How to properly remove customer data from their connected vehicles

July 1, 2018
With so many cars today "connected" to their owners, here are the steps technicians and shop owners should take in order to protect a customer who is trading in a car.

A few years ago the vehicle manufacturer I was working for was looking for evidence to support their suspicion a certain employee was taking vehicles home at night without permission.

Sure enough, the GPS system of one particular vehicle had been set to his “Home,” and the “Recently Found” locations stored in the system were places he was known to have visited after work. These two discoveries combined were considered enough to begin “disciplinary proceedings” with the employee.

Thoroughly disconnecting a vehicle from its owner when it changes hands can prevent problems from occurring and also help avoid unwanted costs.

No doubt, vehicles’ onboard computers have long been able to store data such as operating conditions, vehicle speed, engine data and various driver inputs, all of which are commonly used to diagnose drivability concerns and also assist in accident investigations and reconstruction. But these drivability records generally don’t need to be cleared, reset or managed when the vehicle changes hands because there’s pretty much no risk to the customer from this stored information when it comes time to sell or trade in the vehicle.

However, the data stored in vehicles from connecting to a customer’s phone, home and online life is another matter. Not managing this data properly can definitely lead to problems down the road, and depending on who crosses paths with the vehicle and what their intentions are this can lead to big problems indeed, far worse than just suggesting that someone was borrowing a vehicle at night without permission.

Truly “connected”

Many vehicles can and do store sensitive, private information such as passwords for social media sites, voice commands, addresses, phone numbers, photos, music, garage door codes and even more (depending on the vehicle) – all which can lead to problems much worse than the problems that come from losing a wallet or cell phone if the data falls into the wrong hands. And some vehicles will copy and store data from devices they connect to without the customer even being aware that the data was ever copied. Yikes!

Fact is, vehicles are now so “connected” to their owners lives that they need to be actively disconnected, reset, unsubscribed and wiped clean before they change hands to prevent security problems and surprise fees from developing down the road — and also as a courtesy so the new owner can connect to the vehicle themselves without encountering problems from previously stored data. It’s just a smart thing to do.

And simply trusting that the data will be responsibly removed or managed by the next owner and anyone else involved in the resale process (and also assuming that they’ll figure out how to do this) just isn’t enough to prevent problems. Nowadays techs and shop owners need to know how to “disconnect” owners from vehicles to protect their customers from trouble developing later on.

Ensure there are no media devices left plugged into the system, especially in the rear seats and consoles.

Fortunately most customers know they should physically and digitally clear out a vehicle before they part with it, although many are convinced there’s no real threat of problems and also that they’re not worried about people finding out about their lives and habits – hopefully they’re right and they won’t find out the hard way that data can be used for any number of things they may not like. And too, many owners mistakenly believe that their data is safe so long as their phone isn’t actually in the vehicle – which they may learn isn’t always the case at all.

Selling a connected vehicle now can actually be riskier than selling a phone or laptop to a stranger on the Internet and should definitely be treated with equal care and caution.

True, in most cases any data left in a vehicle will be erased by the next owner so they can connect to the vehicle themselves -- but the fact remains that leaving any personal details or passwords (or worse) in a vehicle can lead to issues ranging from strangers having access to the garage through stored door codes (and possibly the rest of the house, depending on the house alarm settings) to being billed for subscriptions to radio and cellular services they no longer use, to strangers meddling in their online life or even worse depending on the how the stored data is used or passed along.

Or someone may just accidentally dial a stored contact number and annoy one of the previous owners’ friends or contacts. Either way, the smart thing to do is to take the steps to disconnect the vehicle thoroughly.

And it’s not hard to do at all.

Disconnecting your customer

3 ways for customers to disconnect from a vehicle

1. Remove all permissions to connect with the vehicle from phones, apps and devices.

2. Cancel any subscriptions to satellite radio, OnStar or the like.

3. Change all passwords immediately.

Most stored data and settings can be cleared or reset directly through the vehicle by navigating through the vehicle’s display screen and selecting the option along the lines of “Settings,” “Configurations,” “Advanced,” or “Options” and then deleting all pairings or data stored. Restoring the factory settings (which erases everything) also works too.

There are a few vehicles that clear connections and data by using specific tricks like pressing and holding certain buttons, removing fuses under certain conditions or even by leaving a door open for an extended period of time. Service information or the owners’ manual should explain how for each specific vehicle if you’re working on -- but if the manual is lost or missing (as happens with used vehicles, especially if they’ve been used as rental or fleet vehicles) searching the Internet for reputable information sites is often a quick way to find time-saving instructions.

However a disconnect is accomplished, remember there are usually multiple ways the customer and the vehicle are connected – not just through the digital screen – and it’s important to disconnect from all of them before trading in the vehicle. But don’t worry, it’s nothing you can’t handle, it’s just a matter of being thorough and patient to make future problems as unlikely as possible. Here’s how to manage some common ones.

Most stored data and settings can be cleared or reset directly by navigating through the display screen and selecting the option something along the lines of “Settings,” “Configurations,” “Advanced,” or “Options” – and then selecting the option to delete pairings or data stored, or even restoring the factory settings (which erases everything). The customer may still need to delete the pairings, permissions and apps from their phones or devices.

Remove Bluetooth pairings and clear phone data

Unpairing any Bluetooth devices and resetting factory settings is usually really easy to do using the vehicle’s onboard display. Just scroll through settings and clear all connections and reset to factory settings and remind the customer to delete the pairing from their phones. Clear out any stored phone numbers, dialed numbers, contact lists favorites and the like. Since the contacts list may have been imported into the vehicle this is a fairly important step to prevent problems.

If you’ve ever rented a vehicle it’s surprising to see how many people don’t do this -- just look and see how many folks have paired their phones and not deleted their connection and other synced data.

Be sure to erase any Bluetooth pairings. This is one of the parings left in a Las Vegas rental car -- “Kerry’s” phone is still paired to the vehicle.

Also ensure any stored data, files or photos that may have been copied are also deleted. Remind your customer to remove any access granted to the vehicle by the phone or other device. True, many vehicles won’t be able to access to data if the phone isn’t present but it’s still wise to delete everything so that the vehicle appears to have been thoroughly cleared and troublemakers won’t be tempted to keep looking for any other data left behind to build a more complete profile. Small steps now can prevent big headaches from developing later on.

Clear GPS data

Resetting the GPS is also usually straightforward, done by navigating through the unit itself and selecting the option to delete or reset data — look under settings and either reset to factory settings or delete everything individually.

This means ensuring any “Favorites,” “Home” and “Recently Found” places and personalized settings are indeed deleted and also checking that anything other data (like files, photos and images) was also removed so that the customer doesn’t let strangers know where they live, hang out, and travel to on holiday.

Managing this data correctly can be a bit more serious since in the wrong hands it can provide a path directly to the customer’s home (where those paired Bluetooth phones may be) and also to areas where they’ve recently been staying. One law enforcement officer I know always sets his “home” to be an intersection near his house, not actually at his address just in case someone gets hold of the data stored in his vehicle.

10 ways for techs to disconnect a customer
from a vehicle
1. Remove Bluetooth pairings, phone data and history.
2. Delete GPS history and favorites, clear "Home" data.
3. Ensure DVDs, CDs, USBs, are all removed and all outlets are left empty.
4. Clear all stored media and files that may have accidentally been copied and stored on the vehicle.
5. Disconnect from the Cloud.
6. Disconnect Wi-Fi or Hotspots, change the passwords, and delete or remove any permissions from devices and apps.
7. Clear all voice recognitions.
8. Clear all garage door codes.
9. Remove any driving monitoring device (if installed).
10. Remove any papers with data from the vehicle.

One further note, if the navigation system’s storage has been expanded, remove any cards that may have been used to expand the memory (so long as it doesn’t affect the system operation – and if so let the customer know the card is still there). Removing these helps protect your customer’s privacy and removes the temptation to see what else might be stored and forgotten about in a connected vehicle.

Clear stored garage door codes

Since it’s so easy to find out previous owner’s home address (for example, from stored GPS settings), ensure the vehicle’s garage door opener is reset before the vehicle changes hands – this may indeed need to be performed as a separate step in addition to resetting all other data – in other words, NOT done through the vehicle screen. This is usually easy to do and the steps are listed in the owner’s manual (again, a quick Internet search usually does the trick too if the manual is missing or damaged).

Letting strangers have access to the garage (and possibly the entire house if it’s accessed through the garage) is usually a bad idea. Clear out the data and keep your customer safe.

Clear all stored media and files

If the vehicle has an integrated hard drive to store music, photos, files and the like it should definitely be reset and cleared out before the vehicle changes owners. This may be as simple as scrolling through the screen and making a single selection to reset everything, or each item may need to be deleted individually. Either way, it needs to be done. Again, the manual should be able to walk you through it if it’s a bit tricky and if the manual is incomplete or missing the manufacturer websites are often helpful.

This step is important in case any additional files were automatically copied from USB drives, phones, iPods or cards that were plugged into the vehicle at some point, possibly without the customer knowing. This small step can prevent problems and also protect the customer’s privacy – good things indeed.

Check USB outlets for forgotten drives and devices. There may be additional ones hidden in the back or in the glove box or consoles. Completely delete any of the materials that may have been copied and stored onboard.

Also, on vehicles with CD or DVD players ensure there aren’t discs hiding in the unit or in the remote changer (this is actually how I first heard Nine Inch Nails back in the 90s – from a forgotten CD left in the changer of a Buick from an auction sale). And check for any USBs still plugged in to hidden outlets, especially in the rear seats of the vehicle. If so, remove them, clear any stored data from the vehicle and return them to the customer to do with as they wish.

Clear all stored voice recognition data

Be sure to clear any voice recognition pairings, not only as a protective action but also so that new voices can be stored by the new owner. This can sometimes be a bit tricky so consulting service information is the best way to save time and know the process for sure – and searching the Internet for hints can be a big help too since a fuse may need to be removed or a door may need to be left open for this to be successful on the first attempt. A five-minute search may indeed save hours of headaches later on.

Remove any driving monitors

Certain vehicles have devices installed to monitor driving habits for fleet or insurance companies (or nervous parents). Be sure to remove them before the vehicle changes hands so that the new owner isn’t being watched without their knowledge.

Disconnect from the Cloud, delete WiFi and hotspot passwords and connections

Since the Cloud may contain files that the customer didn’t even know were automatically backed up, it’s essential to disconnect the vehicle and clear any log-in data to social networking sites that have been stored in the vehicle -- including logging in online or through any apps and making sure the vehicle is no longer allowed to access any of that information. Along those lines, make sure any Wi-Fi data has been deleted, including disabling any hotspots and passwords that have been set up or stored.

Unfortunately reviewing the owners’ manual may not be the easiest way to find out how to do this. It usually take an online search and looking around in the app itself to find out how to remove parings and access permissions to disconnect from the customer from the vehicle successfully.

Also, your customers will likely need to revoke any access granted to the vehicle through their phones and other online access points, which is usually done through the app itself.

And it’s wise at this stage to also advise the customer to change their passwords. Better safe than sorry.

Cancel any subscriptions to satellite radio or dealer connection services

In reality, forgetting to cancel OnStar (or the like) and any other subscriptions to satellite or Wi-Fi services is almost guaranteed to cause problems since it’s so tempting for the new owner (or anyone else using the vehicle) to use the service freely and run up bills that your customer will be on the hook for. Save them the aggravation – remind the customer to contact their provider and stop the services before the vehicle changes hands so they’re not still paying for services someone else is using.

Remind the customer to cancel any subscriptions to satellite radio, OnStar – unless they want to keep paying for the next owner’s services.

Remove any paper trail

Finally, in addition to resetting or deleting all electronic data stored in the vehicle, it’s a good idea to ensure there aren’t any paper receipts or contracts left behind, especially not hiding behind the glove box or stuck between the seats since, much like digital files, papers may also contain valuable data that should be managed carefully. Hand over anything you may find to the customer to be stored or disposed of as they wish. This may indeed be old-school but it’s also true – some things haven’t changed at all, even for modern, connected vehicles.

It’s not just digital and online data that needs to be managed carefully. This rental vehicle has several old contracts stuffed in the glove compartment — with previous renters’ names, birth dates, addresses, license numbers and more. Yikes!

Conclusion

I recently overheard a postal clerk begging a customer at the desk not to mail her used cell phone to Nigeria after selling it online. The clerk actually said, “I’ve never seen this go well and no matter how well you think you’ve wiped all the data out of it -- you haven’t. Please, don’t do it.” And it’s so true, data is almost never completely erased from a device or even from a vehicle.

But it’s still important to thoroughly and carefully disconnect from devices (including vehicles) before they change hands in order to reduce the chances of problems occurring as much as possible by thoroughly erasing all connections and data which makes it as difficult as possible to access anything previously stored.

If you’ve ever sold a used cell phone or laptop and had to remove all the data you’re probably familiar with wiping out all stored data and restoring the factory settings. Disconnecting a vehicle from its owner is very similar, but with a few more a few vehicle-specific steps involved. It’s really not that hard, and it can protect customers from problems and aggravations down the road – and keeping customers happy is well worth the effort involved.

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