[AT] tractor scan tools gateway access module was driver convenience systems

[James Peck]

These vehicle features all bring the “right to repair” to the forefront. I really appreciate Steve Williams bringing the issue of vehicle-gateway-module-access capable scan tools to our attention. This could make DIY auto repair a less likely hobby and DIY tractor repair a less likely farmer activity. We still do not know how vehicle-gateway-module-access affects tractor scan tools. 

Steve Offiler AT List member Mechanical Engineer (soffiler at gmail.com); In another branch of this same discussion, Jim Becker pointed out the reality of advancing age, and the safety enhancements that some of these systems provide.  Not sure if auto dimming headlights fall into that category, but blind-spot warnings and lane-departure warnings etc. certainly do.

I've come to appreciate ABS, traction control, and stability control systems which are (I believe) now mandated by law.  It's interesting and somewhat amusing to get my car (a '14 BMW X1) out on snowy backroads and feel the stability system step in and make a correction as the back end tries to get sideways on slippery surfaces.  I can see where folks who might be retired, or work close to home, or at home, and have the option of avoiding bad road conditions might want none of this.  But I'll be commuting 55 miles a day for the next 10 years at least, and I've got to get to work in all but the most extreme weather conditions.

I don't have auto-dimming headlights, but I do have auto on/off headlights (just halogen, nothing fancy) and I find they work seamlessly.  I have auto rain-sensing wipers which work quite well, and have a 4-level sensitivity knob if they're a little too aggressive or passive.  I have auto climate control, also works seamlessly. Heated seats and steering wheel are luxury items that have totally spoiled me, will not have a car without them in the future.  I guess these are mostly conveniences rather than safety items, but they work for me.  My phone talks to the radio via Bluetooth, pretty straightforward, although I don't actually talk on the phone much anyway.

My truck (a '16 F-250) is even simpler.  Everything but the transmission is manual.  No touch screens.  There's a menu system to set certain preferences but that's once and done.  The truck has a fancier radio ("Sync") than the car,  but it boils down to about the same.  Bluetooth just works like it is supposed to.