https://www.motor1.com/news/763868/audi-nail-in-tire-fail/ When a nail punctures a tire, it doesn’t just trigger the tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS). In modern cars, particularly high-tech vehicles like Audis, a single low-pressure reading ripples through interconnected safety systems. Wheel-speed sensors used by the anti-lock braking system (ABS) and electronic stability control feed tire pressure data throughout the car. If one tire spins faster due to low pressure, the ABS control computer registers it as under-inflation. It can trigger faults in stability control, traction control, adaptive cruise, and even parking brake modules.
The system architecture is safety-first. When one sensor flags an anomaly, the car’s logic treats it like a spider-web collapse: The more faults it detects, the more modules it deactivates or restricts. The tech in the TikTok video described dozens of “hard faults,” from park brake to driver assistance systems, all because one sensor reported out-of-range values.
Techs—whether at dealerships or independent shops—are increasingly frustrated by the rise of “software creep.” What used to be a straightforward tire plug-and-inflate operation now necessitates deep software engagements, including scanning the car’s systems, erasing fault codes, and conducting calibration drive cycles.
Can I just ignore the codes?:Only if all those systems remain functional. The ABS light, stability control, and TPMS alerts often interlock. Ignoring codes can result in degraded braking performance, ineffective traction control, and cancelled adaptive cruise or lane-keeping functions.
Do I need a dealership for this?:Yes, unless you have fully OEM-compliant diagnostic gear. Independent shops rarely get full system access, and many DIY techs remain locked out of the reprogramming functions needed to clear multiple modules.
Are electric vehicles and luxury brands worse?:Yes. More sensors, more ECUs, more operational transconductance amplifier update layers. Plus, regen braking in EVs relies heavily on TPMS and ABS feedback. Even a minor tire pressure anomaly can hamper battery management and regenerative functions.
I haven’t, but then (thank goodness for the umpteenth time) husband and I only purchase and drive cheap worn out but mostly simple stupid sturdy jalopies.
Electronic creep is going to try to get me, but I plan on quitting cars in about 5-10 years after the current jalopies both go hopeless, and then to shift to electric bicycles and golf carts for neighborhood shopping and socializing, and hiring drivers with their own cars for longer trips.
I have software for my '06 F150 where I can check codes, reset them, but won’t even try on our '23 RAV4… My now retired independent mechanic spent tons of time & money to stay up on the latest auto systems, had laptops for each company, whether GM, Ford, SAAB, or Mercedes. The software he used cost him a lot, as in $10k or more, but to be in the business, required… So now I had to find another mechanic, they were stumped by a Brake warning light on my F150, I’ve researched, found it to be a cold solder connection on the dash, but since it doesn’t affect my use, I haven’t bothered to tear it apart and re-solder it, so far.. So, not impressed with my new guy… The RAV4, no way I’ll dig into it, so will hit the dealer if ever needed… No more shade tree mechanics! Gone are the days of simple plugs n points, maybe carb cleanup… All software!
I wonder if it will really be a big seller. There are two things that remain to be seen:
Will it really be priced at $20,000 after tax credits, etc. I very strongly suspect that it will be priced closer to $30,000 and perhaps even over $30,000 in most configurations.
Do the consumers really want a stripped down vehicle? All recent evidence shows that most consumers like the creature comforts that modern cars provide (electric windows, etc).
Sure, but I bet a lot of campsite creatures, preppers, and low-income rurals would like to have a no-frills truck that would serve most needs of, well, what a pick-up used to be used for.
When the Ford Maverick came out, in 2022, it started at $20K. People were clamoring for them, but, I kept hearing chatter that you could not get one. Ford sold nearly twice as many Mavericks in 24 as they did in 22, but the price has escalated nearly 50%. now pushing $30k, what with the tariff adjustment Ford recently added to this Mexican built model. on top of all the other price increases.
So, was the scarcity of the Maverick in 22 a sinister conspiracy to not sell very many, so as to not degrade the company’s ATP and GP metrics? Now that ATP and GP have been escalated, now the company is willing to sell more? Or are people really that stupid with their money, that the higher price attracts more customers?
Happened to watch a road test of a new Maverick in “Lobo” trim this morning. The guys commented that, optioned up as their tester, the thing stickers for $42,000, it still drives like a tin can.
That is what I said, wrt increased sales volume. The 2022 Maverick was only available as a hybrid, with the XL trim at $19,995, but the chatter was you could not find one to buy. A 2025 Maverick XL hybrid starts at $29,840, but now, dealers have them in stock. So, do people find the trucks more attractive, now that Ford has juiced the price 50%, or was Ford restricting availability when the price was low?
I do! I want a truck to do truck stuff. The Slate is about the same size as a Toyota SR5. Perfect size for what I want. But you can’t buy anything like that anymore. I want to pick up 4x8 sheets of drywall and take stuff to the dump. Easy to park, fuel efficient, gets the job done. Factory car stereos suck, so I’m putting in my own speakers anyway. Factory Nav systems get dated, and I’m using Carplay anyway, so I’ll bring my own iPad.
Here are some things I do not want at all or at a minimum I’m unwilling to pay for:
Touchscreen controls (barf)
Adaptive air suspension
Steer by wire
Biowarfare defense mode
Exoskeleton
Motorized cargo bed cover.
Cargo bed LED lighting strips.
I’m just going to the dump and Home Depot, I’m not taking on the Terminator. Just give me a practical vehicle that is designed to do work and I’m on board.
I’d love one. What I’d really love to get rid of is as much of the electronics as possible. I realize they’re necessary for engine and transmission control to meet emissions standards. And ABS/Traction Control for safety. Those are good uses. But why do I need computer controlled lighting? Or windows? Or door locks? Or entertainment system?
I don’t necessarily mind some of those things, but they all add to complexity and expense - both initially and for repairs/maintenance.
Take my 2013 Mercedes Sprinter, for example. It’s got the following - engine control module, transmission control module (yes, those are separate), body control module (handles interior and exterior lighting, windows, door locks), “security” module (can’t remember the proper name for it, but it senses the electronic key and authorizes the engine start), trailer lighting module, special module (handles the electronic step and extras that an upfitter - such as an RV company - might add after manufacture), driver door module, passenger door module, electronic step module, instrument module, and I’m probably missing a couple more. These all communicate with each other over the CANBUS, which can be thought of as Ethernet for your car. And that’s a 12 year old car. Newer ones are even worse.
When something goes wrong, the mechanic - who is part computer technician and part wrench turner - has to plug his/her multi-thousand dollar computer into the car to see what is going wrong. The official Mercedes computer is something like a $30k - 40k up front cost plus several thousand more per user per year. Granted, Mercedes is on the high end here. Toyota’s diagnostic computer is significantly less - they have publicly said they need independent techs to help maintain their cars because they sell too many around the world to have them all serviced by dealerships. So they help those independents out by making their diagnostic computers affordable.
There’s much to be said for functional simplicity. My second car is a 1998 Chevy Suburban - very inexpensive to buy used and maintain. Parts readily available, since it has much in common with the Chevy/GM pickup trucks of the same era. It is functional and simple.
I have been waiting and waiting for a compact pickup EV. I think there will be a market for us hyper-practical cheapskates. I’m surprised this hasn’t come along sooner, but maybe not with endless push by oems to sell on the higher end.
On related note,
All tire pressure sensors on both of my old vehicles were out, 8 sensors. Not worth $ to value ratio for me to repair.
While researching online, I came across a comment that suggested this repair:
“Place piece of black electrical tape over low pressure indicator light on instrument panel.”
I went with an even lower cost solution:
“Ignore low pressure indicator light on instrument panel.”
But the automakers don’t want to sell to hyper-practical cheapskates. They have trained the stock market to look at ATP and GP. So, by starting at the bottom of their product line, and progressively cutting whatever has the lowest ATP and GP, they automatically increase those metrics. That being said, that $30,000 Maverick hybrid today, looks like just as much of a beer can as the $20,000 2022 model did. A dealer near me has three of them in stock: white, black cloth interior, and steel wheels. Everything about it screams “CHEAP”, except the price.
Strangely demented status linked junk. Station wagons made so much more sense if you were hauling people, and 2-3 seat pick-ups with beds big carrying a flat load of plywood for doing work of whatever sort.
