“Changing Brake Pads on a Hyundai Ioniq 5 N Requires a Skilled Mechanic’s Login.”
You most likely noticed that headline or one thing prefer it all around the web, and the premise was easy: Any individual was complaining that “specialised laptop gear” was required to vary the brake pads on their Ioniq5 N.
That costly gear was solely obtainable to skilled mechanics vetted by a 3rd social gathering. “The Drive” dug by way of Hyundai’s personal tech documentation, concluding that, partially, “no, a DIYer can not do their very own brakes on a Hyundai Ioniq 5 N.”
Positioned without any consideration to restore tragedy–and rightfully so–this took the web by storm and generated sufficient hate to make the story go viral. The gist of the feedback: Computer systems in vehicles are dangerous, they usually spoil every little thing for automotive lovers. When you possibly can’t even put brake pads by yourself monitor automobile, what probability do automobile folks have on this fashionable world?
Right here’s my counterargument: Each single time a automobile will get extra wiring, we repeat this very same cycle. And I’m uninterested in it.
First we get new electronics in a automobile. Then we get sensational complaints that hotrodding is lifeless. Then the neighborhood figures out easy methods to crack into the system, so a tenuous truce is realized. And eventually, the lovers understand their newfound energy and exploit the system for their very own profit.
Bear in mind when EFI was going to spoil the Mustang? Or how physique management modules had been going to render all vehicles unrepairable and unmodifiable without end? Or how stability management was going to make it not possible to go on monitor? Or how direct injection was going to make including energy a factor of the previous? Precisely. Loads of individuals are nonetheless racing vehicles, and each single expertise talked about is getting used to make them quicker than ever.
Don’t take my enthusiasm for computer systems as a protection of OEMs’ tendencies to disregard our proper to restore. We have to preserve advocating for open entry to instruments, manuals and elements, and we can not let “however the computer systems!” stand as a legitimate excuse for stopping us from engaged on our vehicles.
Ignoring or dismissing expertise isn’t how we’ll preserve our entry. That’s the trail to justifying conserving us from it, and we can not say that it’s simply too sophisticated for us to perceive.
In fact, there’s a prerequisite to engaged on fashionable vehicles: You have to purchase a succesful, bidirectional scan instrument, and you should discover ways to use it. Each new automobile bought in America has had an OBD II port for 30 years, so at this level complaining about needing a scan instrument is about as fascinating as your dad complaining that he had to purchase a complete new set of metric instruments within the ’80s. On the intense aspect, you most likely received’t want to purchase that distributor tester or that field of carburetor jets. Automobiles evolve, and so do the instruments we use to restore them. Scanners are not any completely different.
Which scan instrument must you purchase? That’s an even bigger subject than I can slot in a column, however I’m an enormous fan of my trusty Autel MaxiPro MP808K. I spent $560 of my very own cash to purchase it again in 2022.
Relying on what I’m engaged on, I’ll increase it with an OBD II dongle paired with all method of apps on my cellphone or laptop, often third-party software program that digs deeper into an OEM’s programs than the Autel can or will. In the event you solely work on one automobile–or one make of automobile–you would possibly even be capable of get away with one in every of these dongle choices and skip the massive normal scan instrument.
What’s the upside to all this complexity? Take our latest Volkswagen GTI project car for instance. By nothing greater than its OBD II port, I used to be ready so as to add almost 50 horsepower, change the texture of the brake pedal, and make its limited-slip differential lock extra aggressively. I used to be additionally in a position to rapidly and appropriately diagnose its issues.
Scream at clouds all you need, however it might take way over a scan instrument to perform this together with your ’65 Mustang. Computer systems do have their upsides, and anybody who’s ever fought with a rusty, sticking parking brake cable can let you know why digital parking brakes may be lighter, less complicated and extra dependable.
Which brings me to the 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5 N that began this story. I suppose it’s time to return clear about one thing: Six months earlier than that proprietor complained, earlier than that article was revealed, earlier than it was declared not possible by different media retailers, I modified brake pads on a 2025 Ioniq 5 N. Twice. I even did it in a car parking zone, with nothing greater than the fundamental instruments we carried on the Tire Rack One Lap of America Offered by Grassroots Motorsports.
[One Lap of America Day 0: Readying our Hyundai Ioniq 5 N]
And I did certainly encounter error codes and points after swapping the rear brake pads. Then I mounted them with my trusty scan instrument. I didn’t need to name up Hyundai, didn’t have to purchase specialised gear, and definitely didn’t need to show to anybody that I used to be an expert (ha!). It was simply one other day on the monitor, and it was simply one other automobile.
What’s the ethical of this story? Purchase a scan instrument. Use it to maintain combating in your proper to restore. And above all else, don’t let fashionable expertise preserve you from engaged on fashionable vehicles.
Feedback
My Camaro V6 1LE additionally wanted an Autel to retract the EPB – I will have to recollect to seize my pitchforks for these pesky American vehicles too.
Hey Tom, can that Autel learn the difficulty codes from the Hyundai/Kia BCM? I’ve received a Kia Sorento which will or could not want an AC compressor and I have to verify for any hassle codes within the BCM/HVAC module earlier than I reload the elements cannon (or simply quit and ship it to a professional).
Tom Suddard stated:
Each new automobile bought in America has had an OBD II port for 30 years, so at this level complaining about needing a scan instrument is about as fascinating as your dad complaining that he had to purchase a complete new set of metric instruments within the ’80s.
Pedant alert:
From my understanding, because the laws surrounding it are written, OBDII is particularly for emissions. As an EV has “no emissions” it does not require an OBDII port and a few haven’t got it.
California legislation is altering that as of 2026 fashions, from what I perceive
Tom Suddard stated:
Each new automobile bought in America has had an OBD II port for 30 years, so at this level complaining about needing a scan instrument is about as fascinating as your dad complaining that he had to purchase a complete new set of metric instruments within the ’80s.
I like the obdii port on my previous vehicles as a result of it tells me issues like which cylinder has the misfire or that my MAP has gone dangerous. I do not like that newer vehicles use that port with particular software program for doing brake pads.
I feel the vital a part of that is that OBD2 is an open normal — there’s a revealed specification on the market and anybody can implement a scan instrument that reads the usual codes, whereas brake piston retraction is just not part of this normal, it’s manufacturer-specific extension. Furthermore based on the unique article, Hyundai neither sells a instrument to people to permit them to make use of this extension, nor do they publish a typical telling different folks easy methods to do it (*). The third-party scan instrument firms often need to reverse-engineer the protocol, they purchase a automobile and play with it to determine easy methods to do the issues which might be wanted to keep up it.
These guys are fairly good at reverse-engineering, however that’s mainly solely true as a result of producers like Hyundai don’t typically put a lot effort into hiding the best way to do that. They don’t seem to be utilizing cryptographic authentication between the scan instrument and the automobile’s laptop, so it is attainable to easily monitor what packets the manufacturing facility instrument sends whenever you challenge a selected command, file them, after which arrange the third social gathering instrument to ship the identical ones. That is what’s often called a “replay assault” in laptop safety circles, and methods for defending in opposition to it are well-known. Hyundai is not utilizing these methods at present, however there’s nothing stopping them from doing it apart from public opinion.
So whereas Hyundai is not as far down this street as John Deere, I feel it is a mistake to reduce and mock the importance of them not promoting a factory-approved instrument for conducting primary upkeep. Hyundai’s actions ship the message that they don’t imagine that it can be crucial for his or her prospects to have the ability to do their very own upkeep, and it is only a quick hop from there to an all-out battle on end-user repairs.
This isn’t a luddite, anti-technology viewpoint. Tech built-in into vehicles could be a great point, nevertheless it must be open and obtainable for finish prospects to entry.
(*) I ought to add that that is “so far as I do know”. In the event that they do publish it then that is a unique story.
Many producers permit for a service mode with out the necessity for a scan instrument.
I am with codrus. Openness is vital right here, you be shocked how closed a few of these normal obd2 programs have gotten. Attempt to do something however pull codes on something stellantis launched after the WL or any model new Nissan together with your aftermarket bi directional scanner.
Opti stated:
Many producers permit for a service mode with out the necessity for a scan instrument.
Service options ought to be obtainable by way of the info-tainment display.
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