Thankfully my Mazda is old enough that it’s likely not affected by any of this.
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I have a whole bunch more videos to go through, but I’ve already changed my mind on some of these due to security concerns. I think the way to sum it up is the typical process technology goes through.
“Here’s all the great things we can do with this technology” followed by “oh, there’s a bunch of ways this can be misused, we better start tightening things down”. And then there’s the concept of “bundled consent”, as in, “thanks for giving us consent so you can use this feature, now we’re going to apply that consent to other features at the same time that you don’t know about”.
With that in mind, here’s a few ways these can be misused:
- Active noise cancellation for the interior cabin. Requires one or more microphones so it can create a counter-waveform to reduce the noise. But what other system(s) might be listening through the microphone(s)?
- The cabin camera can be paired with the dash cam and/or used for a distracted driver system. It will need to store several images to use for comparison. Will those images be transmitted or retrieved at a later time?
- There are vehicles that store and/or transmit their GPS coordinates on a regular basis. That’s leading to some uncomfortable situations for drivers, such as making it known that you went to strip clubs or things like that. I have to find the video again to make sure I’ve got this right, but over in Singapore where they’ve got a lot harsher laws than other countries, the GPS data is leading to jail sentences.
- Smartphone apps that let you unlock your car, start it, etc., and will let you share that virtual key with others. Can be convenient, but also a disaster if the virtual key gets shared where you don’t want it to.
A big one is to never connect your smartphone to your car, even more so in a rental. If you’re lucky, it may just limit itself to importing your contacts. If you’re not, it can go as far as slurping up a whole lot more data from the phone, almost to the point of cloning it.
I found out what that is. It’s common knowledge now. You can find the videos if you look. State Farm and Progressive won’t insure them any more in some cities.
You pop off the section of the ignition where the key goes in and it exposes a tab. Fit a USB-A connector over it, turn the connector to close the circuit and the car starts.
Another interesting thing about this is the electronic immobilizer isn’t the cure-all you might think. Like any other data that is sent through the air, the transponder code can be copied during transmission. There’s a case to be made for a good old-fashioned hidden kill switch as an extra security measure.
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We thankfully had a guy at the car rental place wave us off from a Hyundai or Kia when we did our West coast trip last year due to the exploit issue.
Last year we purchased a 2nd hand Daihatsu Terios.
Its 4x4 capability allows it to handle the roads here beautifully. And it’s light on fuel as well.
We had to buy it as the Sharan was starting to give too many issues, it was not built for dirt roads. Sad to see it go.
The next vehicle I have in mind is a Suzuki Jimny. I noticed that recently they offer a 5-door version as well as a 3-door version.
It’s a toss-up between the larger Jimny or the regular Jimny at this stage…
Mrs. Force10 drives a 2016 Hyundai Elantra and I’m hoping no one steals it.
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At this stage who can afford to have a car stolen? Inn-sewer-ants is too bloody expensive, so most of us here in South Africa drives without insurance, because shoestring budgets and old cars.
Wish we could flip back to 1984 with cheap food, cheap gas, cheap cost of living etc…
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I’ve been casually continuing research in preparation for getting a new car. Every time I open the door, I get a reminder that I need to get going on this.
Mine has a bar bolted to the frame that helps hold the door open at various positions. I’m hearing a creaking/flexing noise coming from where that bolt is that hints the metal underneath may be having a problem in the not too distant future.
Before I share some of what I’ve learned, let me share a story on Not Always Right about warranty ≠ insurance.
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There’s two things I keep seeing come up where about half of the videos are how great they are and the other half are about how bad they are: CVTs and the auto start/stop system.
Lots of car makers love continuously-variable transmissions. On some of their models, a CVT is the only kind of transmission you can get. They have some advantages over transmissions with sets of gears in them, but you’ve got people saying, “Don’t buy one. They’ll self-destruct before you know it.” Then they go into the brands to avoid because of CVTs and Nissan seems to always be at the top of the worst.
Well, I have a Nissan with over 100K miles on it and never had a problem with the CVT. I don’t think it’s a case of I lucked out and got the one magical CVT that will never fail. I’m not diligent about getting maintenance done exactly when it’s scheduled, but I make sure I get caught up when I can.
From what I can figure out the grief thrown the CVTs’ way is that if there is a failure, the transmission almost can’t be rebuilt outside of the factory, so you’re going to be putting in a new one or a newly-remanufactured CVT.
The other thing is that the way the CVTs are being forced to operate doesn’t allow them to have optimal performance. Some might be coming from the car makers playing some tricks to make the car look like it has better fuel economy than it otherwise might. Kind of like scandal of the VWs that would change how the engine performed when it detected it was undergoing emissions testing.
The rest of the grief seems to be because the CVT is being made to mimic the sounds and reactions that you get in a gear-based transmission. They’re not allowed to have the constant output that comes from the pulleys gradually changing position as you accelerate. There’s noticeable steps in the power output. Engine keeps revving higher and then it suddenly drops as the CVT changes to a new “gear”.
That kind of matches with how you have to drive a little differently with a CVT. If you stomp on the gas pedal for that 0-60 launch time, you’re not going to get it. Be a little more gentle and the CVT responds better.
Auto Start/Stop system. Many names but same idea. You pull up to a stop light, engine shuts off to save gas, and then when you lift your foot off the brake, car starts again and you can go.
It does save gas, but how much seems to vary, depending on who you ask. One video said 2%-3%. At $4.00/gallon, that’s a dime if you split the difference. Is that really enough of a savings to make it worthwhile?
A common negative point that keeps coming up is the additional wear on the engine that comes from it starting and stopping more often. But the manufacturers beefed up the starter and the gear on the engine the starter meshes with to make them last longer. Problem solved.
What most people don’t pay attention to when they say it’s not a problem is the oil inside the engine and the motor mounts.
When you’re at the intersection with the engine off, the oil starts flowing down towards the bottom. Sit there long enough and you get closer to a “cold start” situation where there’s very little oil up where the pistons need it. Most cars don’t have a pre-oiler to pump oil up to that same area. If you did have one, that’s extra time before you can go after the engine restarts.
Every time the engine starts, it tries to twist. Motor mounts not only attach the engine to the chassis, but also prevent it from twisting too far while starting. So those have to be beefed up to prevent them from breaking due to the additional stresses.
I don’t think my car has it but it will definitely be off in the next one for a completely different reason: reaction time.
My estimate is it takes two or three seconds to restart the engine and get it to the point where it could accelerate and you can go. Raise your hand if you’ve ever had the car behind you at a stop light honk at you because you instantly didn’t start moving the moment the light turned green. Raise your hand if the car behind you at the stop light started moving forward because they saw your brake lights turn off even though you hadn’t begun moving yet. Raise your hand if you’d like to avoid being rear-ended at a stop light because the person behind you was too impatient.
I think that also the auto start/stop system paired with a CVT is going to make it a little slower to react and get you moving again without trying to do the stomp on the gas pedal thing I said before.
Can recommend a hybrid for this.
My engine turns off when I’m slowing down for the lights. When I start up again the electric motor gets the car started, and the petrol engine kicks in very quickly. It seems much less than the 2-3 seconds you mention, but I don’t know whether that’s just perception because I’m moving instantly and not sitting waiting for it to start, or because the engine starts easier because it has momentum.
I’ve owned three CVTs, 2 Subarus and a Toyota Prius. The first Subaru was a 2010, I put 180K on that and didn’t have any mechanical issues. My parents have a friend who bought the same car and opted for the extended warranty - lucky for them, as it grenaded at 96K.
The second Subaru CVT, a 2019, nearly self-destructed at 28K. We caught a weird noise/grind when turning and took it in. Required a full replacement and it took a month to get the part shipped from Japan. A year later, Subaru issued a recall (resulting from other owners blowing up their transmissions, which we narrowly avoided) which I think amounted to a software update.
The Prius was trouble-free, but unremarkable otherwise. Let’s face it, the Prius is a generally unremarkable vehicle in terms of the driving experience. I call it a “transportation appliance.”
Reliability concerns aside, I just don’t like how they drive. Maybe it’s just how Subaru has them tuned. Seems like there’s always lag on the downshift and when it does decide to do it, the engine screams at high revs. Accelerating out of a corner is a crapshoot, half the time it stays in a “high gear” and can’t get moving. I had a number of occasions where the 2010 wouldn’t even attempt to start from a dead stop until I pushed the accelerator enough that the engine revved high and made bystanders think I was trying to launch off the line.
Oh, and then there’s the thing where my 2019 Subaru claims it can tow 5000 pounds, but the manual heavily implies that if I attempt to do so and there’s a transmission problem as a result, the warranty won’t cover it.
Actually, I’d call it “soul sucking”.
We were seriously thinking about buying one - until we test drove it. Very happy with our Corolla hybrid though 
Mike, what you said about your car makes sense. An electric motor has a faster response time than a mechanical motor. So the delay before going again is mostly determined by how fast your foot moves from brake to accelerator.
dakboy, you definitely fit the “your mileage may vary” statement. Catching the transmission problem before it occurred is a reminder that even if we don’t have an all-electric vehicle, firmware updates need to be a part of regular maintenance right alongside the mechanical maintenance.
It also reminds me of what happened with the 5-speed manual transmission on my truck. (R.I.P., Bruce.)
I was hearing a different sound being reflected off the wall when I was idling next to buildings with my window down, so I took it to a national chain to have them check it. They came back with it did have a problem and it had to be taken care of now. They ramped up the pressure tactics, saying it could fail at any moment. They were able to reel me in because they caught me at a time where I was being sent on a business trip the following week and I was thinking, “I know it’s going to last for the 100-200 miles I have to drive between now and the trip” but they kept at it. It backfired on them a few months later when fourth gear grenaded and they had to replace the transmission again under warranty.
Regarding towing, I don’t know what the manual for my car says about towing at the maximum allowed, but I decided 70% of max would be my upper limit.
Here’s more general info about features on modern cars: run-flat tires and the move away from physical buttons.
Run-flat tires have reinforced sidewalls to take the weight of the vehicle when the tire goes flat or loses air. Gives you time to get to a tire shop, provided you drive slower and don’t have to drive far to get there. They also mean a car manufacturer can save weight and improve gas mileage by not including a spare tire.
They also have two added expenses: The first is they may or may not be repairable, depending on where damage occurs. At the sidewall? Not repairable. Beyond the sidewall? Maybe.
The second is if one tire has to be replaced, you might have to replace two or all four instead so it doesn’t affect the performance of your car. I’m not sure if this is limited to front wheel drive and all wheel drive or if it’s any kind of drive.
Is there a calculator somewhere that could show what the 50 pounds of having a spare tire in your car does to your gas mileage so you can compare that to what it costs if you get into one of those gotta replace 'em as a pair or as a set situations?
In one video, the person said they would switch back to regular tires when the run-flat tires had to be replaced.
Auto makers have been on an overtaking the plumbing path for several years now, moving from individual buttons on the dash to having those functions be part of the infotainment system. It saves money several ways:
- They don’t have to manufacture as many physical buttons.
- It makes sense because physical buttons don’t directly control things any more. You push a button or adjust a dial and a signal is sent to the computer that makes it happen.
- It’s less expensive to adjust the programming of the infotainment system than it is to change wiring, circuits or the physical buttons.
The problem is it makes operating the controls more complex and creates a single point of failure. In cold climates, the screen may have problems running or might even fail and then you can’t access the functions you need.
It’s complex because you have to navigate through menus to get to what you want and you’re having to look a the screen more. Try that while driving and either the screen will put up a “pay attention while driving” message and prevent you from doing it, or the distracted driver system will notice your eyes haven’t been looking at the road enough and nag you about it.
Some systems include gesture controls. Twirl a finger in a circle clockwise to increase volume, counter-clockwise to decrease volume. Things like that. The amount of precision and tolerance for sloppiness of the gesture varies. Add in that your car isn’t perfectly steady while you drive and heaven forbid you hit a bump, and a gesture-based control may be more of an annoyance than a benefit.
When getting a new car or truck, you want physical buttons for at least the audio and climate controls. Muscle memory and the tactile sensation of touching a physical button means you can operate them without having to specifically look at them.
In this picture for a Chevy Traverse, they have duplicate controls for climate functions. Physical buttons below the screen and a row of icons on the screen. I can’t see the steering wheel clearly enough to see if any of the buttons are the audio controls. (The green curved line on the steering wheel means the Super Cruise driver-assist system is active.)
There’s two problems with the on-screen climate controls. Whether or not those have haptic feedback, you will still have to look directly at the screen to make sure your finger is positioned correctly on the function you need to change. The second is that shelf below the screen. You have to lift your hand over the shelf to get at those climate controls, angling down from above, or resting your hand on the shelf as you touch the screen. It’s an obstruction that hinders access to what you want.
Some manufacturers have listened to the complaints by customers about overtaking the plumbing and are returning to having more physical buttons.
The world of Star Trek control panels that are all touchscreens looks shiny and cool, but I still maintain they’d be a disaster in battle when the ship is shaking and lurching about from weapon impacts unless every member of the crew was a copy of Data and could keep their hands steady to touch the right places on the screen. You don’t want to be trying to press the Fire Lateral Thrusters icon and have a photon torpedo jostle your hand over to the Eject Warp Core icon.
So should it be with cars and trucks and it will be one of the criteria when I look at cars again.
I would love it if my next truck were a Ram 2500 hybrid. On board generator with computer control start and stop to keep the battery charged and even run my camper from.
However, the 1500 model only gets like 3 MPG more than my 7 year old V8 Hemi.
I really think the auto industry is missing out by jumping from gas to EV without more of a hybrid option. Instead of the Orca looking new EV Mustang, a slick hybrid coup/fastback would have sparked some excitement. Pickup trucks that replace loud annoying generators on build sites, and have a range of hundreds of miles while reducing pollutants and noise .
I’m looking at a 2009 Ford Ranger regular cab with a 2.3 liter 4-cylinder engine. It’s small, so it fits in the driveway and is easy to park. It’s good on gas. There’s a ton of spare parts. Insurance is going to be low.
Sometimes I just need a truck, but I don’t want something that will chase the Red Barchetta, 2 lanes wide.
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I’d be concerned about how far the battery & hybrid gear eat into the payload capacity on that. If you’re hauling heavy, a hybrid is potentially going to hold you back.
For example, the Ford F-150 3.5L EcoBoost has a max theoretical payload of 2445, but the 3.5L PowerBoost hybrid is limited to 1755 (Ford Towing Guide, page 3).
Holy crap, the ecoboost and the powerboost numbers are both ass. My 1500 caps out at 8k.
Wow, looked it up, that’s insane for a 1500 class truck.
12,750 pounds
The Class-Exclusive available 5.7L HEMI® V8 engine with the eTorque 1 Mild Hybrid Technology System blends performance-enhancing and efficient technologies with the addition of an available extra 130 pound-feet of torque for a Best-in-Class Available Max Hybrid Towing Capacity of up to 12,750 pounds 1.
My truck can easily haul my 5k trailer, at 8-12 MPG. I just feel like hybrids give you the best bang for the buck. Giving potential perfomance that far outstrips gas only. And if it was a diesel hybrid, even better.
I just made one decision about getting a new car. I’m not trading in my current car for it.
That thing I mentioned about the illegal U-turn in front of me took a week before my car suddenly became unsafe to drive. Now I’m waiting to get it towed to the repair shop and can’t get the rental car until that’s done. If I didn’t have the option to do online training, I’d have to use vacation or sick time to cover all of not being able to drive to my job.
This isn’t the first time it will have needed to be repaired, so that plus the high mileage means trading it in might not have reduced the price on the new one by much. Technically, the reimbursement plan makes whatever I get on the trade in unimportant, but keeping it has three advantages:
- It’s already paid for, so all I need to do is keep it licensed with basic insurance that I can bump up to full coverage when necessary means I won’t be without a car like I am today.
- I get an extra discount by having two cars and the house insured together.
- If something happens to where I don’t have my job subsidizing the new car any more, I won’t be without a car to fall back on.
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While I have run a household of 4 people and 3 drivers with one car, extra car is better than short cars.