What is this noise about a black box on our cars?
12-29-2004, 10:38 AM
#51
TECH Regular
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Plano, Tx
Posts: 410
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I know that insurance companies are going to install those things sooner or later. You watch, they will have RF transmitters and if your car exceeds a certain speed, a signal is transmitted to the insurance company, who then raises your rates. People are inherently greedy and insurance companies see it as a way to make money off of you. I'd be pissed if my insurance went up if i raced by a couple semi trucks at 80 mph, especially since that would be the safest course of action!
12-29-2004, 02:21 PM
#52
Originally Posted by gametech
There is no separate "black box". The computer records certain info, depending on which vehicle you have. Some are very obvious, such as most cadillacs and the new gto that have screens which display avg mpg and speed. Those obviously would have to record some info in order to make the calculations necessary to display fuel economy and average speed. Other vehicles are not so obvious, but I'm guessing that any OBDII compliant vehicle records some info. As to turning it off, you would have better luck expecting internet privacy. The only real choice beyond strangling your congressman is going back to an aftermarket engine management system, if you don't want your driving habits recorded. Just think, one day your shrink can tell how paranoid you are by the number of carbureted vehicles you own.
Yes there is a separate black box. Maybe this link will clear this up for all you non believers. http://www.seniormag.com/headlines/blackboxcars.htm
12-29-2004, 02:49 PM
#54
TECH Fanatic
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Yorkville IL - Chicago
Posts: 1,382
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Originally Posted by anthony m
I have read all of these threads .Let me just set the record straight.There are no "black boxes" in any GM vehicles or any other vehicles that i know of.In the event of air bag deployment certain things will be stored in the SDM.A SDM is the sensing and diagnosis module for the air bag system.I am pretty sure that the Gm system works just like most auto manufactors.Also there is no way to disable it (that is unless you wanna have no air bags,and i sir light glow on your dash).The whole reason that Gm does this is for crash analyisis.I have never heard of any cases of an insurance company trying to download info after a crash at all.I hope this info helps guys.
2. Correct - you cannot disable them
3. Incorrect - insurance companies do work with dealers/manufacturers
to collect the info from the box - it records numerous items - like throttle positon, speed, gear, rpm, abs, and srs and a host of other items
Very helpful in processing claims.
Especially with fatalities.
12-29-2004, 03:08 PM
#55
TECH Resident
iTrader: (2)
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: San Diego
Posts: 765
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Originally Posted by marc_w
... but there are millions.... (billions?) of people in the country - they can't have the resources to watch us all.
12-29-2004, 03:41 PM
#56
TECH Apprentice
theres like 240 million....and Im not suprised, after seeing some neat toys while i was MI in the army and hearing about otheres. they have FANTASTIC toys for servalliance ( sp? )
12-29-2004, 05:53 PM
#57
TECH Senior Member
iTrader: (1)
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Armpit of East TX
Posts: 9,342
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I remember reading about this guy a few years back. He rented a car from Hertz for a week on a business trip. Long story short ... the guy payed with his debit card. He checked his balance a few days into his trip and noticed he was about 700 short. He went back to Hertz raging pissed asking them what in the holy hell they took 700 more from his account for. It turns out they had clocked him on a GPS in the car breaking 80 or 90, I can't remember, and fined him 175 each time for 'unsafe driving habits'.
He took them to court about it and won.
He took them to court about it and won.
12-29-2004, 06:05 PM
#58
TECH Addict
iTrader: (9)
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: calallen,tx
Posts: 2,453
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Originally Posted by Visionxorb
theres like 240 million....and Im not suprised, after seeing some neat toys while i was MI in the army and hearing about otheres. they have FANTASTIC toys for servalliance ( sp? )
they need to be doing servalliance with those fantastic toys round the clock in iraq where they can back track where those idiots are building those car bombs and go in and control alt delete their asses...
12-29-2004, 07:44 PM
#59
TECH Apprentice
iTrader: (1)
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: New Hampshire
Posts: 365
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Just a little tidbit for all of you who claim GM doesn't have a right to collect info since they didn't tell you, well GM did tell you, I found it in my owners manual in the airbag section. I'm not defending it, I really don't care enough, as others have said I haven't heard of a case where info from this was used to make or break a case against someone, and as for that website posted above, I don't think the boxes could get bad info without you knowing- it uses throttle position (if your TPS was bad, you'd know) speed (if the VSS was bad, you'd know), it would seem that the system would not have dedicated sensors just for it, rather it uses the same sensors the engine management computer uses to control the engine
12-29-2004, 07:59 PM
#60
TECH Enthusiast
iTrader: (3)
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Ontario, Canada
Posts: 526
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Originally Posted by 03NHSilvy
as others have said I haven't heard of a case where info from this was used to make or break a case against someone, and as for that website posted above, I don't think the boxes could get bad info without you knowing- it uses throttle position (if your TPS was bad, you'd know) speed (if the VSS was bad, you'd know), it would seem that the system would not have dedicated sensors just for it, rather it uses the same sensors the engine management computer uses to control the engine
http://www.cbc.ca/stories/2003/10/24/blackbox031024