Tech-friendly car brand: Access to onboard computers, etc..

kmiklas

kmiklas

Howdy Peeps,

Which cars and/or auto brands are friendliest to technical users? We hear all the time, "The shade-tree mechanic is dead," because "Everything is computerized nowadays."

The inference here is that you're too stupid to understand how these cars work; it's quantum physics--you need to be an IBM consultant to understand them. Well, as a professional computer programmer, I respectfully disagree; it's actually music to my ears.

Quick story: I was in a dealership, shopping for a new car. I ask for access to the car's computer systems, and the salesperson snorted and told me that the car had "Eleven (11) onboard computers." I replied, "Well then, looks like I need 11 usernames and passwords." He chuckled, glared at me for a moment, and asked if I had a target monthly payment.

I really dislike being at the mercy of these mechanics. I want to be able to ssh into the main computer, look at settings, pull error codes, and do some maintenance myself maintenance. If possible, I'd like to read the logs, monitor performance of all the different onboard computers, and even reset the dreaded check-engine light.

Any suggestions?

The best I've found so far is the Kia Soul. Apparently there's an open-source API here:
https://github.com/PolySync/OSCC/wiki

Of course, at a basic level, ODBII readers are available, like this:
https://www.walmart.com/ip/OxGord-O...P7HxIti8GRb8aC6ekhcyb0ZzpvHqX5JEaAhtJEALw_wcB

...there's also an app that connected to a bluetooth ODBII dongle, that iPhone/Android apps use to connect:
 
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The car makers are actually trying to prevent access to the various control units in the car. They want to avoid that people start tinkering with the electronic brakes, and other safety related features of the car. Or enable optional features which they did not pay for when they bought the car.
Other than using an OBDII reader to reset error codes, or using hacking tools, will it not be an easy task to get access to all electronics.
 
HobbyTrading said:
The car makers are actually trying to prevent access to the various control units in the car. They want to avoid that people start tinkering with the electronic brakes, and other safety related features of the car. Or enable optional features which they did not pay for when they bought the car.
Other than using an OBDII reader to reset error codes, or using hacking tools, will it not be an easy task to get access to all electronics.
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..or save big money on maintenance.

Agreed, they don’t want this; but that didn’t stop be from jailbreaking my phone.

I’d be a fool to tinker with the braking system. At a minimum I want to diagnose and fix Check-Engine Light problems. I might be tempted to adjust the fuel ratio to squeeze out better performance.
 
kmiklas said:
At a minimum I want to diagnose and fix Check-Engine Light problems.
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That is an easy thing to do with a simple OBDII reader. You can reset the error code involved, and it will remain reset until the car encounters the same error again and sets that particular error code once more.
kmiklas said:
I might be tempted to adjust the fuel ratio to squeeze out better performance.
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For many engine types is it possible to buy hardware to achieve this. Many engine control systems don't calculate the required values (e.g. air, fuel, spark timing) but use a look-up table which is stored in a memory chip. These chips can be replaced, thus changing the characteristics of the engine.
 
HobbyTrading said:
That is an easy thing to do with a simple OBDII reader. You can reset the error code involved, and it will remain reset until the car encounters the same error again and sets that particular error code once more.

For many engine types is it possible to buy hardware to achieve this. Many engine control systems don't calculate the required values (e.g. air, fuel, spark timing) but use a look-up table which is stored in a memory chip. These chips can be replaced, thus changing the characteristics of the engine.
More...
Which vehicles, makes, models, or engine types are friendliest to this kind of tinkering?
 
kmiklas said:
Which vehicles, makes, models, or engine types are friendliest to this kind of tinkering?
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I can't answer your question because I never investigated such a ranking myself.
However, if you use a search term such as "<brand name> engine performance chip" you will get lots of entry points for further investigation.
 
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