Pay up or your car engine will stop

[RaVen Blackehart]

With consumer credit ratings plummeting, more American car owners could soon be driving around with an electronic Big Brother on board.
Shut-off devices give audio and flashing light warnings before the vehicle's power is cut.

Shut-off devices give audio and flashing light warnings before the vehicle's power is cut.

Business is booming for makers of shut-off devices, which turn engines off when car payments are late. Sales at one manufacturer, Littleton, Colorado-based Passtime, are up 33 percent over last year. CEO Stan Schwarz says the company is cranking up production to meet the demand.

"Right now, we are moving about 2,000 units a month into the marketplace," Schwarz says. "I fully expect by the end of the year we will be up to 14,000 to 15,000 a month,"

While the devices have mostly been used in the subprime auto loan market, other lenders are looking closely at the technology, manufacturers say. It's no mystery why interest in the gadgets soaring: the creditworthiness of American consumers is declining as they lose jobs in record numbers and find it harder to tap into home equity

http://www.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/wayoflife/04/17/aa.bills.shut.engine.down/index.html?iref=werecommend

[sanityslipping]

This could probably be a safety hazard if it just turns off, I mean, you can't always get your car somewhere decent to stop.

How late do the payments have to be before it's shut off? I mean, sometimes you're like a day late because you get paid on friday, and the payment is due on thursday.

And, is this supposed to be some sort of alternative to the repo man? Or does it make the repo man's job easier?

How long does it take to get the car turned back on after you make the payment? Is there an extra fee in that?

I wouldn't buy a car that had this installed, and I always pay my bills.

[Dakota Valkyrie]

Loan companies and auto dealers that use this device usually deal with people that have such bad credit they could not get a car otherwise. They don't pay their bills in the first place. They get charged high interest rates and may have a device like this and other restriction on the deal. It's not something the normal car buyer has to worry about.

The devices are usually controlled remotely by the dealer or lender and are linked to the vehicle's powertrain. They usually cut out the power several days after the payment is due. Before the deadline, the driver is treated to a concert of tones and flashing indicators signaling that the deadline is approaching. There are also warnings after the deadline has passed.

[...]
Numerous safeguards are built-in, the manufacturers say. The devices won't shut down the engine while the vehicle is moving, and consumers can extend the car's operation in an emergency. Contracts spell out that the device is present on the vehicle.
Related technology can also be used as an anti-theft device.

In one more example of how cars are developing minds of their own, GM recently introduced its "Stolen Vehicle Slowdown," as an option on a number of models, including the Cadillac Escalade and the Chevrolet Silverado. The automaker is in the process of making it available on all its model lines.

If the vehicle is stolen, customers call OnStar, and its staff locates the vehicle using a GPS device and then gives police the location, says James Kobus, a communications manager at the company.

"If the police start closing in, and they notify us that the conditions are right, we can slow that vehicle down." A light on the instrument panel signals "Engine Power Is Reduced" and the car idles down to about three miles per hour.
Cool.

[malq]

Cool? yes if it stays used for that.
If the govt wants you for anything else will the hesitate to slow your car down? Sounds preposterous but so did a building permit 40 years ago.

[Dakota Valkyrie]

No where in that article did it say anything about the government. The closest it got is the having cops calling On-Star to have a stolen vehicle shut down (by a device the owner had installed).

If I owned a big ticket car in a heavy crime area, I would have this. I would prefer they stop my stolen car this way over using stop sticks.

It is lenders that a concerned about their collateral when dealing with a notoriously bad group of borrowers. It's been around for years and is far safer (and easier) than repo men sneaking up on cars in the night.

The government is not requiring or suggesting anyone put this on their car.

[Peeperann]

I know a person in Michigan that bought a car from a company that did this. It was about 5 years ago, he actually popped the hood and after about 4 hours of work was able to pull it out not worry about it anymore.

Granted, he was huge slacker and never worked and eventually they found him and the car and repo'd it.

His car would start this high pitched whining noise a day before the computer chip was going to shut the car off for non payment so he knew it was coming.

So they need to make it harder to take out of the car.........

[McQuest]

there's got to be a way to bypass or remove it.
I want a skeleton controller for them, that would be great if everyone around you was pissing you off.

[malq]

No where in that article did it say anything about the government. The closest it got is the having cops calling On-Star to have a stolen vehicle shut down (by a device the owner had installed).

If I owned a big ticket car in a heavy crime area, I would have this. I would prefer they stop my stolen car this way over using stop sticks.

It is lenders that a concerned about their collateral when dealing with a notoriously bad group of borrowers. It's been around for years and is far safer (and easier) than repo men sneaking up on cars in the night.

The government is not requiring or suggesting anyone put this on their car.
Thanks for the correction, but I am well aware the article did not mention the government. You are supposed to read between the lines and assume the government will want to use it. Its plausible in the future that that may be controlled.

[Dakota Valkyrie]

Thanks for the correction, but I am well aware the article did not mention the government. You are supposed to read between the lines and assume the government will want to use it. Its plausible in the future that that may be controlled.Oh great! I haven't even learned to read minds yet and now I have to figure out between lines, too? :rofl: I can't even figure out what I want to say, half the time. (You should see how long it takes me to compose a post!)

I would invent glasses that help, but the government would probably put them to use too. :)

[LDhummingbird]

No where in that article did it say anything about the government. The closest it got is the having cops calling On-Star to have a stolen vehicle shut down (by a device the owner had installed).

If I owned a big ticket car in a heavy crime area, I would have this. I would prefer they stop my stolen car this way over using stop sticks.

It is lenders that a concerned about their collateral when dealing with a notoriously bad group of borrowers. It's been around for years and is far safer (and easier) than repo men sneaking up on cars in the night.

The government is not requiring or suggesting anyone put this on their car.

But there are some people who automatically distrust the government because of a bad track record. I mean, look at the Social Security program. Don't get me wrong, I *love* being American, but despite loving to take the piss out of Pete Bondurant and his ilk, I'm way more a libertarian than a socialist. If there was a way to effectively run a country while staying out of everyone's business as much as humanly possible, I'd be all for it.

[LDhummingbird]

I know a person in Michigan that bought a car from a company that did this. It was about 5 years ago, he actually popped the hood and after about 4 hours of work was able to pull it out not worry about it anymore....

I guarantee you my dad would figure out a way to work around it. My dad is the redneck king of making cars run that should in no way be street-legal.

[Castille]

But there are some people who automatically distrust the government because of a bad track record.

Oh come on, I won't sign up for a grocery store car so my buying habits aren't recorded. I won't get an EZ pass for tolls because I object on principle to a having an electronic record kept of my travel. You think for a minute I'd volunarily get a device on my car that could remotely slow it to a virtual stop when I think onstar is too intrusive as it is? Hahaha! It's the principle of the thing, dammit! At least I can laugh at myself for my privacy focused crazy. :crazy:

[Athena]

I'm glad DV pointed out that this is really only going to be utilized for the high-risk market. I mean, you people watch TV, right? Damn near every other car manufacturer is offering to pay your bill should you lose your job. Introducing something like this would be as contradictory as it gets.

Personally, I think this is a great idea. Don't like it? Pay your fucking bill. Of course, should the government ever try to mandate something like this (like they're attempting to mandate interlock ignition devices in some places), I'd be 100% against it.

Let the market work. It does pretty well solving its own problems.

Oh, and I'm moving this to Three Things. :happy:

[Pazuzu]

Thanks for the correction, but I am well aware the article did not mention the government. You are supposed to read between the lines and assume the government will want to use it. Its plausible in the future that that may be controlled.

*shifty eyes*

[Dakota Valkyrie]

...when I think onstar is too intrusive as it is? Hahaha! It's the principle of the thing, dammit! At least I can laugh at myself for my privacy focused crazy. :crazy:
I LOVE my On Star! LOL My car emails me every month with the diagnostics of engine checks. Far more reliable than my husband! When idiot lights come on, I just push a button and they will tell me what's wrong. Those are just silly things, though, as we have it mainly for crash and roadside assistance. I can freely take off for Montana and the boonies with less worry... even in winter.

If I didn't have On-Star, the government could still find me via the cell phone, so I might as well get a kick out of my car emailing me.

[Zealant]

Some individuals have such poor credit this is probably the only way they can get an auto loan. I guess if the borrower knows up front, and it's the only way they can get themselves to work every day, then maybe it's not such a bad idea for the credit scores of sub 500.