this post was submitted on 21 Jul 2023
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I've never had a car with a touch screen or whatever fancy centre panel - but I have scrapped old cars because the ECU decided that there was an airbag fault which was not resolved with a new airbag. I'm a full time sysadmin/developer - my car does not need a computer to go, and if it must have one, it shouldn't be a brick covered in epoxy.
I somewhat long to return to dumb electromechanical components like distributors, rather than unimaginably expensive, irreparable, interdependent systems.
#RightToRepair
The battle against requiring a computer for your car to run was lost over 30 years ago. It's just been gradual expansion since then.
A computer running the car isn't inherently bad. Direct injection with a computer running the show is very efficient for fuel usage. But at that point for commuter vehicles they might as well be electric motors
As a sysadmin/dev you should know its not a computers = bad situation. It's God awful system implementation, trash software, trash components, and even worse redundancies.
It's like you're saying "why use email, when i can send a physical letter" in some aspects
But I agree these manufacturers produce shit products in the form of vehicle electronics.
My 1991 4Runner doesn't even have a diagnostic port (pre OBDII), but you can get it to tell you what it thinks is wrong.
To do this, you need to use a paperclip to jump two terminals in a box under the hood, then turn the ignition to ON, count the number of times the check engine light blinks, write that down, then look up what that code means, in a book.
(Granted, the book is a PDF these days, but still)
This is exactly the reason why they do it. They can put a hidden countdown or just outright brick your vehicle over the air and you can't really prove they did.