There needs to be an easily readable site with makes/models/years and the corresponding articles linked on how to take ownership of your own vehicle by disabling crap like this.
How do you factory reset a car?
Drive forward, drive forward, reverse, reverse, left blinker, right blinker, left blinker, right blinker, Brake pedal, Accelerator pedal, honk.
Hold that last one for at least 10 seconds, otherwise you have to start the whole sequence again.
Protip:
Buy an older car
Edit: why are people pissy about this? A non-connected car from the 2010s is not far removed from a car made today, safetywise. Y’all can’t have it both ways - put your money where your mouth is and buy a car from the early 2010s. I promise you’re not going to explode and die in a wreck.
New cars of today are older cars of tomorrow, so learning how to neuter modern cars is very much necessary as well.
Good point. I have software on my laptop that interfaces with my 2008/2015 Toyotas, which is nice. I can control every aspect of the cars, change hidden settings, and even add features from that software.
You’re sacrificing modern device connectivity, safety, and economy to avoid these issues. It’s definitely a choice, but you gotta understand you’ll be paying in a different way when you avoid newer vehicles.
You’re sacrificing modern device connectivity
Aftermarket headunit. My 2008 Sienna has Android Auto/Apple Carplay, can show live OBDII data onscreen, and there are even aftermarket options for cell-enabled remote start and monitoring not tied to the manufacturer.
safety
Idk, my 2015 Highlander manages to be pretty safe without that connectivity, outside of GPS and Bluetooth.
economy
Yeah ok, I’ll take the L on that. We get mid to high teens in the Highlander and Sienna. Mostly city driving.
It’s definitely a choice, but you gotta understand you’ll be paying in a different way when you avoid newer vehicles.
I’m well aware.
Not a lot of low-software options if you want an electric car.
Fair point. There’s room to improve on that front.
Yup our 2016 car just lost its networking when 3g shut down.
Nice. Newest car I own is a 2015 Toyota Highlander, and outside of Bluetooth/GPS, there is zero connectivity.
Yeah this car (Subaru) still has more tech to go wrong than I’d like, it’s got a camera based cruise control/collision avoidance that you lose when the windshield is too misty or salty.
So basically when it’s too hard to see well, the eyesight™ safety system shuts down. It also happens in fog.
