Usually the issues runs deeper than that. Most new cars are on a canbus system.
Electronic Control Units (ECUs) are components that control certain functionality - e.g. the engine control unit, transmission, brakes, steering, temperatures etc. A modern car can easily have 70+ ECUs - each sharing information with other ECUs on the bus.
My door locks, windows, mirrors, etc. all controlled by canbus modules.
I believe it was Toyota that got yelled at because you couldn’t remote start your car with the key fob which uses radio waves without paying for the subscription to remote start from your phone. The car was wired to receive the start signal (fob/modem) then feed the request through the canbus system which then pinged out to their subscription service to find out you didn’t have access. I believe they have since fixed that due to public backlash.
I’m sure people will find a way to tweak all that or basically mock out the ‘ping home’ to always say you have access. But just replacing electronics could lead to so much stuff just not working even if you get the engine running with an aftermarket ECU. Also if your state has emission testing to register your car…it’s almost guaranteed to fail.
Usually the issues runs deeper than that. Most new cars are on a canbus system.
My door locks, windows, mirrors, etc. all controlled by canbus modules.
I believe it was Toyota that got yelled at because you couldn’t remote start your car with the key fob which uses radio waves without paying for the subscription to remote start from your phone. The car was wired to receive the start signal (fob/modem) then feed the request through the canbus system which then pinged out to their subscription service to find out you didn’t have access. I believe they have since fixed that due to public backlash.
I’m sure people will find a way to tweak all that or basically mock out the ‘ping home’ to always say you have access. But just replacing electronics could lead to so much stuff just not working even if you get the engine running with an aftermarket ECU. Also if your state has emission testing to register your car…it’s almost guaranteed to fail.