Modern Flawed Designs
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Glorious Devon
Posts: 689
My Kia has lots of hi-tech stuff but none of it seems to get in the way of operating the vehicle. If it wants to draw my attention to something, it gives a little chime to tell draw my attention to the display. I do not need to acknowledge it. I like the idea I can check things like the tyre pressures remotely, that I have a choice of the data being displayed in between the speedo and the combined fuels and charge display. I also like that when I operate something like the front or rear wipers or the lights I get a short lived confirmation of my selection with additional information. e.g. the wiper speed or if it is in auto or not.
Join Date: Sep 2015
Location: London
Posts: 442
I quite like the 4 degree reminder. Often in the Winter it'll be closer to 10 degrees when I leave home in the urban heat island; a beep and dashboard notification as I'm driving along the motorway serves as a reminder that the country roads approaching the gliding club might require caution.
Skoda, in the incredibly unlikely event anyone cares...
Skoda, in the incredibly unlikely event anyone cares...
Thought police antagonist
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Where I always have been...firmly in the real world
Posts: 1,178
Originally Posted by longer ron
So what is the usual 'marque' for JB then young man (viewed from your bitter and twisted viewpoint from on top of your high horse 
)
I always laugh at your posts as they are usually so 'strange'.
)I always laugh at your posts as they are usually so 'strange'.
And that's before we get to home fittings and furnishings, white goods, gardening tools...and holidays.
Flashes from the Archives of Oblivion
Join Date: Jan 2000
Location: 03 ACE
Age: 71
Posts: 962
To this day, it seems that many companies are still unable to produce a simple functioning Soap Dish !!
Hard to believe ?
The last three I have bought over the last 10 years or so, all required drain holes drilled in the bottom to allow the water on the soap to disperse and permit the soap to dry and firm up !!
Rockets to the moon, but Soap Dish failure
Madre Mia 😝
Hard to believe ?
The last three I have bought over the last 10 years or so, all required drain holes drilled in the bottom to allow the water on the soap to disperse and permit the soap to dry and firm up !!
Rockets to the moon, but Soap Dish failure
Madre Mia 😝
Controversial, moi?
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: UK
Posts: 1,602
My motorcycle warns me when the temperature drops to 3°C. I can assure everybody that doesn't ride a two wheeler that the information is valuable.
It is generally agreed that a lot of modern technology is flawed but equally the stuff that has been shown to work and be useful we take for granted. E.g. Tyre Pressure Monitoring Systems anybody? Given that few ever check their tyres I rate that as a great safety enhancement. And if we didn't have people designing new gizmos then we would still be driving cars like the original Mini with the starter solenoid on the floor and a simple on/off switch for the heater blower!
What about the much derided BMW iDrive when it first appeared. Funny how some Mercedes and Audi vehicles now have a similar system. I didn't like it when I first came across it but when I sold the car I really missed it. The latest BMWs with a head up display also show the menu being accessed when using the iDrive, it is brilliant for not having to look inside the car at a screen when needing to e.g. change radio station.
It is generally agreed that a lot of modern technology is flawed but equally the stuff that has been shown to work and be useful we take for granted. E.g. Tyre Pressure Monitoring Systems anybody? Given that few ever check their tyres I rate that as a great safety enhancement. And if we didn't have people designing new gizmos then we would still be driving cars like the original Mini with the starter solenoid on the floor and a simple on/off switch for the heater blower!
What about the much derided BMW iDrive when it first appeared. Funny how some Mercedes and Audi vehicles now have a similar system. I didn't like it when I first came across it but when I sold the car I really missed it. The latest BMWs with a head up display also show the menu being accessed when using the iDrive, it is brilliant for not having to look inside the car at a screen when needing to e.g. change radio station.
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Not where I want to be
Age: 68
Posts: 260
Our not so humble Skodas have all gone PING, but just once, when 4C is reached. Then a small symbol is shown on the display in front of me. Don't know for how long as I focus on the HUD.
Not very annoyed by that.
Per
Not very annoyed by that.
Per
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Westnoreastsouth
Posts: 1,534
Originally Posted by Krystal n chips
I'm sure you are astute enough to have noticed the mentions of the Rangy / Jag / BMW / Audi / Merc / Alfa / to name but a few... and various other elite types and specials...not seen a Morgan yet, I have to admit, but, give it time.
And that's before we get to home fittings and furnishings, white goods, gardening tools...and holidays.
And that's before we get to home fittings and furnishings, white goods, gardening tools...and holidays.
As to the rest of the stuff you mention - why not ? - it is JB LOL.
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Out in the sticks in DE56
Age: 83
Posts: 559
K&C I've been wondering for a time why you find it necessary to sneer at almost everyone and everything: don't you think you might be better regarded/understood if you treated your fellow-posters with a little respect? You see, from time to time you have interesting things to say, but these are obscured by your acid rhetoric.
Or is your inferiority complex so HUGE that you need to do this to give yourself a little self-esteem?
Or is your inferiority complex so HUGE that you need to do this to give yourself a little self-esteem?
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: Here and there.
Posts: 1,037
The problem with in-car tech is that the designer decides what the default state is. Using the Hillstart Assist and Front Parking Sensors as an example. By default both are OFF. I start the car and set both to ON but whenever I restart the car it defaults to OFF. Surely it is possible to set a car as you, the driver, want it and so have an option to make those settings the default rather than the arbitrary choices of a designer.
Anyhoo, another flawed design... Dentists tell you to keep an eye out for bleeding when you clean your teeth, but then recommend a toothpaste that has a red stripe in it.
Anyhoo, another flawed design... Dentists tell you to keep an eye out for bleeding when you clean your teeth, but then recommend a toothpaste that has a red stripe in it.
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: South Oxfordshire
Posts: 621
I am going to be outrageous and not jump on the regularly scheduled JB service which is the 'have a go at K&C' bus.
I agree with him to some extent. There are definitely a few posters on here who without fail will mention their high-end goods at frequent intervals, even when it's not relevant. Particularly cars, where not only the make and model are specified, but all the following letters, trim and performance designators too.
My problem? Probably, but irritating for some reason, even though it doesn't affect my life in any way.
I agree with him to some extent. There are definitely a few posters on here who without fail will mention their high-end goods at frequent intervals, even when it's not relevant. Particularly cars, where not only the make and model are specified, but all the following letters, trim and performance designators too.
My problem? Probably, but irritating for some reason, even though it doesn't affect my life in any way.
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Cayley's County - Yorkshire
Posts: 189
Originally Posted by SATCOS WHIPPING BOY
Surely it is possible to set a car as you, the driver, want it and so have an option to make those settings the default rather than the arbitrary choices of a designer.
Avoid imitations
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Wandering the FIR and cyberspace often at highly unsociable times
Posts: 13,726
The mention of badly designed soap dishes reminds me of poorly designed wash basins. The old fashioned, sensible sort usually had a raised surround to the back and sides so that any water splash stayed in the basin. Many modern designs aren't so practical in that their rear "tap shelf" is level with no surround so that any spilt water goes sideways and over the side. Or even slightly convex to the sides.... ridiculous!
Avoid imitations
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Wandering the FIR and cyberspace often at highly unsociable times
Posts: 13,726
Originally Posted by Blues&twos
I am going to be outrageous and not jump on the regularly scheduled JB service which is the 'have a go at K&C' bus.
I agree with him to some extent. There are definitely a few posters on here who without fail will mention their high-end goods at frequent intervals, even when it's not relevant. Particularly cars, where not only the make and model are specified, but all the following letters, trim and performance designators too.
My problem? Probably, but irritating for some reason, even though it doesn't affect my life in any way.
I agree with him to some extent. There are definitely a few posters on here who without fail will mention their high-end goods at frequent intervals, even when it's not relevant. Particularly cars, where not only the make and model are specified, but all the following letters, trim and performance designators too.
My problem? Probably, but irritating for some reason, even though it doesn't affect my life in any way.
My daily driver is possibly the oldest (22 years), tattiest (very) and most basic (e.g. no power steering, no aircon, no airbags), underpowered (allegedly 52 horses but more like Shetland ponies) car in daily use that I'll see on my 300 mile journey later today. It's a bit like its owner really..... just about knackered, but not too bothered.
But I like it and each to his/her own.
Join Date: Nov 1999
Location: UK
Posts: 1,955
The 'Ignore list' feature on our PPRuNe control panel is very useful. Posts from "ignorees" simply do not appear on your screen, (although if someone else quotes them, you will see that). There is only one single name on my list, and you can probably guess who that is!
Regarding people supposedly boasting about their 'high end' devices. I own an Audi because I like their build quality, their comfort, their design and their longevity. BUT, it is a small A3: low spec, with a 1.6L engine, no electronic "driver aids", and an old fashioned RDS FM radio. It was built in 2008 and I bought it second-hand in 2016 for less than £7 grand - the most I have ever spent on a car. It does have some great design features though, so I mention those when appropriate.
I like to learn about modern developments. Even though I might never own a Tesla or whatever. It does not make me jealous, just interested.
Regarding people supposedly boasting about their 'high end' devices. I own an Audi because I like their build quality, their comfort, their design and their longevity. BUT, it is a small A3: low spec, with a 1.6L engine, no electronic "driver aids", and an old fashioned RDS FM radio. It was built in 2008 and I bought it second-hand in 2016 for less than £7 grand - the most I have ever spent on a car. It does have some great design features though, so I mention those when appropriate.
I like to learn about modern developments. Even though I might never own a Tesla or whatever. It does not make me jealous, just interested.
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: South Oxfordshire
Posts: 621
Originally Posted by visibility3miles
I like cars that run forever without many breakdowns.
It was serviced on the dot at each interval, and ran major fault free, and almost minor fault free until it had 172,000 miles on the clock when the head gasket started to leak. Repairable, but by that stage I fancied a new car anyway.
A friend had a same-age Citroen ZX diesel in which he clocked up 243,000 miles before a clutch component wore out and it became uneconomical to repair.
Join Date: Nov 1999
Location: UK
Posts: 1,955
On Pine Hollow Auto Diagnostics, (a Youtube car programme), Ivan was working on a Toyota that had 540,000 miles on the clock !!! but the engine sounded very sweet indeed. (A duff spark plug lead was the problem).
A colleague of mine once told me that the best thing you can do for your car is use the very best synthetic engine oil. I have run all my cars on Mobil 1 ever since, and he's right - the engine simply doesn't wear out. The oil is not cheap, but it pays for itself many times over.
A colleague of mine once told me that the best thing you can do for your car is use the very best synthetic engine oil. I have run all my cars on Mobil 1 ever since, and he's right - the engine simply doesn't wear out. The oil is not cheap, but it pays for itself many times over.
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Australia
Posts: 782
Originally Posted by Uplinker
On Pine Hollow Auto Diagnostics, (a Youtube car programme), Ivan was working on a Toyota that had 540,000 miles on the clock !!! but the engine sounded very sweet indeed. (A duff spark plug lead was the problem).
A colleague of mine once told me that the best thing you can do for your car is use the very best synthetic engine oil. I have run all my cars on Mobil 1 ever since, and he's right - the engine simply doesn't wear out. The oil is not cheap, but it pays for itself many times over.
A colleague of mine once told me that the best thing you can do for your car is use the very best synthetic engine oil. I have run all my cars on Mobil 1 ever since, and he's right - the engine simply doesn't wear out. The oil is not cheap, but it pays for itself many times over.
