Need a Tuneup? Become a Hacker
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Need a Tuneup? Become a Hacker
From the New York Times
By SEÁN CAPTAIN Published: October 25, 2006
LINK: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/25/au...in&oref=slogin
BRAWN beat brains in the old days of automobiles. To make cars faster, people bolted bigger air intakes, carburetors and exhaust pipes onto giant muscle car engines. Tuning adjustments were simple, requiring only screwdrivers and wrenches.
In the mid-1980’s, control of the engine slipped out of the average mechanic’s hands and into the so-called black boxes housing onboard computers.
“When computers came out, probably 90 percent of the muscle car tuners were left in the dark,” said Pete Kang, the chief executive of Works, a San Francisco tuning shop specializing in Mitsubishis and racecars.
But a new breed of mechanics began hacking into car computers, and grease monkeys morphed into automotive geeks.
“I’ve been a big computer nerd my entire life,” said Wayne Schroeder, a software engineer in Lenexa, Kan., who likes to race his souped-up 2003 Acura RSX Type-S. Mr. Schroeder paid a company called Hondata to modify and reprogram his car’s engine-control unit, or E.C.U., so he can electronically tune the car to work with the new parts.
“You can’t just expect it to work at its full potential unless you change the E.C.U.,” Mr. Schroeder said.
Even a car straight from the factory will run differently with computer tuning — especially if it is a performance-oriented model like the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution or the Subaru Impreza WRX STi, equipped with beefy hardware like a turbocharger.
“They’re so aggressively prepared from the factory,” said David Vespremi, who wrote “Car Hacks & Mods for Dummies.” “And yes, they left a little bit on the table. And that little bit is often what you get from tuning.”
The first hackers simply opened up the engine-control unit and started examining the gibberish of computer code on a memory chip called an Eprom, or Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory. “You had to literally reverse engineer by going in and changing the code, and then starting up the car and seeing what it did,” Mr. Kang said.
Eventually, they discovered the engine maps — instructions telling the car what to do as the engine runs faster. A high-performance map might, for example, change the mix of air and gasoline and ignite it slightly sooner to produce more power. Carmakers do not program engines this way because it can cause problems for average drivers.
“You have to basically tune for the worst-case scenario,” Mr. Kang said. “Even though you tell them they have to use 91 octane, inevitably someone is going to use 87.” In that case, an early spark could cause the lower-grade gasoline to explode prematurely, resulting in “knocks” that damage the engine.
To tune up the first generation of computer-controlled cars, drivers bought chips with new engine maps from a handful of tuning companies. But because the chips were hard-wired, car owners were limited as to the changes they could make. They couldn’t custom-program their cars.
Though not intending to, carmakers added that ability in the mid-1990’s. They replaced the Eprom chips with rewritable flash memory like the memory used in digital cameras. And to meet environmental laws for California, they added a data port to all cars, allowing inspectors to access the engine-control unit and assess whether the engine was operating cleanly.
By plugging in a laptop, car hackers could download engine maps from the E.C.U.’s memory, modify them and upload the changes without touching a soldering iron. “That’s when what had been a fledgling tuning industry started to flourish,” Mr. Vespremi said.
Around the same time, car hackers were getting on the Internet, and they began trading maps online, the way music fans traded MP3 songs. “Suddenly any novice had access to the tools to fundamentally change how the car works,” Mr. Vespremi said.
Today, car-hacking resources take all forms, from companies like Dinan, Hondata and Works to Internet user groups like openECU.org and PGMFI.org, which publish free information.
Carmakers seem conflicted about hacking. “We understand people are passionate about Honda, and that’s something we want to support and cultivate,” said Sage Marie, a Honda spokesman. “But we can’t facilitate that in any way.”
But the carmakers generally like the publicity that modifiers bring to their brand, according to Peter MacGillivray, vice president of marketing and communications at the Specialty Equipment Manufacturers Association, which represents makers of auto accessories. “It’s not my impression that there are any anti-accessories cultures out there,” he said.
He noted that 10 years ago, only three carmakers took part in his organization’s annual show in Las Vegas. He expects over a dozen in this year’s show, which runs from Oct. 31 to Nov. 3. “That’s a tremendous vote of confidence,” he said.
Modifications do appear to be a big concern for car dealers, since they have to handle repairs. Under federal law, dealers can’t void a warranty simply because a car has been modified; they have to prove that a modification caused the failure.
Unlike other changes, like adding new air intakes, hacks often leave no physical evidence. And few mechanics at car dealers have the expertise to recognize the software changes.
By SEÁN CAPTAIN Published: October 25, 2006
LINK: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/25/au...in&oref=slogin
BRAWN beat brains in the old days of automobiles. To make cars faster, people bolted bigger air intakes, carburetors and exhaust pipes onto giant muscle car engines. Tuning adjustments were simple, requiring only screwdrivers and wrenches.
In the mid-1980’s, control of the engine slipped out of the average mechanic’s hands and into the so-called black boxes housing onboard computers.
“When computers came out, probably 90 percent of the muscle car tuners were left in the dark,” said Pete Kang, the chief executive of Works, a San Francisco tuning shop specializing in Mitsubishis and racecars.
But a new breed of mechanics began hacking into car computers, and grease monkeys morphed into automotive geeks.
“I’ve been a big computer nerd my entire life,” said Wayne Schroeder, a software engineer in Lenexa, Kan., who likes to race his souped-up 2003 Acura RSX Type-S. Mr. Schroeder paid a company called Hondata to modify and reprogram his car’s engine-control unit, or E.C.U., so he can electronically tune the car to work with the new parts.
“You can’t just expect it to work at its full potential unless you change the E.C.U.,” Mr. Schroeder said.
Even a car straight from the factory will run differently with computer tuning — especially if it is a performance-oriented model like the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution or the Subaru Impreza WRX STi, equipped with beefy hardware like a turbocharger.
“They’re so aggressively prepared from the factory,” said David Vespremi, who wrote “Car Hacks & Mods for Dummies.” “And yes, they left a little bit on the table. And that little bit is often what you get from tuning.”
The first hackers simply opened up the engine-control unit and started examining the gibberish of computer code on a memory chip called an Eprom, or Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory. “You had to literally reverse engineer by going in and changing the code, and then starting up the car and seeing what it did,” Mr. Kang said.
Eventually, they discovered the engine maps — instructions telling the car what to do as the engine runs faster. A high-performance map might, for example, change the mix of air and gasoline and ignite it slightly sooner to produce more power. Carmakers do not program engines this way because it can cause problems for average drivers.
“You have to basically tune for the worst-case scenario,” Mr. Kang said. “Even though you tell them they have to use 91 octane, inevitably someone is going to use 87.” In that case, an early spark could cause the lower-grade gasoline to explode prematurely, resulting in “knocks” that damage the engine.
To tune up the first generation of computer-controlled cars, drivers bought chips with new engine maps from a handful of tuning companies. But because the chips were hard-wired, car owners were limited as to the changes they could make. They couldn’t custom-program their cars.
Though not intending to, carmakers added that ability in the mid-1990’s. They replaced the Eprom chips with rewritable flash memory like the memory used in digital cameras. And to meet environmental laws for California, they added a data port to all cars, allowing inspectors to access the engine-control unit and assess whether the engine was operating cleanly.
By plugging in a laptop, car hackers could download engine maps from the E.C.U.’s memory, modify them and upload the changes without touching a soldering iron. “That’s when what had been a fledgling tuning industry started to flourish,” Mr. Vespremi said.
Around the same time, car hackers were getting on the Internet, and they began trading maps online, the way music fans traded MP3 songs. “Suddenly any novice had access to the tools to fundamentally change how the car works,” Mr. Vespremi said.
Today, car-hacking resources take all forms, from companies like Dinan, Hondata and Works to Internet user groups like openECU.org and PGMFI.org, which publish free information.
Carmakers seem conflicted about hacking. “We understand people are passionate about Honda, and that’s something we want to support and cultivate,” said Sage Marie, a Honda spokesman. “But we can’t facilitate that in any way.”
But the carmakers generally like the publicity that modifiers bring to their brand, according to Peter MacGillivray, vice president of marketing and communications at the Specialty Equipment Manufacturers Association, which represents makers of auto accessories. “It’s not my impression that there are any anti-accessories cultures out there,” he said.
He noted that 10 years ago, only three carmakers took part in his organization’s annual show in Las Vegas. He expects over a dozen in this year’s show, which runs from Oct. 31 to Nov. 3. “That’s a tremendous vote of confidence,” he said.
Modifications do appear to be a big concern for car dealers, since they have to handle repairs. Under federal law, dealers can’t void a warranty simply because a car has been modified; they have to prove that a modification caused the failure.
Unlike other changes, like adding new air intakes, hacks often leave no physical evidence. And few mechanics at car dealers have the expertise to recognize the software changes.
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From: SeVa
From the New York Times[SIZE="1"]Modifications do appear to be a big concern for car dealers, since they have to handle repairs. Under federal law, dealers can’t void a warranty simply because a car has been modified; they have to prove that a modification caused the failure.
Unlike other changes, like adding new air intakes, hacks often leave no physical evidence. And few mechanics at car dealers have the expertise to recognize the software changes.
Unlike other changes, like adding new air intakes, hacks often leave no physical evidence. And few mechanics at car dealers have the expertise to recognize the software changes.
Lol, like a little something euphemistically called "under federal law" ever stopped the majority of dealers from voiding warranties when ther car had clearly been modified.
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Federal Warranty Laws
1.The Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act (15 U.S.C. 2302(C))
This federal law regulates warranties for the protection of consumers. The essence of the law concerning aftermarket auto parts is that a vehicle manufacturer may not condition a written or implied warranty on the consumers using parts or services which are identified by brand, trade, or corporate name (such as the vehicle maker's brand) unless the parts or service are provided free of charge. The law means that the use of an aftermarket part alone is not cause for denying the warranty. However, the law's protection does not extend to aftermarket parts in situations where such parts actually caused the damage being claimed under the warranty. Further, consumers are advised to be aware of any specific terms or conditions stated in the warranty which may result in its being voided. The law states in relevant part:
No warrantor of a consumer product may condition his written or implied warranty of such product on the consumers using, in connection with such product, any article or service (other than article or service provided without charge under the terms of the warranty) which is identified by brand, trade or corporate name... (15 U.S.C. 2302(C)).
2. Clean Air Act Warranty Provisions (42 U.S.C. S 7541 (C) (3) (B))
The federal Clean Air Act requires vehicle makers to provide two emissions-related warranties -- a production warranty and a performance warranty. Theproduction warrantyrequires the vehicle maker to warrant that the vehicle is designed, built and equipped so that it conforms with emissions requirements at the time of sale. Theperformance warranty requires the vehicle maker to warrant that the vehicle will comply with applicable emissions requirements as tested under state vehicle emissions inspection programs for the warranty periods specified in the law (for model year 1995 and later vehicles, the warranty is 2 years/24,000 miles for all emissions-related parts and 8 years/80,000 miles for the catalytic converter, electronic emissions control unit and on-board diagnostic device). The performance warranty is conditioned on the vehicle being properly maintained and operated.
Like the Magnuson-Moss Act, vehicle manufacturers may not refuse warranty repairs under the Clean Air Acts performance and defect warranties merely because aftermarket parts have been installed on the vehicle. The only circumstance under which the vehicle manufacturer can void the emissions warranties is if an aftermarket part is responsible for (causes) the warranty claim.
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However, the law's protection does not extend to aftermarket parts in situations where such parts actually caused the damage being claimed under the warranty. Further, consumers are advised to be aware of any specific terms or conditions stated in the warranty which may result in its being voided. The law states in relevant part:
see right there in that law where its say consumers are advised to be aware of any specific terms or conditions stated in the warranty which may result in its being voided.
if the contract or warrenty specificly states that installing aftermarket parts will void the warrenty then it does. you need to read your warrenty before purchasing a car if this will be an issue
see right there in that law where its say consumers are advised to be aware of any specific terms or conditions stated in the warranty which may result in its being voided.
if the contract or warrenty specificly states that installing aftermarket parts will void the warrenty then it does. you need to read your warrenty before purchasing a car if this will be an issue
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