This one issue, privacy, has stopped me from buying a new car. It is stopping me from even buying a used one since it is hard to figure out how far back you need to go to be rid of these things. Screaming at the wind though isn't helping. We need actual real options. I will buy something that it privacy aware. This is YC. Someone, build the startup that sells that and you have my money.
I bought a 2024 RAV4 Hybrid and
1) physically removed the modem (the "DCM") and
2) disconnected the GPS antenna from the head unit
Took a little research but was still an approachable project
What still functions and what broke?
When I removed the DCM the in-car microphone stopped working, but I bought one of these to get it working again: https://www.autoharnesshouse.com/store/AHH-DCM77.
Also even with no modem, if you use CarPlay on your phone _via Bluetooth_ then the car will just use your phone's internet connection, so I only use CarPlay via a wired USB connection.
Aside from that the car works great, everything is 100% functional. I suppose I don't get OTA updates, which I'm fine with.
Wow, that is evil that they steal your data to send telemetry back via carplay. I always assumed that was possible so I have never actually hooked my phone up to a car but it really saddens me that it actually happens. There is 0 requirement for my phone to pass along raw internet access to the car in my opinion.
I have a Skoda and the GPS module was broken and that messed up a lot of the systems in the car, I couldn't use the adaptive cruise control, no traffic signs recognition and no SOS module. And apparently CarPlay sometimes uses the car's GPS module, so navigation was also a pain. I'd have to start the navigation from outside the car, otherwise it wouldn't use the phone's GPS.
> so I only use CarPlay via a wired USB connection.
Wouldn't that also share your phones internet connection with the car?
Did the car have a built-in navigation feature? I presume after you removed the GPS connection it broke, and you instead use CarPlay for navigation?
Cool so my USB wireless car play dongle still has some life left in it. Good to know.
Given that some countries already move on legislation for government remote control of cars, I wonder how long this method will be actually legal.
> This is YC
The home of the advertising and data broker industry.
Motorbikes are available without any of this tech, if you want something made this year without the need to remove any components.
Sure, there's an elevated risk of death, but you've got to balance that against the fact bike go vroom vroom.
I swear there is a psyop to get me to buy a very fast motorcycle, like, me specifically.
I do want one, and I'm not going to get one! I have self control. Don't look at my Ebay notifications.
Maybe if you live in an area with a warm and dry climate. Otherwise you're out of luck half the year unless you want to risk it daily on icy or wet roads.
Just did a quick search.. dunno the vid quality, but the point being "'I Remove This Mysterious Tiny Chip Before Using The Phone!' Edward Snowden"
https://www.bitchute.com/video/QqQmHy6aqlLe/
I'm not sure how realistic this is, but conversations like this always remind me of this procedure.
Edit: maybe should have responded to the OP directly.
Still driving my 2014 Golf mk7. No ads, physical buttons, adaptive cruise, frontal collision avoidance, great reliability. Not planning an upgrade any time soon.
2014 BMW 5 series F11, still nothing just good dumb assistants (like laser HUD so I never ever get speeding tickets) and bad dumb ones which can be turned off (keeping lane doesn't work at all in any construction zone and interfering with driving is a big nono).
The way they are set up together makes driving much more pleasant (heck its BMW so perfect balance and great handling at curves) and much less tiring for long haul (do from time to time 1500km 16h single day push). Was worried about automatic transmission but in their implementation its a joy and a beast in Sports mode, again less mental burden.
I really, really don't want anything more in the car, until we have 100% FSD where I can sleep or watch movies. There is no space between those, not for me.
What Edison motors is trying to do with their conversion kits is the solution for us privacy-aware folks, I think. If they, or someone, manage to bring hybrid/electric conversion kits to the market, we'll have an option that's slightly better than hoping parts stay available for older cars.
Slate maybe?
So far I have seen slate position itself as stripped down, but the thing I haven't seen is that they will be privacy aware. These are two totally different things. I want a simple but functional vehicle which does mean a comfortable vehicle that has reasonable features, but the honest truth is most features I don't want are purely because I want to be privacy aware. I don't want built in maps because I know they will connect and sell my location. I don't want and 'on-star' like feature because I know (for a fact with on-star) they will sell my data to insurance companies (actual harm to me will happen in other words). I don't want anything connectable to an app because I know that means their servers are constantly in control of my vehicle. I have 0 trust so I want a vehicle with one critical feature: no sim. If you can build a car without a sim I will buy it. If it has a sim I will avoid it until I have no actual other choice.
I can't speak for other makes/models/years with certainty, but my 2024 Ford Maverick has a "Telemetry Control Unit" that is easily accessible through a hatch by the front passenger seat. Unplugging it disables all communication with Ford servers and I can confirm the app no longer works.
The infotainment center also has no built-in maps as it relies on Android Auto/Apple CarPlay for everything except climate control and the AM/FM radio.
What you described sounds to me like slate. It doesn't have maps or a sim. It doesn't even have a digital dashboard at all[0].
I barely looked it up so I'm no expert, but that's what I'm interpreting from their site.
[0] https://www.slate.auto/en/faq
Again, not having a feature doesn't mean they don't send telemetry back. They can be stripped down AND steal my privacy. In fact, I expect them to considering the backers.
Aren't most of these privacy-encroaching systems mandatory?
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Solution: Get a modern car but simply build a Faraday cage around it, like those anti-drone "cope cages" you see on Russian tanks.
I believe faraday cages need to be grounded. I'm not sure what the resistivity of rolling rubber tires are.
These were all the rage in the 1980/90's
https://duckduckgo.com/?q=car+anti-static+strap
cope cages look like hardware fence (like chicken wire but welded, pig fence, sheep fence, goat fence are closer.)
However, the US already put fencing around fighting vehicles, specifically the Bradley, where the fence was essentially "chain link fencing".
I'm not entirely sure i buy that the cope cage stops drones; but the chain link fence absolutely stops RPGs from exploding by severing the wire that runs on the outside from the tip to the explosive.
Original cope cages were a very misguided attempt to copy the functionality of the actual working fence-like defensive measures. Except in those cases they did next to nothing, which is why they were dubbed cope cages.
AFAICT the concept was improved since then but I haven't been following the tech tree of cobbled-together defensive measures used in that war in a good while.