More greed from Auto manufacturers

[Comrade]

I had never thought of it that way.

Don't start.

"Hacking features" is an artifact of the 90's, at best early 2000's. You could get a bootleg copy of any software or watch cable or satellite with bootleg receivers. All of that is long gone.

Cars are no different.

 

[nicobie]

Well, the farmers found a way to get around John-Deere's lockout.

All it took was a GOP controlled government. (must kiss ass of Iowa voters)

 

[scianiac]

Don't start.

"Hacking features" is an artifact of the 90's, at best early 2000's. You could get a bootleg copy of any software or watch cable or satellite with bootleg receivers. All of that is long gone.

Cars are no different.

You don't spend enough time on the internet

 

[CONSIDERABLE SHOUTING]

Farmers were buying cracked editions of John Deere software from Ukrainians to repair their tractors before The White House and the FTC began to enforce some things on Right to Repair, but that's a little slow going. Give it enough time, and the GOP will call fixing something woke, or like in Nebraska in ~2010 they'll suddenly be visited by "Industry Experts" (lobbyists) with "Safety standards" (bribes) and "IP Concerns" (Bribes) to change opinions.

We're already in the era of hacking; some Tesla Model 3s had rear Model S IPM motors instead of the synchronous (due to parts shortages) and you could buy or download software that allowed the inverter to use it to it's fullest potential- dropped your 0-60 to like, 3.5 seconds or something from 4.5. They were called "Stealths" and they really only existed from 2017-2020 or so. And that's not even getting into things like Speedduino or our own Lebowski and his "Brain" controller that sees use even on the Nissan Leaf and it's massive cottage industry.

 

[harrisonpatm]

Anybody else a fan of Cory Doctorow? He would have a lot to add on this thread.

 

[cleverscreenname]

An aquaintance has a BMW i3 BEV. He likes to proselytize all the car's good points and advantages, to the point where I thought about acquiring one some day. Then I did some research. Oddball size tires (one source) that no other car/model uses, and even oddball size windshield wipers. I went thru that when I owned my Moulton AM7 bicycle with its oddball size tires/one mfr. source. (No competition means the price remains artificially high and quality control can remain sloppy. Plus scarce supply options.) Believe recent owners of the latest RadWagon v4 cargobike are only now receiving their replacement oddball tire size tires in that (going on 1 year?) recall campaign.

But almost any maintenance procedure on the i3 is not DIY-able. For example, even replacing the 12V lead-acid battery requires reprogramming from the official BMW software. What is the reason for that other than to assure continued revenue for the authorized BMW service centers?

Being the largest battery PHEV ever produced (to my knowledge), I have also researched it. Did you see the stories of charge port failures? The "backup manual release" was also a fragile piece of junk that frequently break, so you find pictures circulating on the internet of I3's on tow trucks heading back to the dealer with entire charge cords still attached (disassembled from home circuit breaker boxes)!
I also read how I3's gas engine is so under-powered that it can only maintain 55 mph on a flat highway, which might get you run-over. Averaging 20 mpg+holding only 2 gallons of fuel=40 miles, you better be close to a town once the engine fires up.

I greatly enjoyed the PlugInSupply kit that let me add 130 miles of Tesla battery packs to my Prius, making a better PHEV than the I3. Unfortunately, Toyota electronics limit the electric-only speed of Gen2 Priuses to 52 mph (55 mph with my oversized tires). PIS made a kit for Gen3 (65 mph electric limit?) but went out of business before I upgraded cars.

BMW being BMW!

One of my first cars was a mechanic's special e36 328i.. it needed a lot of little repairs, and it was the car i learned auto mechanics on.
There were parts on that car that were designed to fail by a certain period of time, like a plastic water pump.

After my experience with American cars, then German ones, i went with Japanese cars, preferably built in Japan, ever since, because i have yet to encounter any serious atrocities of engineering or customer screwery yet.

Here, here! I've been a Toyota fan-boy for most of my driving life, and only Tesla convinced me to give a domestic automaker another shot. I'm impressed with Hyundai/Kia's rise in reliability, I place them #2 right behind Toyota and above Honda.

Farmers were buying cracked editions of John Deere software from Ukrainians to repair their tractors before The White House and the FTC began to enforce some things on Right to Repair, but that's a little slow going. Give it enough time, and the GOP will call fixing something woke, or like in Nebraska in ~2010 they'll suddenly be visited by "Industry Experts" (lobbyists) with "Safety standards" (bribes) and "IP Concerns" (Bribes) to change opinions.

Thank goodness! John Deere's betrayl of farmers is disgusting and I hope they go out of business sooner than later.

 

[CONSIDERABLE SHOUTING]

I greatly enjoyed the PlugInSupply kit that let me add 130 miles of Tesla battery packs to my Prius, making a better PHEV than the I3. Unfortunately, Toyota electronics limit the electric-only speed of Gen2 Priuses to 52 mph (55 mph with my oversized tires). PIS made a kit for Gen3 (65 mph electric limit?) but went out of business before I upgraded cars.

Thank goodness! John Deere's betrayl of farmers is disgusting and I hope they go out of business sooner than later.

Huh, I never knew about PlugInSupply. Suck's that they're gone.
Yeah I too am hoping that Deere gets their comeuppance, but to be frank the future is pointing towards the full death of family farms outside of smaller co-ops and specialty items. Just not profitable enough otherwise, which is only going to keep the massive size and scale of modern farming equipment where it currently is.

 

[Hillhater]

Being the largest battery PHEV ever produced (to my knowledge),…….
I also read how I3's gas engine is so under-powered that it can only maintain 55 mph on a flat highway, which might get you run-over. Averaging 20 mpg+holding only 2 gallons of fuel=40 miles, you better be close to a town once the engine fires up.

That is because it is not really a PHEV…
…its just an EV with a range extender ICE generator…….and a rather small battery capacity for an EV !

 

[cleverscreenname]

Plug In Hybrid Electric Vehicle, sounds pretty accurate to me Yeah, silly manufacturers like to come up with their own little phrases, like REX for BMW, EREV for Chevy.

BMW did had reasons for these shortcomings: California would only qualify the I3 for CARB credits (or something along those lines) if the gasoline range was less than the electric range.