Hi,
Has anyone managed to get their OBD port relocated by a trusted dealership? Mazda official/approved franchise would be ideal. I am trying to find someone to do this but I am not having much luck.
No idea of a company and don’t know why you want to relocate , but maybe something like this ?
https://www.amazon.co.uk/BRIEFCEC-Readers-Diagnosis-Instrument-Extension/dp/B097JF7R6X
We need to know why you think you need to do this. The port is in an easy to get to position and I can not for the life of me see why it needs to be in a different place. Please put us all out of our misery!!
If its because you’re concerned about theft you can get dummy obd2 ports. You plug yours in and hide it up somewhere and then fit the new plug in it’s place. If someone got into the car and plugged in their tool it would power it but they’d have no access to the ecu. If the alarm were going off this will attract attention and if they can’t access the ecu hopefully they cut and run.
This is common in the mustang community as there is a weak point in the security that allows thieves easy access to the port by popping a window, but there’s even easier ways of stealing those so it’s more a step taken for peace of mind.
Hi Dean,
Thanks for this. I have PM’d you.
Thanks.
As a user you never need access to the port. Only the service engineers do. There are tools you can buy to get some diagnostic data off the OBD if you are really interested in that data but other than that you don’t really need access to it. However it presents a security risk because it is not hard to get a device which plugs into this unit and make a ‘dummy’ copy key. You can get locks to lock this OBD but locks can easily be picked.
It is best to re-locate it. However even this is not ideal because some models of the MX5 come with keyless entry which is easily defeatable.
I know what it is and what it does, I have the diagnostic tools as well.
I have never heard of an MX5 being stolen in the way you suggest. Once again it appears that you are over thinking things. Pop some petrol in, get the roof down and go out for a drive and forget everything you have seen on the internet.
I have driven it quite a bit. Getting used to it still. I am still concerned about they advanced keyless system on these (and all other modern cars). I am not convinced of their security.
Do you not take precautions with regards to the advanced keyless? Seems you do not worry about it.
Although some people do, I suspect only a small number of car owners go the whole hog of using a farday box (or clipped up empty crisp packet etc.) to prevent scanners taking their keys information.
Also, apparently the thief would have to have an MX-5 fob for your model before they could reprogram a key anyway.
I wonder also if any modifications to the position of the OBD would count against you in terms of insurance modifications.
We use a ‘faraday pouch’ but life is too short to get overly involved in minutiae. Please chill or you will become paranoid and not enjoy your new car. Relax-------------.
Interestingly I use my OBD port most days, haha.
But to add some balance to the above - I understand the concern, however there are plenty of 30, 40, 50k Mercs & BMWs etc rolling about nowadays that I feel thieves of this “calibre” are far more interested in. Easier to shift on / clone, more “fun” to joyride, more valuable.
Regarding the re-positioning the ODB and insurance I doubt it. Because I have chatted with a few insurance companies and they say fitting a Ghost is fine. So moving the OBD will not be an issue. In my opinion. Always worth double-checking and these days that is easy. You just go onto their website and go to the chatting icon (live-chat). Keep a copy of the email conversation (you can even print screen the most important paragraphs/sentences) and get written proof too through the post. If they decline this written proof; ring-up. I think legally they have to provide it.
I know it sounds weird but when claim time comes the insurance company will find the smallest excuse to not pay. I still think now and then what is it on my car and insurance policy that they can pin-point to not to pay.
They will even try to use what you say and try to twist it into a narrative where you have not provided the relevent information. I had a small example of this a couple of weeks ago when I was on the phone. In the event that operator provided me the wrong information which cost me some valuable time and led to a lot of stress for me and the dealership. I wasn’t impressed.
Regarding having the MX5 key-fob I don’t think so? Surely they just plug in a unit into the OBD and they are off. And regarding the keyless they just boost the signal of the key. That allows opening of the doors and starting of the car. Pretty simple if you ask me.