The biggest problem with modern cars. (airbag, noise, difference, performance)

[OutdoorLover]

The SavageGoose has some points, here's what I can agree on:

• Some tech interfaces have been poorly done, there is bad design out there.
• It would be best if automakers all had a plan for extensive updates for software in their vehicles, like you get in a cell phone
• It's difficult for the average person to afford the average new car

But... some related points I'd make, which differ are

• Not all tech interfaces were badly done, and the latest are better
• Some automakers *do* provide a software upgrade path. I don't know how extensive the updates will be, but my 2019 Subaru connects to my home WiFi every time I pull into the driveway, and then I can hit "check for updates"
• Inflation-adjusted pricing of simpler cars has not gone up a great deal. You don't *need* to buy a $40,000 car- some pretty nice cars are available in the $20K-$30K range.
• Of course, average people have trouble affording $20K-$30K cars too - the problem though is the long term stagnation of wage growth for the lower 2/3 of society, and being able to afford a decent car is just one manifestation of the larger problem of low wages.
• He kind of rails against the presence of tech features in cars and says they're often unnecessary or even detrimental, and then he goes on to say it's a big problem if these systems fail later. Wait, which is it? Are tech feature useless? Or is it a problem when they fail later in a car's life?

[selhars]

I have an '06 Acura and that's new enough for me.
I'm hoping to keep it another 10 years.

I have absolutely NO idea what cars will be equipped with and what car buying will be like by that time.
There's nothing out there I like now, I know that for sure.

[nedergras]

Originally Posted by Pilot1

Planned obscelensce, and making sure owners can NOT work on their own cars, and forcing people to bring it to the DEALER.

Kia Forte, looks nice, but how do you change the turn signal bulbs?

[cars321]

I’m sure we’ve all at some point watched online car reviews. I know I do. I came across this guy a couple of weeks ago and just about watched everything he’s done. His videos are very well done I would even say it rivals MT and others.
Any way as some here know I’m not into cars with a lot of technology and these are some really good reason why.

[elnina]

Technology and tech overload are driving the car prices up. Extremely costly to replace if something goes wrong.
Technology (forced) obsolescence.
High tech cars are expensive to insure because more advanced parts are costlier to replace.

Distracting and often useless infotainment that needs a constant update or costly subscriptions.
Body that makes small repairs impossible.
Parts that seem to have very hard access for a reason. (labor cost)
Useless bumpers!!!

Cars are becoming simultaneously more expensive and more disposable every year and that is a really unsustainable trend.

BTW: why did you start a new thread, OP while we have one running for a while now:
//www.city-data.com/forum/autom...dern-cars.html

(This thread will be merged)

[SWFL_Native]

LOL.. FS2 is showing the Jaguar Ipace racing series which is a Formula 1 track style series where they race the fully electric cross overs. It is so strange to watching a race with no engine noise.


I would suppose it's akin to watching an adult film starring only Eunichs.... The race like the move just has no balls.

[ohio_peasant]

Originally Posted by OutdoorLover

...He kind of rails against the presence of tech features in cars and says they're often unnecessary or even detrimental, and then he goes on to say it's a big problem if these systems fail later. Wait, which is it? Are tech feature useless? Or is it a problem when they fail later in a car's life?

It's both. By my reckoning, most electronic gadgets are useless, contributing needlessly to cost, weight, and difficulty of maintenance. If their failure simply meant their own shutdown, and nothing else, then it would be a minor matter. But if their failure entails the failure of critical systems, then we have a problem.

For example, suppose that there's a gadget that alters the frequency of windshield-wiper motion depending on whether it thinks that there's heavy rain. The mechanism/sensor/etc. suddenly fails. If the system defaults to conventional windshield wiper operation, then there's no problem. But what if the wipers become totally inoperable?

And again: suppose that there's a traction-control system that, among other things, modulates throttle, when it thinks that traction is getting lost. There's a dedicated flapper-door in the intake tract, between the air flow meter and the throttle body. If the system fails, and the flapper-door defaults to being stuck wide-open, there's no problem. But what if the door gets stuck closed, or partially-closed? Sure, it's not a huge problem to remove the whole thing from the intake tract. But what if the failure is insidious and hard to diagnose?

And again: some cars have a "safety feature" to shut off the fuel pump, if there's not a signal from the air flow meter relaying evidence of engine operation. The intent is to reduce odds of a fire after a hard collision, thus shutting down the fuel pump. Well, what if there's a fault-code from the AFM, for whatever reason, that doesn't much affect engine operation, but disables the fuel pump? Good luck diagnosing that one!

[nedergras]

Not to mention the radar eyesight crap that's part of windshields now. One little pebble necessitates a nearly thousand dollar windshield replacement. For a luxury car, not a big deal, but for economy cars like a Corolla? Wtf were they thinking.

[nedergras]

Also point and laugh at the people who buy Mazda 3s. Rain sensing wipers, eyesight radar cruise crash avoidance crap, idrive wannabe radio infotainment.

[southernnaturelover]

One gripe I have with modern cars is that none of them have actual tilt steering anymore. The columns move up and down, but they do not tilt like older cars. I assume this is due to the telescopic function.