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Thread: Strange Box in engine compartment

  1. #1
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    Strange Box in engine compartment

    Anyone with a 2017 able to get me a picture of their engine compartment? I've got a box that I can't identify, looking up the model/part numbers on it gets me nothing. It looks like it was grafted on to the car at some point after it was built.

    If anyone could get me a picture of their 2017 Mirage engine compartment... specifically, a close up of the area right in front of the battery, below the small box that has the fusible links in it. I'll get a picture of my own car, once it's daylight, to compare.

    EDIT: SOLVED. The box is a driver for the LED running lights on the front of the car. The box looked very ad-hoc and grafted on, which made me suspicious.




    Last edited by Tinker1980; 06-23-2017 at 08:23 PM.

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    Heres a pic i got from a mitsu event this is for a hatch 2017.

    does it look like a silver cover? it might be the used for the HID

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2015 Mirage GLS 1.2 manual: 3,108.4 mpg (US) ... 1,321.5 km/L ... 0.1 L/100 km ... 3,733.0 mpg (Imp)


  3. #3

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2014 Mirage SE wussie cvt edition. 1.2 automatic: 37.7 mpg (US) ... 16.0 km/L ... 6.2 L/100 km ... 45.3 mpg (Imp)


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    Quote Originally Posted by Fummins View Post
    Yup, your car doesn't have it. That said, I haven't signed anything saying I consent to whatever the hell this thing is, so I'm going to see what is involved in removing it. If it was a legitimate part of the car, it wouldn't be held on by a *zip tie*. Looks like a couple of 10mm bolts will allow me easy access to the device and it's wiring.





  5. #5
    WTH is that? That's not factory. Is your car financed, maybe it's a tracker so mr repoman can find it? Though you'd think it would be hidden a little better. What does it say on the box(model/part number)?

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2014 Mirage SE wussie cvt edition. 1.2 automatic: 37.7 mpg (US) ... 16.0 km/L ... 6.2 L/100 km ... 45.3 mpg (Imp)


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    Quote Originally Posted by Fummins View Post
    WTH is that? That's not factory. Is your car financed, maybe it's a tracker so mr repoman can find it? Though you'd think it would be hidden a little better. What does it say on the box(model/part number)?
    It says "Wdi" on the box, and there is a model number, which doesn't get me any info when I look it up. If it were from the finance company, I would have paperwork to the effect that this is what this is, you can't remove it without this penalty, etc. I've signed nothing of the sort. So I either remove it, or make a steel mesh box (faraday cage) around it.

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    I can't tell you about the laws where you live but you aren't required to be notified about a remote tracking and disabling device in any of the 4 states I've sold cars in. (LA AL FL GA) In fact they are normally hidden and customers are specifically not told about them. The older ones that get spliced into your wiring harness versus a OBDII pass through connection usually are considered tampering with the vehicle and can void a factory warranty. If the box loses power it normally lets out an SOS with last known location and of course your car will no longer run. Once the box is hooked back up it needs an "All-clear" code before the car will start again. Sometimes that requires them to physically have the car to plug into so you may need to tow it back to the dealer. Proceed with caution my friend.

  8. The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to Remy For This Useful Post:

    Eggman (06-23-2017),MetroMPG (06-29-2017)

  9. #8
    Attachment 9505 the hardwire gps's I install don't use the starter kill option but it would be easy enough to bypass if need be.

    Sorry for the crapy pics, my phone sucks at close ups..

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2014 Mirage SE wussie cvt edition. 1.2 automatic: 37.7 mpg (US) ... 16.0 km/L ... 6.2 L/100 km ... 45.3 mpg (Imp)


  10. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by Remy View Post
    I can't tell you about the laws where you live but you aren't required to be notified about a remote tracking and disabling device in any of the 4 states I've sold cars in. (LA AL FL GA) In fact they are normally hidden and customers are specifically not told about them. The older ones that get spliced into your wiring harness versus a OBDII pass through connection usually are considered tampering with the vehicle and can void a factory warranty. If the box loses power it normally lets out an SOS with last known location and of course your car will no longer run. Once the box is hooked back up it needs an "All-clear" code before the car will start again. Sometimes that requires them to physically have the car to plug into so you may need to tow it back to the dealer. Proceed with caution my friend.
    In the state of OK, they are required to tell you.

    Car starts and runs fine without it. I found a ground wire that looked out of place. Traced it, it came back to the strange box. Tested continuity back to the box, same wire. So I unhooked it.

    If the box was going to send out an sos and disable the car once disconnected, what do you do when you unhook the battery?

    And it doesn't void the warranty on the car. Magnusson-Foss.

    EDIT: Drove the car, it's just fine. Closer inspection of the wiring shows that other than power, it's not attached to any of the car's systems. Seems to go to a thing in the bumper that is not airbag related. The car-disabling systems used by some buy-here, pay-here car dealers don't really disable the engine, they disable the starter. Which is laughably easy to get around. But this particular device just seems to be a tracker. I'd be OK with my finance company wanting to keep track of the car they are owed money on, but they have to tell me about it.
    Last edited by Tinker1980; 06-23-2017 at 06:52 PM. Reason: More Information

  11. #10
    I thought I read in Texas they have to tell you too but somewhere in the fine print you sign your right to know away. But the internet isn't always right.

    If installing a hardwire gps voids warranty then I guess we have 35 void warranties? We tried the obd gps's and they caused nothing but problems in the Mirage's.

    Another guess as to what that box is, maybe one of those cheesy anti rust things that are supposed to prevent rust by sending low voltage to the metal. I've seen one of those "installed" on a 00'ish camaro the wires were attached to the plastic front fenders...


        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2014 Mirage SE wussie cvt edition. 1.2 automatic: 37.7 mpg (US) ... 16.0 km/L ... 6.2 L/100 km ... 45.3 mpg (Imp)


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