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autotech | 1 year ago | on: Operation CHARM: Car repair manuals for everyone

I often use this site for service info. It’s all pirated from ALLDATA. Currently a comprehensive subscription to service info is around $180/mo. A modern repair shop can’t function without service information.

autotech | 3 years ago | on: Where our gasoline comes from

I often wonder what it will be like in the distant future if/when gasoline becomes a luxury that collectors purchase to operate “antique” ICE automobiles. Will we have little craft refineries brewing single origin artisanal gasoline? What will it cost?

autotech | 3 years ago | on: Volvo is using Rust for its in-vehicle software

For what it's worth, as an auto tech we are limited in what we can do. For a vast majority of car makes, we have no access to anything that happens on the back-end of the control modules. We can look at some data stream on a scan tool, but that is limited at best. There is no debug access or anything of that nature. It's also well outside the skillset of most technicians to delve into software. Also, If you look into the pay plan of most dealer technicians, (flat rate/paid per job) then you understand why we don't want to spend all day looking at your turn signal. We won't get paid for most of the diagnosis time.

autotech | 3 years ago | on: Volvo is using Rust for its in-vehicle software

I'm an automotive technician, I have worked for an EV startup. Some of the most frustrating diagnoses I have been involved in were caused by bugs in the software. We had one where a power trunk would not release if the vehicle was out in the sun. The ambient light sensor and the power trunk actuator were not even on the same network bus. We had a gut feeling that it was software, but by the time we were sure, it had been 2 full days of extensive testing.

autotech | 3 years ago | on: Why car wheels are so flat these days

The equalizing brake force from the other side sounds good until you factor in things like ride height differences from worn suspension or imperfect roads. Those and other transient forces disturb that left to right balance. Weird things like bump steer start happening when left to right measurements are off.

autotech | 3 years ago | on: Help me identify possible tracking device found in my car

I’m a technician at a dealership, I can think of a couple of possibilities. First off, I think it’s an add-on remote start module. It’s possible that a different customer wanted one installed and then the deal fell through. Or they got the stock numbers mixed up and the tech installed it on the wrong car. That would explain no paperwork associated with the install. It could have been a “dealer trade” where your dealer trucked a car in from a different dealer. It’s not a huge deal, rip that stuff out and restore the stock wiring. We get 1 - 2 hours labor for that. It’s a cakewalk.

autotech | 4 years ago | on: We must return to an economy fueled by innovation, rather than disruption

Indeed, one of the things Uber disrupted was many lifelong taxi owner-operator’s retirement plans. An NYC taxi medallion was a valuable asset. It was a promise for exclusive market access. Giant $1M loans were taken out to pay for this privilege. NYC just turned around and gave it all away to Uber. When the value of NYC taxi medallions fell, while Uber was heavily subsidizing fares, small business owners were going bankrupt. Several people committed suicide. Real people lost their livelihoods while Kalinick and his buddies congratulated each other.

autotech | 4 years ago | on: MacKenzie Scott is giving away more money, faster, than anyone has before

I teach at a technical college and we were the recipients of a milt-million dollar donation from Makenzie Scott. Our students are mostly low income people with little or college experience. They are not privileged and often have few prospects besides a dead end mcjob. They leave our school with skills in trades that can put food on their tables consistently. I have no idea what the vetting process was for our grant, all I’m saying is not all of the recipients are some fringe or fashionable interest.

autotech | 4 years ago | on: Right-to-Repair causes Subaru to disable telematics in Massachusetts

J1939 or CAN is a network protocol many vehicles use for control module to control module communication. The “standardized system” you were commenting about is referring to access to the server side info. Currently manufacturers can pull telematics data like odometer, trouble codes and PIDs (data items like speed, brake status and very much more) which helps with service reminders and streamlining the repair process. Aftermarket shops are at a great disadvantage in this regard.

autotech | 5 years ago | on: Print this file, your printer will jam (2008)

The problem is that vehicle handling is dependent on equal grip from all 4 tires. When you introduce differential in traction front to rear, you can throw the "understeer or oversteer bias" directly out the window. Modern cars do a great job compensating for less than ideal conditions but there is a limit. If you still think the new tire on the rear rule of thumb is inaccurate, watch this:

https://youtu.be/gSz7cm6MwH0

autotech | 5 years ago | on: Print this file, your printer will jam (2008)

Not a bug. This is a weird but documented phenomenon. There are multiple published technical bulletins on similar issues caused by uneven tire wear/replacement. I must admit that I never came across traction control false activation due to 2 new tires. I have seen burnt transfer cases on AWD with this though. Were you advised by a shop to change just 2 or was it your independent decision?

autotech | 5 years ago | on: Haynes Stops Printing Famous Workshop Manuals

All years are good.

'Foreigners in Afghanistan have long joked that Afghanistan is where the world’s Corollas come to die. But Afghan’s take issue with that description.

“They come here to die?” asked a puzzled Askar Khan while leading reporters through dozens of parked Corollas in his dealership at the eastern edge of Kabul. “But Corollas never, never die. They drive on forever.”'

https://www.stripes.com/news/middle-east/afghanistan-gives-a...

autotech | 5 years ago | on: Haynes Stops Printing Famous Workshop Manuals

I love Toyota and Honda for long term reliability. I am a Nissan tech so its not a brand loyalty thing here. Toyota pickups and corolla are highly sought after on the secondary markets overseas in Asia and Africa because they will go 500k miles routinely.

autotech | 5 years ago | on: Haynes Stops Printing Famous Workshop Manuals

For me, I hated to see parts missing or damaged on assembly. Wiring repairs or accessory installs made with scotch-lok connectors or wire nuts.Using crappy eBay parts. Using an entire tube of RTV sealant where only a dab was necessary. Messing with refrigerant including (illegal) venting to atmosphere. The list goes on and on but it boils down to improper techniques and materials. I really can't fault anyone for trying to do it themselves. Most of the people who read HN can afford an auto repair bill so I think its more the "hacker" mindset that influences people here to attempt repairs themselves. Just be honest with the service department if you got in over your head. We won't snicker too much :-)

autotech | 5 years ago | on: Haynes Stops Printing Famous Workshop Manuals

Former dealer technician here, the Haynes books give most DIYers just enough rope to hang themselves. The wiring diagrams are never complete and a lot of info is missing outright. I guess it's good enough for a casual person looking to maintain their own vehicle, but it is far from comprehensive. It was always a red flag when I would spot a Haynes book in a car I pulled. Sure to be a cleanup job after someone got in too deep. Haynes' choice to stop printing books is just another example of the shift away from printed materials. In the automotive industry, information aggregators like Alldata, Motor, Mitchell stopped doing printed service manuals many years ago. They even discontinued DVD service manuals. (Finally)
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