What do you hate most about modern cars?

[giulivo72]

1. Tirefit!!! Let's get this straight; in my driving life I've had the following:
   1. 3x puncture in the tread
   2. 2x damaged wheel/rim
   3. 2x torn sidewall
   4. 1x defective (popped) valve.

In the case of the punctures, Tirefit would probably have gotten me home but I would have had to dispose of the tyre (bad for the environment AND my pockets) instead of repairing it. In all other cases, Tirefit would NOT have taken me home. THIS IS THE WORST INVENTION IN THE HISTORY OF MOTORING!!! Even in the Smart I keep a standard, petrol-pump-bought spray bottle, which does the same things as Tirefit (ie only good for repairing a puncture in the tread) but with less mess & fuss plus you can still get the tyre shop to repair the puncture with a patch.

2. Colour-coded bumpers. These are a way for manufacturers to pump money from our pockets to the dealers' and they should be illegal where parking spaces are cramped! My preferences go to:

1. Black rub strips
2. Black bumpers
3. Colour-moulded bumpers (as in early Smart)
4. Colour-coded rub strips
5. Metal bumpers (do they still exist?)
6. Colour-coded bumpers (the worst!!!)

3. Minispare. Only a Tirefit is worse than a minispare. The story of "space saving" is a con for what is actually a cost saving for the manufacturer (and a big inconvenience for us). The space inside a full size spare wheel can easily be used up by jump start cables, spare bulbs, tools etc.

4. The fact that cars get bigger and bigger without getting proportionately roomier. Why does a Grande Punto need to be bigger than a Tipo or early Multipla, or a Scenic/Zafira bigger than an early Espace/Ulysse, or a Golf as big as an early Passat or Alfetta, or a 159 much bigger than a 164? I guess these designers all have big parking lots at the factory or chauffeurs, so the problem with parking does not really affect them.

5. The fact that cars get ever more complicated to service. On my Uno I used to change lightbulbs, airfilters, light clusters and even wing mirrors without any tools and in no time. Nowadays, replacement electric wing mirrors are very expensive to buy and even more expensive to fit. Who needs that??

6. Expensive, "Factory fitted" car stereos. A decent aftermarket unit with MP3 costs around €100 and with Bluetooth it costs around €150-€200 or less. Why do I have to spend €300+ for UPGRADING the basic stereo with MP3 and another €400 to add Bluetooth functionality? Of course, the dashboard and the remote controls are DESIGNED to make it difficult / expensive / inconvenient for me to ditch the "basic" radio that comes with the car (and they tell me it's a good feature).

7. Starter button. Now did anyone ever have a problem with the good old key? (unless, that is, you bought a Clio where the starter key mysteriously snapped in its lock).

8. Tyre sizes that are "unsuitable for use with chains". Am I supposed to fit winter tyres (awfully expensive especially in big sizes) just to go 2x per year to the mountains? Well at least I can avoid these.

9. Tirefit

10. Tirefit

[mkn]

Big KeyFob of my Phedra. It is good only for holes in the pockets.

[Nice]

Originally Posted by mkn

Big KeyFob of my Phedra. It is good only for holes in the pockets.

I totally agree! Maybe the designers idea was: A big car neeeds a big key...this idle as...*beeep*

Did you ever open the key? The electronic inside would also match in key who is just half the size of the original "monster".

[giulivo72]

Originally Posted by mkn

Big KeyFob of my Phedra. It is good only for holes in the pockets.

We refer to the 807 keys as the "eggs". Yes they could, say should, be smaller. However, most tend to have keyholders / fobs much bigger than the egg. Afetr all they have the benefit of the handbag.

[DirkS.]

There's a lot of truth in your list!

I add the following point:

The car manufactures didn't get to the point yet where they recognize that just mechanics can't do the job in the garage anymore. What you need meanwhile are educated engineers, at least one per garage. I believe it's useless to train a mechanic in electrics/electronics/system behaviour if that poor guy doesn't have the required knowledge base. The effect of the current situation is that most garages do just dumb research in form of expensive parts replacement in case of a failure rather than analyzing the problem in a proper engineering manner. So I vote for engineers in garages!


PS: in my 23 years of driving experience, I had only one puncture (along with a full size spare tire).

[FuliHdi]

Originally Posted by DirkS.

The effect of the current situation is that most garages do just dumb research in form of expensive parts replacement in case of a failure rather than analyzing the problem in a proper engineering manner. So I vote for engineers in garages!.

That is EXACTLY the point and the origin of all the problems! As a process control engineer I daily sweat to identify, trace and solve electronic & electric failures in the industry, and a modern car is just alike ...

What worries me about modern cars is not just the electronics, which (as an "insider") I avoid at all costs - but the failures of the basic vehicle mechanics (axles, pulleys, ...) - problems that were solved 20 if not 40 years ago, but now obviously re-invented - by new-wave engineers and/or high-collared executives saving a few pennies in steel and making a deal for the garages?
Rgds Bor

p.s.
Direct answer to the original question:

Very simple - I hate all the auto-functionality (that can not be disabled), where some smart guy tried to figure out what else might be helpful whenever I turn on switch A ... it truly helps me a little in 90% of cases, but it's a nightmare in the remaing 10% ...
And some extra details:
1. I hate the electronic handbrake, luckily just seen it in my friend's C4
2. I hate the complexity of bulb replacements - LEDs shall help
3. Also agree about the useless colour-coded bumpers
4. Also agree about minispare. Useless for me, often on mountain (gravel) roads.
4. Regarding the EV2, I miss:
- a switch to prevent starting the additional heater,
- a switch to disable ABS,
- they could make the car cheaper by removing the electronic oil level indicator

[Nitzsch]

Originally Posted by FuliHdi

..by removing the electronic oil level indicator

Oh no please not.
When I showed my old man my new car and all the amazing things and dings and gadgets and electronic devices and foldable mirrors and the e-sliding doors etcf..etc..
the only thing he really liked .. was the oil level indicator "so you won't get greasy fingers checking the oil"

[FuliHdi]

Originally Posted by Nitzsch

...
the only thing he really liked .. was the oil level indicator "so you won't get greasy fingers checking the oil"

He would not be so enthusiastic once he got the message "Top up engine oil" every now and then (500 km after last manual check), open the bonnet, get greasy fingers just to find out the oil level is OK
I have never had so greasy fingers since this e-level meter - very same in my previous PSA Berlingo. Totally useless - unreliable information.
Rgds Bor

[Peter1]

Originally Posted by FuliHdi

That is EXACTLY the point and the origin of all the problems! As a process control engineer I daily sweat to identify, trace and solve electronic & electric failures in the industry, and a modern car is just alike ...

What worries me about modern cars is not just the electronics, which (as an "insider") I avoid at all costs - but the failures of the basic vehicle mechanics (axles, pulleys, ...) - problems that were solved 20 if not 40 years ago, but now obviously re-invented - by new-wave engineers and/or high-collared executives saving a few pennies in steel and making a deal for the garages?

.........

Very simple - I hate all the auto-functionality (that can not be disabled)...

I fully agree, too.

Electronics themselves could work reliable, but in most of the cases failures appear due to bad contacts (bad connectors): currents are that low that the smallest contact resistance ends in a failure or malfunction.

However on both my 2x C8 (no FAP, no GPS build in, .....) not one electronic failure appeared (except an airbag failure on the 1st one due to..... exactly, a bad contact under the front passenger seat): indeed my problems all were of mechanical causes (pulley, timing belt, ... ) !!

On the other hand, an electronic sensor could work not reliable: thanks to this forum I unplugged the rain sensor connector so now finally I'm really enjoying the normal 6sec windscreen wiper interval function - and finally my wipers are NOT going in fast mode anymore when I don't want them to do so (almost never).
Even the light sensor is not working always as it should be. Finally I think I'll switch-off the autolight function, too, because sometimes I've to leave home very early in the morning, during rain for example - I start the car, lights go on, when it starts to be clear but it's still raining, it already happened to me that I discovered my lights were off at arrival, while I was thinking they were still on and I would have liked them to be still on (raining, remember....) !!

[DirkS.]

Originally Posted by FuliHdi

What worries me about modern cars is ... the failure[s] of the basic vehicle mechanics (axles, pulleys, ...) - problems that were solved 20 if not 40 years ago, but now obviously re-invented - by new-wave engineers and/or high-collared executives saving a few pennies in steel and making a deal for the garages?

Fact is that the cost pressure in the industry for the tier 1 suppliers is steadily increasing. In addition, a typical yearly part price reduction of typ. 5% has to be negotiated with the car manufacturer. On the other hand, quality initiatives and measures are also increasing significantly at the tier 1. Unfortunately, the positve effect of the quality measures are being over-compensated by the cost saving measures. That's my opinion why even the well know mechanic parts fail even after 40 yerars of experience.