Newer Vehicles and Technology

April Vee said:
I dont like all these new cars... They have all this stuff that beeps all the time and who knows if anyone is spying on you!!

I much prefer 80s or earlier cars!!
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I bought a new Mazda in 2019. It replaced my 1990 Volvo (which I would still have if it were not for suicidal deer.) Not long after I got it, I gave a friend a ride to a doctor appointment. We got out, I started up the car, and drove off. The car started dinging. It would not stop. I was looking around frantically trying to figure out what the heck was wrong. Between the dash and the computer screen, there's lots of places such information might exist. I pulled over to stop/restart it (always works for my computer), my friend says "I forgot to wear my seat belt." :rolleyes:

Had it been an older car, the only thing that would cause it to chime would be a door that's not fully closed or an unbuckled seat belt. But because of all the other crap on the modern stuff, I didn't know where to start.
 
John Brunner said:
I bought a new Mazda in 2019. It replaced my 1990 Volvo (which I would still have if it were not for suicidal deer.) Not long after I got it, I gave a friend a ride to a doctor appointment. We got out, I started up the car, and drove off. The car started dinging. It would not stop. I was looking around frantically trying to figure out what the heck was wrong. Between the dash and the computer screen, there's lots of places such information might exist. I pulled over to stop/restart it (always works for my computer), my friend says "I forgot to wear my seat belt." :rolleyes:

Had it been an older car, the only thing that would cause it to chime would be a door that's not fully closed or an unbuckled seat belt. But because of all the other crap on the modern stuff, I didn't know where to start.
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In my old truck, the seat belt dings for a short time then stops. My wife's car is newer but still old (2012) and it dings non-stop even I I am just moving the car in the driveway and won't stop for quite a while. I don't mind a ding or a light to advise the driver that not everyone is buckled, but I am one of those crazy people who think that adults should be able to be in a vehicle without being buckled even though I have used seat belts since they were available in my cars. The "Click It or Ticket" as drive me nuts.
 
Our truck (2001) dings when we have the seat belt off, as well as the dash icon lights up. Earlier this fall, I bought a 40 lb box of apples and we had them in the back seat of the truck coming home. The seat belt detector apparently thought we had a small person in the back seat, because it dinged at us all the way home, and it took us a while to figure out why it was making the noise, and finally Bobby said he thought it was the box of apples.
 
Don Alaska said:
In my old truck, the seat belt dings for a short time then stops. My wife's car is newer but still old (2012) and it dings non-stop even I I am just moving the car in the driveway and won't stop for quite a while. I don't mind a ding or a light to advise the driver that not everyone is buckled, but I am one of those crazy people who think that adults should be able to be in a vehicle without being buckled even though I have used seat belts since they were available in my cars. The "Click It or Ticket" as drive me nuts.
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Little known fact: Air Bags are one cause of higher insurance rates. What once was a fatality is now a high hospital expense.
 
My husband took his truck to the dealership for an oil change this morning. He also got the tires rotated and told them about a dashboard message he gets intermittently about "restart required" or something like that.

They checked his battery, said it was low voltage, and installed a new one under warranty. So he only paid for the tire rotation since he gets free oil changes and the battery was warranty. 👍
 
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I am not in favor of requiring seat belts in cars or helmets for motorcyclists because these are things that only affect the person who decides whether or not to wear them, although I do believe that insurance companies could reasonably withhold payments for injuries sustained due to carelessness, so the end result would be the same. In more than 20 years in EMS, I have never responded to a motorcycle accident in which the patient lived. Yes, I know that some do, but motorcycle accidents are often either so minor that an ambulance is not required, or so major that the patient dies with or without a helmet. However, I have frequently responded to car accidents in which those wearing seatbelts live, while those who are not don't. Being "thrown free" from an accident generally results in death; most often, you are then hit by the car you're thrown from. So, while I am opposed to seatbelt and motorcycle helmet laws, I am not in favor of refusing to wear them. Your chances of surviving a high-speed motorcycle accident are low, with or without a helmet, and the chances of an accident are high. All it takes is a rock or some trash thrown onto the road; plus, drivers of cars just don't see you.
 
Marie Mallory said:
Car wrecks kill so many young people, or young people cause so many wrecks. Grandsons' best friend since grammar school and 3 great grands father killed.
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No one was seriously injured in this wreck, but when the kid clipped the rear of the Jeep, it was spun around and hit head-on by a woman in a new Pathfinder. Her vehicle was totaled, too. Of course the kid's old square-body pickup was hardly damaged at all and he drove it home. Some guys from a 7-11 convenience store across the street pulled my husband out of the Jeep since it was laying on its side.
 
Beth Gallagher said:
I'm sure many of you recall my whining after buying a 2024 vehicle a couple of years ago. I was actually overwhelmed by the sheer amount of technology in that car, and I consider myself fairly technologically competent. Not to mention the time it spent at the dealership trying to get all the bells and whistles to ring and tweet. :ROFLMAO: (I can laugh about it now.) I guess I would like to know who exactly thinks all the tablet-based technology in a vehicle traveling 70 MPH on the freeway is a good idea? Do I need to be scrolling Netflix, talking to Siri, and answering phone messages??

Yes, it is nice to have the heated seat, heated steering wheel, satellite radio, heads-up windshield display, lane departure assist, blind spot monitoring, crash avoidance, google navigation, etc, etc... but REALLY??? I'm not sure when all this became a necessity, and why it is difficult to find a new vehicle without this ridiculous stuff. (I do like the heated seat, not gonna lie.) I also wonder what the used car market is going to be like in 5-10 years when all this technology is obsolete... will these just be littering the landfill?

I traded that vehicle for a 2026 Honda CRV hybrid a couple of months ago. The Honda has technology but still has a few knobs to turn on the dashboard. I'm still getting used to the hybrid thing but so far, so good. It hasn't had to go back to the dealer yet... knock on imitation woodgrain trim.
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A few weeks ago I purchased my grandson 2015 Chrysler 200. It has a lot of those bells and whistles.

Seriously I don't like all these features, they put my head on a swivel. I accidentally hit a switch that changed the electronic speedometer from mph to km. It took me a day to figure out how to get it back. I also like the heated seats, also steering wheel. In time I'll figure it all out, but it is overwhelming.
 
Ken Anderson said:
I am not in favor of requiring seat belts in cars or helmets for motorcyclists because these are things that only affect the person who decides whether or not to wear them, although I do believe that insurance companies could reasonably withhold payments for injuries sustained due to carelessness, so the end result would be the same. In more than 20 years in EMS, I have never responded to a motorcycle accident in which the patient lived. Yes, I know that some do, but motorcycle accidents are often either so minor that an ambulance is not required, or so major that the patient dies with or without a helmet. However, I have frequently responded to car accidents in which those wearing seatbelts live, while those who are not don't. Being "thrown free" from an accident generally results in death; most often, you are then hit by the car you're thrown from. So, while I am opposed to seatbelt and motorcycle helmet laws, I am not in favor of refusing to wear them. Your chances of surviving a high-speed motorcycle accident are low, with or without a helmet, and the chances of an accident are high. All it takes is a rock or some trash thrown onto the road; plus, drivers of cars just don't see you.
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I am a bit strange on this. I don't believe any adult should be forced to do anything that affects only them. We and our children always used seat belts and car seats since they were available, but I have resented being made to wear them. I do believe, however, that all those who have motorcycle licenses should be organ donors. Over 50% of organ donations come from motorcyclists and I kinda think all motorcycle owners should be mandated to be donors, in part to emphasize to them how dangerous it is to ride a motorcycle.

I get angry every time I see a "Click It or Ticket" PSA.
 
My daggone tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) is having issues. When the temps got real low, the TPMS light went on because the chilly temps caused the pressure in one of the tires to drop. I topped them all off, and a week later the TPMS went off again. A different tire had gone low enough to trigger it, and again I topped all of them off. This happened 2 more times, each time with a different tire triggering the TPMS and each time with me topping off all the tires. Then the other day the TPMS light went on, even though all the tires were well over the minimum psi (because the temps warmed up.) Now I can't get the damned thing to turn off. I guess one of the pressure sending units took a poop and stuck on. I'll probably leave it be.
 
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Wow. I just read this thread and it has served as a big warning. I truly am a tech moron. I just got my first cell phone a few months ago when the cable man cut my landlines and it takes me ten minutes to make a phone call.

I'm sticking with my little 1998 Neon, even though the girls at the Dairy Queen drive-through laugh while I crank the window down. I shouldn't be there anyway.
 
John Brunner said:
My daggone tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) is having issues. When the temps got real low, the TPMS light went on because the chilly temps caused the pressure in one of the tires to drop. I topped them all off, and a week later the TPMS went off again. A different tire had gone low enough to trigger it, and again I topped all of them off. This happened 2 more times, each time with a different tire triggering the TPMS and each time with me topping off all the tires. Then the other day the TPMS light went on, even though all the tires were well over the minimum psi (because the temps warmed up.) Now I can't get the damned thing to turn off. I guess one of the pressure sending units took a poop and stuck on. I'll probably leave it be.
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This winter, my TPMS kept indicating low pressure and I would check with a gauge and pressure was OK. Since the average temperature has warmed up now, I don't get the low pressure idiot light any more. Those sensors tend to overreact when they get old I believe.
 
Ed Wilson said:
This winter, my TPMS kept indicating low pressure and I would check with a gauge and pressure was OK. Since the average temperature has warmed up now, I don't get the low pressure idiot light any more. Those sensors tend to overreact when they get old I believe.
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Yup. When the light came on after the temps rose and I had been driving the car (so the tires were hot), the PSI in each tire was 40. I run them at 35, and when the light came on before it was because one of the tires was at 32. I guess they're a good thing to have...when they work right.
 
I wish I had kept my old 1949 Ford pickup and also the 1965 4WD International. I miss my 49 Ford with a tube AM radio and having to double clutch to shift. That is all the technology I need. Nothing like pulling over and unfolding a map to see how you took a wrong turn and ended up 30 miles out of the way. Sometimes those out of the way trips, were the most interesting. Who would have thought that in the New Mexico outback, 30 miles off the remote isolated highway I should have been on, a trading post would have a coiled, 4 headed, rattlesnake you could see for $1? :ROFLMAO: It was worth the one buck to see this fine taxidermy. :sneaky:
 
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Don Alaska said:
I am a bit strange on this. I don't believe any adult should be forced to do anything that affects only them. We and our children always used seat belts and car seats since they were available, but I have resented being made to wear them. I do believe, however, that all those who have motorcycle licenses should be organ donors. Over 50% of organ donations come from motorcyclists and I kinda think all motorcycle owners should be mandated to be donors, in part to emphasize to them how dangerous it is to ride a motorcycle.

I get angry every time I see a "Click It or Ticket" PSA.
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Knock on wood! My only bike mishap was a one vehicle and Miss Paris’s and I ended up in a riprap covered ravine. No Idea how I got her out.
 
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