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> One barrier to entry is the actual cost of acquiring a vehicle. You can buy a lot of iPhones to hack on for the price of a Tesla. Assuming you're just a rand

> One barrier to entry is the actual cost of acquiring a vehicle. You can buy a lot of iPhones to hack on for the price of a Tesla. Assuming you're just a random person and not a serious organization (which would have money to buy cars), can't you just get a job at an auto repair shop to fool around with their computer systems in the evening?

PhasmaFelis 9y ago
Sure, if you're willing and able to quit your current job and work full-time fixing cars.
- brokenmachine 9y ago
  Also you still risk bricking a customers car if you're actively trying to compromise it.
skgoa 9y ago
That's not all that practical. Modern cars are rolling datacenters. Most have 50-100 computers in them that are on several different networks. Features are distributed over several nodes ("ECUs") and everything is statically linked and scheduled. (i.e. almost no OS akin to what you would find on a PC or smartphone) It's very difficult to do anything complex without having special tools and know-how. Which someone at a shop just won't ahve, because a shop does not debug the software. They just fix hardware issues, which as far as ECUs are concerned just means changing faulty parts for new ones. source: I work on this, but not for GM.
- Balgair 9y ago
  Truth. Most of the time, you just get the factory reset code if you think there is something borked in the OBCs. That or just replace the computers entirely. Alldata is the HN of techs (kinda): http://www.alldata.com/alldata-repair http://www.alldata.com/alldata-repair Protip for home mechanics, get one of these: https://www.amazon.com/Reader-Diagnostic-Check-Engine-Light/dp/B004IV58AY https://www.amazon.com/Reader-Diagnostic-Check-Engine-Light/...
Balgair 9y ago
Probably easier and faster to just buy a used car yourself to tinker with. A used Ford Taurus can be ~4k. You can dive into polylith forums and find guys that thinker with the code in the OBC to 'improve' some of the aspects of the car. Think Dieselgate, but more hacker-y/backfire-y. Example for Scoobys: https://www.carid.com/2017-subaru-wrx-performance-parts/?filter=1&ptype-groups%5B%5D=Performance%20Chips https://www.carid.com/2017-subaru-wrx-performance-parts/?fil...

PhasmaFelis 9y ago

Sure, if you're willing and able to quit your current job and work full-time fixing cars.

brokenmachine 9y ago
Also you still risk bricking a customers car if you're actively trying to compromise it.

skgoa 9y ago

That's not all that practical. Modern cars are rolling datacenters. Most have 50-100 computers in them that are on several different networks. Features are distributed over several nodes ("ECUs") and everything is statically linked and scheduled. (i.e. almost no OS akin to what you would find on a PC or smartphone) It's very difficult to do anything complex without having special tools and know-how. Which someone at a shop just won't ahve, because a shop does not debug the software. They just fix hardware issues, which as far as ECUs are concerned just means changing faulty parts for new ones. source: I work on this, but not for GM.

Balgair 9y ago
Truth. Most of the time, you just get the factory reset code if you think there is something borked in the OBCs. That or just replace the computers entirely. Alldata is the HN of techs (kinda): http://www.alldata.com/alldata-repair http://www.alldata.com/alldata-repair Protip for home mechanics, get one of these: https://www.amazon.com/Reader-Diagnostic-Check-Engine-Light/dp/B004IV58AY https://www.amazon.com/Reader-Diagnostic-Check-Engine-Light/...

Balgair 9y ago

Probably easier and faster to just buy a used car yourself to tinker with. A used Ford Taurus can be ~4k. You can dive into polylith forums and find guys that thinker with the code in the OBC to 'improve' some of the aspects of the car. Think Dieselgate, but more hacker-y/backfire-y. Example for Scoobys: https://www.carid.com/2017-subaru-wrx-performance-parts/?filter=1&ptype-groups%5B%5D=Performance%20Chips https://www.carid.com/2017-subaru-wrx-performance-parts/?fil...