Current Events > You know what's fucking frustrating about cars

(+) Yeah! (+)

Your car can wireless connect to your phone, it can give uninterrupted GPS directions with voice-activated software, it can sense when rain is hitting your windscreen and start the wipers, it can climate control and cruise control and automatic brake assist control and automatic reverse parallel park...

...but for some reason it just "can't" tell you why that fucking light on the dashboard has decided to turn on. No, in that case you need to take your car to a Certified Dealer so that they can plug in a Proprietary Tool which will perform a basic database lookup so that the mechanic can then google the error code that came back and then he will tell you what the problem is.

Fuck.
---

Hey, at least you get to pay an unreasonable amount for the dealer to provide that service.

It can

Big Auto just doesn't want it to
---

the check engine light you mean? Buy an OBD2 scanner off amazon and get the code yourself. then head to Google and find out what the code usually means.
---

You can get one of those machines, and with recent cars it'll tell you right there on the dash what it's saying, or you could open up the manual and it'll tell you in there.
---

TBH everything related to cars is frustrating.
---

teepan95 posted...

It can

Big Auto just doesn't want it to

This. Sure, you can buy an OBD2 scanner and pull the basic code, but you'll often be locked out from further electronic diagnostics unless you buy that manufacturer's specialized diagnostic equipment. It's very difficult to pull internal DTCs for the PCM or other black box electronics, and even if you could you often will want to have access to the factory service manuals and pinpoint tests to really complete the diagnostic process.

Oh, and let's say you diagnose it as a bad PCM. Even if you replace it, you have to go to a dealer to get it programed because they're the only institutions authorized by the manufacturer to perform the work. Anything else is illegal and considered a violation of the DMCA.

YAY!