[nhance]

I've got a 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee and I've been searching for where the sim card is for the built in cellular modem so I can rip it out.

It astounds me that there aren't more people interested in cutting off the constant telemetry and to be honest it wouldn't surprise me if the car refuses to operate correctly when I do figure out where it's at and pull it.

[pgeorgi]

> it wouldn't surprise me if the car refuses to operate correctly

I know of a car (Renault in EU) whose SIM access is broken somehow that still works fine, just can't call home. No guarantee that every car will handle it gracefully, but at least some regions don't seem to mandate any enforcement if that module happens to "break".

[joezydeco]

You'd probably have more success finding the external antenna and clipping the leads at the sharkfin.

[b112]

Just make sure you do something, like use a resistor to ground the antenna lead, because I did that, and would still get connectivity at times.

EG if the cell tower was very close.

Was fine after I used a resistor to turn that power into mild heat.

[Sander_Marechal]

There probably isn't a physical SIM card anymore. It probably just has an eSIM.

[ben-schaaf]

Just gotta break out the soldering iron then.

[yardie]

In 2018? I doubt car manufacturers can move that fast. Apple didn't implement eSIM until 2018 for the iPhone XS. No way an auto maker has it before consumer electronics maker.

[mindslight]

I feel like if this were happening 20 years ago, common wisdom would develop to buy from a list of model of cars where people had already blazed the path, directions of what the cell modem looks like and how to unplug it, prominent links to a community working on a libre replacement, and majority opinion of this is just what you should do to cope in the modern world. Now with the web community being so diffuse the majority opinion basically seems to be "whatevs". Perhaps if you dug into the right threads on the right manufacturer-specific forum you could find a thread or two with some investigation, but that's about it. It's also essentially impossible to navigate/compare the amenability of different makes to this.

FWIW I've got no actual experience, but given the general slowness with which the car industry moves I would guess the cell modem is just a module hanging off one of the CAN buses, receiving telemetry broadcast by other modules and injecting/interrogating commands when requested (like modern OBD2 ports). I suppose it could also be part of something like the gauge cluster that links different buses as well (at least on Hondas) but with the modular way cars seem to work I'd guess it's not likely.

I'd try to track down a copy of the factory service manual for your model. Those have seem to have gotten pretty thin these days too in favor of computer-based documentation, but it should at least help you work out how things are generally connected. (No point to the readily-available Haynes manual though. Those are apparently garbage)

[noman-land]

Check out the manual, find where the fuse is for the cellular modem, and remove it.

[orev]

That’s quite a big assumption to think that it would be clearly labeled, and also that it would have a dedicated fuse. It’s not like that would be such a huge power draw that it needs its own fuse. Pulling the fuse would likely cause the whole infotainment system to go down.

[bityard]

There's more than a fair chance that the modem is built into or fused along with the entertainment systems.

[vorpalhex]

There's often times a small cellular modem in the sharkfin on vehicles but I believe Jeeps still have whip antennas.

Could use an SDR or emf reader. It'll take a while since you need to catch a cellular keep alive but otherwise should be fine.

[wil421]

Removing the head unit and unplugging the “Bordeaux” and violet wire[1] may help and be easier to do. It’s the LTE and 3G antennae wire.

I have a 2019 Grand Cherokee and I think we both have the updated head unit. Let me know if anything works.

[1] https://www.jeepgarage.org/threads/uaq-antenna-connections.2...

[grecy]

My 2021 Wrangler has a very obvious antenna on top of the roll bar, very easy to unplug. (There's actually two - one for SIM stuff, and one for the XM Sat radio)

[vuln]

It’s an eSim. Not a physical SIM card afaik.

[monkpit]

Do you have a source for this?

[swader999]

There's likely five Sims at various places and even 3d printed into the frame.

[delecti]

They're eSIM these days, so it's actually zero physical SIM cards.

[catchnear4321]

overwhelm the brain with input. to hold onto threads like this one, you have to be fairly healthy or fairly mad.

not strapping on tin foil hat, this likely isn’t some massive coordinated effort. it could be done “better.”

this is just making the most of the situation. at scale.

if you simplify the question, “Who wants to let their car manufacturer surveil them?” - the answer is also simple. very few hands are going to be raised.

most people don’t get the tl;dr - they drown in the firehose.

what isn’t out there is a friendly, accessible version of what you’re looking for - multi-manufacturer information on snipping the sensors, why and how, and what you lose in the exchange. if it is out there, it isn’t friendly enough to be readily found.

[s3p]

I'm not sure what you're suggesting here.

[throw3747874747]

I am pretty sure that is (or soon will be) illegal in EU. Car needs to be able to call emergency, if accident is detected.

[loloquwowndueo]

The manufacturer may have to legally include the functionality in cars they sell but in pretty sure the owner isn’t obligated to use or keep the functionality untouched.

By comparison if your seat belts are all frayed and you don’t wear them anyway that’s on you, manufacturer sold you a car with seat belts in good condition and that as far as the “compliance” requirement goes.

[chongli]

Will it also be illegal to drive an old car that doesn't have this telemetry?

[justinclift]

"Oops, how did that happen..." ;)

[neurostimulant]

Wait, new cars in EU are expected to have cellular connectivity?

[PrimeMcFly]

What about the the numerous older cars that don't have that functionality?

[lost_tourist]

Is there some EU police that go around arresting people if you clip it?