Useless features in modern cars

[Kernel Crittenden]

Cut the diaphragm out of the speaker with a pointy knife-It still vibrates but hardly makes a sound.

Yes. For every measure there's a counter measure. Then the other side responds with a counter-counter measure. And so on. It's a form of warfare. I expect soon they will incorporate the car's built in microphone (it's already there in many new cars) to listen for and "hear" the buzzer/bell. If it's not present or loud enough the car won't start. Then what? Get some kid (or a Russian) to hack the software.

 

[Grayfox]

There are certain features that I do like. Many of which have now become standard. P/S, P/B, A/T, A/C to name a few. (I just know a few are scratching their heads to figure out those abbreviations.) I do like power windows, power seats and cruise control.
I don't need or want a super duper sound system, DVD player, blue tooth, touch screens, or any other electronic gadgets.
And I absolutely don't want a vehicle that can do anything by itself without my say-so.

42 years of turning wrenches for a living have taught me that the more junk you put in 'em, the more there is to go wrong. AND the more expensive it is to repair.

 

[amazingflapjack]

Here in Ocala the useless features would be turn signals and a horn.

 

[LVSteve]

Don't know if other makes offer this but our Malibu has AUTO STOP START. Under certain conditions when you stop at a light the engine cuts off. Take your foot off the brake and the engine starts instantly.
GM says it saves gas. I say whatever gas is used sitting at a light, I can afford. Cannot turn it off.

There's one I forgot, non-defeatable stop-start.

You'll never find me complaining about rear view cameras. The design of most modern cars involves a high tail for good aerodynamics. That means no rear view. Cameras and rear sensors are a good answer.

 

[LVSteve]

Had my Tundra in for warranty repair (air induction pump,thank God they were paying for that). Gave me a new Ram 1500. Was just sitting in it, the service guy comes out to ask what's wrong. I say where the H is the gear shift? It's a knob on the dashboard. I can't bring myself to say I knobbed it into gear.

I'm no fan of the "Warp Drive Adjuster" style of gear selector. My 2012 Jaguar has one of these, and it's the one feature I don't like, but at least it's not plain dangerous like some I mentioned.

 

[johngalt]

There's one I forgot, non-defeatable stop-start.

You'll never find me complaining about rear view cameras. The design of most modern cars involves a high tail for good aerodynamics. That means no rear view. Cameras and rear sensors are a good answer.

There are cars that the stop-start can't be disabled? That would be annoying. My GLK has it but it can be shut off. It makes no sense on an American car. The EPA doesn't give any fleet mileage credit for the system, it is a European thing.

 

[BUFF]

Back when I could afford to buy new cars, I would order what I wanted. That way, you got what you were willing to pay for in the color you liked. Shopping for a new pickup in 1986, I waited until the '87's were made because they had antilock brakes on the rear (yes, old guy story). I had never seen a 10 year old car with power windows that still worked so ordered mine without.

6 months later, Ford still hadn't built my truck. I knew the truck sales manager at my dealer and he could track order/build/delivery dates.

So growing weary of waiting, and summer being upon us, one day the dealer got a batch and one was just like I had ordered except, you guessed it, power windows.

I gave up, surrendered and bought it.

It's now 30 years old, still runs like a gas-swilling top and the windows still work. Oh, well.

The ex-wife liked the sunroof in her T-Bird so other drivers 360 degrees around her could get full benefit from her extended middle finger.

I don't want to say she drove aggressively, but when I sold the Bird, it had 85,000 miles on the original brakes but I had replaced the horn 12 times.

 

[radar1972]

I could live without many of the modern gizmo features but two I really like are backup camera and XM satellite radio.

 

[BigBoy99]

What I miss is being able to sit on the wheel well cover and put your feet into the engine compartment and work on the engine!

 

[CajunBass]

I could live without many of the modern gizmo features but two I really like are backup camera and XM satellite radio.

That's the other one I meant to bring up. Sirius/XM radio. Love it. Again, there was a time when I po-poed the idea of paying for radio. One day with it, and I haven't listened to terrestrial radio since. That was about seven years ago. I've got it in both cars, here on the desk in the house, and on my phone.

I had my fears about power windows too. I figured they'd break every time I turned around. Nope. I guess I've had them for forty years, and have never had one break. I have had a hand crank window break however.

Also broke a floor mounted dimmer switch. As someone else said, no lights at all, right then and there. Never broke a column mounted one.

Oh, and one sort of silly one that I really like. A compass in my rear view mirror. I don't need to to know which way I'm going, but it's still fun to have it. My wife likes it more than I do really. She has memory problems from a brain injury, and just likes to know which way she's going. She finds it comforting, and really misses when we're in our car that doesn't have it.

 

[OLDSTER]

stupid stuff

Power lift gates on SUVs. They're so slow that your ice cream melts and your beer gets warm before you get them in the back for the trip home. Just more crud to go "hay-wire".

 

[Jack Flash]

Oh yes, because electrical components function so well in dirt, water, salt and grime. And when it fails, you have no lights whatsoever.

Have you ever had one fail? I drove really old cars for a long time and only had one go bad. And this was in Michigan, home of the salt, snow, slush bath on the driver side floor. The only one that failed was on a beloved '66 Chevy that rusted out to a dangerous level. I should have quit driving it a year or two before it nearly rusted in half.

Why am I not surprised that this thread turned into rant against every advancement since 1920?

I'm all for real advancements. You will not catch me complaining that I do not have to manually crank the engine. I'm old enough now that I appreciate automatic transmissions too. Brakes are certainly much better now than they were a couple of decades ago. I don't have a car with a back up camera, but I can see how that would be useful. I can also see how in a few years it will go on the fritz and be expensive to repair!

But do we really need bells that go off telling me the passenger seatbelt is not engaged when the "passenger" is a heavy bag of groceries? Or some idiot light to tell the tire pressure is too low, only to find the pressures are all fine and it's the sensor that has failed? Pretty soon we will have sensors to monitor the sensors ...

 

[Arik]

There are cars that the stop-start can't be disabled? That would be annoying. My GLK has it but it can be shut off. It makes no sense on an American car. The EPA doesn't give any fleet mileage credit for the system, it is a European thing.

Isn't that just for saving gas in traffic/lights?

Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk

 

[Arik]

For a loooong time I drove nothing but coupes. Definitely not the greatest rear view but I never had issues with it. Going to center City was always a nightmare. Mostly one way streets and never any parking. When we went my friends always made me drive. I could parallel park my cars (Camaro and later Toyota Solara) in just about any space without issues.

Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk

 

[Arik]

If it taint on a '55 Chevy. You don't need it. Probably don't need it if it's not on a CJ-2. (Automatic=luxury, A/C=luxury, Radio=luxury.)

You know, the designer of the mini Cooper thought the same thing. The originals had no radio (don't know about AC) and no way to adjust your seat. The reason was comfort would distract you. However, since he was a chain smoker all cars must have ashtrays

Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk

 

[THE PILGRIM]

So I'm taking my first ride in a Cooper Mini with my Buddy Mike.
He's an ace car mechanic, drag racer, Corvette guy, Hemi guy.
It's his Wife's Mini.
Mike says- this is the most fun to drive car that i ever drove!
I could hardly believe my ears. Really?
Yes! But if you tell anybody, I will have to kill you!
At that point the Mini was definitely considered to be a girlie man car.

 

[chief38]

I'll bet that many of the features we are talking about here now and deem them ridiculous and unnecessary will become standard in the upcoming years. I remember when many of us poo pood ABS, Rear Back-up Cameras, Power Windows and Heated Seats not that long ago. Now those features are standard on pretty much any car that is sold. I remember when I was a nay sayer about the tire monitor system and electrically controlled Power Steering as just added expenses, and now would NOT buy a vehicle without them. Call me what you may, but I would NEVER buy a vehicle without Heated Seats unless it was just a dedicated "Summer Car".

 

[NYlakesider]

I'll bet that many of the features we are talking about here now and deem them ridiculous and unnecessary will become standard in the upcoming years. I remember when many of us poo pood ABS, Rear Back-up Cameras, Power Windows and Heated Seats not that long ago. Now those features are standard on pretty much any car that is sold. I remember when I was a nay sayer about the tire monitor system and electrically controlled Power Steering as just added expenses, and now would NOT buy a vehicle without them. Call me what you may, but I would NEVER buy a vehicle without Heated Seats unless it was just a dedicated "Summer Car".

Now Chief I do not know where you live but I live in Northern NY (rather cold at times)and have heated seats that came with two of our vechicles and never even use them.

About the only feature that most new cars come with I like is the back up camera. (that is when I remember to use it as I have been driving since 1962) When I back up I do the normal look around and start doing my well practiced maneuver. It does make hooking up a trailer a bit easier

My Vette even has a forward facing camera in the grill which for the most part I also forget about when parking, old habits die hard.

As far as Tire Pressure systems the one on the Vette is top notch. It gives you separate readings for all 4 tires and you get warnings if your pressure is too low or high.

The systems on our last 4 Toyota's, 2 Tundras and 2 Rav4 are one step above junk but they do pass the government requirements. All you get is tire pressure low. Not what tire or how low.( Most forget there is a spare with a gauge and never figure why they get a warning!) A real cheap system!

SOP for me is a good digital TP gauge in all my vechicles and the knowledge to know how things work.

 

[TX-Dennis]

I like backup cameras, power seats, power windows, cruise control, blue tooth for your cell phone.

I have mixed feelings about panoramic roofs and in car GPS.

I hate touch screens and auto start/stop.

Thankfully my 2014 Ford has screens, but everything is controlled by buttons or dials. It doesn't have auto start/stop.

My wife's 2017 Lincoln has the touch screen and the auto start/stop. The touch screen is distracting, and the auto start/stop is just plain annoying. Thankfully it can be disabled by pushing a button on the dash. There is also that matter of the annoying push button gear selector. Geez . . . a high school friend had one of those in an old Chrysler Imperial from the late 60s. It was weird then, and it's weird now. It does work better now, though.

A tow truck driver told us that push button start (which hers has as do most newer cars) makes a car very difficult if not impossible to jump start. I thought you could use the hidden key to start the vehicle if jump starting was required. Nope . . . it's only for opening the door.

Thankfully, the gizmos are MUCH more reliable than they were in the 70s and 80s. I remember my Mom had Lincolns in the 70s. They had power windows that were always failing. One had an early version of anti lock brakes that failed regularly. At least the power seats were reliable back then.

 

[Krell1]

Everyone has their own opinion of what's good and bad on cars. I'm thankful for a few things that are now no longer in cars today. Automatic seat belts for one. I'm sure some remember the belt attached to the door that you have to kind of slide under and they automatically closed when you shut the door. That was so you'd have to use them whether you wanted to or not. Years back, basic cars were sold with nothing extra at all. No radio, no carpets, no a/c which was really a kind of luxury then.

That said, I really like most of the gizmos on the cars today. I just leased a new Murano SUV with a lot of goodies. My main complaint is, if you want to add one or two extras you're forced to also take the sunroof that you'll probably never use as well as other items that are included in a "package".

My big favorite in my car is the intelligent cruise control and emergency braking. Both work well. With the cruise control, at least on my car, you can set the distance in three separate distances.

Mine has a touch screen that can be distracting BUT. you can keep your eyes on the road and simply push a button on the steering wheel and verbally tell the car what you want to do as far as radio station, volume, even to make phone calls.

Me likey!!!!!!