Black Boxes ???

[bigwhlkid]

i have known about a lot of the car companies putting these in some of their models for a while now for in the case of an accident they can find out who is at fault. the government has also had a big role in them from what i have heard and they are useing them to track people (not just I-Pass)

how do you remove these? will it affect the electronic system monitoring the engines functions.

 

[quicksilver1122]

I doupt they will put them in to cars... If they do, it wouldn't be a black box... in every car... because a single black box costs more than it's weight in gold...

 

[bigwhlkid]

they are in cars now, not every car but some do have them.

 

[thinkers]

Every car equiped with OBD II diagnostics has a " black box". Actually it's the Vehicle control module.It has constant upgrade record feature, which basically records vital vehicle sensor readings at the time a fault was recognized by the computer. Basically every time your module sets a diagnostic trouble code a "snapshot of sensor data is saved to memory. I imagine that during an accident there will be multiple sensor failures, threfore setting multiple trouble codes and recording multiple snapshots.The primary reason for this snapshot mode is to help the service technician accuratly diagnose and repair an intermitant problem.By knowing certain information that was occurring at the time of the fault, i.e. vehicle speed, throttle percent, engine load,brakes on or off, and just about anything else you can think of. As for the legality of proving fault in an accident,I don't know, someone else will have to answer.

 

[Nightmage82]

how about a camera at the front that records everything happening but erases its own tape every 30 seconds so it never needs more film but can provide the 30 seconds before an accident.

cars dont suffer the total destruction that aeroplanes do so black boxes seem unnecessary. usually the cops can work out what happened with a car due to the tyre marks and all that. planes dont leave stains in the air, they just hit the ground

 

[liquidyellow]

I am not sure about this but I think in the UK all HGVs (lorrys) will have to be fitted with these by law a system that works with GPS to track movement, speeds etc... Again I am not sure of my facts here maybe someone else has better info?

 

[Nightmage82]

Originally posted by liquidyellow
I am not sure about this but I think in the UK all HGVs (lorrys) will have to be fitted with these by law a system that works with GPS to track movement, speeds etc... Again I am not sure of my facts here maybe someone else has better info?

i don't think it works with gps but there's something like that in them yeah. they certainly have speed restrictors and something that monitors how fast they are going.

 

[liquidyellow]

They (trucks) already have a device called a 'tacho' not a Mexican snack it records speeds,distances,hours driven etc but a more sophisticated system is on its way I think from 2004 onwards.
I dont know if you noticed but in the ad breaks for the Spanish GP a system was being advertised for fleet use ie companys with fleets of vans and stuff that moniters via GPS where there vehicles are it also does stuff like divert the driver if theres a jam ahead,maybe this is what this thread is originally about?

 

[bigwhlkid]

I-Pass (illinois express toll syste) has been used to track people and they use it to find out where a person has been if they are supposed to be in court or are wanted by the police, though it is advertised as an easier way to pay for your tolls.

so called 'black boxes' are in some cars to monitor functions of the engine and other on-board systems but i have heard a lot of things about the government using them to track people (GPS) and find out what they have been up to.

just thought this would help clear up my questions, i would have though that many of you had already heard about this going on.

 

[liquidyellow]

Thanks for that big, there was a story in evo car mag recently about some manufacturers voiding warrantys on there cars if there was evidence of them being used on a race track or generally thrashed a bit rich seeing as this concerned owners of BMW M3s and Bishi EVOs etc... surely cars made for trackdays and stuff,apparently they could find evidence (high revs/speeds) from the cars ecu while the car was being serviced,the manufacturers have since gone back on this tho and said they will honor warrantys on there cars. Its a bit worrying tho ahh for the days of carbs etc...

 

[Nightmage82]

Originally posted by liquidyellow
Thanks for that big, there was a story in evo car mag recently about some manufacturers voiding warrantys on there cars if there was evidence of them being used on a race track or generally thrashed a bit rich seeing as this concerned owners of BMW M3s and Bishi EVOs etc... surely cars made for trackdays and stuff,apparently they could find evidence (high revs/speeds) from the cars ecu while the car was being serviced,the manufacturers have since gone back on this tho and said they will honor warrantys on there cars. Its a bit worrying tho ahh for the days of carbs etc...

that can't be true. it might work on company cars and/or times when ur leasing it for whatever reason. if you buy the car, so long as you dont touch (modify) the engine, you will keep the warranty. the m3 and porsche's were built for tracks, as is shown by their outstanding performances there whenever they are taken out

 

[liquidyellow]

Thats the irony.
I remember reading a story a few years ago about a guy who was lucky enough to own a McLaren F1, when the car was serviced a mechanic noticed big speeds loged on the ecu (200mph+) every day, so called him and asked if he had noticed anything wrong with the speedo and told him there must be something wrong with it. The guy replied that there was nothing wrong with the speedo he used to drive along the autobahn to and from work at these speeds everyday!!!
Thats 1 commute I wouldnt mind.

 

[Nightmage82]

Originally posted by liquidyellow
Thats the irony.
I remember reading a story a few years ago about a guy who was lucky enough to own a McLaren F1, when the car was serviced a mechanic noticed big speeds loged on the ecu (200mph+) every day, so called him and asked if he had noticed anything wrong with the speedo and told him there must be something wrong with it. The guy replied that there was nothing wrong with the speedo he used to drive along the autobahn to and from work at these speeds everyday!!!
Thats 1 commute I wouldnt mind.

the version i heard was that the bmw CEO had one and always bragged he topped 200mph on his daily commute. and no one would believe him so he asked mclaren to verify it at his serivce, and they were as astonished as his mates were

 

[liquidyellow]

What a nutter
The story I read was in I think Car many moons ago the guy was a banker and a 'gentlman' race driver raceing Macca f1s at Le Mans and stuff tho I cant recall his name.