Wildguzzi.com
General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: leafman60 on April 23, 2015, 10:12:17 PM
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I typically scoff at some of what I call Techno Fluff on new motorcycles, particularly my former brand of choice, BMW.
Keyless ignitions, electronic suspension adjusters, electronic shifters, electronic incline braking, on and on. One of the biggest attractions of a Guzzi for me is that they typically don't clutter their machines with this BS!
Yes, some technology is welcomed. Modern ignition systems, suspensions, brakes and engines have all benefitted from technological improvements. The sort of things that irritate me, however, are gadgets that attempt to make riding easier on the rider, to insulate the rider from the inherent tasks of riding a bike.
Wanna stop on a hill? You shouldn't have to worry about holding the rear brake with your right foot and synchronizing the release of that brake as you engage the clutch on takeaway. The engineers now offer electronic brakes to tend to that chore.
Does the top of your foot hurt from flipping that shift lever into gears? Poor baby. Give is a dose of electric shifting to ease that burdensome chore! If such things are too much trouble for you, an Impala may be better suited to your transportation needs.
Well, today I took delivery of a new 2015 Chevy Tahoe Z71. The darn thing is loaded with the same sort of BS! I've owned about 6 of these now and every new version tends to offer a creeping onset of Techno Fluff to ease the driving experience. I don't want a lot of this electronic fluff. My goodness, I'll need a few weeks to learn all the features on this new Tahoe.
I didn't know I was getting all of this when I ordered the custom-built SUV. Turns out that much of this stuff is mandatory in packages that go with critical features I did want. It's sort of like cable TV. You have to get loads of BS channels that you don't want in order to get one or two channels you do want.
This new truck (seems odd to call this thing that) offers electronic voice command control for everything, keyless locks and ignition, I have front collision sensors that alert me if I overtake another vehicle to quickly, I have lane center warning that senses the road lanes and warns me if I am running off the road, I have an electronic matrix that pops up on my LCD screen when backing up to show me the long distance clear path behind me, on and on, many other gadgets. Generally, I tend to know if I run off the road and I have no problem looking before I back.
I'm sure points can be made about how these things can be helpful and safer but I don't need that help. I don't even like the complicated electronically-controlled heat and air on most cars. Just give me a fan control knob and a temperature control knob. I'm happy with that.
Maybe I am increasingly becoming a luddite but I feel like a lot of this stuff is being forced upon us in a slow metamorphosis to a helpless state of dependence on something other than our own selves and our own capabilities!
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and in about ten years, we will have a 2-3% fatality rate (unsolved techno glitches) when those in charge institute the save the planet by mandatory population reduction. ;D ;D Ops sorry, was just watching Invasion of the Body Snatchers.
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I typically scoff at some of what I call Techno Fluff on new motorcycles, particularly my former brand of choice, BMW.
Keyless ignitions, electronic suspension adjusters, electronic shifters, electronic incline braking, on and on. One of the biggest attractions of a Guzzi for me is that they typically don't clutter their machines with this BS!
Yes, some technology is welcomed. Modern ignition systems, suspensions, brakes and engines have all benefitted from technological improvements. The sort of things that irritate me, however, are gadgets that attempt to make riding easier on the rider, to insulate the rider from the inherent tasks of riding a bike.
Wanna stop on a hill? You shouldn't have to worry about holding the rear brake with your right foot and synchronizing the release of that brake as you engage the clutch on takeaway. The engineers now offer electronic brakes to tend to that chore.
Does the top of your foot hurt from flipping that shift lever into gears? Poor baby. Give is a dose of electric shifting to ease that burdensome chore! If such things are too much trouble for you, an Impala may be better suited to your transportation needs.
Well, today I took delivery of a new 2015 Chevy Tahoe Z71. The darn thing is loaded with the same sort of BS! I've owned about 6 of these now and every new version tends to offer a creeping onset of Techno Fluff to ease the driving experience. I don't want a lot of this electronic fluff. My goodness, I'll need a few weeks to learn all the features on this new Tahoe.
I didn't know I was getting all of this when I ordered the custom-built SUV. Turns out that much of this stuff is mandatory in packages that go with critical features I did want. It's sort of like cable TV. You have to get loads of BS channels that you don't want in order to get one or two channels you do want.
This new truck (seems odd to call this thing that) offers electronic voice command control for everything, keyless locks and ignition, I have front collision sensors that alert me if I overtake another vehicle to quickly, I have lane center warning that senses the road lanes and warns me if I am running off the road, I have an electronic matrix that pops up on my LCD screen when backing up to show me the long distance clear path behind me, on and on, many other gadgets. Generally, I tend to know if I run off the road and I have no problem looking before I back.
I'm sure points can be made about how these things can be helpful and safer but I don't need that help. I don't even like the complicated electronically-controlled heat and air on most cars. Just give me a fan control knob and a temperature control knob. I'm happy with that.
Maybe I am increasingly becoming a luddite but I feel like a lot of this stuff is being forced upon us in a slow metamorphosis to a helpless state of dependence on something other than our own selves and our own capabilities!
:+1
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I truly "feel for" the folks I know who can't go it alone on vehicles. I would rather "roll my own" and am fortunate to have a wife who not only tolerates it but in fact encourages it. My newest acquisition is for her and in fact pleaded for by her. It'll be an MG with almost no motive nor electrical components left from England.
Her Land Rover Discovery is being supplanted by a beautiful, resurrected 1973 Scout. She loves the look but really appreciates the simplicity over the "Soccer-momed" Land Rover.
I view more and more of my friends and family as being essentially addicted for life to car payments as the vehicles seldom last significantly beyond the payment schedule anymore. Each year brings more complexity, whether foisted upon the consumer through the manufacturers by nanny-government or demanded by the soccer-moms and soccer-mom-men of the U.S.
I wouldn't be building the Scout for Sarah if I could get her a TDi Defender but alas, the nanies won't let them in and when they do, the "Real Housewives" will demand they be reduced to rolling techno-pillows dependent upon umbilicals to keep running.
*-*End Rant*-*
Todd.
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I truly "feel for" the folks I know who can't go it alone on vehicles. I would rather "roll my own" and am fortunate to have a wife who not only tolerates it but in fact encourages it. My newest acquisition is for her and in fact pleaded for by her. It'll be an MG with almost no motive nor electrical components left from England.
Her Land Rover Discovery is being supplanted by a beautiful, resurrected 1973 Scout. She loves the look but really appreciates the simplicity over the "Soccer-momed" Land Rover.
I view more and more of my friends and family as being essentially addicted for life to car payments as the vehicles seldom last significantly beyond the payment schedule anymore. Each year brings more complexity, whether foisted upon the consumer through the manufacturers by nanny-government or demanded by the soccer-moms and soccer-mom-men of the U.S.
I wouldn't be building the Scout for Sarah if I could get her a TDi Defender but alas, the nanies won't let them in and when they do, the "Real Housewives" will demand they be reduced to rolling techno-pillows dependent upon umbilicals to keep running.
*-*End Rant*-*
Todd.
All this stuff is on new cars because people demand that it be there. They won't buy cars without it. :P
Motorcycle magazines test Moto Guzzis and snort and chuckle because they don't have fly-by-wire and nuclear-powered ABS and built in head-up displays like Gold Things do. :(
But we shouldn't laugh. There are people on this very list, who in their youth and middle years were strong, self-reliant, dependable, well'ard Motorcycle Riders, who today will tell you that they won't leave the driveway without their smart-phone and GPS unit that automatically tells them how to drive and where the nearest Cracker Barrel is and how far it is to the Exxon station, and so they can check in with Honey at every gas stop and four times each evening at the campground, in case "something happens" I suppose. ;)
Careful, though. If you say anything disparaging about this techno-fluff trend, you will hear things about stone axes and caves and flint-knapping, as if you either have to live in 2015 or 100,000 BC, there's no in between. For me, 1982 is about right. ;-T
Lannis
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Just solutions to non existent problems.
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1982… sounds about right. Let's see, in the garage are a 1985 Le Mans 1000, still killing electrical bugs but I think coil replacement and yet another new battery should fix that. 1981 Monza with Lucas RITA ignition. Runs great, I suppose I should get a Dyna S just in case but (with major gearbox and rear drive work and new non-stretchy exhaust valves and lots of Time-Serts and helicoils) it's a happy, healthy runner. 1979 V50II, reliable and fun, if slow. 1963 BSA B40 in SS90 tune but with new Amal and Electrix electronic magneto so no battery - rock simple and silly fun at least to 55 or 60 mph. 90 on it would be scarier than 180 on a Hayabusa. Brakes? Surely you jest… drums from the "front brake will throw you over the bars" days. Dog Bless compression braking… close to infinitely rebuildable and close to flint-axe simple. Should last as long as the (recently CLA'd with new lubricants so good for the next 3 owners) 30s and 50s Leicas.
1982 - functional electronic ignition, analog everything else. Sure, fuel injection -- if set up correctly -- is better than a carburetor. But there's that set up right bit, and factory disasters to get past emissions or noise (read: running too lean). And not fixable without $$$$$$$ worth of equipment.
We have the best new cars (and motorcycles) ever now. Give them 5 to 10 years and they'll be the worst used pieces of dreck ever. As soon as the complex electronics start to go, it's all over. The Prince of Darkness could be dealt with. Technolo-G™ can't. At least without $$$$$$$$$$$$$ worth of special equipment and training, obsolete before you're finished. It's all electronic devices now, and the Silly Con Valley motto is "newer than tomorrow, obsolete yesterday!"
Excuse me whilst I throw my wooden shoe into the gearworks ~;
cr
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These are reasons I'm no longer interested in a new MC. They've gotten too sophisticated for me to work on most the time any more. Some call it progress. I call it unnecessary, at least for me. Guess it's because I'm just an old fuddy duddy now. Seems vintage bike events have more attendees every year. ??? Why is that? Maybe if us oldsters didn't have memories of how MCling used to be we wouldn't give a hoot how it is changing?
As for the "improved" cars/trucks, is that why they cost so much more now than they used to? Hope I die before I need a new car or truck in my lifetime. :BEER: So far the most I've paid for either is $16,000. ;D
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Gonna ride over to the annual Laughlin River Run(50 mi.) tomorrow. Hope to see some of the new Indians there amongst mostly Harleys. Perfect weather for it. ;-T
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I used to special order my cars so I wouldn't get power windows. Still have my 94 Camaro with roll ups.
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I'm far from being a Luddite, but after hearing horror stories from techs, such as:
1) a popular German car that will destroy its all-powerful BCM if the battery is disconnected without going through the "Shutdown Routine"
2) another brand of German car that toasted its computer once under warranty (estimated cost of ~$5k if not warrantied) and stranded its owner 4 times before giving tell-tale signs the computer was about to toss its cookies again (not under warranty this time)
3) the American car that had to have the BCM reprogrammed after having the A/T fluid changed
I think my 1999 Buick will be the newest car I'll ever own.
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I typically scoff at some of what I call Techno Fluff on new motorcycles, particularly my former brand of choice, BMW.
Keyless ignitions, electronic suspension adjusters, electronic shifters, electronic incline braking, on and on. One of the biggest attractions of a Guzzi for me is that they typically don't clutter their machines with this BS!
Yes, some technology is welcomed. Modern ignition systems, suspensions, brakes and engines have all benefitted from technological improvements. The sort of things that irritate me, however, are gadgets that attempt to make riding easier on the rider, to insulate the rider from the inherent tasks of riding a bike.
Wanna stop on a hill? You shouldn't have to worry about holding the rear brake with your right foot and synchronizing the release of that brake as you engage the clutch on takeaway. The engineers now offer electronic brakes to tend to that chore.
Does the top of your foot hurt from flipping that shift lever into gears? Poor baby. Give is a dose of electric shifting to ease that burdensome chore! If such things are too much trouble for you, an Impala may be better suited to your transportation needs.
Well, today I took delivery of a new 2015 Chevy Tahoe Z71. The darn thing is loaded with the same sort of BS! I've owned about 6 of these now and every new version tends to offer a creeping onset of Techno Fluff to ease the driving experience. I don't want a lot of this electronic fluff. My goodness, I'll need a few weeks to learn all the features on this new Tahoe.
I didn't know I was getting all of this when I ordered the custom-built SUV. Turns out that much of this stuff is mandatory in packages that go with critical features I did want. It's sort of like cable TV. You have to get loads of BS channels that you don't want in order to get one or two channels you do want.
This new truck (seems odd to call this thing that) offers electronic voice command control for everything, keyless locks and ignition, I have front collision sensors that alert me if I overtake another vehicle to quickly, I have lane center warning that senses the road lanes and warns me if I am running off the road, I have an electronic matrix that pops up on my LCD screen when backing up to show me the long distance clear path behind me, on and on, many other gadgets. Generally, I tend to know if I run off the road and I have no problem looking before I back.
I'm sure points can be made about how these things can be helpful and safer but I don't need that help. I don't even like the complicated electronically-controlled heat and air on most cars. Just give me a fan control knob and a temperature control knob. I'm happy with that.
Maybe I am increasingly becoming a luddite but I feel like a lot of this stuff is being forced upon us in a slow metamorphosis to a helpless state of dependence on something other than our own selves and our own capabilities!
Yep and all this stuff is aimed at one national market in particular......gue ss which one
Ciao
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I too prefer simplicity-no ABS on bikes, etc, but new cars are better and more reliable. Period.
Well,maybe not PERIOD, but I got my Audi with stick shift, no fancy packages, I can turn off the anti skid stuff-I've been driving "drive by wire"for 13 years, never a hint of trouble. I do think DBW is much better with stick instead of automatic, especially DSG type boxes.
But I'd rather build up a Scout myself than get a Discovery. Though I'd check Jeeps, my wife's Rubicon is a stone axe with fuel injection, and it's been great for 9 years now.
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Yesterday, the sales manager had to give me a quick tutorial about all the bells and whistles just so I could get the new car home and read the operator's manual. I voiced my disdain for a lot of it to him and he nodded his head in agreement but went on to tell me about the customers who wanted these Techno Fluff items.
For example- the keyless entry and operation. He told me that women love that feature because they don't have to dig into their purse to find their car keys. The transponder is in the purse somewhere so all they have to do touch the door unlock pad, sit down and touch the engine start button.
The drop-down "conversation mirror" allows women to see the kids or other passengers in the back seat while they talk to them.
The electric-operated lay-down seats triggered from the cargo loading area- women don't want to have to walk all the way around to the rear side doors to manually release and lay down the back seats to provide room in the cargo area. Now they can stand at the back door and simply press a button in order to make more room for groceries or clothes in the cargo area.
All the electronic guidance technology also appeals to women who can't always worry about things like staying on the road when more important things like talking on their cellphones are on their minds.
Guys have their own proclivities as well. All the electronic screen gadgetry appeal to men. Seeing a digitized "clear grid" of the area into which you are backing and the large entertainment screen that does everything with a voice command or touch of the finger are things guys like to play with.
Still, in the end, the sales people told me that the biggest influence on new car design are the notions and desires of women! If momma is happy, everybody is happy.
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soon, cars will drive themselves. once the insurance companies figure out that computers have fewer accidents than people, you will have to pay a premium to drive a car without a computer...
for the past few years GM has been the biggest employer of computer programmers. what the heck do you think they have been doing.
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My Guzzis came from the factory with GPS.
Yep, that's right, they came with GPS.
Gluteus Positioning System, aka the seat. We don' need no steenking techno crap!
I thought people buy motorcycles to "get away from it all" or "clear their heads". Now when folks buy a bike they have to add gizmos.
It's like "time savin.g devices" in our homes. We now have so many we no longer have time to do anything.
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I'm old enough to remember when you had to change car tires every 10k miles. Starters, generators, regulators (remember those), batteries went every 10-15k, not to mention fan belts, good for maybe 15k at best. No hydraulic valve lifters, no electronic ignition, no fuel injection, everything had to be constantly adjusted to keep the cars running. I "fondly" remember skinning my knuckles and burning my arms while working on various GTO's, etc., in my driveway. Not so much anymore.
My current car is a 2014 Prius, which I bought new. I got the model with all the bells and whistles because I like gadgets and most of the ones installed on the car seemed useful. Back in 2014, built-in GPS, keyless entry, and xenon arc headlights were novelties, and now they're common, so my car still feels modern. Nothing has gone wrong with the car in 11 years and 150k miles. I've easily saved enough on gas over the years to have paid for any initial price premium on the car. And, I get to feel smug by using less fuel and creating less carbon dioxide. I intend to keep it until something major blows and then get another Prius.
Now, if I were interested in antique cars, I might feel differently, but for me, a car is a means to get around, not a life-enriching hobby. If a gadget like ABS or traction control helps to keep me on the road, great.
My motorcycle is a MG V7 Stone. It's simple, but has enough modern features to make it reliable, so I can spend more time riding it and less time futzing with it. I respect those folks who like to spend much of their time tinkering with their bikes and rarely actually ride them. That is a different hobby entirely. I'll most likely trade my bike for a V7II because I like the idea of ABS and might enjoy the extra gear.
Vive la différence.
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My Guzzis came from the factory with GPS.
Yep, that's right, they came with GPS.
Gluteus Positioning System, aka the seat. We don' need no steenking techno crap!
I thought people buy motorcycles to "get away from it all" or "clear their heads". Now when folks buy a bike they have to add gizmos.
It's like "time savin.g devices" in our homes. We now have so many we no longer have time to do anything.
Part of the desire for "stuff" on cars today is because people have so much more money compared to what they used to have. Back in what people like to call the "good old days" when Dad working down at the manufacturing mill could raise a family on one income, we had NOTHING like we have today; we just didn't have the money for it, and didn't think we needed it.
If car companies wanted, they could build a basic car equipped like a base 1964 Ford Falcon, using modern materials and technology, for about $5000. No power anything, vinyl seats, no gadgets, no AC, just like we used to do.
But no one would buy it. Despite all the jealous whining and moaning about "income disparity" and "bad economy" and "both parents have to work" and "need to raise the minimum wage", we've got (let me use the technical term) a sh!tpotfull of money compared to what we had 50 years ago, and we splash it around on stuff that we believe we "need" now. Fancy cars, fancy technology, tons of "time" and "labor"-saving stuff. And like you say, as a result, we don't have time to do anything any more ....
Lannis
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I'm far from being a Luddite, but after hearing horror stories from techs, such as:
1) a popular German car that will destroy its all-powerful BCM if the battery is disconnected without going through the "Shutdown Routine"
2) another brand of German car that toasted its computer once under warranty (estimated cost of ~$5k if not warrantied) and stranded its owner 4 times before giving tell-tale signs the computer was about to toss its cookies again (not under warranty this time)
3) the American car that had to have the BCM reprogrammed after having the A/T fluid changed
I think my 1999 Buick will be the newest car I'll ever own.
It's hard to compare the Germans to other brands because from what I see they (and others in their market) deal in an artificial world. So in demand are their cars by the elite that many owners don't care what it takes to keep them on the road. My brother has worked for a leading German brand for years and he's full of stories of wealthy owners who don't blink at all when clicking option boxes for a $5000 set of new rims or whatever. He mentions parts prices for common maintenance items, such as spark plugs, that the dealer sells for four times what the same plug costs over at NAPA or any other auto parts store. They don't care. They have more money than they know what to do with and all they want is to get back out on the road again where they can be seen by those that care. It's a different world today. Just reading how the iPhone has become quite the status symbol. Even Apple wants to push themselves into the markets of the "I don't care what it costs, I just have to be there with this", trying to distance themselves from competing brands which hopefully will be viewed only as commodities.
My brother was just telling me that in the rarefied air of the elite who buy their products, the manufacturer will commonly cover very expensive out of warranty service issues because many of their customers are very influential and so to keep positive PR.
Customers today are more obsessed today with bling. To be seen without it is unacceptable. That's a great reason why vehicles today have what they do. It's available and "I" need it!
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It's hard to compare the Germans to other brands because from what I see they (and others in their market) deal in an artificial world. So in demand are their cars by the elite that many owners don't care what it takes to keep them on the road. My brother has worked for a leading German brand for years and he's full of stories of wealthy owners who don't blink at all when clicking option boxes for a $5000 set of new rims or whatever. He mentions parts prices for common maintenance items, such as spark plugs, that the dealer sells for four times what the same plug costs over at NAPA or any other auto parts store. They don't care. They have more money than they know what to do with and all they want is to get back out on the road again where they can be seen by those that care. It's a different world today. Just reading how the iPhone has become quite the status symbol. Even Apple wants to push themselves into the markets of the "I don't care what it costs, I just have to be there with this", trying to distance themselves from competing brands which hopefully will be viewed only as commodities.
My brother was just telling me that in the rarefied air of the elite who buy their products, the manufacturer will commonly cover very expensive out of warranty service issues because many of their customers are very influential and so to keep positive PR.
Customers today are more obsessed today with bling. To be seen without it is unacceptable. That's a great reason why vehicles today have what they do. It's available and "I" need it!
I was talking to my brother about HIS BMW. He bought a 750-series sedan loaded with all the BMW farkles, and that's a lot of them.
I asked him "What are you going to do when any of this stuff breaks? Can anyone fix it?"
And he said "Not gonna be my problem. No way I'll still own this car by the time things start breaking - that'll be someone else's problem ...."
Lannis
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You kids get off my lawn!
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Still, in the end, the sales people told me that the biggest influence on new car design are the notions and desires of women! If momma is happy, everybody is happy.
There's a lot of truth to that. A friend of mine is about to go on a long trip in a car, alone. His girlfriend (common law wife?) was so concerned for his safety that she convinced him they needed to get a new car for him to drive on the trip. They bought one with a lot of input from her, and now that they have it, she has indicated that she'll probably drive it a lot after the trip. :P
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I was talking to my brother about HIS BMW. He bought a 750-series sedan loaded with all the BMW farkles, and that's a lot of them.
I asked him "What are you going to do when any of this stuff breaks? Can anyone fix it?"
And he said "Not gonna be my problem. No way I'll still own this car by the time things start breaking - that'll be someone else's problem ...."
Lannis
That's becoming a cardinal rule of high-tech motorcycle or automobile ownership. Never let it go out of warranty.
In the BMW motorcycle world, extended warranties or sales before warranty expiration is highly advised and increasingly practiced. I think the same practice for such high-tech cars/trucks would also be advisable. That said, I've owned and logged many miles on about 6 Tahoe SUV's and experienced only very minor issues with them.
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My beef is that all this electronic cellulite referred to as "technology" works better and is more reliable than the electronics needed to actually run the vehicle. Our '95 Volvo with 220,000 miles has NEVER had an electronic failure of any kind. ECU, Trans shift module, lighting, accessories, etc. Now, you get all the social media crap, $1000 HID headlights, CANs, and even the simplest thing, like turning on the headlights, is done by a button or knob that runs through a voltage divider, to the "Intelligent Power Module" (Dodge) to direct battery current through the BCM to each headlight. Notice how many vehicles are running around with one headlight or tail light out? A few years ago the reverse lights stopped working in the S-10 my transmitter engineer used, so it wouldn't pass inspection. Relay? Lamps? Nope. A $500 BCM that is buried under the center of the dash.
My new '07 Cherokee had chronic but intermittent shift and limp-home issues. Dealer response? "Never heard of that." I pointed him to pages on the web of owners with the same issue. They screwed with it under warranty racking up what would be $800 - $1000 repairs each time without fixing it. It was my company car. If it were mine I would have dumped it before the warranty ran out.
Last week a friend bought a '15 Subaru Outback. Really nice vehicle. I was interested for my wife so I started researching it. Uh oh, Bluetooth, smartphone synchronization, rear camera, automatic braking collision avoidance, "Eyesight" that lets you know if the car ahead is beginning to slow or speed up, lane drift (brain drift) control and CVT. First thing I found was that the battery is underrated and the Outback has a no-start issue. All the electronic crap works but it won't start. Battery is of an unusual size so there is a waiting list to located the uprated replacement.
I guess as long as the "entertain me" electronics work, you can sit on the side of the road and play with yourself until AAA arrives.
Here's a site I recommend for anyone looking for a vehicle, new or used.
http://www.carcomplaints.com
Watch any car commercial. It's about electronic fluff, no longer about drivetrain, suspension or long-term reliability.
My name is Tobit and I"m a Luddite.
:beat_horse
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There's a lot of truth to that. A friend of mine is about to go on a long trip in a car, alone. His girlfriend (common law wife?) was so concerned for his safety that she convinced him they needed to get a new car for him to drive on the trip. They bought one with a lot of input from her, and now that they have it, she has indicated that she'll probably drive it a lot after the trip. :P
In case people don't already know this - women rule the world.
They have accomplished this partly with a pervasive subterfuge of perpetrating the "it's a man's world" myth. Yes, it may be a man's world but the men have learned to operate it according to the wishes of women.
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PS: I'm glad none of my women read this thread. lol
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Lisa's F150 has a backup camera that I find very useful. I can back to a trailer without any help, which would be impossible to see (we have a Leer cap) w/o it. I also think that the backup cameras have prevented thousands of minor accidents, caused primarily by those drivers who have no idea where their vehicle begins or ends - note that I specifically did not use the phrase "distracted soccor moms" - oh, I guess I did. I've recently transitioned from a 1991 LeMans, whose major technological advancement was disc brakes, to a BMW GS, which has more electronics on it than I can possibly figure out. The BMW is quite a machine, but I will be the first to admit it will be quite expensive to fix when these gadgets go wrong. I did recently find out that the riding modes are quite useful, when I uh - "got temporarily stuck" in mud and wet leaves in an off-road excursion and found that "enduro" mode works much better in that scenario than "road" mode.
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I was talking to my brother about HIS BMW. He bought a 750-series sedan loaded with all the BMW farkles, and that's a lot of them.
I asked him "What are you going to do when any of this stuff breaks? Can anyone fix it?"
And he said "Not gonna be my problem. No way I'll still own this car by the time things start breaking - that'll be someone else's problem ...."
Lannis
:+1
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http://gearheadgrrrl.com/2015/04/15/transportation-taxes-risin-again/
Blog I wrote on Volvo/Mack trucks new system that tracks a truck and can "rat off" the owner if they take it off road, overload it, or otherwise "abuse" it. The key part of the truck they're spying on is their automated manual transmission, for which no rebuild parts are available... You have to buy a rebuilt transmission from Volvo if it fails!
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I was talking to my brother about HIS BMW. He bought a 750-series sedan loaded with all the BMW farkles, and that's a lot of them.
I asked him "What are you going to do when any of this stuff breaks? Can anyone fix it?"
And he said "Not gonna be my problem. No way I'll still own this car by the time things start breaking - that'll be someone else's problem ...."
Lannis
1. I'm reminded of my boss's etc boss, who had a 750 BMW a few years back. He didn't feel like waiting 3 weeks for some critical part to come from Germany, so he just traded in the car for a new one.
2. If you're looking for an old fashioned, solid-as-a-rock car like a Mercedes 240 from the 1980s, they still make them. It's called a "Civic."
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I just bought a late model Nissan Versa. It's got heat, air, CVT transmission, crank windows and a 2 speaker stereo. All manual locks with only one entry key door. No cruise control (I'll probably install one, as I'm a wuss), decent room for my fat self, and 38-40 mpg. Of my motorcycles, only the Honda scooter gets better MPG than the Nissan. Plain as dishwater.
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(http://i1299.photobucket.com/albums/ag77/Penderic/c5520424-3dd6-44c6-a807-bce3f5484ec9_zpsr6edrzcd.jpg)
Lots of commercial delivery vehicles and associated labor will be soon replaced by robotic drivers/robot truck systems/+software in order to cut costs.
And govt/big business will be tempted to standardize the road technology to make it safer for the robots and not us.
I see Inter-Vehicle wi-fi data sharing, local weather, traffic info and govt fee logging systems, and dozens of little cameras- built into all future public licensed vehicles! For insurance reasons, cough cough, vehicle data would include gps info, and maybe some intrusive intervention, examples = age restriction throttle control, alcohol pre-driving testing, parking and restricted area warnings and penalties .....vehicle taught behavior modification!
The robots win! :(
(http://i1299.photobucket.com/albums/ag77/Penderic/croppedflossie_zps31gmqnv6.jpg)
Humans ride motorcycles? Hah! That would be just too dangerous!
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I don't like some of the techno automation that is available, but cars have sure come a long way since the dark days of the mid 1970's. Cars are lasting better than the cars of the 1960's. And we finally have some offerings with good Muscle. I think cars are lasting longer and having fewer problems than cars of Yesteryear.
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I'm very happy with the '98 Subaru, with EFI and electronic ignition. Never had a moment's trouble with this car. Don't need more bling than that (electric windows would be nice for the dog's sake).
To be honest, the reason the T and I have such a long history is that until quite recently I could never afford new parts let alone the labor to install them, so I learned to do everything myself and refurbish or buy used as necessary. More than three decades later, she has never broken down in a way that stranded me -- roadside repair has always gotten me home, an hour or two late.
As I grow older, and my reaction times slower, I suppose I'd be safer on a bike with ABS. But if that carries a risk of stranding by electronic failure I can pass. I certainly will not tolerate having to reprogram anything after normal maintenance.
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While I am usually first in line for the new tech stuff, some companies have a hard time with it. Guzzi seems to be one of them, with a few Norge and Stelvio problems due to electronics.
Beemer bikes have been known issues for years, but, like above, a true beemer owner will not keep a bike beyond the warranty period. My brother is one of those. I asked him when he bought his new GS last year and his response was, 'I got the extended warranty but will get a new bike before it runs out'. If it breaks on the road? 'That's why the warranty has a road service plan.'
I do wish the bike mfgs would get up to speed as the car mfgs have done. I haven't had an electronics or electrical problem on any car I've bought after 2000. The truck only has 85000 miles on it so only time will tell. I think most major bikes these days are pretty bullet proof. If I wanted to ride and not worry about it I'd get a UJM or maybe even an HD.
I do want ABS. Traction control? Maybe, if it is done well, which many are these days. Rear view camera? YES. I put one on my truck and love it. Will add one to the RV next GPS upgrade. I love cruise controls and will add that to my ancient Goose pretty soon.
Adding all that extra stuff to the vehicle? Yes. For those of us who put a lot of miles on their vehicles I like having that kind of stuff. Long trips are more pleasant and I can plan the trip easier than looking at a paper map and sticking my finger in the air to see if a major storm is 200 miles from where I am at, or if a major highway is closed, or other issues that will affect my travels. I would not mind having an autopilot for long distance trips either.
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I would not mind having an autopilot for long distance trips either.
I believe Google has some autonomous cars on the west coast as we speak.. too lazy to google it, though. ;D
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Lots of commercial delivery vehicles and associated labor will be soon replaced by robotic drivers/robot truck systems/+software in order to cut costs.
That sort of thing has been promised in every mechanix-type and Scientific American-type mag since the 1960s.
Just like practical, affordable electric cars, backyard fusion generators, personal jet-packs, personal helicopters etc etc etc.
And for the same reason (there are WAY WAY too many variables and too many ways to kill someone), it's not going to happen any time soon.
People aren't very good at driving either, and it's possible that robots might kill fewer than 32,000 people a year, but we can't even make the technology work all the time to make an electronic dash 100% .....
I keep hearing that there's something getting ready to happen "somewhere else" but so far there's no drones delivering packages to my house, and there's still a busy, active guy in brown shorts and sensible shoes behind the wheel of the vehicle bringing parcels to my door with a cheery Thank You ....
Lannis
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Of all the Techno Fluff available now that wasn't available back when I took three-week rides, the only one I really could have used is the ability to access weather maps at any moment from anywhere.
With that I could have waited out or ridden around many a rain squall.
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I bought a base model Subaru Forester last year. The only option I got was a mat for the luggage compartment. Part of this was cheapness, but a lot was because I didn't want all the junk they put on cars these days.
Rich A
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Of all the Techno Fluff available now that wasn't available back when I took three-week rides, the only one I really could have used is the ability to access weather maps at any moment from anywhere.
With that I could have waited out or ridden around many a rain squall.
"Storm Dodging" is a regular summer sport here ... Trying to get from West Virginia to home down US250 or US60 or US460 on a summer's evening and yet not get wet, can be fun. Sometimes you go a good bit out of your way. Sometimes the storm cheats, and a cell forms RIGHT over your head ...
A weather display would ruin it!
Lannis
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Of all the Techno Fluff available now that wasn't available back when I took three-week rides, the only one I really could have used is the ability to access weather maps at any moment from anywhere.
With that I could have waited out or ridden around many a rain squall.
RadarNow for Android. It does exactly what you want, costs nothing. I'd dump my smartphone if I had a different solution for that...well, almost.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.usnaviguide.radar_now&hl=en
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This is why I like my 2010 FJ Cruiser so much. Big 'ol heat control nobs that are fit for a man with gloves on. All basic controls and NO BELLS AND WHISTLES. Love this thing. Even an old style compass my grandparents used to have. Windows aren't crank style. :(
I'm sure this will be the last of these older amenities offered. I don't want that new crap.
Try shopping for a BBQ meat thermometer sometime. OMG have they gotten crazy. Seems there's lots of issues. YOU THINK?? I purchased as basic as I could do it would last. I really don't mind walking up to the smoker to see the temp of my meat. It still has an alarm that goes off when the temp has been reached. That's more than I need.
Crazy the direction of things. I'm all for technology, but not when it's not done well or needed (for me). Off basics and I'll take them 99% of the time.
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My Guzzis came from the factory with GPS.
Yep, that's right, they came with GPS.
Gluteus Positioning System, aka the seat. We don' need no steenking techno crap!
I thought people buy motorcycles to "get away from it all" or "clear their heads". Now when folks buy a bike they have to add gizmos.
It's like "time savin.g devices" in our homes. We now have so many we no longer have time to do anything.
:+1 ;-T I'm with you, brother.
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http://gearheadgrrrl.com/2015/04/15/transportation-taxes-risin-again/
Blog I wrote on Volvo/Mack trucks new system that tracks a truck and can "rat off" the owner if they take it off road, overload it, or otherwise "abuse" it. The key part of the truck they're spying on is their automated manual transmission, for which no rebuild parts are available... You have to buy a rebuilt transmission from Volvo if it fails!
That reminded me of a very large video server and it's $65,000 per year service contract the prior CE signed off on before he retired. Out of the hundreds of proprietary hard drives it had, we only replaced a handful and needed tech support for minor things so the CEO axed the contract without telling me. One fine day the server laid down and died. Every LUN simultaneously lost too many drives to recover and it was dead. I discovered talking with support that the contract had been cancelled two days prior. Had I known, I would have disabled the vendor's access to the system.
They were sure sorry to hear about it but had a brand new system they would sell me, and use my station for a tech article in the trades.
I quit that CEO and that job after putting a different vendor's product on line. Unauthorized or just unwanted access is never a good thing. Yes, I believe that the vendor sabotaged the server after losing a $65,000 contract for doing almost nothing.
Tobit
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Of all the Techno Fluff available now that wasn't available back when I took three-week rides, the only one I really could have used is the ability to access weather maps at any moment from anywhere.
With that I could have waited out or ridden around many a rain squall.
I have a smart phone now, and love using the weather apps. "My Radar" is a good no-frills choice.
And, I sure wish I'd have had access to a smart phone and weather app during the Virginia National in 2012.
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I think cars are lasting longer and having fewer problems than cars of Yesteryear.
Yep. Old timers hate it when you point out that a Honda Odyssey minivan is quicker, gets better mileage, and obviously carries more stuff than a Ferrari from the 1950s... but it's true.
(oh, and costs about four million dollars less)
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Well I figure I will keep my old Healey, Guzzi,3/4 ton international, so when the Aliens come and blast the planet with a giant EMT burst, I'll pick one and be on the way with a magnetic compass and paper maps while all the high tech stuff is toast.
Hope I'm not flying when that happens. ;D
mike
Don't worry about flying. Unless the emt burst also disrupts gravity, you'll still come down. ;D
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I am wondering if we are heading to the same slippery slope that screwed up visiting a doctor.
The post that states owners are encouraged and often do buy aftermarket "warranties" is to me far more disturbing than the actual electronic farkles. Do we face a future where we won't be able to afford a car without a third party to "protect" us from those HUGE repair bills? Nothing pisses me off :wife: worse than huge money-grubbing bureaucracies that shoehorn themselves into every nook and cranny of our personal business under the guise of "protecting" us. It's protection alright! Any Sicilian would see that racket coming a mile away.
I will not buy an aftermarket warranty on a vehicle. I have been offered every time I bought a vehicle from a dealer. And I have NEVER spent what they wanted for protection money in repairs on any of those vehicles, most of which I owned for 10 years or more.
Needless to say, none were German in origin. ;D
Hunter
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I'd jump in with some words of wisdom ::) but looks like everything has been covered. ;-T Carry on. :BEER:
Matt
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To each his own. I don't mind some tech if its useful but I do avoid brand new technologies. After 4-5 years they become so bulletproof, theres little risk in my opinion. I honestly can't remember the last time I had an electrical failure on a car....oh wait, yes, it was the alternator going out on my 1991 Eagle premier at 160k miles. Since that time, I've owned 4 other commuter cars, which have all had over 150k put on by me without ever losing a module, ECU, or even a sensor. Not a single one. As someone who rents cars for work pretty often, I find I like some gadgets. backup cameras with the guide lines to show where you're going. bumper sensors to keep you from hitting cars while parallel parking. the warning lights in the side mirrors to show when someone is in your blind spot. Do I have to have them? certainly not, but they don't annoy me and are sometimes convenient.
What I do really hate to see in all these new vehicles is dash mounted Facebook, pandora, email, etc. I mean WTF? We're telling people they can't hold their phone or text while driving and building a slew of distractions into the dash at the same time. It's ludicrous!
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I am wondering if we are heading to the same slippery slope that screwed up visiting a doctor.
Now there's something that I'm convinced that they probably do better in India than here, at least based on what my Indian friends tell me (the ones that live here but only go to the doctor when they visit back home).
No "malpractice" laws in India. So the doctor's office doesn't have 2 doctors and 6 nurses and 14 insurance processors. They have 2 doctors and 2 nurses. You pay for your visit with money. The doctor makes a little more than an engineer does. I HEAR that they have the right equipment to deal with you, and that the quality of care is the same or better than here. A typical 30 minute exam, or a cyst removal, or something similar costs about $90, not $745.
It'd be nice if some doctors would give that a try here. Probably the AMA or someone would put the kibosh on it .....
Lannis
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Now there's something that I'm convinced that they probably do better in India than here, at least based on what my Indian friends tell me (the ones that live here but only go to the doctor when they visit back home).
No "malpractice" laws in India. So the doctor's office doesn't have 2 doctors and 6 nurses and 14 insurance processors. They have 2 doctors and 2 nurses. You pay for your visit with money. The doctor makes a little more than an engineer does. I HEAR that they have the right equipment to deal with you, and that the quality of care is the same or better than here. A typical 30 minute exam, or a cyst removal, or something similar costs about $90, not $745.
It'd be nice if some doctors would give that a try here. Probably the AMA or someone would put the kibosh on it .....
Lannis
Starting to see a lot of Doctors from India around here. They are very efficient and get right to business. Found them to be detail driven and don't heehaw about things. Have a female Dentist from India and she is absolutely painless and the quality is first rate. Knows all the latest techniques and has top notch equipment. No bonbons in the waiting room because there is no time to wait. Appointment at 10, at 10:01 you are in the chair.
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Just solutions to non existent problems.
1st world problems!
Envious of the Int'l Scout.
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Leafman, I feel your pain. I like a lot of things that technology has allowed............ but not on my car and especially on my motorcycle. Don't want it, don't need it and won't buy it. I have now moved to the stage of only buying used motorcycles that don't have all this crap on them. I have owned three ABS equipped bikes and all were nothing but trouble. A lot of these gadgets will eventually break and you're stranded because the part that broke will be controlled by a circuit board full of electronics. I have had clutch and brake cables snap over my 45 years of motorcycle ownership and I've always been able to repair them on the side of the road because I always carried spare cables. Try doing that with "drive by wire" when you're fifty miles from nowhere. I like the efficiency of fuel injection but you can't repair it yourself if it breaks while you're 100 miles from home. I hated to buy a bike when they started putting electric fuel pumps on them but I did it anyway; I was rewarded with a broken BMW K bike with a fuel pump that went kaput and the tow home cost me four hours of waiting for the tow truck and a $200 bill for the tow.
So far, I've had good luck with the three Guzzis that I've owned so for the time being, I'll stick with MG but if I give up on Guzzi, I'll probably go back to a BMW airhead from the 80's because of the simplicity and the fact that I can repair the overwhelming majority of things that can go wrong.
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I have a smart phone now, and love using the weather apps. "My Radar" is a good no-frills choice.
And, I sure wish I'd have had access to a smart phone and weather app during the Virginia National in 2012.
You're not kidding about 2012, almost lost the LeMans in that storm. Took four of us to hold it up in 70 mph winds.
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Nothing pisses me off worse than huge money-grubbing bureaucracies that shoehorn themselves into every nook and cranny of our personal business under the guise of "protecting" us.
This is why we distrust government and loathe monopoly corporations.
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1st world problems!
Envious of the Int'l Scout.
Harley's going to wish they were back in the 1950's themselves. I hear that they're having to recall 40,000 + Big Twins because the hydraulic clutches are goofing and letting air in, and will let the bike start in gear .... "Shoulda taken the SP!"
Because they wouldn't have that problem with a Panhead "mousetrap" clutch booster and a cable.
That clutch that Harley fitted on every bike from 1949 to 1984 was bulletproof (I had a '54, a '65, and an '84).
NOW they've gotten all uptown and 21st century and are recalling 46,000 bikes. Cost 'em millions, that will .... But do they listen to me? Listen they will not ... ;)
Lannis
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.... I find I like some gadgets. backup cameras with the guide lines to show where you're going. bumper sensors to keep you from hitting cars while parallel parking. the warning lights in the side mirrors to show when someone is in your blind spot. Do I have to have them? certainly not, but they don't annoy me and are sometimes convenient.
What I do really hate to see in all these new vehicles is dash mounted Facebook, pandora, email, etc. I mean WTF? We're telling people they can't hold their phone or text while driving and building a slew of distractions into the dash at the same time. It's ludicrous!
;-T
There was a thread here a while back where someone pointed out a vehicle commercial where the driver needed backup camera, parking assist, lane departure warning, emergency stopping assist, etc. . .
I'd like to see someone do a spoof commercial where the announcer (Mike Rowe or Morgan Freeman) throws heat on the viewer by saying "you're really too much of an idiot to be behind the wheel, so save yourself and others - from yourself - with the all new ______ ."
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Its Fer the children! The stupid, rebellious children that play in the darn middle of the street. ::(
(http://i1299.photobucket.com/albums/ag77/Penderic/18as9rpj1iplcjpg_zpsam2enf5x.jpg)
Laser targeting, crowd suppression, armored urban personal safety vehicle?
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I guess an MG is kinda the other extreme of the new fangled farkles and all that. You have a car that was designed and built by a company that couldn't give a crap about making a quality product.
My uncle bought his wife an austin healy as a present. He said he would never sell that car to anyone in the family after owning it for a few years.
Honestly with the new cars, most of the technology is to the point now where it's not likely to fail, at least not the stuff that has been around for a while. I don't see the need for all the things like remote start, keyless entry and tailgates that close themselves. Those are things I wouldn't buy, but those that I must have are ABS and airbags. When it comes to safety those things pay for themselves.
On motorcycles... K.I.S.S.
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;-T
There was a thread here a while back where someone pointed out a vehicle commercial where the driver needed backup camera, parking assist, lane departure warning, emergency stopping assist, etc. . .
I'd like to see someone do a spoof commercial where the announcer (Mike Rowe or Morgan Freeman) throws heat on the viewer by saying "you're really too much of an idiot to be behind the wheel, so save yourself and others - from yourself - with the all new ______ ."
Ditto
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Honestly with the new cars, most of the technology is to the point now where it's not likely to fail, at least not the stuff that has been around for a while. I don't see the need for all the things like remote start, keyless entry and tailgates that close themselves. Those are things I wouldn't buy, but those that I must have are ABS and airbags. When it comes to safety those things pay for themselves.
On motorcycles... K.I.S.S.
Yes, I hope that's true. My experience with modern GM cars has been great. There are two issues about all the Techno Fluff, reliability and necessity. Even if these things are reliable and don't cause trouble, I don't desire or want many of them.
The scary thing for me is that, after learning about them and using them simply because they are there, will I begin to depend on them !?
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I meet a group for coffee 'most mornings. We sit outside and it's all too easy to notice folks attempting to parallel park. Sometimes it takes six or eight attempts to get a car parked and all too often one wheel is up on the curb. Our city has instituted 'back in' angle parking on a couple streets. Once again, this appears to be beyond the skill level of many drivers. Driving, it would appear, has become an incidental part of eating, texting, cell phone use, and general entertainment. Maybe all the techno-fluff is there to make it possible to do all that non-driving stuff.
Peter Y.
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We sit outside and it's all too easy to notice folks attempting to parallel park. Sometimes it takes six or eight attempts to get a car parked and all too often one wheel is up on the curb.
Peter Y.
They need to learn how to "braille park" as per most NYC driver's.
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Then you have the real clowns behind the steering wheel....
(http://i1299.photobucket.com/albums/ag77/Penderic/clown%20driver_zpshw0lyvxx.jpg)
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I meet a group for coffee 'most mornings. We sit outside and it's all too easy to notice folks attempting to parallel park. Sometimes it takes six or eight attempts to get a car parked and all too often one wheel is up on the curb. Our city has instituted 'back in' angle parking on a couple streets. Once again, this appears to be beyond the skill level of many drivers. Driving, it would appear, has become an incidental part of eating, texting, cell phone use, and general entertainment. Maybe all the techno-fluff is there to make it possible to do all that non-driving stuff.
Peter Y.
:( I can't remember the last time I parallel parked. Not sure but if I ever have to I suspect I will be sort of :-[ . :BEER:
Matt
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Parking has ever been an issue, Ive seen curbed wheels and blown sidewalls since the '60s.
What'as different now is OUR generation is getting stiff necks and can't turn our heads far enough to look over our shoulder while backing up.
In the good old days we used mirrors and our ears. Now we want cameras because we can have them!
Anywho, I still double-clutch my Audi on downshifts...
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What'as different now is OUR generation is getting stiff necks and can't turn our heads far enough to look over our shoulder while backing up.
So true. :( :BEER:
Matt
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There are two issues about all the Techno Fluff, reliability and necessity.
That word "necessity" ... we generally use it when we get lazy and spoiled.
The '53 Buick my mother used to drive (and I stood on the front seat) had:
No seat belts, no air conditioning, no power steering, no automatic transmission, no power-assist brakes, no airbags, a clutch with about an 18" throw, three-on-the-column, no radio, no cell phone, no bluetooth, no windshield washer, no cameras, no locking ignition, no gas cap release, a banjo steering wheel the size of a barrel head, no power-adjustable mirror, no rear defroster, no night-position rear-view mirror, no adjustable seat. Tires would last 10,000 miles, an engine that went 100,000 miles without a rebuild was almost unheard of, and changing points and spark plugs was part of a regular tune-up.
She and her whole generation prospered. I grew up with it, and understood it to be a nice luxury. So is any of the stuff above a "necessity"? I suppose it's kind of like defining "Old" or "Rich". It's all relative .....
Lannis
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(http://i1299.photobucket.com/albums/ag77/Penderic/c5520424-3dd6-44c6-a807-bce3f5484ec9_zpsr6edrzcd.jpg)
Lots of commercial delivery vehicles and associated labor will be soon replaced by robotic drivers/robot truck systems/+software in order to cut costs.
And govt/big business will be tempted to standardize the road technology to make it safer for the robots and not us.
I see Inter-Vehicle wi-fi data sharing, local weather, traffic info and govt fee logging systems, and dozens of little cameras- built into all future public licensed vehicles! For insurance reasons, cough cough, vehicle data would include gps info, and maybe some intrusive intervention, examples = age restriction throttle control, alcohol pre-driving testing, parking and restricted area warnings and penalties .....vehicle taught behavior modification!
The robots win! :(
(http://i1299.photobucket.com/albums/ag77/Penderic/croppedflossie_zps31gmqnv6.jpg)
Humans ride motorcycles? Hah! That would be just too dangerous!
Truck drivers may be replaced, but who is going to replace the idiots at the terminals, loading docks and security gates that drivers have to deal with everyday?
The days of the Pinto are long gone. The 70's seems like in my life time when the big push for bells and whistles started.
If you are in a wreck, be sure to retrieve the hard drive before the attorneys for the plaintiff does.
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I guess that ultimately the improvements that yield true relability/performance improvements are inedpendent from the info-tainment & quasi-safety farkles that are increasingly becoming standard rather than options. Seems to me that many who could go without the cost of the option may prefer that route. Its easy to increase the OTD vehicle price when the options are fewer & the "Standard Ammenity" list is a mile long. I rekon the manufacturers arent dumb. They've figured out how to force me to buy crap i dont want.
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Driving, it would appear, has become an incidental part of eating, texting, cell phone use, and general entertainment. Maybe all the techno-fluff is there to make it possible to do all that non-driving stuff.
Peter Y.
Ditto!
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I can't attest to the validity of this report but it seems timely to this discussion. https://www.yahoo.com/autos/s/gm-ford-others-want-working-own-car-illegal-160000229.html
The upshot is that major auto manufacturers are moving to having owners agree to license the technology rather than actually own the vehicle. The purpose is to discourage owners from performing their own maintenance and also absolving the manufacturers from any liability as a result of an owners modifications.
Hopefully I've purchased my last pickup truck. And of late, I'm having more fun working on and riding my old airheads.
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This is really pretty easy to understand, I figured it out a long time ago. The sum total allotment of intelligence remains constant while the population continues to increase. They are selling vehicles to people who have truly become too stupid to drive, so the car now has to do it for them. One of my favorites, always good for a laugh, is the "blind spot" camera. If you know how to adjust the mirrors, you DON'T HAVE a freaking blind spot!
/RANT
Howard
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This is really pretty easy to understand, I figured it out a long time ago. The sum total allotment of intelligence remains constant while the population continues to increase. They are selling vehicles to people who have truly become too stupid to drive, so the car now has to do it for them. One of my favorites, always good for a laugh, is the "blind spot" camera. If you know how to adjust the mirrors, you DON'T HAVE a freaking blind spot!
/RANT
Howard
WRONG.........oh I'm supposed to adjust my mirrors every time I want to see around every possible part of my vehicle? Are you fricken' CRAZY? There's always blind spots between your eyes and mirrors, especially if you are driving a van with few windows. Even on my Rav4 with good mirrors there's a blind spot between the rear of it and my left side if I want to get in the left lane. If I don't turn my head and momentarily look out to the left I will come over on a vehicle of comparable size and they will let me know! ??? And while I'm looking in their direction if the vehicle right in front of me hit's it's brakes unexpectedly by me I will probably rearend them. ~;
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This is really pretty easy to understand, I figured it out a long time ago. The sum total allotment of intelligence remains constant while the population continues to increase. They are selling vehicles to people who have truly become too stupid to drive, so the car now has to do it for them. One of my favorites, always good for a laugh, is the "blind spot" camera. If you know how to adjust the mirrors, you DON'T HAVE a freaking blind spot!
/RANT
Howard
I'll tell a little secret here ... "Backup Cameras" are really good things, and I've bought a cheap one to hang off of my Festiva.
The reason I'm particularly sensitive to it is because I'm always backing out of places where little kids are running around, including toddlers.
And I personally know two guys, responsible, loving fathers, who accidentally backed over their own children and killed them. They left the house to go somewhere, and a child (playing a game of hide-and-seek, I suppose) ran out of the yard or the house unbeknownst to anyone and hid behind the car. There was no way to see them unless you got out and walked around past where you had JUST walked ... UNLESS you had a low-mounted backup camera ....
Might not apply to someone who isn't around kids much, but they can be anywhere in a parking lot in public.
Lannis
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I'll tell a little secret here ... "Backup Cameras" are really good things, and I've bought a cheap one to hang off of my Festiva.
The reason I'm particularly sensitive to it is because I'm always backing out of places where little kids are running around, including toddlers.
And I personally know two guys, responsible, loving fathers, who accidentally backed over their own children and killed them. They left the house to go somewhere, and a child (playing a game of hide-and-seek, I suppose) ran out of the yard or the house unbeknownst to anyone and hid behind the car. There was no way to see them unless you got out and walked around past where you had JUST walked ... UNLESS you had a low-mounted backup camera ....
Might not apply to someone who isn't around kids much, but they can be anywhere in a parking lot in public.
Lannis
I like the back-up camera on my pick-up. Because I put a camper shell on the bed it's hard to see what's behind by simply looking over your shoulder or checking your mirrors. It also comes in really handy when hooking up a trailer. I don't mind the technology much. I mostly ignore it and just drive the way I usually do......like everyone out on the roads is out to kill me.
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I typically scoff at some of what I call Techno Fluff on new motorcycles, particularly my former brand of choice, BMW.
I've just been reading the owner's handbook for a F800s. There is page after about reading codes on the display but, as far as I could see, it didn't properly cover an oil and filter change. To some degree it's a corporate decision to make as much income over the lifetime of a bike as possible. Make people dependent on dealerships and it's a guaranteed source of income. I've always seen service indicators and 'nag' lights that BMW use in cars and bikes in the same way.
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I have nothing against adding a backup gizmo like a rear camera to your rig if you find it necessary, but buy a new rig with a bunch of other stuff you don't need to get the installed RVM? :D
Our current car/truck came with elect. windows, but let me tell you a true story that happened to me in the `50s when my father fell asleep @ the wheel in a Cadillac and we ended up upside down in mud with a full tank of gas...........none of the elect. windows would open! Luckily some Mexican workers were nearby and opened a door for us from outside so we could get out. :bow
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I truly "feel for" the folks I know who can't go it alone on vehicles. I would rather "roll my own" and am fortunate to have a wife who not only tolerates it but in fact encourages it. My newest acquisition is for her and in fact pleaded for by her. It'll be an MG with almost no motive nor electrical components left from England.
Her Land Rover Discovery is being supplanted by a beautiful, resurrected 1973 Scout. She loves the look but really appreciates the simplicity over the "Soccer-momed" Land Rover.
I view more and more of my friends and family as being essentially addicted for life to car payments as the vehicles seldom last significantly beyond the payment schedule anymore. Each year brings more complexity, whether foisted upon the consumer through the manufacturers by nanny-government or demanded by the soccer-moms and soccer-mom-men of the U.S.
I wouldn't be building the Scout for Sarah if I could get her a TDi Defender but alas, the nanies won't let them in and when they do, the "Real Housewives" will demand they be reduced to rolling techno-pillows dependent upon umbilicals to keep running.
*-*End Rant*-*
Todd.
Land Rover will have some diesels for 2016 and the Defender is coming back as well, although I'm not sure when. If you don't mind the paperwork, you can bring a "New" diesel Defender into this country. They use early vin plates and totally rebuild the vehicle from the ground up with new components. They are very nice vehicles. :BEER:
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Land Rover will have some diesels for 2016 and the Defender is coming back as well, although I'm not sure when. If you don't mind the paperwork, you can bring a "New" diesel Defender into this country. They use early vin plates and totally rebuild the vehicle from the ground up with new components. They are very nice vehicles. :BEER:
Unless you do a lot of towing, what's the point of going diesel over gasoline when gas is quite a bit cheaper now in price per gallon? ???
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Unless you do a lot of towing, what's the point of going diesel over gasoline when gas is quite a bit cheaper now in price per gallon? ???
cruzziguzzi said he would like a diesel Defender. I did not ask why. Some people just prefer diesels over gas. :BEER:
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Land Rover will have some diesels for 2016 and the Defender is coming back as well, although I'm not sure when. If you don't mind the paperwork, you can bring a "New" diesel Defender into this country.
If the USDOT identifies it based on the VIN as more than 25 years old, there really isn't any paperwork - just one form for the DOT and one for the EPA certifying that it's old and exempt. Better be sure it's a good ID and good VIN for the vehicle attached to them and not something flagged as "gray market", or it will get scrapped at the customs impound ... they're onto most of the tricks folks try to use to get nice European cars into the USA.
If it's < 25 years old, no amount of paperwork is going to get it in!
Good idea if it works .....
Lannis
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WRONG.........oh I'm supposed to adjust my mirrors every time I want to see around every possible part of my vehicle? Are you fricken' CRAZY? There's always blind spots between your eyes and mirrors, especially if you are driving a van with few windows. Even on my Rav4 with good mirrors there's a blind spot between the rear of it and my left side if I want to get in the left lane. If I don't turn my head and momentarily look out to the left I will come over on a vehicle of comparable size and they will let me know! ??? And while I'm looking in their direction if the vehicle right in front of me hit's it's brakes unexpectedly by me I will probably rearend them. ~;
I'm talking about adjusting the side mirrors. If it's done right, you can, for instance when passing a car on the highway (in the lane to your right) see the front fender through the window and the back fender in the mirror, simultaneously. Then, just before the car passes out of the side mirror it appears in the inside mirror. Same can be done with the left mirror. My dad taught me this when I was learning to drive, and I have applied it successfully to a 1956 Ford, a 2014 Subaru, and everything in between, including a couple of panel vans with no side windows. Start by moving the mirrors "out" a lot more than most people have them. You might be able to find a car in a parking lot that you can get in the "right" position to help set the mirrors. You likely won't be able to see your own fenders, so what. If you need to see your own car to back up in close quarters just lean you head over until you see what you need. Get the mirrors set and get used to using them before you really "need" them and it will become second nature. I NEVER change lanes, car or bike, without a quick head check. If half a second gets you into trouble with a car in front of you, you were following WAY too close to begin with. P:)
I can see a use for a rear view camera, as others have mentioned. I know someone who has a pickup with a slide-in camper with one of those cameras and the view screen attached to the (now useless) inside mirror. They sometimes tow a large cargo trailer with the same rig, and simply move the camera to the back of the trailer.