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Mazda's $10 subscription for remote start sparks backlash after killing open source workaround via DMCA takedown (www.carscoops.com)

submitted 2 months ago by ForgottenFlux to c/technology

271 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Mazda recently surprised customers by requiring them to sign up for a subscription in order to keep certain services. Now, notable right-to-repair advocate Louis Rossmann is calling out the brand.

It’s important to clarify that there are two very different types of remote start we’re talking about here. The first type is the one many people are familiar with where you use the key fob to start the vehicle. The second method involves using another device like a smartphone to start the car. In the latter, connected services do the heavy lifting.

Transition to paid services

What is wild is that Mazda used to offer the first option on the fob. Now, it only offers the second kind, where one starts the car via phone through its connected services for a $10 monthly subscription, which comes to $120 a year. Rossmann points out that one individual, Brandon Rorthweiler, developed a workaround in 2023 to enable remote start without Mazda’s subscription fees.

However, according to Ars Technica, Mazda filed a DMCA takedown notice to kill that open-source project. The company claimed it contained code that violated “[Mazda’s] copyright ownership” and used “certain Mazda information, including proprietary API information.”

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[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 months ago (1 children)

actually well versed

That's not me, I mostly searched forums and whatnot. My cars are all old enough that they don't have this nonsense, and while I am handy with cars (do all my own maintenance), I'm not a mechanic, so I don't have direct experience.

That said, at recent-ish Chevy cars w/ OnStar seem to have separate power and board for the wwan. I've watched a couple of these videos, and they seem pretty legit.

And with a quick check on Mazda, It seems you have two options:

call customer support to have the TCU disabled - ends data collection and interaction, but the device can still be detected and communicated with
remove the TCU - need to look up where it is, but for the '23 CX5, it's below the center console; removal would turn on warning lights since it can't find the device, but AFAIK it shouldn't prevent vehicle registration or regular car operation

Again, I haven't actually done this for any car, but it's definitely something I'm going to be looking at before deciding on a make and model because I intend to remove whatever tracking BS they put in.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (1 children)

Maybe I'm missing something here, but OnStar is a 3rd party service, so it makes sense they would have a bolt-on device that can be removed without too much concern for the rest of the car's functionality.

Also, isn't a TCU something that controls a car's drivetrain and transmission?

Edit: nevermind, just searched and found telematic control unit. Interesting, thanks for the info, I might look into this more if I have more time later.

[–] Blaster_M 1 points 2 months ago

TCM is the thing that controls the transmission