yes, or more directly pull the fuse. But as the other poster said, the updates are fantastic, you get useful new functionality and my 5 year car has huge numbers of useful things that weren't in the original car.
Any such update will be effectively optional, though, won't it? (I don't know, I don't own a car anymore and the last one I had used an ECU probably dumber than today's toasters.)
Now we need an updated list of which cars still run when pulling the data collection model (DCM) fuse. Or if we are courageous we just pull the fuse when doing a test drive
Yes, but if it's a choice between getting my car started and having to redo the electronics (which I can do with 3rd party parts, as I please) or getting stranded on the highway, I am happy to have the ability to choose.
That's correct. It's possible for a service center to load software over a wire, but that's only necessary when something goes wrong. In the normal course of events, the car pops up a little alert saying there's a software update available, and asking when you want to install it. Updates are free forever (although one expects that updates for older hardware will stop being made eventually). It's basically like an iPhone in this regard.
> The most impressive one is the software updates that will change driving dynamics. This update is sent to customer’s cars without them having to visit their service location, just like updating your computer via the internet.
You can indeed "hack" your car. In fact, ECU flashing is one of the most common upgrades for people who want more power out of their cars because it requires no physical parts.
It's generally done commercially [1][2] though there are attempts at user-configurable software [3]. Now I'm no expert on ECU flashing so these links are just examples.
The inconvenience seems pretty small compared to the inconvenience of maintaining an old car. Required updates at the dealer aren't exactly common, and in day-to-day use you can mostly ignore the systems if you don't want to use them.
Don't you want software upgrades? cars are loaded with technology, some of it is for "fun" like navigation of music services, but a lot if for safety reasons and this requires frequent updating.
I would like to but it depends. I intend to wait a few weeks and see what impact other owners report before I decide. I would be willing to trade some performance or economy for better emissions but if the software/hardware changes turn these cars into either a Geo Metro or an F150 (shitty performance and economy, respectively) I'm going to opt out, then take the car down to the local tune shop and have a stage 1 kit put in.
An Audi doesn’t need a software update to replace a light from my experience.
Also, my experience with Audi and BMW are that community tools exists to let you flash modules and change settings all on your own. Try that on a Tesla.
Tesla is way ahead on software imo, but I don’t want my car to be like modern smartphones where they’re dependent on the manufacturer to maintain and keep working.
Yea--you can do it with the right adapters, but it's a pain. Reflashing the vehicle's computer always runs the risk of bricking the vechicle, or having it fail smog.
Most of the downloads negate any warranties. I don't even know the legality of a lot of the downloads.
The fun is gone for myself. I'm not going to buy a four gas analyzer, just to work on my vechicle.
I'm looking for a new car for a relative, and I hate the current models.
He hates the current vechicles. His last new dealership car was a '62 Corvette convertable. He was 17 years old when he got it. He saved for it by working at Safeway, and a loan from his father. Could anyone imagine going from a Corvette to a these vechicles?
He sold the Corvette when he had me, something I still feel bad about. If I could talk, I would have talked him out of it. Plus--they bought JC Penny furniture, which was thrown away years later.
I feel like I'm throwing away 30 grand on a computer on wheels. And it's not even a computer, or code I respect.
When I buy a fun vechicle, I just look for pre-1974.
I told him, I'm not sure I can work on this new vehicle. It will not be like the past. And I went to automotive school in the 90's.
I noticed the average buyer couldn't care less about repair. I just cringe when I see that dealership $230/hr rate.
It don't understand being conned out of money, but when it comes to certain items(vechicles, giving realtors 3 percent, cell phone plans, blah, paying for refills, etc.) people just pony up the cash?
Maybe I'm just getting old, but when I was in my teens, I hated, kinda knew when I was being taken advantage of.
Given the relative simplicity of an electric drivetrain compared to ICE, is all that software absolutely necessary? I'm a bit shocked (pun intended?) to hear that your car got bricked by a software update.
The difference, I think, is that your car can still run on today's gas. The update cycle for modern electronics is planned obsolescence and therefore forces you to participate in the incremental updates. If you don't, eventually all your favorite software will stop working, especially if it is cloud connected.
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