New Car "Advances" that you don't like

[ISUAlum2002]

I work with mechanical engineers that do failure analysis on machinery, so I trust their assessment more than engineers who design and work for the people that sell the things.

Yeah, I mean....the manufacturers who would have to foot the bill for extremely expensive engine repairs/replacements if failures were found to be caused by the stop/start feature within their vehicles haven't done their due diligence on it at all. I'm sure of that.

 

[ISUAlum2002]

Alright, that one does bother me. GM cars do this a lot. Turning the brake lights on when nearby is fine, but turning the reverse lights on with it is annoying as all hell.

Oh man, totally agree. I'm already on guard when going through parking lots and figuring out who is actually backing out vs. who is just getting into their car is terrible. Whoever thought this up at GM.....hopefully they've been fired.

 

[BoxsterCy]

After driving for four hours a message appears asking if I need to take a break

My hip tells me that, no need for a computer message.

 

[bawbie]

adaptive cruise control. I had a Toyota rental and it would slow me way down, even with the radar turned down. I shut it off. It became annoying, especially in heavy traffic.

Adaptive cruise is awesome on the interstate. It shouldn't be used in heavy traffic though.

 

[runbikeswim]

Yeah I think they'll all do that but that's not what he was talking about. I also don't understand how hard it is to put the FOB in your pocket and just leave it there, I love keyless.

Fob attached to other keys in your pocket = uncomfortable. Fob not attached to keys=easily misplaced. Fob in pocket for me=often activated buttons when getting in or out of vehicle.

I like the fob, but I think I would like it even better if it had a key that popped out of it. I l really loved my Audi TT fob. All the bells and whistles, but pushed a button and this big honking key popped out to start the car.

I'm afraid with Fobs, and all the phone gadgets Having 3 or 4 fobs is kind of PIA.

 

[BoxsterCy]

Not sure if I am not old enough at 67, or if my 2015 Audi A5 is low tech, but I pretty much love every techie thing about it. One of the deciding factors in getting rid of my older A4 (favorite and best car I ever owned) was to get the backup camera and techie googahs.

 

[somecyguy]

I think the over 60 crowd should be re-tested for driving with today's cars. Driver's Ed 2.0

Not joking, technology passed most of them. I'd rather see driver-less cars take them off the road

Why stop there, make everyone. I would willingly go through the hassle, if I knew that even a percentage of idiots would learn how to merge.

 

[somecyguy]

Some of those are people popping HD bulbs into cars without the proper lenses and light leveling tech to have them. And half the population is driving big pickups and SUV that just have the lights up high to start with.

Dickbags that use led light bars on their trucks can die in a fire. I have enormous hate for them. Truck headlights are bad enough for the rest of us, but then adding a bar of bright lights pointed at opposing traffic is so stupid.

 

[bawbie]

the only thing I don't like on my newer car is that it beeps when in reverse. everything else is awesome.

well, the lane drift detection is annoying on windy days, but I still leave it on because it can be really good. on vacation with a low-tech rental, my son was beeping at me everytime I drifted toward the line.

 

[motorcy90]

Probably in the minority, but not a fan of everything motorized with the push of a button. For example: rear and middle seats that can be moved/flipped by hand, many now do it with a button push. Things will wear out and eventually fail and cost an arm and a leg to repair. Maybe they have a manual option? Just seems like a solution to a problem I didn't have and raises the price tag.

I hate the automatic doors in my parents van, they open so slow, I could open the door climb out and close the door my self faster then the van opens the door.

I HATE dial transmission controls. I will never buy one. There is a reason push button transmissions did not survive decades ago.
I'd rather have 3 on the tree than a dial.

I honestly love the dial shifter in my truck, it took a little to get used to, but now I go to reach for the dial in every other vehicle I drive. Also push buttons are used on basically every heavy duty vehicle/truck if it's not a full manual transmission.

Variable cylinder management. What little has been saved in fuel economy has been lost due to oil consumption, extra repairs, and extra maintenance. All the result of government meddling.

most manufacturers have made it to were the ECU will shut down different cylinders to reduce the "wear factor" I don't notice any difference in my truck when it goes to eco mode besides the increased fuel economy and still get over 8k miles from oil changes running semi synthetic.

 

[MeanDean]

I had this issue today. Taking our old car, no backup cam, recycling day so that's down the driveway, and I have my bike rack on so rear visibility is no good going down the driveway. Pretty much honk for kids and go for it.

Drove 3000 miles this spring with a Bike rack on the back of my vehicle. So backup warning was completely worthless because it would beep continuously every time the car was in reverse. Still, I do like the feature.

 

[Macloney]

A lot of pickups. I managed a dealership, blunt truth is, they just get installed and not actually set so it is kind of a crap shoot that they are aligned. Then most guys will have a toolbox, covers or other stuff in the back and that throws all the lights into a higher angle and sometimes causes sims to be more effective than brights.

This has changed. All light alignment is now safety critical and nothing leaves the factory out of spec.

 

[BCClone]

This has changed. All light alignment is now safety critical and nothing leaves the factory out of spec.

That’s good

 

[Macloney]

That’s good

The quality of technological advances is actually really good because it is all tested and must pass before shipping.

Aesthetic quality and things like gaps in body panels are suffering because of this. Fortunately, most "normal" consumers will never see or notice these things.

(I work in Quality at a Big 3 OEM.)

 

[BCClone]

The quality of technological advances is actually really good because it is all tested and must pass before shipping.

Aesthetic quality and things like gaps in body panels are suffering because of this. Fortunately, most "normal" consumers will never see or notice these things.

(I work in Quality at a Big 3 OEM.)

Yeah, it’s been a few years since I managed the dealership. There were a lot of areas suffering then.

 

[runbikeswim]

I think the over 60 crowd should be re-tested for driving with today's cars. Driver's Ed 2.0

Not joking, technology passed most of them. I'd rather see driver-less cars take them off the road

statistics don't back that up: 60-69 age group has the least accidents. Thought I would say around early 70's is probably when things start getting troubling for older drivers.

 

[madguy30]

statistics don't back that up: 60-69 age group has the least accidents. Thought I would say around early 70's is probably when things start getting troubling for older drivers.

Last I knew the later/older years are more connected to things like eyesight getting poorer, not technology.

These stats have been pretty consistent for longer than a lot of the new technology has been around, anyway.

 

[Scott34]

Drove a friends new Suburu a couple years ago and the braking when u got to close to another was super annoying. I get why they do it but man that got annoying real quick.

 

[Iastfan112]

Stop/Start killing engines would be much more talked about by Prius owners if it was really an issues. It isn't. Unless the other manufacturers are screwing something up it's a non-issue in terms of reliability.

 

[khardbored]

We are currently borrowing a 2018 model car with all the bells and whistles from a family member. It has pretty much every feature out there.

Likes:
- backup camera
- blindspot warning
- 360 degree camera when backing up
- cooling seats
- collision warning (can adjust the sensitivity)

Dislikes:
- Giant console in the middle of most new cars that make it so my knee hits right on it (I don't keep my right knee perfectly straight). Would love a bench seat in a sedan or small SUV. I hate them so much, I am ruling out cars that are otherwise great but have this crap.
- Large, protruding things from the door (like a vertical handle) that I hit my LEFT knee on!
- Push button start. For those who say "how hard is it to keep in your pocket?" -- i find anything in my pocket uncomfortable while driving. Taking it out without the habit of the key turn means much more likely to forget my keys in the car.