useless gizmos and annoyances in modern cars

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#1066143 15-Jun-2014 19:07

JimmyH: I love most of the new features - sadly, I don't drive with them often because my car is too old to have them.

The only two I hate are:

1. Automatic transmissions, in any form, whether computer controlled or otherwise. I would much rather have a traditional manual "five on the floor" stick shift configuration.

2. Those really annoying continuous chimes you can't turn off if it senses someone in a passenger seat and the belt isn't done up - as it can't tell whether there is a person or a box on the seat. When I get a new car, I will only buy one of the cars that offers this "feature" if the dealer disconnects the sensors before I take possession. I don't want to suffer that all the way home when I have just put a box on the back seat.

On a lot of cars there seem to be weird combinations that will disable these sounds. My Dad was willing to rip off the dash and disconnect the wires out of the beeper in his Hilux, but a quick Google search by me found a way to turn it off.

Fred99

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#1066231 15-Jun-2014 21:47

scuwp:
JimmyH: The only two I hate are:

1. Automatic transmissions, in any form, whether computer controlled or otherwise. I would much rather have a traditional manual "five on the floor" stick shift configuration.

Manual tranny is a redundant dinosaur that will soon be completely obsolete IMO. Modern auto/tiptronic transmissions walk all over manual's nowadays. Also nothing worse than spending 2 hours in the drawl of Auckland motorway with a manual, left leg sure gets a workout (and the clutch) ...thats gets tiresome really quickly!!

Well... yeah / nah as they say.
When the $12,000 quote arrives to repair the DSG transmission for the just out of warranty used car you just bought for $12,000, then the tiresomeness of changing gear can be seen in a different light perhaps.

richms

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#1066238 15-Jun-2014 22:08

My annoyance is cars with "premium sound" options and bluetooth audio that sounds the worst I have heard in a _very_ long time.

And reversing beepers that go crazy at more than a meter and cant help you at below half a meter because they are going off totally. Very annoying when you know there is still plenty of room because you can see the reflection in a shop window.

Richard rich.ms

Mark

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#1066502 16-Jun-2014 11:01

Sideface:
ilovemusic: rant thread !

what annoys you about modern cars ?

let's start with...
non-defeatable traction control/esp/nanny systems.

Turn off traction control and die. It's there for a reason.

I have to disagree there, there are reasons to turn off traction control .. hill starts on loose/slippery surfaces is a one I can think of with the minimum of effort.
I'm going to be installing an ESP disable switch on my car once I find a nice looking switch and a place to put it where it's not an eyesore, around my area there are a lot of gravel roads and when the grading machine has been through they have a very lose surface my car then keeps cutting the power when it detects the rear wheels spinning "out of control" .. very annoying!

ilovemusic

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#1066517 16-Jun-2014 11:18

richms: My annoyance is cars with "premium sound" options and bluetooth audio that sounds the worst I have heard in a _very_ long time.

And reversing beepers that go crazy at more than a meter and cant help you at below half a meter because they are going off totally. Very annoying when you know there is still plenty of room because you can see the reflection in a shop window.

"Premium sound" is one of the biggest scams in new cars.
Most of these extra cost systems (even the ones from big audio names like Bose, Bang & Olufsen, Harman Kardon et al.) sound like crap, maybe a bit better than a stock system but still very poor value for money.

Agree with Mark on nanny systems.
Unfortunately unavoidable on most new cars.

My solution is my next car will have no driver aids - all old school !

:)

ilovemusic

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#1066519 16-Jun-2014 11:20

More gripes;

Why do premium cars like new Audis and BMW have nav screens that look like a Dick Smith tablet stuck on the top of the dash ?

Cheap and nasty to look at/use and they don't even detach !

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#1066520 16-Jun-2014 11:21

ilovemusic:
richms: My annoyance is cars with "premium sound" options and bluetooth audio that sounds the worst I have heard in a _very_ long time.

And reversing beepers that go crazy at more than a meter and cant help you at below half a meter because they are going off totally. Very annoying when you know there is still plenty of room because you can see the reflection in a shop window.

"Premium sound" is one of the biggest scams in new cars.
Most of these extra cost systems (even the ones from big audio names like Bose, Bang & Olufsen, Harman Kardon et al.) sound like crap, maybe a bit better than a stock system but still very poor value for money.

Agree with Mark on nanny systems.
Unfortunately unavoidable on most new cars.

My solution is my next car will have no driver aids - all old school !

:)

And you will be able to stop it with a tree down a bank

Here is a crazy notion, lets give peace a chance.

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#1066521 16-Jun-2014 11:21

There have been complaints about "useless gizmos" for a long time.
I am old enough to remember when flashing turn indicators were new, and were decried as useless, distracting, or ugly - now they are compulsory.
Go back even earlier and electric windscreen wipers were a novelty - now they are standard issue.

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#1066541 16-Jun-2014 11:32

ilovemusic:
richms: My annoyance is cars with "premium sound" options and bluetooth audio that sounds the worst I have heard in a _very_ long time.

And reversing beepers that go crazy at more than a meter and cant help you at below half a meter because they are going off totally. Very annoying when you know there is still plenty of room because you can see the reflection in a shop window.

"Premium sound" is one of the biggest scams in new cars.
Most of these extra cost systems (even the ones from big audio names like Bose, Bang & Olufsen, Harman Kardon et al.) sound like crap, maybe a bit better than a stock system but still very poor value for money.

Agree with Mark on nanny systems.
Unfortunately unavoidable on most new cars.

My solution is my next car will have no driver aids - all old school !

:)

Do do believe that following are waste of time gimmicks?

Anti submarining seats, Airbags, Pyrotechnic seat belts, Seat belt pre-tensioners, ABS, Auto door locks, Brake assist, brake force distribution, collapsing pedals and steering column, etc

Here is a crazy notion, lets give peace a chance.

Mark

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#1066542 16-Jun-2014 11:34

KiwiNZ:
ilovemusic:

My solution is my next car will have no driver aids - all old school !

:)

And you will be able to stop it with a tree down a bank

Are you suggesting he'd crash because the car was not doing the driving for him ?

MikeB4

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#1066543 16-Jun-2014 11:36

Mark:
KiwiNZ:
ilovemusic:

My solution is my next car will have no driver aids - all old school !

:)

And you will be able to stop it with a tree down a bank

Are you suggesting he'd crash because the car was not doing the driving for him ?

The value of these safety devices has been more the well proven

Here is a crazy notion, lets give peace a chance.

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Mark

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#1066579 16-Jun-2014 12:32

KiwiNZ:
Mark:
KiwiNZ:
ilovemusic:

My solution is my next car will have no driver aids - all old school !

:)

And you will be able to stop it with a tree down a bank

Are you suggesting he'd crash because the car was not doing the driving for him ?

The value of these safety devices has been more the well proven

No argument there, heaps of drivers NEED them just to stay in a straight line while they drink their chai latte and talk to their friends on the phone ... but I feel people don't learn how to drive properly in a vehicle where the car is correcting everything with all the feedback from the road surface, steering and brakes is all gone (drive by wire cars you feel nothing front the brake and steering wheel, may as well be sitting at a Playstation) .. but something like a Lotus 7 you can feel every pebble and slip of traction, and then you learn "oh maybe that was a bit fast on that corner".

scuwp

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#1066580 16-Jun-2014 12:36

Mark:
Sideface:
ilovemusic: rant thread !

what annoys you about modern cars ?

let's start with...
non-defeatable traction control/esp/nanny systems.

Turn off traction control and die. It's there for a reason.

I have to disagree there, there are reasons to turn off traction control .. hill starts on loose/slippery surfaces is a one I can think of with the minimum of effort.
I'm going to be installing an ESP disable switch on my car once I find a nice looking switch and a place to put it where it's not an eyesore, around my area there are a lot of gravel roads and when the grading machine has been through they have a very lose surface my car then keeps cutting the power when it detects the rear wheels spinning "out of control" .. very annoying!

ESP if installed is part of the safety system of the vehicle. The car cuts the power to ensure you keep good grip ensuring you do not lose control. Depending on the car you may very well be making an illegal modification, and that's even if the computer will permit such a modification without causing issues elsewhere. ESP/ABS are often integrated. If you fiddle with the factory safety systems on a car don't expect to get a WoF, and good luck claiming insurance if anything happens.

Lazy is such an ugly word, I prefer to call it selective participation

Satch

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#1066587 16-Jun-2014 12:47

I have both a 2012 Kia Optima (first reg 31/12/2012, and is the second to top model EX) and a Sept 2013 Kia Cerato SX 2.0L hatch (top model). Kia's these days have a lot of standard features on them as they are still trying to break into the mainstream with great cars at competitive prices. I can't help feel I am taking advantage of them at the moment...

Anyway here are the features I like on my two Kias:

Keyless entry
Push button start
Auto retractable side mirrors (Cerato only, Optima requires a button push - annoying)
Cooled drivers seat (Cerato only)
Steering wheel controls
Climate air
Proximity sensor LED guide lights on side mirrors and door handles (Cerato only)
Built in sat nav (Cerato only)
Memory seats
LED day headlights
Heated side mirrors
Two stage indicators (Cerato only)
Cooled glovebox
Dimming rear vision mirror
Hill start assist control

The things I am not so hot about include:

Heated seats (Cerato only. I tend to generally run hot so don't need them, but the gf loves them in the cold)
Cup holders are always too small for bottles like Pump water etc

I'm sure I've missed some things that I just haven't thought about...

Mark

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#1066588 16-Jun-2014 12:48

scuwp:

ESP if installed is part of the safety system of the vehicle. The car cuts the power to ensure you keep good grip ensuring you do not lose control. Depending on the car you may very well be making an illegal modification, and that's even if the computer will permit such a modification without causing issues elsewhere. ESP/ABS are often integrated. If you fiddle with the factory safety systems on a car don't expect to get a WoF, and good luck claiming insurance if anything happens.

Blah blah blah, stop sucking the fun out of the room! :-)

Yes I know those things you said, not a complete moron you know :-) And yes the ESP and ABS are linked on my car, but then I also know that the ESP/ABS will re-enable when the car goes beyond 30kph regardless of what button I press, the whole reason I want to disable it on my car is because the traction control and ABS do not always know when it's best to engage, I'd like to go skiing with my car this year, any icy hill I encounter with ESP enabled will basically mean I'll never get up the hill.

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