Worst Part of Buying a New Car – Glovebox Fabric

The fabric that lines a glovebox – and sometimes a centre console compartment – is easily the worst part of a new car.

Because see how it sheds?

It sticks to everything, is difficult to remove, and one time a hair got under my contact lens and I practically died from the pain.

I drive a new car every week so have been tracking this for years. It’s not localized to one automanufacturer, it’s across almost all of them, luxury or not.

Adding to my “potential column topics” spreadsheet, think I’ll investigate why it seems all badges are being held hostage to use the same sub-par fabric supplier.

 

 

Before & After Photos of my House Renovation

One year ago today I picked up the keys to my new house.

After pulling off the world’s fastest home purchase (real estate lawyer and bank’s words,) then the world’s fastest move, I lived on an air mattress for a couple months because it was a 3-season house that I winterized while living in it (it occurred to me while typing this I’ve slept on it 1/3 of a year.)

Let’s take a tour! First stop is the guest room.

I made the comforter set, I love sewing. And welded that guy.

In we go to the freshly painted crisp whiteness. I argue with everyone: no I don’t want colour in here. I am the colour.

Best joke of the renovation:

With 2 friends, walking into a hardware store that sells paint, “Careful Keri, there’s colour in here.”

Let’s take the tour upstairs and work our way down.

My office. Where the words come from.

Here’s an old closeup of my lanyard collection.

Typing Before & After on these photo collages is so satisfying holy crap.

The mirror makes all the difference eh, creates the illusion of space. Remember when it fell off the wall?

Most conflicting compliment of the renovation:

Checked out your blog, it looks like a home renovation show.

Good because means my documenting skills are sharp, bad because omg I run a home and decorating blog now? Ugh. Gonna create a DIY tag and smother myself with it.

Bathroom. Grey walls! Deviated from all-white, that’s huge for me.

When the electrician asked where to install the lights:

Me: eye level
Him: your eyes? That’s shorter than most, what about your guests?
Me: don’t care, my house, everything is to be my size

Can’t believe how much I’m now into infrastructure, and things like hot water tanks. Remember how gross the old one was? Remember all the insane things discovered during this project?

Minimalism always and forever.

Bedroom. Note the grey wall behind the headboard.

That’s not the best bed I ever made though, this one is.

We’ll conclude the tour with the kitchen.

Pendent lights are so classy eh.

Will conclude the tour with this.

Traded my old table for that one, it belonged to my neighbour. I was describing my dream table and he said wait, I have one in my shop basement. Come ON.

Took a year, but I have home owning under control now.

It was a steep learning curve though. Had no idea what I’d got myself into. Didn’t even have a plant, now I own trees.

Probably the best part are the neighbours that came with the house.

Finally, I’m pleased to report that with this post, the blog tag renovation is now closed, and it’s back to regularly scheduled programming here – Cars, Security and a Peek into my Life.

 

 

First Time a Vehicle is Remotely Hacked

WIRED magazine published a story yesterday about the world’s first documented wireless attack of a vehicle. A pair of security researchers put a journalist behind the wheel of a Jeep Cherokee and took control of it while he was driving miles away.

Read my synopsis on Autonet, here’s the original WIRED story by Andy Greenberg, and below are the key things to know.

This security update does NOT affect Canadian vehicles

I contacted Chrysler, and got this quote for Autonet:

“An FCA representative in Canada tells Autonet, “Due to market access to cellular connectivity in the Canadian marketplace, FCA Canada vehicles are not affected by this condition and therefore do not require a system upgrade.”

It does however, affect American vehicles, specifically American mid-2013 to 2015 Fiat-Chrysler vehicles that are equipped with the Uconnect infotainment system.

WIRED estimates about 417,000 are affected. Download the security update from FCA here, or take it to a dealership mechanic.

What happened to the car?

Radio, A/C and wipers were all turned on high, and Andy spun the control dials with zero affect. They altered the dashboard screen image.

They cut the transmission, and an 18-wheeler came barrelling up behind him, then they disengaged the brakes and sent Andy into a ditch.

They turned the SUV into a surveillance tool, tracking its GPS coordinates and tracing it on a map.

How was the car attacked?

The pair gain wireless control of the Cherokee via the vehicle’s Uconnect infotainment system which is connected to the Sprint network.

They enter the car through its cellular connection, then move to an adjacent chip in the head unit and rewrite the chip’s firmware to include their malicious code. Now they’re able to send commands through the car’s computer network – CAN bus – and control physical components like the brakes and transmission.

What’s next?

The pair will present their findings at the upcoming Black Hat online security conference in Vegas, as well as share their code. A key vulnerability will be omitted, but the code to do the dashboard tricks will hit the internet.

Why? They say 2 reasons: for peer review, and it “sends a message: automakers need to be held accountable for their vehicles’ digital security.”

Overall Takeaway

What Charlie said:

“We shut down your engine—a big rig was honking up on you because of something we did on our couch,” Miller says, as if I needed the reminder. “This is what everyone who thinks about car security has worried about for years. This is a reality.”

Related Blog Links

– I’d like to know if they can access the driver’s contacts? I don’t pair my phone to a car

– you’ve met this pair of security researchers – Charlier Miller briefly at Sector, and Chris Valasek for my column, and a press piece for Sector 2014

– sign I Am the Cavalry’s petition to the automakers, I did

– about the OBDII port

– there are over 100 computers in your car

– one of which is the black box – an EDR

– blog tag = auto security  – newspaper tag = auto security

– I was recently in Utah with Jeep, off-roading a Cherokee, Trailhawk trim.

They hacked a fun SUV.

 

 

Follow the Recommended Light Bulb Watts

It’s a sign the renovation is complete when the lights are hung from the ceiling. Today mine went up, a moment I’ve waited for for 8 months.

Went to the store, bought the wrong 25 watt bulbs, couldn’t handle more waiting, so used what I had on hand – the 40 watts.

Was upstairs organizing when I had a doubting thought, so I texted my electrician.

When that giant no came in I hurried to switch it all off. My electrician doesn’t use hyperbole. The guest room smelled faintly of burning.

The moment was so anti-climactic omg.

Max means max. 25 means 25.

He brought me these ones wow, never seen such fancy bulbs, they’re LEDs.

LEDs consume less energy to produce more light,
and will last 15+ years.

Now we know.

 

 

A Car Breathalyzer Device

When the law says you have to be sober before driving, a Breath Alcohol Ignition Interlock Device is installed.

You don’t technically blow, it’s more humming into the machine, and for longer than you may think. And it knows if it’s not you humming, and someone is trying to start the car for you.

It’s wired to the ignition.

Okay all clear, put it in drive and go. Then it will go off at random times, and the driver will have to blow clear again before they can continue.

It logs a record of when the car was started, and the driver must regularly meet with an officer to ensure things match up.

Kind’ve like – we’ll trust you but, you’ll still have to prove and account for things.

Related Column: About drunk driving checkpoints – here