LoneWolfTrucker

It is going to get worse than that. U.S. government mandates are for communicating vehicle to vehicle as a standard feature of all new vehicles by 2021. Common thinking is that will be pushed back.

Essentially, your vehicle will communicate with every vehicle within a certain radius with its heading and speed. It is being touted as an "accident prevention" feature, but the opportunity for misuse is obvious.

Napalm

Let's clarify a few things.

1) is this a common reported issue? I've not seen rampant issues with progressive snap shot devices and ford cars? or F150's for that matter. I have seen where it happens on some cars - and it hits many makes - but I see where some investigations point to a faulty device.

2) Let's talk government panic and that warning in your manual for a bit. Yes as the maker of the device I don't want you plugging in anything to your car it's not there for you to use, you shouldn't touch your car with anything including wrenches, and for all issues it should go to your dealer only for service. However, that flys in the face of the various specs I agreed to in making the car, the DOT certification requirements in making the car, and the idea that I pay someone to make my nifty scan tool widget to meed the needs. SO now with that off my chest.

Plugging something (wired or wireless) into your OBD port is fine - like all things there is risk. There is also risk to taking off your tire if you want to get down to it. There is a right way and wrong way to do things. So about that spec I mentioned - there is a SAE standard out there required for OBD ports on cars - size, shape, wiring, etc. There is even a common buss standard for everyone with respect to certain function - there are then specifics allow. Ford uses one, Nissan another, etc and those specifics are for the way to communicate though the car using CAN buss systems and addressing and data rates and the like. (Think fancy USB cable)

Now - Progressive's item doesn't touch any of that - it uses the basic OBD set data for engine RPM, reported speed (Ie what your dash shows). It then uses it's only built in accelerometer (like what's in your mobile) for things like forward, and back and lateral acceleration to figure out how hard you brake, accelerate, and turn - so as to record events per day of hard braking, swerving, etc. I think the new models have GPS now to report with the data where you are and GPS speed vs Vehicle speed.

If some of the wires in your progressive snap shot module were crossed or damaged - it it tried to touch wires used for another buss - the car's computer might well fault out. Which is what it sounds like your car did - this is normal and part of the safety logic in the system. IE protects itself.

If you really wanted to I would ask progressive to send you a new module to try. If this is becoming an systemic problem I think you will see a large number of Ford cars having issues with them.

Incidentally I use a BT OBDlinkMX bluetooth device on my cars. And link it to my phone for data logging and other needs - I also have the diag software on my laptop. It works just fine. I would say - do not buy a cheapo ELM module for Wireless OBD scanning.

tvsjr

Insurance companies don't exist to give you discounts... they are for-profit companies and exist to make money for their shareholders. They will sell such a device to "save you money" but you can bet it will be used to make them money.

I shall never have such a device.

SCrewYou

for real. they don't need to know where i'm going and when.

02fx4dude

Or you could use Uber for those midnight runs to Leon's house of crack and ****** on the wrong side of town...

jwmustang

As some have said, companies exist to make money. Not save you money.
If they get their way every one will be required to have one or they will charge you more or not insure you.
Like seat belts were to save lives. Not another excuse for tickets. I seen a guy in a parking lot move his car from one spot to another. Didnt put on his seat belt, bam ticket.
Self driving cars. I bet after 10 or 20 yrs people that dont use them will pay more insurance.
I had progressive, One wreck they raised my prem. 4 times higher. Will never go bk to them.

LoneWolfTrucker

This must be a FL thing. I believe in MI they can't ticket you for this.

doomgazer

I don't think anyone is naive enough to think that insurance companies aren't out there to make money, but I'm certainly going to take advantage of things that will save me money.

If my driving data over a 6 month span from several years ago is going to make them money then I guess more power to them. I couldn't care less. At the end of the day it's still a consistent discount off my normal premium for both my vehicles. I'm happy, they're happy. Win-win.

Napalm

If I had progressive I would atleast try it.

but I'd also try something else - I would take and shop my rates every year or 2.

which I do anyway - currently on Allstate.