By Chris King • 10 January 2023 • 20:56
Image of a mechanic under a car bonnet. Credit: Standret/Shutterstock.com
Several foreign car companies have reportedly informed the heads of dealerships in Russia that support for service programmes within the Russian territory is to be terminated. Among those involved are Mercedes-Benz, and the Volkswagen Group.
This news was reported to gazeta.ru by the Russian Union of Auto Services, the trade union of service stations. The Volkswagen Group includes subsidiaries of Audi, Skoda, Lamborghini, Porsche, SEAT, and MAN). Dealerships also face restrictions on access to internal information resources they added.
“Volkswagen has limited access to the repair base, but there is a loophole through special service processors. If you connect to the car’s diagnostic connector and enter its VIN code, information on a specific car is provided, and direct access to the internal portal is closed”, explained Alexander Pakhomov, the chairman of the board of the Union of Auto Services.
According to Pakhomov, in the case of Volkswagen, there are also problems with the supply of spare parts, even though the repair warranty is still in place. For new Mercedes-Benz models, without access to branded online resources, it is impossible, for example, to register new keys in the car’s memory, as well as update the software of numerous electronic components, he clarified.
Sellers of diagnostic equipment for car services noted that the problem of closing access to information by automakers primarily affects official dealers. Independent repairmen, who previously obtained access to the necessary information by workarounds, will continue to do so, Carmod, a company selling diagnostic equipment, told Gazeta.Ru.
“BMW is doing great as it is. If you use some workarounds, then you can find options”, said Maxim, a representative of the company.
According to him, no problems are expected with the diagnostics of Hyundai and Kia cars. Although the new models of Korean brands are also diagnosed online, their functions can be verified using alternative diagnostic scanners that support Hyundai software under an OEM contract, the specialist said.
“So far, the problem is most relevant for fresh Mercedes-Benz vehicles, starting in 2016. With them, without connecting to the servers, the official dealer will not be able to do almost anything, no firmware updates. But there have always been and will always be workarounds”, the interlocutor noted, without specifying which ones.
Access to the servers of European auto companies in alternative ways will lead to an increase in the cost of repairs, since such access is also associated with costs, Pakhomov pointed out.
“Unfortunately, in Russia there is no such legislation as in the Uropean Union, the USA, Brazil, Turkey, and China, which obliges the manufacturer of a car entering the market to disclose information to all market players”, he continued. “All over the world there is, but we don’t”, he complained.
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Originally from Wales, Chris spent years on the Costa del Sol before moving to the Algarve where he is a web reporter for The Euro Weekly News covering international and Spanish national news. Got a news story you want to share? Then get in touch at [email protected]
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