OT: Latest New Tech. Options In Cars- Actual User Experiences
minnow
Any place that interests me.
Keyless ignition is one example that is becoming much more common. IME, they're really cool so long as key fob or car battery doesn' die. What do keyless car owners do when they go to the beach ? If they leave fob in swimming trunks, and water gets in fob battery, they are SOL wrt getting car started. What then- leave it under beach towel, and hope nobody steals it, or take along a designated dry person who doesn't get in the water and safeguards the fob ?
I've noticed more models coming out with no spare tire with a tire inflator/patch kit in it's place. Anybody actually get a flat who has actually succesfully patched a hole ? Both my cars have small spares. Thus far have not had to change tires as I've been fortunate to have only a slow leak scenario. A prior car had run-flats, I picked up a spike sized nail (unpatchable) which the inflator/patch kit would have been useless.
One online article stated that AAA gets the most calls for dead batteries, flat tires, and key problems. (i.e. locking oneself out of car). A large number of the dead batteries were because of people leaving the keyless fobs in the car. That and more cars without a spare would lead to uptick in the first two items.
Also curious if anyone has experienced some of the newer options such as adaptive cruise control, lane assist (steering wheel nudges you back into lane if you drift into other lane.) Do you like the installed Nav system better than mobile Garmin or I-phone Navs ?
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Almost impossible to ram or sideswipe as it has dopper radar on all sides, and if it calculates impact, it will automatically apply brakes and it can apply left and right independently, as well as directly control the steering, to keep you in lane. It can bring the car to a complete stop to prevent you from hitting something in front of you. It can also calculate if there is an object (like a deer) on an intercept from the side and will similarly apply brakes.
If it senses that you've fallen asleep, or are going off lane it will shake you, and if you don't respond it will keep you in lane, then stop the car.
It's still no Tesla but it's pretty impressive.
Maho, what kind of car do you have ? Are we on the same page here ? Yes, the newer keyless ignition cars do have a key, but they're merely an alternate means to get in the car if fob or car battery dies. Are there cars with a Fob actuated push button start AND a key ignition as a backup ? I've not seen any cars like this.
It was kind of cool, but it doesn't nudge you back into the lane, but gently vibrates the wheel. Not worth it IMHO.
As far as tires.... I have top of the line Michelin Pilots on my car. They are nail magnets with the consistency of bubble gum. Rather than use the goo they give you, I just bought a compressor and have to use it all the time. Tires suck for durability
My Accuras and Odyssey are all pretty mainstream with nothing special as far as cutting edge safety technology goes, and my 1972 Lotus is a death trap bless its heart...I would be scared shitless letting any car drive itself as that poor sucker letting his Tesla drive him should have been, instead of watching Harry Potter when he hit a van at 55 mph.
I like all the fancy features but I hate the fact that everything is controlled by computers now. I feel like a car should be a car and mechanical in nature. I'm trying to fix mrs sea's UVO radio where all of a sudden after putting in a new battery the speakers won't work. Everything I've found said it could be the radio, amp or the anti-theft system. What's worse is I've noticed UVO is powered by m$oft so no wonder it just crapped out out of the blue. She also has those little anti-theft key fobs with a key that flips out. Well guess what? The flip part is just glued on so of course her key came off the flipper part and I have to find the right one aftermarket because I refuse to pay $300 for one at the dealer. I've tried to gorilla glue that bitch back on and it can't handle the stress.
@25- PM coming your way later.
@rs666- "Several crashes have been attributed to this." Which ones ?
Although an example often cited for the desirability of this option is the driver falling asleep, IMO, this could also be useful in the whiteout snowstorm scenario, or heavy summer downpour, except for the lane assist keying on the camera image. I'm curious if anyone driving a car with this feature under those conditions have experienced the system going apeshit on them, and running them off the road. If you can't see the lane markers, the camera can't either. Seeing an occasional lane marker just might throw off the LA enough to make it do something that you'd just as soon not have it do. Ideally, lane assist should be GPS based, but that would require a system with the accuracy of finding a dingleberry on a gnats ass. OK, engaging in hyperbole here, but being 50' off approaching an intersection on my current Garmin would not be up to that task.