Yesterday, I talked about wanting to own a pre-digital car — i.e. one that doesn’t fucking spy on your every move.
I often wonder what car or cars I’d get to replace the Tiguan, and what’s interesting is that I’m having precisely the same feelings that I have with guns and watches: nothing of recent manufacture at all — especially given that they’re all without exception loaded with electronic gizmos I don’t care for, or else gizmos that spy on you and/or could possibly be used to control your driving. In fact, the more I think about it, I’d probably have to go back to pre-1970s cars — fully resto-modded of course — to find a car that has not a single computer chip in its driving operation.
Here’s a business opportunity, because this is America. (I don’t have the technical skills or capital to follow through on this but I’ll just throw it out there.) Is it possible to turn your car into a mobile Faraday cage? And would it be possible to turn the feature on and off?
I know, car companies and / or the godless insurance industry would probably use their lawyers and lobbyists to outlaw this, just as law enforcement tried to prevent speed-radar scanners, but it’s worth a shot. With a switchable cage, the insurance companies couldn’t exactly deny you coverage or raise your rates if all the data showed was you doing trips to the supermarket once a week.
It’s time for us to fight back against this nonsense, and to borrow an expression: rage against the machine — the machine, in this case, being Big Brother cars, the cunts who make them and sell your data, the even-bigger cunts who strip-mine your personal data, and and the last category of cunts who use your personal data against you.)
I feel a mega-rant coming on, but instead I’ll just go to the range.
And just to make you feel better, if my car was spying on me it could report said destination to… well, anyone who might be interested in such data. Makes you think, dunnit?
You might look at the Dacia cars. I’ve not investigated too closely but they’re billed as simple cars
I just got my new car a Dacia Sandero ( the most basic model, Essential Sce 65 ) they have less Electro Shit than other brand but still. Of course this is europe so.
The Government will reward auto manufacturers and insurance companies for integrating and using equipment that is and will be built into cars under the guise of safety. If it only saves ONE life!
Your questions “Is it possible to turn your car into a mobile Faraday cage? And would it be possible to turn the feature on and off?”
I am NOT a mechanic, however, I think the answer is no. I have a 2018 Toyota. I do like it. It has been a good car. One repair needed so far in owning it, a sensor and wheel hub bearing.
– Why do I say no? Well, my vehicle, and many modern vehicles on the road, has / have – a feature of automatic braking, if a car stops, if something happens in the road etc. There is a sensor in front of the rear view mirror in the windshield. In the Winter time, when the window is foggy before the defroster kicks in or when there is some snow in the way, there is a message “camera system unnavailable”.
When the window clears, it goes back to normal.
– When my wheel hub bearing needed repairing 2 months ago. The wheel hub bearing itself was fine. Not broken in and of itself (no noise, bearing drove good and didn’t need replacing). However, there is a wheel speed sensor that went to lunch on one of my wheels. That wheel speed sensor is paired with another sensor INSIDE OF THE WHEEL HUB BEARING. Toyota bearings are one piece, sealed from the factory, so no need to remove and press them in and grease them. But you also can’t remove the sensor from them.
Toyota dealer took 6 days to replace is (my regular mechanic was backed up 3 weeks and I had a warranty so I dealt with the dealer).
Anyways, when the bearing went out, or rather sensor within the bearing – all kinds of lights on my dash. Car went into 2WD only mode (AWD not available when a sensor goes out). Many other lights on.
Now, my Toyota is a 2018. I could still drive it normal speeds, just in 2wd not AWD.
The service writer said in many newer models, 2020 and newer, the vehicle also will not let you drive above 40 mph when this type of failure happens.
So, I don’t think it will be possible to mask features of these new vehicles.
And the insurance, if they find out you did, I think they will jack your rates or cancel the policy you purchased. Just a guess, I could be wrong.
The Govt just wants to know where you are at all times. During the next SCAMdemic, will the Govt shut your vehicle off if you drive somewhere they deem you should not have?
If you want to avoid this, one other option is what is referred to as buying a “modern classic”. Find a vehicle in good condition that was made between 1998 and 2016. Aka “MODERN classic”. Texas where you are might be easier than the rust belt, as around the rust belt, cars run great, the engines run for a long time with good upkeep, but the bodies and frames and unibodies rot.
Good luck and happy motoring.
I guess it all depends on what you consider computerized. If you think about it, any vehicle with airbags is going to have computer sensors in it, so just with that you’re going back 30+ years. Electronic ignition (vs. points) uses computer chips to control the timing.
I think to accomplish what you want, you’re going to need some old school mechanical skills to keep that thing running properly. Now-a-days nobody will want to work on it (nor will they have the skill set to).
It’ll be easier if you just move to a golf cart community.
I agree with CoffeeMan. Pre internet vehicles are OK but who keeps them running, even if spares can be found. I say go Alinsky – there must be hackers who could inject a “misinformation” system in to the imbedded processors which are apparently not that secure anyway – see stuxnet. Something like messing with tracking by emitting wildly wrong geolocation. Hm – I should brush up my python over bluetooth.