Automotive Cheat Codes

"Justin Hughes" (justinhughes54)
03/02/2015 at 10:56 • Filed to: cheatlopnik

Any gamer knows that there are certain combinations of key presses that unlock special features in games - invulnerability, or unlimited ammunition, or making your badass battle tank armed to the teeth with every weapon in the game look like the Oscar Mayer weinermobile. Though perhaps not quite as powerful as they are in games, cheat codes also exist in today's highly computerized cars.

For instance, it's a little kept secret among Toyobaru owners that the REAL way to disable traction and stability control for racing is NOT pushing and holding the traction control button for five seconds. That way is good enough for normal drivers, but it still leaves a little bit of traction control enabled to help the Torsen differential perform its limited slip functions, which is unacceptable for real drivers. The real way to turn off traction control is to fully warm up the car, and then within the first 30 seconds after turning it on, push BRAKE BRAKE BRAKE (hold the pedal down), HANDBRAKE HANDBRAKE HANDBRAKE (hold the lever up), BRAKE BRAKE BRAKE (hold the pedal down), HANDBRAKE HANDBRAKE. The usual dashboard lights indicating the traction and stability control are fully disabled light up, but now there is absolutely no electronic assistance whatsoever. The standard buttons can't deactivate this mode, either - only turning off the car will stop this madness. Following this procedure is the FR-S/GT86/BRZ's way of playing this scene from Blazing Saddles .

This is just one example from one car. What other automotive easter eggs are out there?

DISCUSSION (31)

marvthegrate > Justin Hughes
03/02/2015 at 11:00

Maybe simple, maybe well known, but on my car if I hit the unlock button on my fob once to unlock the driver door, then again and hold it will unlock the passenger doors and roll down the front windows. Helpful for venting the heat of the summer on my black car. 2008 Mazda6 but this has worked for me on other vehicles as well.

nermal > Justin Hughes
03/02/2015 at 11:05

Got a modern VW?

Get VAG-COM. If a setting is set-able, you can set it.

Kinja'd!!!

Your boy, BJR > Justin Hughes
03/02/2015 at 11:05

Hold the up arrow and on/off button on my DeVille's trip computer. On board code reader. Tells you all the current and history error codes.

E. Julius > Justin Hughes
03/02/2015 at 11:08

In my friend's old Buick, if you were braking and turned the wheel left at a certain angle the interior lighting would come on. Does that count?

Justin Hughes > E. Julius
03/02/2015 at 11:17

Works for me!

Justin Hughes > Your boy, BJR
03/02/2015 at 11:18

I wish more cars had built-in code readers.

TwinCharged - Is Now UK Opponaut > Justin Hughes
03/02/2015 at 11:31

Before starting your 25 year old, V12, Jag XJ-S, you must sacrifice a small goat to the altar of Lucas, Prince of Darkness to appease him before he will grant you the possibility of motorised transport.

OPPOsaurus WRX > Justin Hughes
03/02/2015 at 11:36

is this true for the WRX as well?

Justin Hughes > OPPOsaurus WRX
03/02/2015 at 11:37

I don't know. I've only heard of this for the Toyobaru. You could always try it and see what happens.

Hiroku > Justin Hughes
03/02/2015 at 11:37

Old pre OBD-II cars had these little buggers for reading fault codes

Kinja'd!!!

You basically had to jump the ports with some piece of wire, input some Morse-like codes by pressing a button, and the little LED would light up with consecutive flashes to tell you the errors and/or other useful information.

For instance, pressing the button five times in quick succession, waiting a couple seconds then pressing it again once, waiting another couple of seconds and pressing it again once, then finally waiting another couple of seconds and pressing it twice would net you the code 5-1-1-2. The flashing of the little LED would then give you codes following the same logic.

In the above picture module out of a Volvo 850 for example, setting the little built-in jump wire to port 7, then inputting the code 5-1-1-2 and then 5-1-1-1 would cause the LED to display the actual mileage stored on the instrument cluster. Very important to find out whether the odo was rolled back or stopped for a while (although it won't help you much if the cluster has been replaced at some time).

Much more interesting then the lame "plug-in-a-machine-and-read-codes" of modern OBD-II diagnostics, if you ask me.

Ilike_cougars > Justin Hughes
03/02/2015 at 11:53

I had a 2002 mercury cougar, if you pressed the select and reset button together, it would turn the service light off for 2500 miles..

Logansteno: Bought a VW? > Justin Hughes
03/02/2015 at 11:58

If you have a full on-board computer on E36s you can hit the 1000 and 10 button at the same time and access special features on the car. If you type in 19 it says Lock: On, if you add the month and day together and enter them as the "code" you unlock a ton of features including how much fuel is in the tank in liters, current battery voltage, code to unlock the test for the gauge cluster (a whole 'nother thing) and a bunch of other stuff. Pretty damn nifty for a car from 1998.

Haase > Justin Hughes
03/02/2015 at 12:15

If you remove the fuse for the active exhaust on a C6 Corvette, the active flaps stay open.

BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires > TwinCharged - Is Now UK Opponaut
03/02/2015 at 12:32

People forget that prior to currying the favour of such a fickle god, men conquered fire-breathing mechanical beasts through brawn and rugged determination. Hanging on for dear life on the jumpseat of be-levered 28 litre monsters bellowing their way across the land chain-drives howling, valves gnashing, flight goggles the only protection afforded to them.

Just wait until the automotive rapture when the absent God Lucas™ returns from his slumber to discover a world so complacent that people drive their cars without even a hint of fear that their automobiles are living beings and could turn against them at any second.

Hondas will stubbornly refuse to start, Jeep inline 4s will grenade their bottom ends, Toyotas will accelerate unintendedly...

Only the true disciples who worship at the alter of Leyland (or any related sect such as the heathen Alfisti or the Teutonic Allroad Brotherhood) will be permitted to continue with their motorised transport.

All the pretenders in their reliable daily transport will be struck down and forced to walk like peasants and paupers.

...ugh, I don't know what came over me there. According to my work colleagues I just started foaming oil and water emulsion at the mouth, wiring smoke pouring out of my ears, typing away like a man possessed occasionally muttering things like 'positive earth', 'non-synchro crash-box' and 'magneto ignition'.

XJDano > Justin Hughes
03/02/2015 at 13:23

In the Metros when you pull the parking brake the daytime running lights go off. Some people have just grounded out the switch to keep them off.

I really only use this to let trucks on the highway it's clear to merge after passing.

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > Justin Hughes
03/02/2015 at 15:54

On my Neon if you held the odo reset button for five seconds and then turned the key to "run" it would perform a gauge self test. There were also similar "key dances" to do stuff like pull codes and disable the horn chirp when the car was locked with the remote.

The Opponaut formerly known as MattP123 > XJDano
03/02/2015 at 16:54

I had a 97 Cavalier that did the same thing.

K!NCH > OPPOsaurus WRX
03/04/2015 at 13:50

I was just thinking about this, wondering if it would work on my '13 WRX.

KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs > Justin Hughes
03/04/2015 at 14:27

Bridge the diagnostic connector on an OBDI Ford and watch the blinkiness begin.

Or just buy a VAG-COM. Or make friends with the one guy at your track days who always has it with him...

Justin Hughes > KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs
03/04/2015 at 14:30

Been there, done that on my 1995 Mercury Tracer!

Arrivederci > XJDano
03/06/2015 at 13:40

The BRZ does that as well - ebrake up, DRLs off. Sometimes I'll strobe them at stoplights.

Meatcoma > Your boy, BJR
03/06/2015 at 13:44

It was the temperature up(red) button and the on/off on my ElDorado. Was definitely cool. You know you can shift gears (automatic) with that? Whole bunch of cool things in there.

Rpadula > Justin Hughes
03/06/2015 at 14:12

In Audis air con controller press,Recirculation and Up button together, and you can get into a diag mode of sorts

http://www.audiworld.com/tech/int5.shtm…

the_AUGHT > Justin Hughes
03/06/2015 at 14:13

On any dodge truck turn off the seat belt alarm by putting the key in, turn it one click to accessory, buckle and unbuckle the seat belt 5 times, start the car, and turn it back off, now you can have no seat belt warnings.

Arrivederci > Justin Hughes
03/06/2015 at 14:58

The real way to turn off traction control is to fully warm up the car, and then within the first 30 seconds after turning it on, push BRAKE BRAKE BRAKE (hold the pedal down), HANDBRAKE HANDBRAKE HANDBRAKE (hold the lever up), BRAKE BRAKE BRAKE (hold the pedal down), HANDBRAKE HANDBRAKE.

Ah, the pedal dance! :)

ajkl > KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs
03/06/2015 at 15:07

That's how OBDI works. Not much of a cheat.

domguy > nermal
03/06/2015 at 15:17

"VAG-COM"

*uncontrollable giggling ensues*

Echo51 > KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs
03/07/2015 at 13:49

Tried that on a 1994 EU Escort. Wasn't able to make much sense of it, but eventually figured i got 11-OKAY code from it. Supposedly somebody from czech or somewhere has a tester that works with it and has real time data support..

M > Logansteno: Bought a VW?
03/07/2015 at 14:30

I loved that OBC, never always wondered why they didn't have it as an option on the E46. Also the ignition lockout. When you're in college and have friends who like to play pranks, the lockout was invaluable.

M > marvthegrate
03/07/2015 at 14:36

A lot of BMWs and and VAG cars do this too. Fewer work in reverse which always irks me. Sometimes it works with convertibles as well.

HoneyMustard > Justin Hughes
03/07/2015 at 19:15

I have a trip computer in my 2007 Mazda 3i thanks to this little trick (from Mazda3forum.com):

1. Get in car and close door.

2. Put key into ignition (DO NOT TURN YET!)

3. Hold down the AM/FM button AND the CD button.

4. With your other hand (while still holding the buttons) turn your key to the ACC position. The "Hello" message will appear on your display, and as soon as it goes away it will be replaced by DIS ON.

5. You may now let go of the AM/FM button and CD button.

6. Turn ignition off.