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Comment by jcgrillo | Hacker News Reader

On some cars (recent VWs in particular) when you plug the battery back in you need to twiddle some settings in the computer otherwise the charging circuit will fry the battery prematurely. We've gotten ahead of our skis with this nonsense, time to rein it in.

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This issue is notorious for BMW cars. You have to notify the ECU each time you install a new battery.

Ahhh, "program a new battery" $400 please.

It's hard to imagine an interpretation of this behavior that doesn't involve manufacturers trying to punish independent mechanics and end users who service their own cars. Like, there's no way it's an "honest mistake", right?

BTW I have an AGM ("advanced glass mat") battery in my 1995 Toyota which has a completely analog charging system, and it doesn't get cooked, so it's not because there's something special about the battery.

Don't attribute to malice what can easily be explained by overstressed Systems Engineers trying to resolve multiple conflicting Requirements.

My point is there was absolutely no need for the System Engineers to touch the charging system. The normal analog diode rectifier variety that has been standard since the 1960s is Good Enough. No "Innovation" Needed. Take your spacecamp nerds elsewhere.

Sure, you MUST know better than the BMW engineers who designed the feature we have zero information about.

at this point anything is possible: they barely write the specs

https//www.heise.de/en/news/BMW-Huge-recall-and-profit-warning-due-to-defective-Conti-brakes-9864793.html

Engineers often do stuff without any thought of maintenance. Just ask mechanics/maintenance personnel.

Having performed repairs on a BMW motorcycle, I am quite aware. It is a good point, but I highly doubt that it would play a role in this case. There must be something there that we are missing.

"Somebody needed to get promoted"

That's because BMW ECUs adapt to the lower voltage as the battery ages and instruct the alternator/charger to provide more current. Replace the battery and the ECU would cause it to be overcharged unless you notify it of the replacement. Yes it's an over-engineered system, but ... German car.

Sounds like an afterbender straightener architecture.

Rein. It’s about controlling a horse, not an entire nation.

Thanks, I blame phone autocorrect

It's always champing at the bit

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