Cf. Renault
Renault has been doing this for decades with their electronics - last time I checked, one couldn't easily transplant a stereo from one Espace to another, without asking nicely Renault themselves via their on-line service system. The main difference is that my local garage, not a fancy place at all, is able to do this, as long as they keep their subscription to the Renault system. They don't need to be an official Renault place, they just need to be registered with them and pay a (reasonable) fee. Renaults are not known to be stolen for their fancy electronics, like, say, Volkswagens with their all-in-one satellite navigation packages right in the middle of the dasboard, not protected at all a decade ago (I do hope they've done something about it since I last talked to a very upset Passat driver).
I believe it has to do with the right to repair movement in the auto industry. The crucial difference being that in Europe the right to _cheaply_ repair agenda has been pushed and lobbied for by the insurance businesses, not those tiny little people who give us, important politicians, nothing more than their worthless votes and seem to think we will be paying for all those lovely holidays in the Carribean ourselves.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
