[200q20v] Re: Big Brother and other stuff

[Derek Pulvino]

Hey all,

Surprised that so many others didn't pick up quicker on the joke factor relating to the GM climate control.  I also know the same climate control in our 200's was used in Buicks of the mid 80's vintage.

On another tack of the same topic, it's pretty funny to hear people going haywire about the onstar system, but not also mentioning the oddity of a 96 model year mandated running change that required USA marketed cars to have the OBDII system (referenced as per Chris Miller in Audi 4000 manifold thread).  I can understand emision control systemes and the like being mandated by a certain date by Env. agencies, but what would be the logic behind madating a vehicle self diagnostics system?  Am I wrong, or is it not true that OBDII adds nothing in terms of vehicle running and efficency, only vehicle care and diagnosis?

Sure there's a car lobby, but why would a manufacturer go through the trouble to have something like that as a requirement?  Good business sense would say that sure, it saves diagnosis time, and money under warante repairs, but would a corporation really feel so powerless as to ask the legislation to madate something that they would want to do at any rate to save on labor time?  

Beyond all that, how long can we sit and look over our shoulder, self arrest ourselves from our pleasures, worried about who's watching us do what?  If you want to drive a car, or take part in most anything for that matter, you dont' really have time to worry.  I hate to say it, but screw it!  

Tons of holes in my points, but with any kind of luck, the general message I believe is coming across.

Derek Pulvino