maxtortheone
Chicken Fiddler
Does it have a front McPherson suspension? Might be the top mounting point of the shock that rotates on a rubber bushing in order to steer.
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Criminals find the key to car immobilisers
For 16 years, car immobilisers have kept car thieves at bay ? but that may now be changing
AFTER a 16-year decline, car theft in Germany rose in 2009, according to figures released recently by the German Insurance Association. One "white hat" hacker, who probes security systems to flag up flaws that can then be patched, thinks he knows why. Karsten Nohl of Security Research Labs in Berlin, Germany, has identified vulnerabilities in the engine immobilisers used to protect modern cars from theft.
A device fitted within the key fob of a modern car broadcasts an encrypted radio signal to the car as the driver starts the vehicle. If the signal is recognised by the car's receiver, it responds by sending an encrypted signal to the engine control unit (ECU), which allows the car to start. If the driver tries using the incorrect car key fob, the ECU locks down the engine.
For over a decade, immobilisers have played a crucial role in reducing car theft, says Nohl. But the proprietary encryption keys used to transmit data between the key fob, receiver and engine are so poorly implemented on some cars (see "Castles built on sand") that they are readily cracked, Nohl told the Embedded Security in Cars conference, in Bremen, Germany, last month.
Last year he took just 6 hours to uncover the algorithm used to create the encryption key in a widely used immobiliser - the Hitag 2 made by Dutch firm NXP Semiconductors - making it easy to "de-immobilise" any car using that algorithm. And in 2005 Ari Juels of RSA Labs in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and researchers at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, took under an hour to crack an encryption system sold by US technology firm Texas Instruments.
Juels says that these cracks were possible because the proprietary algorithms that the firms use to encode the cryptographic keys shared between the immobiliser and receiver, and receiver and engine do not match the security offered by openly published versions such as the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) adopted by the US government to encrypt classified information. Furthermore, in both cases the encryption key was way too short, says Nohl. Most cars still use either a 40 or 48-bit key, but the 128-bit AES - which would take too long to crack for car thieves to bother trying - is now considered by security professionals to be a minimum standard. It is used by only a handful of car-makers.
"To our knowledge the direct causal link between the failure to adopt AES systems and the rise in car theft cannot be drawn," says Thomas Rudolph of NXP. And a Texas Instruments spokesperson argues that in some cases the firm's proprietary cryptographic systems have been shown to be stronger than AES.
Nevertheless, both NXP and Texas Instruments say they have been phasing out their shorter encryption key systems, and both now offer 128-bit AES.
Convincing car-makers to adopt the new systems remains a challenge, says Juels. He thinks they still believe hacking is a minor problem compared with more direct ways of stealing cars. "The reaction we got was that it would be cheaper to use a flatbed truck."
Castles built on sand
Karsten Nohl's assessment of dozens of car makes and models found weaknesses in the way immobilisers are integrated with the rest of the car's electronics.
The immobiliser unit should be connected securely to the vehicle's electronic engine control unit, using the car's internal data network. But these networks often use weaker encryption than the immobiliser itself, making them easier to crack.
What's more, one manufacturer was even found to use the vehicle ID number as the supposedly secret key for this internal network. The VIN, a unique serial number used to identify individual vehicles, is usually printed on the car. "It doesn't get any weaker than that," Nohl says.
the built in security systems help it get stolen.
Thanks and will do. But I doubt it's a lack of steering fluid since it is almost definitely connected to the rainy conditions.
Does it have a front McPherson suspension? Might be the top mounting point of the shock that rotates on a rubber bushing in order to steer.
Hmm, it could be your PS reservoir cap, which might be bad and is pumping in moisture which ruins the fluid.
I haven't a clue what type of suspension the MkVI GTI uses, but I found this page which says the front suspension is of the "strut with anti-roll bars" variety.
Front axle:
Independent suspension, McPherson struts
My grandmother needs a new car. She doesn't want one because her current 1993(ish) Chrysler Concorde still drives places. The trouble is, you have to stand on the gas pedal for several seconds and hold the key to try and start it, like a poorly adjusted carbed car. Usually it takes two tries to start it. Then it throws out a bluish smoke cloud from the exhaust once it does catch and start. Once it starts, the ventilation system inside makes a grinding/clicking noise like the fan is catching on something. Then the whole car starts to vibrate at idle, which goes away when driving but starts up again while stopped at a light or something. It's stranded her out on the road once or twice due to battery or electrical issues, too. The whole thing just feels unsafe to ride in as well, most of the family agrees with this and thinks she needs a new one. I don't think she's safe in this car.
Ugh, I wish we could find her a suitable replacement cheap enough the family could pool together to buy it for her, because she will not buy a new one since she doesn't have the money now.
Is she one of those elder people who only drives Domestic cars?
You could probably pick up a Lincoln or Caddy (90s model) for relatively inexpesive from an equally elderly person. Usually they are 1 owner cars that have been dealer serviced.
Either that or if she doesn't mind a Honda Accord/Civic is always an option.
I hate to say it, but if her reasoning is that the car still moves under its own power then maybe it's time for it to not do that anymore. Maybe a critical relay could meet with an accident about the same time the family just happened to buy a spare car.
Miata.doesn't sit very low to the ground, has four doors and has space
My grandmother needs a new car. She doesn't want one because her current 1993(ish) Chrysler Concorde still drives places. The trouble is, you have to stand on the gas pedal for several seconds and hold the key to try and start it, like a poorly adjusted carbed car. Usually it takes two tries to start it. Then it throws out a bluish smoke cloud from the exhaust once it does catch and start. Once it starts, the ventilation system inside makes a grinding/clicking noise like the fan is catching on something. Then the whole car starts to vibrate at idle, which goes away when driving but starts up again while stopped at a light or something. It's stranded her out on the road once or twice due to battery or electrical issues, too. The whole thing just feels unsafe to ride in as well, most of the family agrees with this and thinks she needs a new one. I don't think she's safe in this car.
Ugh, I wish we could find her a suitable replacement cheap enough the family could pool together to buy it for her, because she will not buy a new one since she doesn't have the money now.
Miata.
Another option would be to simply repair the thing. Unless I miss my guess, the engine issues are a dead/dying temp sensor and it needs the usual plugs/wires/etc. ignition tuneup (which isn't a lot of fun on the 3.5, but it could suck worse.) Also probably needs to have the idle air controller cleaned and checked. The fan is likely to either need a new impeller or have the leaves cleaned out of its case. Electrical issues are likely a wonky alternator. Neighbor has one of those things (as did one of my friends in college) and those were common issues. None of these is actually a huge problem and the cars are surprisingly sturdy.
I suspect you could fix all the problems and rebush the suspension plus fit new shocks/struts for not much more than $1500.
Edit: As for the parking - Target is selling a laser parking system for $20. Even if you get her a smaller car, she will probably continue parking by Braille, so save the drywall repairs; just buy one and install it for her.
Ford Five Hundred? Safe, good fuel economy, nicely sized, has elevated front seats that were originally intended to woo downsizing SUV owners but could also benefit older people...
My grandmother needs a new car. She doesn't want one because her current 1993(ish) Chrysler Concorde still drives places. The trouble is, you have to stand on the gas pedal for several seconds and hold the key to try and start it, like a poorly adjusted carbed car. Usually it takes two tries to start it. Then it throws out a bluish smoke cloud from the exhaust once it does catch and start. Once it starts, the ventilation system inside makes a grinding/clicking noise like the fan is catching on something. Then the whole car starts to vibrate at idle, which goes away when driving but starts up again while stopped at a light or something. It's stranded her out on the road once or twice due to battery or electrical issues, too. The whole thing just feels unsafe to ride in as well, most of the family agrees with this and thinks she needs a new one. I don't think she's safe in this car.
Ugh, I wish we could find her a suitable replacement cheap enough the family could pool together to buy it for her, because she will not buy a new one since she doesn't have the money now.