Cars show error codes every few months or years and there's nothing the average driver can do to fix them. Computers show errors on a daily basis and most of them are trivially fixable.
> Computers show errors on a daily basis and most of them are trivially fixable
As they say, "citation required". How do I fix my Windows Update 0x80070422 error? (And yeah, I know, don't use Windows -- but I have plenty of *ix examples as well...)
(Not just snarky - this does fix a large percentage of errors regular users encounter)
This is why I bought one of those OBD reader things so I can have more of an idea of what is actually going on. Not that I really understand anything that it says, I’m pretty clueless when it comes to car stuff, but it sure makes me feel better
The only time I ever got a check engine warning, the problem was obvious from the physical symptoms: cylinder misfiring. Well, I didn’t know what that was when it started happening, but now I do. Drove it to the mechanic and they replaced the spark plugs
But then, I'm a dev, not a normal person.
The annoying part for folks used to having control (eg power users) is that someone else decided that that was enough info for drivers. If you want the power-user car UI, you'll need to get out of the driver's seat and put on your mechanic hat. (Like sibling comment who purchased an ODBC reader.)
That's not enough information. At a minimum, there should be a way to distinguish between "you should make an appointment with a mechanic at your earliest convenience" and "pull over right now and call a tow truck, or you'll have to completely replace your engine and transmission".
No, it doesn't. The light comes on for routine maintenance that doesn't require a shop, and it comes on for things that might require a shop, but not urgently as well as things that are urgent.
I did get an ODBC reader just for this reason. But I shouldn't have had to. The car should just give me the code(s) itself.
> The annoying part for folks used to having control (eg power users) is that someone else decided that that was enough info for drivers.
I'm not annoyed at not having control. I'm annoyed that whoever decided that a single light gave enough information was incorrect.
Transparent error messages are more useful, and gatekeeping drivers with a connector and a list of codes should be considered unethical. Too many industries are trying to sell you something, but not let you make it yours or let you understand it. Before long, the value proposition will fall.