Have anyone noticed, that after care lease the company offering some free engine software upgrade. After that upgrade you get engine signs?

[Kelly6]

Are this engine upgrade software some bugs so you get problems and start fixing your car.

why don’t these engine software come when car is under lease and all mechanic service are free.

[MrOracle]

For the last 20 years, and ESPECIALLY for about the last 7 years, almost the entire auto industry has been an absolute DISASTER.

A large part of that has been the EPA and CAFE (mileage) standards. This big push to make cars "green" and to force increased gas mileage has forced manufacturers to do stupid things in order to achieve these mileage standards. It started with things like cylinder deactivation (turning off the fuel to some cylinders on the freeway) and start-stop features (turning off the engine when you are stopped at a light, and automatically starting it again when you hit the gas). Both of these were bad for engines and starters, but it was only the beginning.

About 7 years ago, the next tier of mileage requirements kicked in, which were even more strict, and so manufacturers have had to use smaller engines to reach mileage requirements, and add turbos to these smaller engines to be able to make similar power to the bigger engines they replaced. The problem is that these smaller engines are being WAY overstressed, and they're simply not built for that kind of stress. All of the major manufacturers - GM, Ford, RAM, Toyota - all have engine recalls of 100,000 or more engines because they are failing after only 30-40,000 miles - sometimes even less. And it can take up to 6 months to get a replacement engine, AND the replacement engine is the exact same design with the exact same problem that caused a failure in the first place. Some people are on their 4th engine.

But this doesn't just affect trucks and SUVs - even small cars have the same problem. Honda has been making bullet-proof Civic and Accord engines for decades, but the new ones with smaller turbo-charged engines are having the same failures - oil dilution and worn out bearings leading to total engine failure.

THEN we have to talk about all of the software stuff. Modern cars have become completely computerized, BUT, car companies are NOT software companies, and they tend to write terrible software - yet you are now completely dependent on that software. On an old car, your heater worked with manual controls that moved cables. On a new car, the software controls an actuator motor - or, well, it's supposed to. Whether it actually does or not depends on how well the software is working - and often, it doesn't.

And all these software problems are happening at a time when they're already losing tons of money on bad engines and recall programs, and software development is expensive - so they're now trying to make things subscription-based so they can make more money. The whole thing is a disaster.

The only company doing cars right at the moment is Tesla, but Tesla doesn't offer a vehicle for every application - if you need an F350 pickup, there's no Tesla equivalent. But the Model Y is the best selling car world-wide for good reason - if a crossover SUV is what you want to drive, and if you can charge at home, it's nearly impossible to beat a Model Y.

If you have a 10-20 year old car, and you can keep it for 5+ more years, even if you have to spend some money on it, I *STRONGLY* recommend that you do, because, other than a Tesla, you almost certainly can't buy a car that's as good as the car you have, because virtually all new cars are a disaster right now, across every brand. I've driven Hondas and Toyotas for 35 years, and that's what I've purchased for my entire family, but I wouldn't go near a new one today, even if it were 50% off. Many of these companies will be bankrupt in the next 5 years - they're already so screwed that they're only still alive because of inertia, but that's going to catch up to them.

[Tarifa]

Software should be conceived from the start to work correctly with your engine. It's a common concern that the more electronics a car has, the harder it gets to find a problem and to fix it. My mechanic can fix any engine from the 1960s and 1970s. With a modern car, he doesn't know until he hooks it up to a computer.

It also depends on the brand and model of the car. Some models are known to develop problems early on. My car has done 160,000 miles (255,000 km) and still going strong. Just regular maintenance keeps it on the road.

[Tarifa]

Thanks for the MHO.

[RandomGirl42]

I really don't know since I've never had a new car and my dad usually fixes my old Jeep if it needs repairs.

[XXblack88]

No I don't have a car with gps and other high tech

[DonaldDarko]

My engine doesn't have "codes". No beeping , no door chime, no noise when I put the key in, I start it up , I drive, that's it.

[LiamS95]

I never would personally lease a car as it's way more expensive then buying. It's an advantage if a business is making enough profit to write off 100 % of the lease, otherwise it's a huge money maker for the dealer and/or the vehicle manufacturer and too expensive.

[Kelly6]

@LiamS95
Even will happen during finance ,
In finance they will offer that free upgrade anytime

[LiamS95]

I've never heard of it and I own a 2025 SUV.

[Mark987]

Depends what car? I have had a lot of brand of cars and in my honest opinion... only do a software upgrade if it's through the dealer. I also would never do it.

[Billlewis]

I noticed that when I sold used cars. On many GM models, it's believed to be an oxygen sensor (for the air fuel mixture in the fuel injectors) that's responsible.

[molonski2]

I'd never lease or finance a car unless it was a company lease and I was not paying it , but yes , I have heard about this with some of the new cars on salary packaging after sales options.

[msc545]

What you do is take it back to whoever it is who put this upgrade in, tell them what's happening, and demand that they fix it. I think they probably will. Be sure to ask for a loaner card while they fix it, too.

[Kelly6]

@msc545
After lease as many time I take it there , I will pay out of my pocket.

[Kelly6]

@msc545
Lesson I learned is in future never accept any free engine software upgrade after lease or so or during finance

[msc545]

Yeah, I hear you. What kind of car is it anyway?

[Anonymous]

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[DryGermanGuy]

So, the software update made the car worse? Boy, I would rip these clowns a new one! :-(

[CaptainSmartass]

I recently had to download an update to my car, but there weren't any engine signs, just a pop-up on the infotainment screen. I just accepted it before setting off.

Simples...

[Sevenpointfive]

can you go back to them and have them reinstall the other software?

[Batsy01010101]

Never update your car software phone software or computer operating system or any firmware always stick to the software operating system it comes out with never update

[DrPepper12]

I think leasing makes little sense except under a few very specific circumstances

[OlderAndWiser]

I’ve never done a long term lease on a car.

[Staximus]

Only idiots lease cars

[Anonymous]

Interesting, I never noticed that.

[austinbooth]

Sometimes