Hi John

I've come across a even worse one than this.

A friend of mine does tech training for Audi, and he has been involved with the launch of the new A8 (when it was new!!)

He was telling me that even simple componens such as the battery have to be coded into the vehicle to enable the smart charging system to manage battery charge and discharge rates.

The logic goes something like: If the battery has certain charge/discharge and capaciy rates then the system has to know exactly what type of battery is fitted, because, if the system has to start to shut down (for example if the alternator stopped working, or if one of the systems developed an unquenchable thirst for current) the system has to know when bad really is bad.

An example is if a smaller than recognised battery was fitted to the system (without being coded in), then all of the fancy info-tainment (DVD, gigabitmultitronicsurroundsoundnaigationsystem, TV's etc..) would coninue to 'waste' the available batery capacity, beyond what was needed to make it home (or at least to safety or to warn the driver of an imminent failure).

This would never do, therefore the vehicle is programmed to know when bad really is bad.

You can take this a step further. As new vehicles are using electronically controlled cooling systems (to enable optimum engine operating temperature to be achieved - in search of reduced emissions) with water cooled alternators (which are capable of servicing nearly two kilowatts - and that's why they're water cooled), a battery mismatch could lead to a catostrophic vehicle failure .

The next time I hear a customer give me the old "...and can you change the points and set the timing..." I think that I'll have to burst into a verse of '...those were the days my friend, I thought they'd never end......'

Cheers for now.

James

P.S. getting a bit of a sweat on now, two posts in so many days - getting back to be just like the good ole days. Fingerblistertastic!