this post was submitted on 01 Oct 2026
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This warning is like 10 years late.
If I ever going to get a car, it's going to be a used one from around 2005.
Some cars you can just pull the fuse for the modem. You lose a lot of features, but that's the trade off.
It would depend on the features lost (I've heard rumours that some cars lock the trays or reclining the seats behind the modem access) and on whether such a modification would run afoul of the certification processes needed to keep the car on the street, legally speaking.
For much less mental health hassle, I could simply search for an older car.
Just do the antenna then. Hopefully it doesn't brick itself when it loses signal.
There are kits you can get that pretend to be a valid modem to your car, so that you can disable the modem without losing any other features. They are usually between $50 to $100
¡Interesting!
My 2013 cars do not have any way to phone home.
We've got a 2015 Toyota Highlander with only Bluetooth for the headunit.
Thanks for your sacrifice!
It's the newest vehicle we've owned. Zero connection to the manufacturer.
My truck is 2006. It has a cd player.
Well now that's an interesting one! It has been a long while since I last saw a CD player in a vehicle.
All my vehicles have a CD player lol. Its normal for me.