Jump to content
TEAM SHELBY FORUM

Automobile Data Recorders


Recommended Posts

Hello all.

 

Yesterday while the wife was looking at a pair of shoes to add to her 125 already, I was at the magazine rack looking at car porn.

 

I picked up one of the newest magazines, can't frankly remember which one, and was reading on the use of "A D R's". It got me thinking of the old days...back in the early eighties, I was working as a parts guy at a Mom and Pop store that had a machine shop on site. A very busy one at that! I remember for every single valve job that went out of the shop, or every cylinder bore, or every complete engine build, for that matter, we would install the then hated little heat tab somewhere inconspicuously. This way if a guy ever came in for a warranty claim of some kind, you'd look immediately at that dreaded little heat tab, and if the center was melted away...........................NO WARRANTY! Sorry...no exception pal! :talkhand:

 

Turn the clock forward about thirty years, and now the auto industry is using technology from the airline industry...the onboard "black box" to determine among other things, exactly what you were doing when the airbag deployed, or how far your foot was stuffed into the floorboard when the rod went through the side of the block, or more simply, why the check engine light has come on. No matter how you feel about them guys, they are and will continue to be a MAJOR part of all new cars. The insurance industry will continue to pressure more use of them, as well, the company that built your car will be able to tell you to pound sand, when you pull up to the dealership and jump out of the tow truck riding shotgun, and try to explain....."I was just driving along!"

 

Like it or not they are going to be a mainstay in the industry forever....gone are carburetors, timing lights, points and condensers, and hell, even plug wires! :hysterical: Big brother is even watching you in the privacy of your own personal transportation now. I'm certain Henry Ford never intended this! B)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I dont think Henry Ford would be against it or for it. I doubt he had any notion of what 2010 and beyond would hold for us....

 

I DO think that if John Doe's son was drag racing up and down mainstreet all friday night, and John Doe brought in his car cuz the clutch is slipping and the service guy was on main street the night before and saw the way the car was being driven, you would get the same result. And I think Henry Ford wouldnt have a problem backing smalltown dealer on their refusal.

 

Look, What you really are worried about isnt the issue. You seemed worried about privacy rights. I never signed an acknowledgement that stated if I drive my car over 85mph, it voids the warranty. Or hitting the rev limiter, or shifting into 2nd while you are at a standstill spinning your tires in 1st...(ouch)

 

The true issue is that some dealers view warranties different from others. Some are like insurance companies- refuse to cover almost ANY warranty issue, and see what happens. Some cover it if they at all can. Find one that works to keep you happy, and buy your cars there while you re at it. Black boxes wont matter if your car breaks. It will only matter if you kill someone with your car while doing something totally stupid. It may get you sent to jail. :angry22:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I dont think Henry Ford would be against it or for it. I doubt he had any notion of what 2010 and beyond would hold for us....

 

I DO think that if John Doe's son was drag racing up and down mainstreet all friday night, and John Doe brought in his car cuz the clutch is slipping and the service guy was on main street the night before and saw the way the car was being driven, you would get the same result. And I think Henry Ford wouldnt have a problem backing smalltown dealer on their refusal.

 

Look, What you really are worried about isnt the issue. You seemed worried about privacy rights. I never signed an acknowledgement that stated if I drive my car over 85mph, it voids the warranty. Or hitting the rev limiter, or shifting into 2nd while you are at a standstill spinning your tires in 1st...(ouch)

 

The true issue is that some dealers view warranties different from others. Some are like insurance companies- refuse to cover almost ANY warranty issue, and see what happens. Some cover it if they at all can. Find one that works to keep you happy, and buy your cars there while you re at it. Black boxes wont matter if your car breaks. It will only matter if you kill someone with your car while doing something totally stupid. It may get you sent to jail. :angry22:

 

 

Great thoughts.......just what I was looking for :read: . Not saying anything ying or yang on a personal note, just passing on a thought ,on an article I happened upon. :shades:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Nissan has the Black Box in the GT-R and will void the Warranty from the info received from the Black Box. The GT-R's weak link is the Transmission and Nissan uses the Black Box to see how you drove the Car and Voids the Warranty if it shows signs of Racing. The funny thing is that the Car was designed to be Raced but your not supposed to Race it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I dont think Henry Ford would be against it or for it. I doubt he had any notion of what 2010 and beyond would hold for us....

 

I DO think that if John Doe's son was drag racing up and down mainstreet all friday night, and John Doe brought in his car cuz the clutch is slipping and the service guy was on main street the night before and saw the way the car was being driven, you would get the same result. And I think Henry Ford wouldnt have a problem backing smalltown dealer on their refusal.

 

Look, What you really are worried about isnt the issue. You seemed worried about privacy rights. I never signed an acknowledgement that stated if I drive my car over 85mph, it voids the warranty. Or hitting the rev limiter, or shifting into 2nd while you are at a standstill spinning your tires in 1st...(ouch)

 

The true issue is that some dealers view warranties different from others. Some are like insurance companies- refuse to cover almost ANY warranty issue, and see what happens. Some cover it if they at all can. Find one that works to keep you happy, and buy your cars there while you re at it. Black boxes wont matter if your car breaks. It will only matter if you kill someone with your car while doing something totally stupid. It may get you sent to jail. :angry22:

 

 

Good point my friend or you can do the what my dad taught me !! First try this and call your dealer at 430pm ask the manager if he can install your headers. The next morning would he say yes or no my guy say's sure thing buddy that morning he get a warm friendly hand shake. Then when you pick up give the nice tech a warm hand shake and say thank you. I pull out of the garage and hit the line lock and smoke the crap out of my car. Do you think if my motor blew that black box has a chance to talk !!!! My neighbors can't figure out why our garbage guy picks up anything I put out there even if there were legs sticking out of a rug. :hysterical: When, I worked in the dealership in my young day's guys would drive out with a brand new car just as their warranty was going to expire. They were very friendly they always shook my hand. So be friendly and shake a hand and if the hand bites you then you can bite back.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Good point my friend or you can do the what my dad taught me !! First try this and call your dealer at 430pm ask the manager if he can install your headers. The next morning would he say yes or no my guy say's sure thing buddy that morning he get a warm friendly hand shake. Then when you pick up give the nice tech a warm hand shake and say thank you. I pull out of the garage and hit the line lock and smoke the crap out of my car. Do you think if my motor blew that black box has a chance to talk !!!! My neighbors can't figure out why our garbage guy picks up anything I put out there even if there were legs sticking out of a rug. :hysterical: When, I worked in the dealership in my young day's guys would drive out with a brand new car just as their warranty was going to expire. They were very friendly they always shook my hand. So be friendly and shake a hand and if the hand bites you then you can bite back.

 

:headscratch:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Good point my friend or you can do the what my dad taught me !! First try this and call your dealer at 430pm ask the manager if he can install your headers. The next morning would he say yes or no my guy say's sure thing buddy that morning he get a warm friendly hand shake. Then when you pick up give the nice tech a warm hand shake and say thank you. I pull out of the garage and hit the line lock and smoke the crap out of my car. Do you think if my motor blew that black box has a chance to talk !!!! My neighbors can't figure out why our garbage guy picks up anything I put out there even if there were legs sticking out of a rug. :hysterical: When, I worked in the dealership in my young day's guys would drive out with a brand new car just as their warranty was going to expire. They were very friendly they always shook my hand. So be friendly and shake a hand and if the hand bites you then you can bite back.

 

Anthony.....really, RUFDRAFT is right.....what are you getting at? I was simply posting a thought about where the auto industry is headed with black boxes.... :shrug:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

God we need to have a sit down guys !!! Money solves just about any problem even car problems big tippers get the nice loaner cars garbage guy walks down your driveway when you forget to put the garbage out !!!!

 

Pull yourself together, son. The Giants aren't looking that bad this fall. :redcard:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Pull yourself together, son. The Giants aren't looking that bad this fall. :redcard:

 

 

Just picture a little italian man hand out tips if my mom called the cable guy 2 truck would show up. Or if they called the A/C company bam their at the door.

 

At my wedding my father had a huge wad of cash out and was just tipping everyone the priest got mad cause we were 5 mins late and would shut up. I go oh dad can you make him happy my father tells him how much to stop crying 400 good here's 500. The limo drivers didn't want to hang around to take us home. My father just starts handing them money . That day my father was scared that, I would back out of the wedding :hysterical:

 

The black box is a good thing for checking on your kid but bad if you blow something and have to pay for it!! So make people love you.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Question: Does the Service department review the info in the box? Or does it only store info such as the last few seconds and position of the throttle and brake , speed etc..

 

Officially what does it capture and when?

 

Can it be disconnected?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Warranties are like insurance policies. The issuer of the warranty/policy will look for any way to deny a claim. For them, it's just business. If you don't protest, they're out nothing. I've only got 3 months left on my 08's warranty anyway, but I imagine if something were to go awry Ford would look sideways at that KB blower hiding under the hood and would use that against any warranty claim I might try to submit, whether it was related to the blower or not. As for privacy, I don't think we have much expectation of that anymore, black box or no. Not that I believe everything I see on TV shows, but those traffic cams are everywhere, Man!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Question: Does the Service department review the info in the box? Or does it only store info such as the last few seconds and position of the throttle and brake , speed etc..

 

Officially what does it capture and when?

 

Can it be disconnected?

 

 

Depends on the Black Box, some retain recordings for Days, some for Hours and some for Minutes. If you find it and disconect it, the Car will not run. It is tied in with the computer. Some are built into the Computer and some are seperat but tied in with it. If you ever get to watch the tech, he can plug into your computer and tell what is wrong with the Car and not even have to start it. The Tech just has to know how to read what he sees same goes for the Black Box.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...
...