

> Car dependency is something that we've learned, not the natural state of things.

What does this have to do with the fact someone was unable to drive due to medical reasons and learned first-hand how much society was set up to need a car?

Re: What does this button do? – My new car has a mysterious and undocumented switch

#298

Post by codingdave »

ndsipa_pomu wrote: post #293
djbusby wrote: post #162

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Bild your own electric in an old style body? Fun, if nothing else.

Probably not a good idea as the battery weight wouldn't have been figured into the original chassis/brakes design.

Right, you need to do that engineering yourself. And ICE engines are heavy, so it typically is reasonable to work out as the lighter engine compensates for the battery weight. It is a design task, not a project killer.

Re: What does this button do? – My new car has a mysterious and undocumented switch

#299

Post by stavros »

Etheryte wrote: post #57
mitthrowaway2 wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What does any of that have to do with a car being electric?

Electric cars are essentially black boxes. When you take it apart, you have largely no idea what any of the chips do, even if you chase down what they're connected to. Is this the infotainment system or is it the infotainment system and a data gathering system that sends all my data off seas? There's no way to know. Old cars don't have that problem. Here's an engine, here's a gearbox, add a radio if you'd like, but b…

Cut the antenna on the modem?
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