I bought a 2017 Chevy Malibu for my son who is lower IQ to help him get back and forth to work. I discovered through my GPS TRACKER called Life360 that he has been speeding up to 112 MPH on the freeway. I am hoping to install a Speed Limiter or Governor on this car but I cant seem to find one to buy. I have called several auto shops and no one seems to be able to help me. Can someone point me in the right direction? I dont want him to get hurt or hurt someone else, and threats have not seemed to work. My husband says there are all kinds of Governors out there but I cant find any. Please help me.

 

It might be cheaper, then what could happen if someone gets hurt to have a professional mechanic with the proper device, adjust the internal speed limiter that is in the ECM software, then have your son kill himself or somone else. Trurst me, a Malibu will go much faster then 112 MPH, if the speed limiter were ever turned up, not down.

In the heat of summer, tires not rated for those kinds of speeds could blow out easy, which is why the police have high speed tires installed on all thier cars. I doubt the Malibu has those tires, rated Z, Y, and W. It probably has S rating tires or lower.

I know enough about the law that you could lose so much money in a court of law, if something bad happened, since it woukld not be hard for an investigator both police or private to find out that you knew he has issues, and you too will be held responsible. I think $500 to 1000 dollars is MUCH cheaper then what you would be in for if he were to kill someeone while driving so fast, that if cuaght by the police the car would be impounded and your son would be in jail. Do the right thing, please, before its too late.

If he has mental disabilty, you might even be able to write the tech work off on your taxes, but you need to speak with a tax-pro about that. I would not wait, just have it turned down to a reasonable speed. I am a professional driver, as well as a man trained in the vehicle mechanicals arts, so I do know what I am talking about.

 

Thank you for your reply and Yes I absolutely want to do that but supposedly it cant be "tuned" down (the 2017 Malibu) because the computer system is "locked" for the first couple of years according to this mechanic who does that. He said to go to hptunes.com/vehicles/ and find a model like the 2014 Chevy cruze that can and then sell the Malibu and buy the Chevy cruze 2014. Last night I found Home | Highway Guardian that is looking into a speed limiter they developed to see if it will go onto the 2017 Chevrolet Malibu. I am still trying to figure it out I am really worried about it. Have you heard of cars computers being locked out for a couple of years? How do I go about finding a mechanic that does this in my area?

 

No, I have not heard of cars being locked out. You need a tech with what is called an active scan-tool or something similar. A regular scan tool only checks the codes stored in the ECM. They can be erased, but if the issue isnt repaired the code will simply come back on. You should lookup the speed shops, places that install speed INCREASING things like exhast headers, and the like, and ask them.

If a speed limiter can be modified to allow the vehicle to go faster then the defined limit it can be lowered as well, but only by someone who knows what they are doing and has the tool to modify the ECM programming. Trucking companies do it with thier rigs all the time and modern diesel motors all have ECM's, so I see no reason that you can't have this modification done. Its just a matter of calling around and finding a tech to do it that has the tool to do so.

Back in the old days, lots of smaller gasoline powered medium duty trucks had speed limiters, but those used mechanical devices to cut the speed down so that the driver could not exceed it and there were no ECM's, only electronic ignitions, which are not the same thing at all.. They were prone to going bad and/or could sometimes be modified by a driver, but not with an ECM. Its all in the software and your son will only be able to drive faster then a limiter will allow, unless its on a downhill road at most.