Cars

[Panthera Tigris]

Does anyone else have any trust in modern cars?

Had a horrible experience driving back from a camping road trip yesterday, where the computer that controls the transmission and gear box on my 3yo VW Tiguan All Space (mid range model) packed it in while driving an undulating country highway with no feasible pull off space. Car has 50,000 on the clock. Very dangerous. Was towing a small flip out caravan that was only around 50% of the tow capacity of the car. I’m very conservative like that, very safety conscious, wouldn’t tow anything much bigger for this particular car. Having a trailer behind the car (and having my two young kids in the car) adding an extra layer of danger to the situation.

Second time in two years something like this has happened. Driving the a similar road on a summer getaway, I was driving a 8YO 2.0 turbo diesel Kia Sportage and the engine had catastrophic failure. Crank shaft disintegrated through the entire engine. Car had about 98,000 on it. Very dangerous on a highway with not a lot of turnout space. Was towing a small 6x4 trailer with 3 bikes and some sports gear in it. Not a big load.

I don’t drive many miles a year. Only about 8-10 thousand kms. Have my cars serviced to the book. Probably over serviced actually, given the low mileage. Drive quite conservatively to look after my cars and to be safe (with Mrs and kids in car). Don’t push them at all really. To give an indication. I have never had a ticket of any kind in 25 years of driving.

Generally buy my cars about 2-4 years old with 20-50 thousand on the clock.

Now have zero trust in the robustness of modern technology in cars. Will now find myself on any road trip anxiously looking for turn out bays imminent preparing for the worst at any moment of a car trip. Dreading any climb (“Will this be the climb where the car packs it in?”). Not the ingredients to really look forward to weekends or holidays away. Actually now hate the thought of road trip getaways as it fills me with dread.

 

[TigerForce]

I don't PT. I still have a 2003 Corolla running well but I've seen and heard more modern cars that IMO are over-cooked with technology causing problems. I posted somewhere on here about this issue. My next car would be soon but I will do some real due diligence on buying one which doesn't have much tech in it. Only the GPS is necessary for me.

 

[Redford]

Does anyone else have any trust in modern cars?

Absolutely not. Especially where lane assist and distance recognition technology is concerned. Both can be incredibly dangerous especially DR when you are trying to accelerate and the car won’t let you because it thinks you’re too close to the car in front. Often you’re left vulnerable to being hit by other cars because you can’t accelerate to avoid them eg at a roundabout. You have space and time to get through but someone else is speeding to the right and you need to be sharp to avoid being hit, but the car just glugs down and puts you in harms way.

There is a lot of debate about just how “safe” some of this tech in cars really is and how far manufacturers should be allowed to go where taking the decision making out of the driver’s hands is concerned.

 

[FitenFitenWin]

Have a 2010 X-Trail. One service in 10 years (don’t believe in them). Change the oil myself semi-regularly. Is a workhorse. Running like a top. Don’t want anything more modern.

 

[Panthera Tigris]

I don't PT. I still have a 2003 Corolla running well but I've seen and heard more modern cars that IMO are over-cooked with technology causing problems. I posted somewhere on here about this issue. My next car would be soon but I will do some real due diligence on buying one which doesn't have much tech in it. Only the GPS is necessary for me.

We would prefer to be a one car family. But with kids activities haven’t been able to quite make that work. So went absolutely minimalist with a second car. A 2009 Hyundai Getz that cost me $3900 a few years ago. Has needed a few replacement parts as general maintenance. But far more reliable and less trouble than our more modern, larger ‘family’ vehicles that were purchased to be our main vehicle.

Funnily it has actually appreciated in value since we got it as one of the quirks in the small car market.

Once again, a pretty unsophisticated vehicle, manual gear change, less tech, so less to go wrong.

In recent years, I think car manufacturers have been trying to get too clever with serious diminishing returns for each new ‘innovation’ and refinement they bring to the table.

 

[TigerForce]

We would prefer to be a one car family. But with kids activities haven’t been able to quite make that work. So went absolutely minimalist with a second car. A 2009 Hyundai Getz that cost me $3900 a few years ago. Has needed a few replacement parts as general maintenance. But far more reliable and less trouble our more modern, larger ‘family’ vehicles that were purchased to be our main vehicle.

Funnily it has actually appreciated in value since we got it as one of the quirks in the small car market.

Once again, a pretty unsophisticated vehicle, manual gear change, less tech, so less to go wrong.

In recent years, I think car manufacturers have been trying to get too clever with serious diminishing returns for each new ‘innovation’ and refinement they bring to the table.

Agree PT. I also think it's time to reduce the obesity of these things. Way too large for many reasons.

 

[mrposhman]

Absolutely not. Especially where lane assist and distance recognition technology is concerned. Both can be incredibly dangerous especially DR when you are trying to accelerate and the car won’t let you because it thinks you’re too close to the car in front. Often you’re left vulnerable to being hit by other cars because you can’t accelerate to avoid them eg at a roundabout. You have space and time to get through but someone else is speeding to the right and you need to be sharp to avoid being hit, but the car just glugs down and puts you in harms way.

There is a lot of debate about just how “safe” some of this tech in cars really is and how far manufacturers should be allowed to go where taking the decision making out of the driver’s hands is concerned.

Totally agree on this and as you say the DR technology. There have been numerous occasions where I know I have the space to accelerate and move through a roundabout and the car brakes for me and the car skids.

I believe this is the same tech (cameras inside and towards the roof of the car) that they are testing for self drive cars, yet on days where it heavy rains, my car loses sight, you get the "eyesight" warning on the dash as it can't accurately measure distances any longer. So how does that work in a self driving car, does it just stop, continue driving and hope for the best?

I personally don't trust a lot of the systems. In 3 years of owning my car (I have a 2019 Subaru XV (got it 3 years ago as an ex demo) and have never used the cruise control, let alone the "smart" cruise control.

 

[Redford]

Totally agree on this and as you say the DR technology. There have been numerous occasions where I know I have the space to accelerate and move through a roundabout and the car brakes for me and the car skids.

I believe this is the same tech (cameras inside and towards the roof of the car) that they are testing for self drive cars, yet on days where it heavy rains, my car loses sight, you get the "eyesight" warning on the dash as it can't accurately measure distances any longer. So how does that work in a self driving car, does it just stop, continue driving and hope for the best?

I personally don't trust a lot of the systems. In 3 years of owning my car (I have a 2019 Subaru XV (got it 3 years ago as an ex demo) and have never used the cruise control, let alone the "smart" cruise control.

Yep. Spot on. Also, if you enter a big intersection on green and it turns to amber as you’re going through it or it turns amber just as you’re entering it, you sometimes need to feather the throttle and get a bit closer to the car in front. But again DR often won’t let you do it and you get stuck in no man’s land. Infuriating and dangerous.

Apparently it’s the number one tech complaint nowadays with dealers inundated with people citing near accidents, how the f can I get it taken off permanently etc.

Most cars have a manual override you can apply but who the hell wants to do that all the time when you start your car up. Often it overrides and turns off other safety that tech that you want to keep on, as well.

 

[Panthera Tigris]

Totally agree on this and as you say the DR technology. There have been numerous occasions where I know I have the space to accelerate and move through a roundabout and the car brakes for me and the car skids.

I believe this is the same tech (cameras inside and towards the roof of the car) that they are testing for self drive cars, yet on days where it heavy rains, my car loses sight, you get the "eyesight" warning on the dash as it can't accurately measure distances any longer. So how does that work in a self driving car, does it just stop, continue driving and hope for the best?

I personally don't trust a lot of the systems. In 3 years of owning my car (I have a 2019 Subaru XV (got it 3 years ago as an ex demo) and have never used the cruise control, let alone the "smart" cruise control.

Agree. Have never so much as turned on cruise control In 25years of driving.

Got word back from VW. Car needs a new mechatronic unit (basically the computer unit that controls the transmission and gear box), due to the current one failing. Covered under warranty. Will take a month to come in.

How long until the new one fails? Another 50,000km? At that point the car will only be 100,000km old.

Given we do a bit of towing (albeit, not overly heavy duty) and I do a bit of landscaping and gardening. Do I sell the current car, buy a lower spec dual cab ute with manual transmission. Attempt to go less sophisticated and get a bit more user control over the driver process, with less layers of technology.

Not that I really want a car quite that big as a ute. The Tiguan is a perfect size for us. Not to mention that we are low mileage users, which is also not ideal for a ute diesel engine.

 

[Redford]

Agree. Have never so much as turned on cruise control In 25years of driving.

Got word back from VW. Car needs a new mechatronic unit (basically the computer unit that controls the transmission and gear box), due to the current one failing. Covered under warranty. Will take a month to come in.

How long until the new one fails? Another 50,000km? At that point the car will only be 100,000km old.

Given we do a bit of towing (albeit, not overly heavy duty) and I do a bit of landscaping and gardening. Do I sell the current car, buy a lower spec dual cab ute with manual transmission. Attempt to go less sophisticated and get a bit more user control over the driver process, with less layers of technology.

Not that I really want a car quite that big as a ute. The Tiguan is a perfect size for us. Not to mention that we are low mileage users, which is also not ideal for a ute diesel engine.

CU’s are now as critical as the actual mechanical hardware. I had the entertainment and comms one fail on my car a couple of years ago. Car was only 12 months old. Display unit etc all fine. Just the CU failed. Got it replaced under warranty. But the service guys told me the replacement unit and labour totalled nearly $20k. Unbelievable. (Euro car though.)

 

[T-Shirt Tommy]

 

[TigerMasochist]

For all the hype n *smile*, computerised tech in cars is a nightmare waiting to become reality. Comp farts n everything fails immediately.

 

[Panthera Tigris]

CU’s are now as critical as the actual mechanical hardware. I had the entertainment and comms one fail on my car a couple of years ago. Car was only 12 months old. Display unit etc all fine. Just the CU failed. Got it replaced under warranty. But the service guys told me the replacement unit and labour totalled nearly $20k. Unbelievable. (Euro car though.)

Ha! So my two last cars, I’ve had catastrophic failure of both major parts respectively.

The 2012 Kia Sportage, engine needed replacement after 98,000km (not under warranty - cost me $6,500). The 2019 VW Tiguan, a complete CU replacement after 50,000km (luckily under warranty).

Both were very *smile* dangerous situations on 100-110km roads, losing power while climbing, with very little appropriate turn off space, if any.

 

[Panthera Tigris]

For all the hype n *smile*, computerised tech in cars is a nightmare waiting to become reality. Comp farts n everything fails immediately.

Friends and family look and think of me as a bit of a cook, that I don’t fall into line with the apparent majority of sheep in our society and unquestionably accept technological advances as progress.

I am perhaps a bit of a modern day Luddite looking on any new tech as a sceptic, before accepting or rejecting it.

The amount of hubris of all the benefits of various technologies, with complete ignorance of the immense vulnerabilities and fragility added to the system, with every extra level of complexity that technological advance contributes to the system. Cars just one practical example that can be applied as a principle to the wider world.

 

[Redford]

Friends and family look and think of me as a bit of a cook, that I don’t fall into line with the apparent majority of sheep in our society and unquestionably accept technological advances as progress.

I am perhaps a bit of a modern day Luddite looking on any new tech as a sceptic, before accepting or rejecting it.

The amount of hubris of all the benefits of various technologies, with complete ignorance of the immense vulnerabilities and fragility added to the system, with every extra level of complexity that technological advance contributes to the system. Cars just one practical example that can be applied as a principle to the wider world.

No you’re not. I’m with you. Where many technological “advancements” are concerned, they come with numerous and often serious side effects. Look at social media as one huge, massive example.

Where cars are concerned, there’s dozens of tech issues ranging from actual performance to safety issues to behavioural issues. Last week I saw a guy who had his mobile that was hanging from his rear view mirror and connected into a port on his car console, streaming the tennis live and watching it as he was trying to drive down Warrigal Road - one of Melbourne’s busiest and most dangerous roads.

 

[MD Jazz]

Most cars have a manual override you can apply but who the hell wants to do that all the time when you start your car up. Often it overrides and turns off other safety that tech that you want to keep on, as well.

That is spot on. You shouldn't have to manually override every time. It's a bit like credit card auto-renewals that you have to opt out of otherwise you get charged (eg Richmond membership).

I don't mind some of the driving assistance tools but I prefer to be in control of most things when in a car. I will never, ever set foot in a self-driving car.

 

[MD Jazz]

Where cars are concerned, there’s dozens of tech issues ranging from actual performance to safety issues to behavioural issues. Last week I saw a guy who had his mobile that was hanging from his rear view mirror and connected into a port on his car console, streaming the tennis live and watching it as he was trying to drive down Warrigal Road - one of Melbourne’s busiest and most dangerous roads.

Yeh, I reckon they should ban phones from cars. Ban TV screens in cars except in rear seats.

I guarantee there will be a spate of accidents in the near future when the current phone addicted generation get their licences. You see it now, people texting and watching TV as they drive. How will a phone addicted youth manage their behaviour inside a car? They cannot go without checking notifications and alerts for more than a few minutes.
I never ride in bicycle lanes on major roads for this reason, a 5 second distraction and you are toast. I am sure they will end up having a cars operation linked to a phone being placed in some sort of secure position where it cannot be manually operated.

 

[Panthera Tigris]

Yeh, I reckon they should ban phones from cars. Ban TV screens in cars except in rear seats.

I guarantee there will be a spate of accidents in the near future when the current phone addicted generation get their licences. You see it now, people texting and watching TV as they drive. How will a phone addicted youth manage their behaviour inside a car? They cannot go without checking notifications and alerts for more than a few minutes.
I never ride in bicycle lanes on major roads for this reason, a 5 second distraction and you are toast. I am sure they will end up having a cars operation linked to a phone being placed in some sort of secure position where it cannot be manually operated.

This is why the tech addicted generation can’t wait for self driving cars. Like mozzies to a blue light any technological advance is worshipped like a religion.

Think of self driving cabs and rideshare cars.

Can wait on the curb glued to their screen, get into the self driving Uber car (still staring at the screen) and be on their journey still staring at their screen without missing a beat. Constant supply of dopamine pumping through their body unhindered.

 

[TigerMasochist]

Just gotta look at how often comp internet technology *smile* itself or gets hacked sitting on your home computers n phones. Then get in a car at 100 kph n pray nothing untoward happens, coz there'll be absolutely nothing you can do about it.

 

[Redford]

Just look at the amount of recalls nowadays. It’s off the charts.