[shuko]

/sigh

Sirius XM is one-way communication only. They are not tracking you. It's the same sort of one-way as DirecTV or Dish Network, or for that matter AM/FM radio. Subscriber info has to be updated and pushed through the network. That's why when you sign up / change your subscription, you sometimes have to wait a few minutes. It's also why you have to call in with your ID number instead of just hitting a button on the head unit.

Please don't spread stupidity.

I think the consensus is that the three connectors in the antenna are: GPS, SiriusXM, SiriusXM. FM/AM is elsewhere.

All of these things are receive-only communications.

Also, if you are worried about being "on the grid" then better turn off your cell phone, bluetooth devices, and obscure your license plate too. All of those are known tracking/data gathering mechanisms that are in use right this very second... how do you think Google detects traffic speed for maps?

 

[the_phew]

When I bought my GTI, my salesman (totally unprompted) asked if I'd like them to disable CarNet, and I said please.

Funny (somewhat related) story: My previous car was a 2014 BMW 320i lease, and it came with a similar system (BMW Assist). I never used it, but the subscription was free during my ownership period. However, BMW had some issue with the cellular bands it used becoming incompatible (switched carriers, they lost a spectrum auction-something like that). So they actually paid owners/lessees $200 (via prepaid Visa card) or $300 (in BMW merchandise card) to come into the dealer to get the system deactivated. The 'deactivation' was literally just the dealership putting a piece of tape over the button. I still happily accepted my $200, though.

 

[shuko]

And to further add to this thread...

On my 2016 GTI, I disabled Carnet by taking Telematics off the canbus installation list using a vagcom. The status light does not illuminate anymore and the buttons don't do anything. No hardware change or box removal done.

That doesn't mean the box isn't always-on and connected, but at least you can disable the driver interface portion of the whole thing without cracking in to the car.

 

[Engineer90]

/sigh

Sirius XM is one-way communication only. They are not tracking you. It's the same sort of one-way as DirecTV or Dish Network, or for that matter AM/FM radio. Subscriber info has to be updated and pushed through the network. That's why when you sign up / change your subscription, you sometimes have to wait a few minutes. It's also why you have to call in with your ID number instead of just hitting a button on the head unit.

Please don't spread stupidity.

I think the consensus is that the three connectors in the antenna are: GPS, SiriusXM, SiriusXM. FM/AM is elsewhere.

All of these things are receive-only communications.

Also, if you are worried about being "on the grid" then better turn off your cell phone, bluetooth devices, and obscure your license plate too. All of those are known tracking/data gathering mechanisms that are in use right this very second... how do you think Google detects traffic speed for maps?

Shuko, thanks for the info, but gee I am sorry I did not know that about SiriusXM

And duh, I know about the cell phones and such, at least I have control over those so I am not worried about them.

UPDATE

Check this out:

https://www.techdirt.com/articles/2...-track-car-locations-more-than-15-years.shtml

Thoughts?

 

[isoprene]

The consensus seems to be (and agrees with my direct experimentation) that the shark fin houses the antennas for satellite radio and GPS. Two antenna connections for satellite radio, one for GPS.

If you look up the generic info for Laird sharkfin antennas they seem to do cellular, GPS and SiriusXM. That would imply the CarNet cellular antenna is in the sharkfin. The few SiriusXM antennas I've seen had a single connector.

 

[shuko]

Shuko, thanks for the info, but gee I am sorry I did not know that about SiriusXM

And duh, I know about the cell phones and such, at least I have control over those so I am not worried about them.

UPDATE

Check this out:

https://www.techdirt.com/articles/2...-track-car-locations-more-than-15-years.shtml

Thoughts?

These were cars in which SiriusXM provided Telematics units (as a competitor to, say OnStar or VW Carnet) using land based wireless networks under their brand. Has nothing to do with the satellite radio except the common brand name. It's possible it could receive commands from the satellite receiver, but it would not be able to talk back to the satellite. And the linked article is one more example of why someone would want to disable the telematics unit in their car.

If you look up the generic info for Laird sharkfin antennas they seem to do cellular, GPS and SiriusXM. That would imply the CarNet cellular antenna is in the sharkfin. The few SiriusXM antennas I've seen had a single connector.

I'm sure the CarNet hardware and antenna distribution is changing with each generation and between models. The only Carnet box I've cracked open had an internal cell antenna, but seems entirely plausible that they've put an external in the shark fin. It's possible it has both an internal and external antenna. I know that mine called up VW just fine even without the external antenna connectors plugged in.

Short of doing continuity testing between each antenna end point in the car, we may never know (unless someone can get us a self study program for the MKVII antenna system like this one.)

 

[WetMacula]

Thanks shuko and VokinLoksar for the tips and photos. I removed the carnet module on a North American 2017 Mk7 R tonight. Same part number, manufacturer, HW number, and Model number but the SW was 0570. Initially I jumped columns 3 and 4 instead of 4 and 5. Hope nothing shorted out. It’s dark, cold, and snowing so I will put the trim back on and disable Telematics in the morning. I’m using an obdeleven scan tool which does not provide descriptions for long coding bits. Not sure how to remove Telematics.

Is it under adaption channels for central electrics?

If long coding is required can you please post the bytes and bits?

Has anyone figured out how to clear all the codes?

 

[hanszylstra]

Gps antenna

Hi, I am replacing the stock radio RCD 310 with a Blaupunkt Philadelphia and am wondering if I can use the GPS antenna from the car net module. The module has 2 coax cables with facrom connectors on it and I do not know which one is the gps one that connects to the antenna on the roof. Are the two facrom connectors just a loop through, gps in and out ? I plan to rip out the Novero HTC-6 carnet module under the passenger seat.please help, Hans

 

[cd_booth]

Thank you, OP. I have a weird issue where my car will try to connect to Car Net on its own sometimes 10-20 times per day. It's as if I were pushing the button and I hear "Car Net services are not activated, please call blah blah blah to activate..." This will drop calls if I'm using Bluetooth and it can occur after I get out of the car before the ECU shuts down, potentially draining the battery since it turns the head unit back on as well. Sometimes I come back to my car and a podcast will have played for an hour or so.

Strange, I know, since I posted about it and nobody seems to have the same issue as me. Trust me when I say it drives me absolutely insane.

I disconnected the buttons in the overhead console thinking it was a loose connection but this didn't fix it. I also tried taking it to the dealer but of course they weren't able to reproduce it. I showed them videos as well but that wasn't enough. Of course when I pick my car up it IMMEDIATELY does it again. Removing the Car Net module will be my next attempt to fix it. I'm done with the dealer, even if they can reproduce it there's no codes so they wouldn't know where to start.

 

[cd_booth]

Just an update in case anyone comes across this issue. I disabled a whole bunch of CarNet settings in the telematics adaptation and long coding and my issue hasn't repeated since (knock on wood). Now I'm curious which setting caused the issue so I'm going to try turning them back on one at a time.

 

[BertG]

And to further add to this thread...

On my 2016 GTI, I disabled Carnet by taking Telematics off the canbus installation list using a vagcom. The status light does not illuminate anymore and the buttons don't do anything. No hardware change or box removal done.

That doesn't mean the box isn't always-on and connected, but at least you can disable the driver interface portion of the whole thing without cracking in to the car.

Hey Shuko, thanks for the great thread. I just bought a MK VII Sportwagen and wanted the Car-Net disabled. Since it's only a week old, I'm not quite comfortable yet taking the dash apart, but the VCDS solution is easily doable. Did you end up with any errors or faults in VAGCOM disabling it this way?

For anyone who reads the forum and works at a dealer, can you post what the process that Frank Weith talks about here: http://www.bbc.com/autos/story/20160809-your-car-is-not-your-friend According to Frank Weith, General Manager of Connected Services at Volkswagen Group of America, “What the letter doesn't outline is that we do have the capability to completely sever the connection from the car to the cellular network. The customer would have to bring their vehicle to the dealer where it would be put into 'flight mode'. The result is the same as if the module were removed from the vehicle. This can only be done at the dealer.” I took it to my local dealer to have this done and they didn't know how to do it and flat out refused to uncheck it in VAGCOM.

 

[cthruit]

Hi, I am replacing the stock radio RCD 310 with a Blaupunkt Philadelphia and am wondering if I can use the GPS antenna from the car net module. The module has 2 coax cables with facrom connectors on it and I do not know which one is the gps one that connects to the antenna on the roof. Are the two facrom connectors just a loop through, gps in and out ? I plan to rip out the Novero HTC-6 carnet module under the passenger seat.please help, Hans

See https://fccid.io/document.php?id=1840484

 

[BertG]

Carnet Disable Update

So, I borrowed a VCDS and in the telematics unit long coding, I changed bit 0 to 0. (1 was for Carnet installed and 0 for Carnet not installed). For those still looking for a solution, this seems to work.

After having done this, I called Carnet to see if they could still see my car (apparently against their policy) and decided to have them disable Carnet from their end. Turns out, this was an option from the beginning. Although, I'm not sure if they can remotely turn it back on if they can remotely turn it off.

 

[Aar]

Wouldn't wrapping the box in alum fold work without removing it?

 

[Aar]

Wouldn't wrapping the box in alum foil be a good solution?

 

[Aar]

Is the mobile telephone interface -R265 always on?

Is there a way to deniable it?

 

[Aar]

Deactivate it...

 

[Stealth_TDI]

Hello,

My CarNet was effectively disabled when I replaced my sharkfin antenna with an NMO-mounted amateur radio antenna...Now I just want to get rid of the red LED on the CarNet panel without disabling the microphone. Removing the cluster is more than I want to do. Perhaps I'll just cover the LED with black vinyl.

Coincidentally, there came a point when the red LED (antenna error) simply stopped working. I doubt it burned out, so it must be that CarNet stops trying to connect after so much time to prevent damage to the equipment. There may still be power to the CarNet module, but I have no lights and am pretty pleased with that. I've considered disabling the Telematics module in VCDS, but I can live with a few "invisible" codes since they don't cause any errors on the dash or MIB2.

Scott

 

[VWowner611]

Your Dealer can disable Car-Net - but it's a struggle!

For those who are reluctant to carry out such major surgery, there is an expensive alternative. With help from VW of North America, the dealer can put the Car-Net system into "Flight Mode" which disables all cellular communication.

I came across this bit of information in a quote from Frank Weith (General Manager, Connected Services, VW Group of North America) on this page: http://www.bbc.com/autos/story/20160809-your-car-is-not-your-friend

I spent four months going in circles with Customer Service trying to get Car-Net disabled. It was a byzantine nightmare of stonewalling, deflection, dissembling, and outright lies. At every turn they denied that it was possible. But they eventually relented and agreed to connect my dealer with the people at VW who could tell them how to do it. They charged me $500 to do it (price set by VW - the dealer wanted to do it for free). I suspect that you could negotiate a lower price from your dealer. VW obviously wants very much to discourage this. I'll leave it to you to speculate about why.

If you try this, and Customer Service claims it can't be done, I can provide a phone number for the guy who finally agreed to arrange it. Write to me at [email protected].

I appreciate that Car-Net provides services that some people find useful, but at the expense of a) loss of privacy; and b) exposure to hacking risk. To me that cost is too high. I can easily imagine a someone hacking into VW's systems to disable every VW in north America for fun ... or ransom. As the owner of the car it should be my prerogative to give up the Car-Net services in exchange for immunity from such hacking and privacy invasion. And it shouldn't cost $500.

 

[quailallstar]

For those who are reluctant to carry out such major surgery, there is an expensive alternative. With help from VW of North America, the dealer can put the Car-Net system into "Flight Mode" which disables all cellular communication.

I came across this bit of information in a quote from Frank Weith (General Manager, Connected Services, VW Group of North America) on this page: http://www.bbc.com/autos/story/20160809-your-car-is-not-your-friend

I spent four months going in circles with Customer Service trying to get Car-Net disabled. It was a byzantine nightmare of stonewalling, deflection, dissembling, and outright lies. At every turn they denied that it was possible. But they eventually relented and agreed to connect my dealer with the people at VW who could tell them how to do it. They charged me $500 to do it (price set by VW - the dealer wanted to do it for free). I suspect that you could negotiate a lower price from your dealer. VW obviously wants very much to discourage this. I'll leave it to you to speculate about why.

If you try this, and Customer Service claims it can't be done, I'll can provide a phone number for the guy who finally agreed to arrange it. Write to me at [email protected].

I appreciate that Car-Net provides services that some people find useful, but at the expense of a) loss of privacy; and b) exposure to hacking risk. To me that cost is too high. I can easily imagine a someone hacking into VW's systems to disable every VW in north America for fun ... or ransom. As the owner of the car it should be my prerogative to give up the Car-Net services in exchange for immunity from such hacking and privacy invasion. And it shouldn't cost $500.

That's a steep price. Rather gut it out myself. Interesting that the dealer can shut it off. Wonder if they do it via ODIS? Or can we figure a way to do it like the dealer via Vag com?

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