Modern cars are too technologically advanced for their own good

Morris Minor? My first car. I paid a fiver for it, the farmer turfed out the chickens and off I drove.

After months of dealing with Renault Dealers on the faults on my 2007 Grand Scenic like my all dashboard information totally disappearing, Heater/Air Con Fan switch burning out, and electric windows failing, I am really sick of the so called technological advances that are being quoted to us as ‘making our driving experience better’……They don’t, they are useless, time consuming, and very expensive because they can only be repaired by the ‘Renault Dealers’ themselves on their own DIAGNOSTIC machines !

…and there I was thinking my car was cool because it tells me how many miles of petrol I have left.

My 2001 Toyota Avensis is easy – most of the controls you can preset (radio stations etc), simple but effective heating and climate controls and cd player.
The lighting and wiper controls are all on the steering column as are the lighting controls.
The only other controls give you average mpg to date, and approx how many miles petrol are left.
My first car was an Austin A40 countryman – an early version of a hatchback. It was very simple and never broke down. Rusted through by the age of 6 years though. My present Avensis is 10 years old and I have yet to see ANY rust – now that is progress !

I think the vast majority of bells, whistles and gizmos are unnecessary for a car to perform it’s primary function. Having said that many of us love them and we can very easily convince ourselves they are essential.
Manufacturers and their marketing people know this, they know gizmos sell cars and we the suckers play along.
It reminds me of the old days when Europeans gave natives shinny trinkets to get them on side before taking their country. Today it’s marketing people, high tec gizmos and bank balances.
Some elements of human nature never change.
I try to subscribe to the elegance of simplicity, but like every one of you I’ll get suckered into paying for “essential” gadgets and gizmos sometimes.

Be interesting to see what would happen if a car maker made “simplicity” and “low cost” their sales strategy? Wonder how many of the car buying public would embrace this concept and how many would reject it in favour of the latest high tec, “practically drives itself and even makes tea for you” approach, as we have now?
The poll suggests perhaps we really are all simple natives at heart, easy to win over?

The more things you have in a car the more things can go wrong so the less the better as far as I’m concerned. I’m afraid that many people are gadget freaks and just can’t resist the latest gizmo. How many people have bought the latest smartphone but only use about 10%, or less, of its capabilities?

I found the complicated voice operated controls in the current Fiesta over facing, plus poor visibility (poor design) prevented me from buying one. Up till then I was very happy with my older model Fiesta. Some features like auto lights and wipers (which I scoffed at once), climate control with one touch demist, are very useful, they were already installed in my pre reg car, a Renault Sport Tourer, which I love, tho not the dealers – that said they are cleaning up their act. After my last visit for a service I had a call from their head office to ask if I was satisfied with their work and customer service. Got to be an improvement – not relevant to the topic but feel they need some praise for this.

I haven’t got the latest high tech car..but I feel that the car (computer) is doing most of the driving.for instance, when I am trying to slow down without changing gears..the car or should I say pc speeds up..it says to prevent stalling..appears to be dangerous in adverse weather conditions (ie. snow and ice) where braking could be difficult. Having owned some classic cars (Morris Minor) being one of them, there is less to distract you from essentially driving correctly. Not too dissatified but..given the chance would not hesitate to purchase a classic car, or at least one that only has a pc controlled engine.

There is another side to this issue.

All the extra electronics consume power. No problem when the car is moving – the amount of energy is very small – but that changes when you park.

The latest BMWs include battery charging as you brake – seems like a nice environmental economy – but if you have not been using the brakes the battery charge level can drop to 60%.

So you park the car at an airport and go on holiday …..

The battery is not fully charged, all the electronics are still consuming power (they cannot be turned fully off as the alarm system, remote unlock etc will fail). This can be well over 100mA. Not much you may think but that totals 20 AmpHr a week. A two year old battery in winter might only have half of its original 70AH available – that’s if it was fully charged! At 60% charge the car might not start after little over a week.

There have been occasions reported on the BMW forums (eg http://x3.xbimmers.com/forums/showpost.php?p=9222135&postcount=20 ) where warning messages occur when the car is left for only 10 days. They have even been reported where cars have been driven a few miles a day. BMW dealers have responded that they should be driven for longer or if left in the garage should be on a trickle charger.

So what happens if the car is left at an airport while you are away on business for a month (or even are able to take 1 months holiday)?

The car displays a message to say that ancillary circuits have been turned off to conserve battery energy – Does this include the alarm? We don’t know.
Car battery life decreases enormously if the charge level ever gets below 10% – How long will the battery last if the car is regularly parked without use? To cope with the brake recharge systems and the stop-start energy saving, the batteries are very expensive to replace.

I used BMW as an example above – it seems the new Jaguars are even heavier in battery drain when standing unused.

It’s very nice to be able to walk up to your car with key in pocket and the doors unlock, your seat & mirrors all adjust to your personal settings and you can get in and drive away – if the car will start …

Personally I feel that all manufacturers should provide the detailed figures on static battery drain resulting from all these new electronic systems.

I worked for Peugeot for many years why every Car is more expensive now years ago you got basic ; standard&De-lux.UK public wanted more than 3 basic colors they also wanted extras like fitted Radio no one wanted to pay for the extras so the foreign imports won.Interior UK public wanted more than 3 Colors of Trim&fabric.Manufacturers discovered more gadgets=higher prices from electric windows where we lost ability just just crack the window very slightly.Everyone wants high speed performance when the greater majority only drive in low speed areas.Manufacturers make a fortune out of spares& repairs hence all the special tools needed for basic repairs.The generalpublic has lost out big time our Country has lost too.Thousands were in employment direct or indirect the French saw a car as a means of getting from A to B.Now we have a nation of unemployed people cars that have so many gadgets that can only be fixed by a Computer hook up 1st.Basic Cars is not Cool to be seen in also profits are less that’s why cars of to-day are to complicated for the average person and it gets worse each time a new model comes on-stream.

For me what is paramount is how enjoyable it is to drive a car then second and almost as important is reliability/cost of repair. Almost all of the technology today does little to improve either of these fundamental factors. Much of the technology today is distracting (from driving), aids those who cannot drive or those who do not tend to their cars. As many have stated, technology adds much to initial cost of manufacturing and much more to cost/difficulty of repair.

A number of years ago I inadvertently purchased a three door VW Golf (MK4) TDI. Due to mechanical issues I ended up working on and up-grading this car substantially over the years. The simplicity of this car made it quite easy to work on despite my lack of mechanical knowledge. With no power features but the door locks, there was very little to go wrong with this car after being repaired/upgraded. At 320,000KM and much spirited driving the TDI still goes strong. The only weak point is the cheap plastic parts used in the engine and elsewhere to reduce cost and perhaps weight (= technology). In search of my next vehicle I’ve read many owner reviews. It is disheartening to learn that most issues people experience today are technology based whether electrical (navigation systems, engine management systems, ABS, tire air pressure sensors, etc.) or mechanical technology (high tech transmissions, fuel injection systems, all wheel drive systems, emissions systems, multitudes of sensors etc.).

To make matters worse we have this advancement in “technology” while the roads (I drive on) keep deteriorating along with fellow drivers ability. In the end, in my opinion, much automotive technology of recent years only benefits the manufactures. It is through the genius of marketing/advertising that consumers are convinced that it is needed or desirable. It is telling that so many mechanics view the complexity of modern cars negatively and so many consumers treat vehicles as disposable items to be rid of when a lease is up to avoid expensive repair. I could go on … but I will stop here : )

I would like to see a greater advance on electric cars at a price that is reasonable and specially built stations at service stations where the Battery is quickly exchanged fully charged while you have a coffee and a break at supermarkets too while they shop Successive governments are to blame for the state of our roads milking the motorist but not using the taxes to repair the roads. How many times have you seen roadworks where there is 1 person using a bobcat and no one else around and no work at weekends.British car buyers are so different to the French who view it as get from A to B they don’t care so much for velour interior they content with plastic interior. R Stringer Manufacturers make massive profits from car repairs so its in their interest to make the car so complicated most cannot do DIY repairs and need special tools to do what use to be routine maintenance. Everyone knows a lease car has been hammered so you buy one of those at your risk.The quicker Radio CD players are phased out the better replaced by in built simple Radio USB players.It does not matter where you drive there is always someone on a mobile phone driving with one hand. Technology sometimes is great like power steering not many would like to go back to manual steering cars but manual windows i would favor choice but youngsters even at 6yrs old want the latest gadgets so i am afraid R.Stringer we are not the majority.

It seems that many here feel the same way I do about some of the technology that is being put into new cars. Some of it I like, such as ABS brakes and stability control, but in recent years many of what is being put into new cars I really feel is unnecessary. In the states, GM has On-Star. I really didn’t want it, but I got a great price on the car because even though it was a brand new car, it was a model year old. I never need On-Star or had to use it, but GM doesn’t give the buyer a choice. Ford has their SYNC, another bit of technology I have no use for. Now touch screen controls are becoming standard equipment on most new cars. Give my my buttons and switches back. Why should I have to pay for these features when I don’t really want or need them. New cars are expensive as it is and if I am going to have to pay thousands for a new car, I want it the way I want it instead of what manufacturers think I want it. I have just about given up the idea of buying a new car at this point.

When ABS breaking came out years ago I was a bit suspicious about them at first. Where I live in Montana, out winters can be long and snowy. After doing a lot of reading about them early on, I saw test repoers showing that they did actually stop a vehicle in a shorter distance, I decided to give them a work out in an empty parking lot. The first thing that one has to get over is the noise. They are noisy, but they are doing their thing. Also, with ABS, you can still steer a vehicle whereas if the brakes are locked up in a skid, you have no control at all. I found it helpful in quite a few instances over the years.

As far as many, or most of the gadgets that are now being put into new cars, most of them I have no use for. My car is transportation. I don’t live in it. I don’t need to have the car read my e-mail. I have no use for bluetooth as one of the first things I do before driving is turn OFF my cell phone. Touch screen “Infotainment” systems are for me another useless feature. I can’t remember how many years ago I learned how to operate a radio. Some vehicles also have the climate controls in the touchscreen. I find that this is just another distraction that would take a drivers eyes off of the road.

Sorry, no need for this garbage. I need to pay attention to the road and be ready to avoid some other driver playing with the gadgets in their car or yapping on the cell phone.

It’s terrible, especially when it keeps telling you to STOP because brakes are faulty and they are not. Gives the driver a heart attack. All too complicated, I want to drive without interference from technology.

Too technologically advanced. I would agree with that. And building in obsolescence is always a good move for manufacturers.

And hot off the press
“Bild am Sonntag – a German publication – has found a document wherein Audi chief of powertrains Axel Eiser discusses the defeat feature and how it will be “100% active on the dyno, but only 0.01% in the hands of the customer,” making it hard for the company to claim it was the work of a small group of engineers.”