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Old 03-14-2012, 08:32 PM
 
12,098 posts, read 16,975,682 times
Reputation: 15736

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I was shopping new cars and noticed some of the 2012 models have eliminated the engine/water temperature gauge.

Namely the 2012 Civic, Fit, and Mazda3.

Why they would do this is beyond me. All they have is the dummy warning lights now.

How are you going to tell if your car is overheating before it's too late?

Opinions?
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Old 03-14-2012, 08:40 PM
 
1,961 posts, read 6,775,696 times
Reputation: 2504
The majority weren't/aren't paying attention to these stuff anyway. That's why we get all the questions about busted head gaskets when the car has been running hot for a while.

The rest of us will suffer, won't be able to check ATF level, engine oil level; we have to have $2000 worth of sensors to tell us how our tire pressure is. Instead we have wireless everything and can switch the radio channel from the steering without having to go through the painful & calorie consuming process of stretching our arm all the way to the dash.
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Old 03-14-2012, 08:52 PM
 
12,098 posts, read 16,975,682 times
Reputation: 15736
Quote:
Originally Posted by 00molavi View Post
The majority weren't/aren't paying attention to these stuff anyway. That's why we get all the questions about busted head gaskets when the car has been running hot for a while.

The rest of us will suffer, won't be able to check ATF level, engine oil level; we have to have $2000 worth of sensors to tell us how our tire pressure is. Instead we have wireless everything and can switch the radio channel from the steering without having to go through the painful & calorie consuming process of stretching our arm all the way to the dash.
I was considering buying a 2012 Civic but it was a dealbreaker.

I'm not going to fork over near 20K for something that doesn't have something that is crucial to me (T Gauge).

Honda is a bunch of idiots for taking out personally.
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Old 03-14-2012, 09:10 PM
 
2,728 posts, read 5,341,103 times
Reputation: 1785
Quote:
Originally Posted by jobaba View Post
I was shopping new cars and noticed some of the 2012 models have eliminated the engine/water temperature gauge.

Namely the 2012 Civic, Fit, and Mazda3.

Why they would do this is beyond me. All they have is the dummy warning lights now.

How are you going to tell if your car is overheating before it's too late?

Opinions?
Cars have had temp warning lights instead of temp gauges for decades. There are probably a lot of reasons for that, not the least of which is that most people pay no attention to the gauges anyway.
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Old 03-14-2012, 09:48 PM
 
Location: Washington, DC & New York
10,915 posts, read 31,243,414 times
Reputation: 7137
You can buy a tool like a Scanguage that plugs into the OBDII port and will monitor your coolant temperature, among other gauges. You can also monitor data via iPad and iPhone through the DashCommand app as well. Such systems are not as perfect as integrated into the gauge cluster, but can give additional vehicle information and gauge displays.
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Old 03-14-2012, 10:30 PM
 
Location: Earth
4,237 posts, read 24,688,387 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jobaba View Post
I was shopping new cars and noticed some of the 2012 models have eliminated the engine/water temperature gauge.
Nothing new...cars as far back as the 1960's had idiot lights.

Quote:
Originally Posted by jobaba View Post
Why they would do this is beyond me. All they have is the dummy warning lights now.
Probably because it's cheaper for them to build the cars with dummy lights. Also saves space in the dash.

Quote:
Originally Posted by jobaba View Post
How are you going to tell if your car is overheating before it's too late?
You don't. It's called "oops, gotta pay someone big bucks to fix the damage, to keep them in business." That's how they make their money...if you have to keep coming back every so often.
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Old 03-15-2012, 12:34 AM
 
Location: Floribama
18,923 posts, read 43,211,623 times
Reputation: 18717
I always watch my temp gauge. Idiot lights don't come on until it's time to pull over.
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Old 03-15-2012, 06:32 AM
 
Location: "Chicago"
1,866 posts, read 2,835,011 times
Reputation: 870
Cost cutting, mostly.

Many cars came with "fake" gauges anyway. During normal conditions, it stayed pointed right at the center, all the time. Volts, oil pressure, and temp, all right in the middle all the time. The reason they did it that way, was because when the gauges were more "realistic", they tended to fluctuate more than some drivers would have realized. Turn on the headlights, and the Volts gauge goes down. Get stuck waiting for a freight train, and the temp gauge goes up. People thought something was wrong so they headed to the dealer looking for warranty repairs. So the gauges were dumbed down. Now, many cars don't even have gauges anymore.

I have a car from 1988 and it has all the gauges, and they're real gauges. The volts gauge flutters with the turn signals. The oil pressure gauge goes up when I accelerate and it goes down when I'm idling. The temp gauge goes up and down depending on whether I'm on the highway or stuck in traffic. Its nice!
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Old 03-15-2012, 06:50 AM
 
24,488 posts, read 40,980,792 times
Reputation: 12919
Quote:
Originally Posted by 00molavi View Post
The majority weren't/aren't paying attention to these stuff anyway. That's why we get all the questions about busted head gaskets when the car has been running hot for a while.

The rest of us will suffer, won't be able to check ATF level, engine oil level; we have to have $2000 worth of sensors to tell us how our tire pressure is. Instead we have wireless everything and can switch the radio channel from the steering without having to go through the painful & calorie consuming process of stretching our arm all the way to the dash.
We've had radio buttons on steering wheels for almost 30 years. My Altima doesn't have a temp gauge. Would be nice but not a biggie.
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Old 03-15-2012, 06:55 AM
 
3,244 posts, read 7,418,978 times
Reputation: 1604
Quote:
Originally Posted by jobaba View Post
I was considering buying a 2012 Civic but it was a dealbreaker.

I'm not going to fork over near 20K for something that doesn't have something that is crucial to me (T Gauge).

Honda is a bunch of idiots for taking out personally.
--------------------------------------------------------------------

I think it is related to the cost of the car.... The manufacturer is not going to put in the more expensive gauges over idiot lights on an entry-level car.
Though both are critical and important, I think the oil pressure gauge trumps the temperature gauge.

I had a Volvo in the '80's that had oil temperature, oil pressure, water temperature, outside temperature, battery voltage, tachometer and I few more I can't remember. The only idiot lights were ABS/brakes and air bags.

On a pro-street car I had all of the above, plus transmission temperature and fuel pressure and blower manifold pressure. (granted I did those three myself).

I think ya gets what ya pays for.
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