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Cars were simple machines that ran by themselves until something broke, and that was self diagnostic, and could be repaired by anyone with a set of crescent wrenches who took a high school course in auto mechanics. They got people from Oklahoma to California during the dust bowl.
Times have changed and vehicles are no different than anything else. I don’t here anyone complaining about their new 65 inch HD smart tv, would you rather go back to the old 19 inch tube tv with rabbit ears atena. Or have a rotary phone again i don’t think so. But some want to go back to the 3 on the tree manual transmission automobile with a carburetor and points, and manual drum brakes. But having all the new electronics in your home is ok but not in your vehicle
We always keep our cars an average of ten years. What I am afraid of is the repair costs associated with all this electronics out of warranty.
Don't get me wrong, the stuff on the steering wheel and push button start along with being able to unlock the doors with your keys in your pocket is something I notice when we get into out older vehicles and don't have the gizmos.
What do they say? A luxury once tasted becomes a necessity.
Bottom line I love all the new electronics I am just afraid of the out of warranty costs I could be paying out of pocket for, and you know at $100 an hour at the dealership it adds up fast.
I still have all my tools from those 60's and 70's cars we used to easily swap out engines on..........I look under the hood of our newest and just shake my head.
For what it's worth, my 2019 Forester not only has lane departure warnings, it has lane-keep-assist (gentle auto-steering to nudge you back into the lane if you stray to the boundary line) and it has driver focus warnings - the next level systems. I haven't been tempted to turn either one off, and I am glad they are there to catch me. I have seen some people complain about these systems, and it's possible their car is defective and is giving them a lot of false positives. It's also possible that the drivers are defective *lol* and either don't know how to stay centered in their lane or how to keep their eyes on the road, and find being warned for bad driving "bothersome".
How does lane departure work when you drive through an area of road construction - say in PA (Rt 84-81) where lines rarely exist and sometimes following lane markings will put you off the road.
How does lane departure work when you drive through an area of road construction - say in PA (Rt 84-81) where lines rarely exist and sometimes following lane markings will put you off the road.
If it can't see sensible lane markings, the feature automatically disengages and then re-engages when it picks them up again. It also disengages when you put on your turn signal to signal a lane change on the highway. The steering is only provided when you begin to cross a lane boundary, and then is gentle and if you provide steering input, you override the system - so it's *never* going to make the car do something you don't want it to do. I am not worried it's going to "drive me off the road". While the car does take actions, it's not designed or marketed as "self steering", it's more of a soft audible warning and modest correction for when you're not paying sufficient attention and are straying into the next lane (as inattentive drivers often do). I think they have had this capability since the 2014 models, so there are millions of cars out there with it. I am sure that they keep refining it as well. When the car is in my driveway it connects to my home WiFi signal and checks for updates, if available I can just download the update and install it myself - much like downloading a cellphone operating system update. I think it's pretty well thought out.
Last edited by OutdoorLover; 03-09-2019 at 06:32 AM..
Times have changed and vehicles are no different than anything else. I don’t here anyone complaining about their new 65 inch HD smart tv, would you rather go back to the old 19 inch tube tv with rabbit ears atena. Or have a rotary phone again i don’t think so. But some want to go back to the 3 on the tree manual transmission automobile with a carburetor and points, and manual drum brakes. But having all the new electronics in your home is ok but not in your vehicle
Unlike my car, I regard mt TV as entertainment, and the number of shows worth watching has actually decreased since the 50s, despite 500 channel cable. And since I've never owned or needed a cellphone, the only advantage to push button dialing is I spend about a minute less per week dialing.
Unlike my car, I regard mt TV as entertainment, and the number of shows worth watching has actually decreased since the 50s, despite 500 channel cable. And since I've never owned or needed a cellphone, the only advantage to push button dialing is I spend about a minute less per week dialing.
Well some people today consider that their vehicle is also a source of entertainment because of the built in DVD player and expensive stero systems with hands free radio control and in some a iPad hookup. And built in cellphone controls. And you are in the minority most people want the latest and greatest electronics, ever seen the lineup of people at a apple store when a new iPhone comes out even though they have the lates one from last year. So as long there are people out there like that than the automakers are going to keep putting in the latest and greatest electronics into their vehicles. These automakers hire companies to see what buyers want in their vehicles and they are targeting the new young buyers because these are the ones who are their future buyers for their vehicles.
When the car is in my driveway it connects to my home WiFi signal and checks for updates, if available I can just download the update and install it myself - much like downloading a cellphone operating system update.
I find that fairly terrifying. After 20 years in IT and seeing my fair share of failed updates, the last thing I want is for my CAR to have that "feature". No thanks.
Or nah? You don't mind the computer doing most of the work for you?
Now keep in mind cars have been increasingly electronic for over well the last 20 to 30 years, but in between the gap there is also what I like to call "technologically-transitional cars" so cars from the 80s to the mid 2000s may fit the bilm
Yes. And the dealerships rejoice because it forces a lot of consumers to go into the shop vs. working on their own cars.
I find that fairly terrifying. After 20 years in IT and seeing my fair share of failed updates, the last thing I want is for my CAR to have that "feature". No thanks.
For what it's worth, I work in research informatics and I am not terrified.
You folks are too fancy for me. I buy cheap, new cars like Kia Souls. Keys and a radio. Back up camera is now the law but I was taught to turn my head when backing up.
Turning your head does not let you see what's behind your car underneath the window. By scanning both outside mirrors and the backup camera display you are able to see much more, which equates to much safer. What you were taught 30 or 40 or 50 years ago doesn't necessarily hold true today. Would you want a doctor that uses only what he/she was taught in med school 30 or 40 or 50 years ago?
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