09/01/2026
Your car has 4 data systems. Everyone worries about the wrong one. 👇
1️⃣ BLACK BOX (EDR) ~5 seconds before a crash. Speed, braking, seatbelts, airbags. Doesn't track you. Doesn't transmit. ✅
2️⃣ DIAGNOSTIC MEMORY Fault codes, freeze frames, overrev counters, true mileage. This is what we read on the lift. 🔧
3️⃣ TELEMATICS MODEM Always on. Location, trips, driving behaviour → sent to the manufacturer. ⚠️
4️⃣ INFOTAINMENT Contacts. Texts. Nav history. Home address. Garage door code. 🚨
Everyone asks about #1. The one that matters is #3.
📍 Washington's RCW 46.35 says the data in your car belongs to YOU. Court order, your consent, safety research, emergency medical response — or "for subscription services."
That last exception is the whole connected-car business model. 😐
The receipts: 🔸 Mozilla reviewed 25 car brands in 2023 — all 25 failed 🔸 Jan 2026: FTC settlement with GM + OnStar over selling driver location and behaviour data into the insurance market
Do this before you EVER sell your car: ✅ Delete every paired phone individually ✅ Clear nav history — including "Home" ✅ Erase HomeLink garage door codes ✅ Unlink your connected services account ✅ Factory reset LAST, not first
A used car with a live garage code and a saved home address is a working key to a house sitting on a dealer lot. Not hypothetical. 🔑
Next service, ask us — we'll show you exactly what your car is storing.
Kirkland, WA · Link in bio · 425-823-8200
