Clarify pre-install vehicle testing

Co-authored-by: Copilot <[email protected]>

PLAN.md

@@ -1136,18 +1136,24 @@ recorded trip details, and footage can be accessed away from the car:
   Range requests, and downloads against disposable copies of real server footage, and browser-test
   desktop/mobile through the real hosted endpoint before committing.
 
-### Phase 24: Yaris 2013 in-car acceptance test — 🚧 PLANNED (core-system gate)
+### Phase 24: Pre-install Yaris 2013 compatibility test — 🚧 PLANNED (core-system gate)
 **Added 2026-08-09; intentionally immediately before the Android app.** Bench tests, synthetic
 routes, attached-hardware tests, and stationary Pi runs cannot prove the complete system works
-while installed in and powered by the actual 2013 Toyota Yaris. This phase is the acceptance gate
+when temporarily connected to and powered by the actual 2013 Toyota Yaris. This phase is the
-for the complete core Pi/web/server system after Phase 23. It is verification and targeted
+pre-installation acceptance gate for the complete core Pi/web/server system after Phase 23. It is
-correction—not another redesign—and the core vehicle system is not considered ready until the
+verification and targeted correction—not permanent installation or another redesign—and the
-results are recorded here.
+system is not considered ready to install until the results are recorded here. Permanent mounting,
+cable routing, trim work, and final installation are explicitly outside the roadmap and will be
+handled by the owner after this phase passes.
 
-Prepare before driving:
+Prepare a temporary, removable test setup before driving:
-- Install the Pi, SIM868 HAT/antennas, USB OBD adapter, dashcam connection, and final intended
+- Connect the Pi, SIM868 HAT/antennas, USB OBD adapter, dashcam, and representative intended power
-  in-car power source/cabling securely. Resolve the Phase 19/20 undervoltage/throttling warning
+  source without permanently mounting or routing anything. Secure every temporary component and
-  first; confirm `vcgencmd get_throttled` shows no current power fault at idle and under load.
+  cable so it cannot interfere with pedals, steering, airbags, visibility, occupants, or loose-item
+  safety during the controlled drive; remove the setup after testing.
+- Resolve the Phase 19/20 undervoltage/throttling warning before the test; confirm
+  `vcgencmd get_throttled` shows no current power fault at idle and under load with the temporary
+  representative power setup. This validates electrical compatibility, not final cable routing.
 - Back up the Pi SQLite database and record baseline row/trip/video/upload counts on the Pi and
   remote server. Use a uniquely timestamped test window so generated records can be reconciled
   without deleting unrelated history.
@@ -1186,8 +1192,8 @@ clean trip end:
 - **Power/reliability:** perform multiple normal ignition/power cycles, confirm automatic boot,
   service/watchdog startup, SIM868 power-on, OBD/GPS recovery, no SQLite corruption, and no current
   undervoltage/throttling. The deferred Phase 14 clean-shutdown limitation must be explicitly
-  accepted or resolved with delayed-power/ignition-sense hardware before calling this production
+  accepted or resolved with representative delayed-power/ignition-sense hardware before declaring
-  ready.
+  the design ready for permanent installation.
 
 Verify the complete remote path after connectivity returns:
 - Confirm every test-window tracking row uploads exactly once and the selected dashcam clip resumes
@@ -1204,7 +1210,8 @@ Acceptance requires a written result for every item, captured negotiated protoco
 measured trip/count/hash comparisons, relevant logs/screenshots, no unexplained tracebacks or data
 loss, and cleanup of every disposable record/file while preserving the real drive. Any defect found
 must be fixed, redeployed uncommitted, and the affected in-car test repeated before the final commit
-and production-ready sign-off.
+and **ready-to-install** sign-off. Afterward, the owner handles permanent installation outside the
+phase roadmap.
 
 ### Phase 25: Native Android companion app — 🚧 PLANNED (low priority, always last)
 Revives the phone-relay goal (Phase 11/12) properly this time, using a real native app instead of
@@ -1212,7 +1219,8 @@ a web page - the only way to actually hold a WiFi connection to the Pi's hotspot
 connection to the internet open simultaneously (`ConnectivityManager.bindProcessToNetwork()`,
 unavailable to browser JS - see the Phase 11 update). Explicitly **not urgent** and intentionally
 kept at the end of the roadmap, after all web/server work and the Phase 24 core in-car acceptance
-test are done. Scope, at a high level (not yet designed in detail):
+test are done. Permanent vehicle installation remains owner-handled and is not an implementation
+phase. Scope, at a high level (not yet designed in detail):
 - **Dashcam file transfer**: browse/select/delete dashcam clips already imported to the Pi (same
   data as the Phase 17 local video browser, just a native client instead of/alongside the web UI),
   download them to the phone, and upload to the remote server over cellular while the phone stays

readme.md

@@ -121,5 +121,6 @@ with clear Local Pi/Remote Server labeling and hardware-only Pi sections omitted
 phase history, verification notes, and current scope live in
 [PLAN.md](./PLAN.md).
 
-A dedicated real-vehicle acceptance test in the 2013 Yaris precedes the final low-priority Android
+A temporary, removable real-vehicle compatibility test in the 2013 Yaris precedes the final
-phase; bench and synthetic verification alone are not treated as core-system production sign-off.
+low-priority Android phase; bench and synthetic verification alone are not treated as
+ready-to-install sign-off. Permanent installation is owner-handled and is not a roadmap phase.