So, has anyone heard of or purchased the

 

This is a feature you'd want? Think about it!

 

A colleague took his new Laguna into the garage for some engine upgrade thingy. The technician pluggend into the ECU was able to show him how far and fast he'd drive on different days and the occasions when he had exceeded all known UK speed limts were highlighted in orange.

No thanks I don't want this option!

 

Of course I always obey the traffic laws so I'd have nothing to worry about.

But seriously, if it's an option that's one thing but a car that is constantly monitoring your driving habits is another. Isn't that Laguna going a little too far? Big Brother is watching and all that?
It raises an interesting question of law. Would the law be able to prosecute given this information? How could they prove who was driving? Come to think of it... How do they prove it with a GATSO? Never been done this way myself (touch wood) I assume they just fine the registered keeper unless someone else owns up.

Hopefully this "black box" would be an option I never need to invoke anyway. (... So tempted to make a naughty joke then ...)

 

Apparently all VAG cars have the same recorder thingy. Like average speed on last journey, max speed, average revs and so on. They claim to be able to use it to detect the legal clocking of adding extra miles, i.e. if you wire the feed form the wheels to an electric drill and turn the drill up you can be doing 200 mph while standing still and so wind miles on the car without doing them. ECU detects this and stops reading the miles. Apparently only removing miles is illegal...

 

They couldn't use the car's own recording instruments to prosecute you for speeding - it's not a calibrated, sealed unit so the evidence isn't verifiable.
Most new cars have some kind of recording equipment built into the ECU these days, the poor standard of dealership mechanics has some of it roots in the fact that these days all they have to do is plug in a PC and download fault codes which the PC then tells them the part numbers for and how to change the 'module' at fault. No human knowledge required.
I used the VAG-Com software on my Audi, it tells you all about the engine settings (bear in mind the 1.8T is almost entirely computer controlled, variable inlet settings, DBW throttle etc. etc.) and any faults it has detected. in a limited way it also allows you to change the settings if you want to void your engine warranty too.

Which is really the thing that laguna drivers should worry about - what if Renault decides that because Nigel Whiteboard has been blatting up and down the motorway at 100 all day every day in his company Laguna, they won't replace for instance, his brakes under warranty as they argue that they've been subjected to abnormal wear and tear?

Back on topic, does anyoine else think this trakm8 sounds too good to be true? Can it really do all the things they claim straight out of the box or is it all 'coming soon'?