Begin forwarded message:
From: Matt Murray <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Date: August 11, 2004 4:17:13 PM EDT
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: Re: [IP] American cars have a standardized data port connector under the dash
Reply-To: Matt Murray <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Dear Prof. Farber,
Kind of a scary piece of hooey.
If nothing else, first a look at the practical. I plug this "OBD II" reader to make sure my kid isn't going to Lime Rock for Driver's Education event. I plug or unplug this in and it happens to send a spike through the system and toasts the CPU (DME in German cars, ECU in Japanese). At least $500 or more (closer to $900 to $1,000) to replace. I'd wager most manufacturers would not warranty it, if they figured out that a device was plugged in. The OBD II info is fairly comprehensive WRT, capturing all information, including that Mr. Guy On The Street plugged in something into the car. Is the manufacturer of the reader going to reimburse me for the new CPU? I think not: http://carchip.co.uk/warranty.html
Progressive, isn't really reducing rates, but their analysts and marketing people think this will work. GEICO (please don't buy insurance from them), helps pay for radar and laser speed monitoring devices (as me and my racing buddies call them "speed verification guns"). So when you come around a hill at 31 mph instead of a posted 25, you get a speeding ticket. Chances are you won't fight it, so the end result is GEICO and the other companies who benefit, get to increase their rates.
In the interest of disclosure, yes, I speed. Generally I keep with the traffic flow. Last ticket I received was in July of 1999 (knock on wood). I find the folks who eat, read maps/newspaper, and do other stuff will driving more dangerous (I like to call it DWS - Driving While Stupid)).
Second look, what if after an accident, the police man pulls the data, and is less than favorable or *perceived* less than favorable. Or perhaps at a repair shop when the insurance adjuster gets a reader to see what happened.
Here's a few vehicles that it doesn't work with:
http://www.davisnet.com/product_documents/drive/tech_notes/ dtn001_carchip_compatibility.pdf
Sorry for the rant (well, maybe).
By the way, "OBD I" was in cars up to 1995. It was very useful for reading trouble codes generated by the CPUs. On my old MR-2, I could use a paperclip from "T1 connector to "E connector" and get trouble codes to flash on the dash via the engine warning light.
Some info links on OBD (On-Board Diagnostics) http://www.arb.ca.gov/msprog/obdprog/obdprog.htm http://www.arifleet.com/apr8.htm#eighteen
Thanks for the IP list, it is always entertaining.
Matt Murray
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
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