new cars are weird

[NW-Bound]

The newer VW's have a hidden key slot within the handle button of the driver's door. It's shown in the owner's manual.

Ah, same as with the Corvette that trapped and killed its owner, it pays to read the manual.

As a car renter, I did not bother to read the manual, and if I were locked out of the car, I would not be able to reach the manual in the glove box. And as mentioned earlier, I did not even read the manual to change the language of the display from Czech to English.

By the way, I searched the Web and some cars do not have the same hidden key slot like the VW. Their owners are truly stuck.

 

[MRG]

...and where'd they hide the ashtray and cigarette lighter?

I'll help as soon as I can figure out how to dim my high beams. I can't find the foot switch.

Wanted to use fog lights in DW'S Wrangler the other day. Couldn't figure it out, just checked the manual for the next time. I don't know why we missed it, you pull out on the light stem and it pops out switching the lights on. How obvious.

 

[Sunset]

How timely as just tonight I was driving home thinking how DARK it was, my headlights were not really lighting up much, and when I turned into my driveway I prayed nobody was walking in it as it was pitch black! Must be the new headlight type.

Its a new Toyota Sienna, and it has the handy "Come in for Maintenance" message every 5K miles.

I hope they don't have a "This Auto is worn out" message at 100K miles

It would be easy to do with the computers in the cars.

 

[34rlsa]

We have a 2013 RAM with all kinds of cool gadgets... its like flying the space shuttle. I love all the techie stuff. Keeps me well informed with the operating conditions of the Cummins diesel engine. Turbo info, exhaust brake info, etc. and keeps track of the oil filters, fuel filter, and air filter conditions.

 

[meierlde]

...and where'd they hide the ashtray and cigarette lighter?

Cigarette lighters are now an option since so few folks smoke, make them pay for the lighters. (the outlets are now used by MP3 players and cellphones)

 

[Mr._Graybeard]

UV light plays a big part in headlight hazing. You can preserve your lights by applying polymer wax or a product called 303 Aerospace Protectant. 303 contains an effective UV screen -- kind of like suntan lotion for your car.

 

[aja8888]

UV light plays a big part in headlight hazing. You can preserve your lights by applying polymer wax or a product called 303 Aerospace Protectant. 303 contains an effective UV screen -- kind of like suntan lotion for your car.

Or you can add a cover material such as Lamin-X:

Lamin-x Protective Films : Headlight, Tail Light and Fog Light Protection

 

[Mr._Graybeard]

Or you can add a cover material such as Lamin-X:

Lamin-x Protective Films : Headlight, Tail Light and Fog Light Protection

Also a good idea. Lamin-x also protects against light impacts like small stones -- I've got it on my glass headlights.

 

[2017ish]

Chalk one up to being cheap. My new car purchase was/is a 2012 Honda fit base model with a manual transmission. Not too many bells and whistles and the maintenance minder is straightforward. (I do, however, always have to look up how to change the clock when it loses a minute or two or DST changes....)

Granted, compared to my '95 F150, it is pretty advanced, but nothing like many of the vehicles on this thread!

 

[GrayHare]

Under the hood now most areas are covered by plastic panels that must be removed to access the engine. What is the purpose, to reduce drag?

 

[Nunthewiser]

^^ to camouflage the engine and discourage the owner from attempting diy repair.

 

[JoeWras]

The newer VW's have a hidden key slot within the handle button of the driver's door. It's shown in the owner's manual.

My sister was recently locked out of her Toyota that has one of these non-key cars. She called "Road Side Assistance". They were useless! They said, "Get it towed."

After looking everywhere, and asking her if she had the key, we hit YouTube for the answer. (There was a key slot, but she had no key!)

Ah! The "key" is a tiny thing inside the fob! Just release it! Oh, and now we can't start the car. YouTube had an answer for that too. You need to touch the fob to the button if the battery in the fob is dead.

Sister didn't have the manual. I guess the dog ate it. She was relying on the "experts" on the other side of the 800 number, but they didn't have an answer. I thought that was kind of ridiculous. You'd think this would be the #1 issue to help people with. I think this was after-market road-side assistance she paid for. Surely the factory would know. Like many of these things dealers convince people to buy, it is trash.

 

[ls99]

All these fancy doodad discussions make me think again. Really my next car should have the ignition switch in the dashboard and the high beam switch on the floorboard.

 

[rmark]

ignition switch in the dashboard and the high beam switch on the floorboard. '


Also 3 speed on the column (maybe with fluid drive).


I've explained to my college student employees that push button start has been around a long time

 

[MRG]

ignition switch in the dashboard and the high beam switch on the floorboard. '


Also 3 speed on the column (maybe with fluid drive).


I've explained to my college student employees that push button start has been around a long time

Yes I recall pushing that button with my right toe.

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[hakuna matata]

Personally I like a lot of the new features on cars myself.

The only one that has taken some getting use to is the new feature on my BMW. If I am in drive, and come to a stop (like at a stop sign or a light) and am stopped in drive for more than 2-3 seconds, the engine shuts off. Once I take my foot off the pedal it starts right back up! It saves gas and makes for a cleaner environment but it sure took a bit to get used to! But now it doesn't even phase me, but initially I was like 'what if the car doesn't start back up!'

It also has the Owner manual online in the dash, still have a book in the glove compartment, but it is nice to look things up on the dash. It also lets you run diagnostics and check oil, air pressure in tires, etc. All nice features for me at least.

 

[pb4uski]

We rented a car on a recent trip that had the keyless unlocking (locks and unlocks using a small button on the drivers side door handle as long as the fob is nearby) and I thought it was a very handy feature and was regretting not adding that feature to the new car we ordered, but after reading some of these horror stories, I'm glad ours came with the traditional key/fob.

 

[cyber888]

Well, the weirdest thing about the new car is it drives by itself and parks by itself. It's probably going to take another 100 years before the car flies out the garage.

 

[Dash man]

One feature I wish these new cars had was an easy way to plug in a dash cam. A pre installed hard wired outlet around the rear view mirror wouldn't cost them much to add on, and keeps consumers from meddling with the fuse box and hiding the wires around where the side air bags are stored.


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[mpeirce]

One feature I wish these new cars had was an easy way to plug in a dash cam. A pre installed hard wired outlet around the rear view mirror wouldn't cost them much to add on, and keeps consumers from meddling with the fuse box and hiding the wires around where the side air bags are stored.

They don't even really need to support add-on cameras, they just need to allow access to the existing ones. My car four cameras. Just let me save the video to an SD card (there is already an SD port in the card) and there you go.

They already stitch all the camera images together for a very useful overheard "360°" view, so the software in the car already has full access.

 

[Dash man]

They don't even really need to support add-on cameras, they just need to allow access to the existing ones. My car four cameras. Just let me save the video to an SD card (there is already an SD port in the card) and there you go.



They already stitch all the camera images together for a very useful overheard "360°" view, so the software in the car already has full access.

That technology may soon be in all cars, but my new 2015 Lexus only has the rear view camera with sensors covering the other directions.


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[travelover]

One feature I wish these new cars had was an easy way to plug in a dash cam. .........

I'd be happy if there was a way to plug in 12 volt accessories without using a huge 1" diameter plug. The 12 volt power point is a ridiculous anachronism.

 

[mpeirce]

I'd be happy if there was a way to plug in 12 volt accessories without using a huge 1" diameter plug. The 12 volt power point is a ridiculous anachronism.

USB is a better power point for most uses and most new cars have one or more of these ports built in. Because of phones, USB is pretty ubiquitous as a power sources. Limited amperage is still a problem (I've been in cars that can't charge a phone using their USB ports - they just barely keep the battery from draining)

Some cars also have 110 AC outlets - which seems a bit of waste with all the conversions and all, but handy at times.

 

[travelover]

USB is a better power point for most uses and most new cars have one or more of these ports built in. Because of phones, USB is pretty ubiquitous as a power sources. Limited amperage is still a problem (I've been in cars that can't charge a phone using their USB ports - they just barely keep the battery from draining)

Some cars also have 110 AC outlets - which seems a bit of waste with all the conversions and all, but handy at times.

I know about USB ports, but they put out a piddling amperage at 5 volts. Try plugging in a small air compressor into one to top off a leaking tire. A small plug that would handle 10 or 15 amps at 12 volts would be useful and you could have half a dozen in the real estate that a currently designed power point takes up.