Electronic parking brakes as a means of controlling right to repair.

[schuck6566]

I was surprised when I ran across a video about this issue, then even more surprised when a story about the breaks and why they were safer and now being used on most cars wouldn't allow the comments section to open so I could post.

[Cerberus]

its an electric motor, just put a battery on it in the reverse direction.

[Snakecharmed]

You shouldn't have to employ workarounds to deliberately hostile anti-consumer acts by auto manufacturers who have engineered solutions to previously nonexistent problems. Parking brakes have worked for generations before this garbage.

 

Anyone could have seen this coming after BMW tried to charge subscription fees for heated seats. The contemporary automotive industry is built on greed and attempted entrapment of consumers into the manufacturer's product and service ecosystem, as well as financial debt if you're crazy enough to take out a loan (I could just stop the sentence there, but in this case, a loan offered by the dealer).

 

I realize I'm not contributing much with respect to the poll because I won't buy a car that phones home or has unnecessary bullshit systems to complicate functions that had been working fine previously for decades.

 

 

[pio]

This is an interesting discussion.  Unfortunately my 2016 still has drum rears, cable driven, and hydraulic main brakes (discs up front of course).  So I honestly have nothing to add to the discussion, other than I agree with the others.  I'll NEVER buy a car that phones home, requires a subscription model, and to be honest......probably won't buy a drive by wire rig again either.  

[Kaz]

I just started to learn about OBD2 software and was suprised that electronic parking brake reset was a thing.  I'm still using a mechanical park brake.

 

E-brake reset tends to be offered with subscription software (about $60 a year), or more expensive obd2 readers for $120 (one time purchase), or so.  There's a slew of obd2 readers and they all have their own marketing gimmicks.

 

From what speed_demon on discord has been teaching me, the right software and a $25 obd2 to usb cable can do the reset.  I haven't quite figured out what program is good, probably because my laptop isn't using linux and I haven't tried with a live boot image yet.

 

From what I've read about the pin layout and data transfer; companies may have proprietary data transfer, but it's not encrypted.  It just comes down to not having a set standard used across the industry.  Manufactures may use a different pin/wire to transfer the data.  Which in turn has become a way for companies to milk mechanics for more money.

 

The whole system is a rabit hole that most guys changing brake pads don't want to deal with.  But it's far from the anti-consumer standards set by apple who pair their phone cameras to only work with 1 phone.  Let's not give them any ideas...

 

Louis' example is a bit extreme because the guy asked the dealership what to do and they gave him the run around.  "Buy this tool, use this software, oh that software hasn't been updated for 2025."

 

Actual mechanic shops have probably figured it out already, but anyone else can lose a couple hours of their life trying to figure it out.  Similarly any automobile parts shop could probably have reset it for free.  (Wouldn't be the first guy fixing their car in an autozone parking lot).

 

One of the 3 great lies is "It's on the computer it will just take a minute."  In this situation, people aren't used to interacting with car computers.  It's like using a keyboard without experience.

[Snakecharmed]

The experience of using a PC to communicate and transfer data to and from a smaller device using a system/protocol that isn't regularly encountered by the general public always adds a degree of difficulty that someone might not want to invest their time in doing.

 

For instance, I've rooted enough Android phones over the years that you'd think it's no big deal for me to do it, but it's never a simple affair. It's tedious and time-consuming to make sure you're doing everything right with the proper software lest you brick the phone by doing something incorrectly or out of order. Even when you do it exactly according to the guide, a minor error code somewhere in the process causes minor annoyances later that nobody can help you with because nobody else ever encountered that issue and documented a fix. Then you eventually forget the process after some time and you have to relearn everything when you want to do it again years later. With phones, it's even worse because the rooting process differs from one phone to another, and sometimes even between two of the exact same model phone because each one started with a different firmware version, so you're not even able to use your memory to recall a certain step of the process to save some time.

 

I can see why the vast majority of people wouldn't have the patience for things like this. It paints a damning picture of how things are going today with technology outside of core computing devices that auto manufacturers are pulling this nonsense on systems where it's completely unnecessary. Of all the parking brakes I've ever used in any car I've driven, none have been electronic.

 

Any savvy car owner wouldn't rely on a dealership for anything after the sale, but what Louis is describing is the path that manufacturers are trying to convince their customers to follow, and they're obviously succeeding to some degree when combined with their attempts to demonize independent mechanics.

[The LAWN oob]

On the new Mustang the physical handbrake is an optional add on 

The physical handbrake should be considered a safety feature. If you are under steering on ice or snow pulling the handbrake could potentially save you from crashing into a tree or the curb.

My dad dented a rim on snow once. I bumped into a stop sign once because I didn't pull the handbrake hard enough and I under steered.

[schuck6566]

What I'm waiting for is one of these manufacturers to turn around and say a car's warranty is void because the diagnostic system wasn't engaged when the brakes were changed. I'm sure the computer keeps a record of each time it's opened. 

[Fluxmaven]

I don't own anything with an electronic parking brake and don't want to. I have three cars with manual transmissions and standard hand brakes. I do my own maintenance. I have a Cobb Accessport in the Mustang that can read/reset codes. If I need to change anything more advanced, I have a USB to OBD2 adapter and use a program called FORScan that can interface with just about every module in the car. 

 

Eventually when it gets too hard to find vehicles without all that crap, I guess I'll move somewhere that stays a bit warmer all year and go back to riding a motorcycle every day. Granted, even bikes are starting to get loaded up with extra fluff these days.