(yes i know i cant spell ) is it just me or what / all the new cars coming out with all the magic toys . some that when they fail it will be a wof fail as well as the drama of getting them serviced ?
martin11,
Mar 3, 9:42am
There was an article in the paper the other day about all of the junk in cars , phones ,stereos ,gps, and other toys that cars are becoming like living rooms and the drivers are not concentrating on the actual driving , possible cause of a lot of the bad driving in NZ .
sw20,
Mar 3, 9:57am
Doing some resto work on my '85 GT Corolla at the moment. Drove it from my place to the panel shop. Missed the steering wheel volume controls that my RX-8 has. I must be getting soft.
petal_91,
Mar 3, 10:00am
That's true about the electronic gadgets om Euros for sure. But on a modern Toyota the "bells and whistles" are just as well made as the rest of the car and don't breakdown nearly as much.
brapbrap8,
Mar 3, 10:25am
I don't think the bells and whistles make things unreliable. Almost all of my personal vehicles and company vehicles are the latest models and have plenty of gadgets, but I can't say I have ever had issues with them. Most of the issues I have had with my vehicles are things where manufacturers have tried to make old technology like airbags or something cheaper, which leads to using cheaper components and wiring that fails and give you warning lights on the dash.
Unfortunately in NZ we drive old cars far longer than they should be driven, and even the most basic cars will have a few things go wrong in the 15 years or more that kiwis expect a car to last, which is about double the length of time manufacturers expect cars to last,
msigg,
Mar 3, 10:32am
Yes to afer-daily, too much electronic crap, soon the car will drive itself, Give me an oldy anyday. Just get all these others off the road, that's the problem, well in Auckland anyway.
tamarillo,
Mar 3, 11:20am
for me the test will be in 10 years time, like many I don't buy new (though I have had lots of new company cars) when I can get such a great run from older cars, and can mostly do some fixing myself, but what happens if screen dies in a modern car and you can't even control the stereo and heater? I am sure they are more and more reliable but Ive read road test and especially the car mags "long term' test reports (by which they mean 6 months approx) and they have had plenty of electrical gremlins including frozen screens etc. euro and Japanese. Will this make a car worthless due to repair costs, when it still have lots of miles left mechanically? A Renault (I think) uses the driver's own screen - you plug in your phone, mini etc and with their app it becomes the control - now that is a good idea - an iPad built in so you can just replace it if it dies and get new software to fix bugs. I fear for our future!
mrfxit,
Mar 3, 1:27pm
I find it really frustrating that as the years go on, cars get more powerful & better handling but in part to the amount of gadgets fitted, don't seem to be any more economical then the previous models.
mrfxit,
Mar 3, 1:30pm
I think that with all the gadgets breaking, somebody is going to work out a way to bypass or replace the cars computer with a more basic model & then get that extra rubbish out of the car. I really can't see any good reason for linking things like brake lights to the main computer which in turn cripples the gearbox. OR Inside lights that blow & leave you with a stuck on immobilizer Stereo systems that can't be replaced with aftermarket units because they also control the entire ventilation system etc etc
rob_man,
Mar 3, 1:41pm
I have ideas about getting hold of a modern engine and bolting carbs and a Mallory distributor onto it and throwing a whole lot of junk into the bin.
steveo351,
Mar 3, 1:42pm
yep soon people will have to start mortgaging there homes just to be able to afford the service, and just wait till all these things start playing up
martin11,
Mar 3, 1:54pm
I took a 4age back to carbs X2 good exhaust and other things and it is easy to fix if it goes wrong .
serf407,
Mar 3, 2:25pm
Porsche classic workshop. 70 percent of Porsches made are still on the road according to this. http://youtu.be/HmG9LwzyS2A
I wonder how far the pneumatic/ air driven car will develop, with less electronic gizmos.
tamarillo,
Mar 3, 2:44pm
Another angle is how fantastically simple a pure electric car is, in its drive chain. Basically it's battery life and the control system to worry about. Opposite is a hybrid that has both systems to go wrong!
elect70,
Mar 3, 2:59pm
Perhaps thats why the poms dump priuses when the electronics pack up , heaps at the srappy , but the battery packs are in demand for off grid homes Good while they are going but cost an arm & a leg to fix
richardmayes,
Mar 3, 3:16pm
Noticed how cars these days seem to use no more petrol than the 20-year-old equivalent, but make twice as much power, and people seem to be walking away from 100km/h crashes more and more?
Why IS that, I wonder?
tamarillo,
Mar 3, 3:35pm
Didn't know that, how much are the battery packs then, any ideas?
mrfxit,
Mar 3, 3:35pm
A twisted sense of enhancement & vehicle evolution. Those same developments could have halved fuel usage while maintaining modern safety std's & performance
esky-tastic,
Mar 3, 3:56pm
My daily vehicle has: One speed wipers, no cigarette lighter, one-speed demister fan, fixed 1/4 vents (remember them?) no glove-box lid, 4-speed manual gearbox, manual choke (remember them too?) a single carb, point is the dissy, drum brakes and no remote/central locking.
And I LOVE it!
bigfatmat1,
Mar 3, 4:03pm
depends on model upto 5k but they are fully repairable. You can replace individual blades
bigfatmat1,
Mar 3, 4:05pm
as well as travelling huge distances with no tune up or service. Because they are reliable.
richardmayes,
Mar 3, 4:09pm
Clive Matthew-Wilson, is that you?
socram,
Mar 3, 4:54pm
Efficiency = Either Performance or Economy. use the performance and economy will suffer.
Forty years ago, the accepted economy for a cheap family car was about 30mpg. When the engine or ancilliaries got tired, you reconditioned them and gave the car a new lease of life. No brittle plastics, moulded carpets or headlinings. No microchips/ECUs, sensors of any sort other than for water temperature and easily replaced. Theoretically, a bit like the woodsman's axe, they would go for ever.
It is now a consumer age with planned obsolescence and not very kind to the environment either. Replacement remotes (keys) now cost more than what we used to pay for an old car, even allowing for inflation!
dave653,
Mar 3, 6:06pm
The likes of GM, Ford, Toyota falling apart (buisiness wise) cause trying to fit too much 'stuff'. If GM bought back the likes of the Belmont, Kingswood etc maybe they would sell more 'affordable' cars. And. too much stuff means more to give problems.
supernova2,
Mar 3, 6:24pm
Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo- oooooooo. Please not the Belmont
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