This past weekend, a local TV news program had a report on newer car computers, OBD 2 or the 'Black Box.' They said in this report that the Air Bag Chip stores information up to four seconds before Airbag deployment in a crash, such as speed of vehical, when and if the brakes were applide before impact and can even tell if the vehical was accelerating before impact. I've heard all this before, but what the news report went on to say is that the Technician can also download information on how the car is driven on a day to day basis. They said they can tell how many times you made full throttle accelerations, panic stops, your average driving speeds etc. They can even tell if you drive with your left foot on the brake! If this is true, it sounds like George Orwell's 'Big Brother' to me. Any input on this one folks?

 

this isn't the first thread on this here
I think memory like that is good in some ways
would be great on a performance car, if you could access it
it would really help with tuning
the big brother thing does scare me though

 

Keep a spare in your glove box.....................

 

personally i think thats none of their business. they should concentrate on making a stronger car than playing with electronics..oh wait they did that back in the 60s and 70s, too bad they changed it.

 

It's not part of the OBD2 system. It's actually in the airbag computer itself not the EEC (OBD2/OBD1), it only records when the airbag deploys. It records the speed, the amount of pressure that was applied to the brake pedal, and whether or not the seatbelt was worn. It helps keep our insurance costs from being outrageous. So for all those that refuse to wear your belt YOU are why I pay 1500 a year for insurance.

 

dont forget the people who report every little scratch and dent just to get some money - we all have to pay for that.

 

insurance is the biggest scam in the world and should be outlawed

 

It needs a full-blown congressional investigation, one fender bender and your out.
One hurricane and you will never get homeowners insurance.
The bottom line for insurance………..they make money!

 

I was told a few years ago by a mechanic knowledgable about such things that the on-board computer will log every time the vehicle exceeds 85 MPH. If the dealer suspects that the vehicle has been driven too hard, they can then access this info and determine if the repair is warrantable or caused by abuse. If I remember right, if they found that you exceeded 85 more than twice, they could void the warranty. I don't see that as "Big Brotherism," I see it as the factory protecting themselves. You want to drive fast? Fine- you do it without a factory warranty.

 

No they have no way of doing that. MY understanding of how it works it only records information in the even of a crash.

 

From a legal aspect, unless written and published they could not do that.

 

How do they access this info, off the scan tool? or is it a more involved process?

 

The airbag thing, from what I've heard, constantly records everything in increments of 10 seconds until the airbag deploys. As your driving, it's constantly recording everything that's happened in the last 10 seconds - anything that happened 11+ seconds ago is now out of the system. In the event the airbag deploys, it takes a snapshot of what it's got on record (the past 10 seconds).

I remember reading that it helped convict a guy who killed two girls because he was driving 100+ MPH through a neighborhood.

The way I see it, if I get in an accident from doing something stupid, and get caught by the computer, then I deserve it.

Oh, and insurance is a massive scam. They're your best friend until you make a claim.

XXL

 

Unless your the victim (the guy you hit) then your insurance company will pay through the nose, I know from experience.

 

Not really - most people have a $500 - $1000 deductable. Any scratch that costs more than $500 to fix is one hell of a scratch, if you ask me.

XXL