I start my modern car (2023) that's been sitting for about ten days.
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I start my modern car (2023) that's been sitting for about ten days. The very first thing it does is demand a software update, which fails because the battery is "too low". After driving it to charge, it finally starts the update (locking me out of the car for 30 minutes, completely unusable). Once it's done, the dashboard becomes "more modern" - which basically means it's worse and cluttered with useless information.
Then, I start the old car (2007) that's been parked for MONTHS. It spits out some smelly exhaust, makes a weird noise for a few seconds, and goes: "Let's go, I need to stretch my 'legs'."
I take it to the car wash. A guy there with a brand-new Chinese car takes a look and asks me about it. I tell him it's from 2007.
He peers inside the cabin and asks about the "infotainment" setup, since he "can't see the screen".
I calmly explain that it has a CD player, it even reads MP3s, and it has an Aux-in: I just plug my phone in with a cable and that's it.He looked at me like I was an alien. Or an ancient Roman. How on earth do I survive without a screen always available, and having to actually plug in a physical cable every time? Crazy!
@stefano
My 2003 Celica gets driven every six weeks or so when I need to do a "big shop". It starts immediately and off we go. I plug in my "MP3" player in to what was once the CD change cable. -
I start my modern car (2023) that's been sitting for about ten days. The very first thing it does is demand a software update, which fails because the battery is "too low". After driving it to charge, it finally starts the update (locking me out of the car for 30 minutes, completely unusable). Once it's done, the dashboard becomes "more modern" - which basically means it's worse and cluttered with useless information.
Then, I start the old car (2007) that's been parked for MONTHS. It spits out some smelly exhaust, makes a weird noise for a few seconds, and goes: "Let's go, I need to stretch my 'legs'."
I take it to the car wash. A guy there with a brand-new Chinese car takes a look and asks me about it. I tell him it's from 2007.
He peers inside the cabin and asks about the "infotainment" setup, since he "can't see the screen".
I calmly explain that it has a CD player, it even reads MP3s, and it has an Aux-in: I just plug my phone in with a cable and that's it.He looked at me like I was an alien. Or an ancient Roman. How on earth do I survive without a screen always available, and having to actually plug in a physical cable every time? Crazy!
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@stefano it depends per brand I suppose. My 2024 Toyota still has buttons and doesn’t have all these frustrations you shared. But I agree with your sentiment, not everything newer is better perse.
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I start my modern car (2023) that's been sitting for about ten days. The very first thing it does is demand a software update, which fails because the battery is "too low". After driving it to charge, it finally starts the update (locking me out of the car for 30 minutes, completely unusable). Once it's done, the dashboard becomes "more modern" - which basically means it's worse and cluttered with useless information.
Then, I start the old car (2007) that's been parked for MONTHS. It spits out some smelly exhaust, makes a weird noise for a few seconds, and goes: "Let's go, I need to stretch my 'legs'."
I take it to the car wash. A guy there with a brand-new Chinese car takes a look and asks me about it. I tell him it's from 2007.
He peers inside the cabin and asks about the "infotainment" setup, since he "can't see the screen".
I calmly explain that it has a CD player, it even reads MP3s, and it has an Aux-in: I just plug my phone in with a cable and that's it.He looked at me like I was an alien. Or an ancient Roman. How on earth do I survive without a screen always available, and having to actually plug in a physical cable every time? Crazy!
Youngest car I have is 18 years old. I will use them until it's possible.
Don't know what then.
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@stefano ewww no
I would like an electric car, if I could get one without touchscreen controls.
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@stefano ewww no
I would like an electric car, if I could get one without touchscreen controls.
@mwl exactly.
The most concerning part is that the Volvo is a Diesel one. But those engines are now so complex that I think an electric car would be much more reliable. -
I start my modern car (2023) that's been sitting for about ten days. The very first thing it does is demand a software update, which fails because the battery is "too low". After driving it to charge, it finally starts the update (locking me out of the car for 30 minutes, completely unusable). Once it's done, the dashboard becomes "more modern" - which basically means it's worse and cluttered with useless information.
Then, I start the old car (2007) that's been parked for MONTHS. It spits out some smelly exhaust, makes a weird noise for a few seconds, and goes: "Let's go, I need to stretch my 'legs'."
I take it to the car wash. A guy there with a brand-new Chinese car takes a look and asks me about it. I tell him it's from 2007.
He peers inside the cabin and asks about the "infotainment" setup, since he "can't see the screen".
I calmly explain that it has a CD player, it even reads MP3s, and it has an Aux-in: I just plug my phone in with a cable and that's it.He looked at me like I was an alien. Or an ancient Roman. How on earth do I survive without a screen always available, and having to actually plug in a physical cable every time? Crazy!
@stefano
> After driving it to charge
I don't own a car, so I don't really know how bad it is. But I'm surprised it allowed you to drive before update. -
@ClickyMcTicker yeah. The lane assist in my car is quite good in discerning between the white (permanent) and yellow (temporary) markings. But overall the nanny mode is strong with this one...
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I start my modern car (2023) that's been sitting for about ten days. The very first thing it does is demand a software update, which fails because the battery is "too low". After driving it to charge, it finally starts the update (locking me out of the car for 30 minutes, completely unusable). Once it's done, the dashboard becomes "more modern" - which basically means it's worse and cluttered with useless information.
Then, I start the old car (2007) that's been parked for MONTHS. It spits out some smelly exhaust, makes a weird noise for a few seconds, and goes: "Let's go, I need to stretch my 'legs'."
I take it to the car wash. A guy there with a brand-new Chinese car takes a look and asks me about it. I tell him it's from 2007.
He peers inside the cabin and asks about the "infotainment" setup, since he "can't see the screen".
I calmly explain that it has a CD player, it even reads MP3s, and it has an Aux-in: I just plug my phone in with a cable and that's it.He looked at me like I was an alien. Or an ancient Roman. How on earth do I survive without a screen always available, and having to actually plug in a physical cable every time? Crazy!
A friend has a new Hyundai i20 which constantly beeps at him, talks bollocks and grabs the wheel if he goes off the centre lane to avoid potholes or anything else.
These new cars are being driven on failing roads, with too many baked in ridiculous 'nanny cares' interference crap that distract drivers (even if he takes his eyes off the road for a moment) and as you say totally obstructive 'updates' which are really commercial leaning piracy!
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@stefano
> After driving it to charge
I don't own a car, so I don't really know how bad it is. But I'm surprised it allowed you to drive before update.@anparker it's a diesel car, so the battery is the 12V one. And yes, it's not a security update, so I can drive without upgrading first...
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@mwl exactly.
The most concerning part is that the Volvo is a Diesel one. But those engines are now so complex that I think an electric car would be much more reliable.@stefano @mwl as much as I want electric vehicles – not least, for the long-term economy (and, arguably, the environment) – I simply cannot afford one.
My 2005 Mercedes-Benz E 320 CDI (W211, estate) is relatively costly for fuel, tax, and the parking permit, but the purchase price was super low. Maybe £1,100 around five years ago.
I feel genuinely sorry for work colleagues who have much more modern vehicles that are shockingly expensive when maintenance and repairs, sometimes botched, are required.
My most recent annual MOT test: fail-free. Nothing more than the cost of the test.
As joyfully reliable as a W124? I had three of those in the past. Five years with the W211 is too soon for me to judge.
<https://goo.gl/photos/oeMVRzEDPCUi1YtD7> my first W124.
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A friend has a new Hyundai i20 which constantly beeps at him, talks bollocks and grabs the wheel if he goes off the centre lane to avoid potholes or anything else.
These new cars are being driven on failing roads, with too many baked in ridiculous 'nanny cares' interference crap that distract drivers (even if he takes his eyes off the road for a moment) and as you say totally obstructive 'updates' which are really commercial leaning piracy!
@darkerknight The point is that the cars shouldn't allow drivers to get distracted. Instead, they remove all the physical buttons to use a huge, confusing tablet, and then try to make sure you're concentrated (beeping, talking your wheel, etc).
I usually say: Am I driving or are you driving, car?
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I start my modern car (2023) that's been sitting for about ten days. The very first thing it does is demand a software update, which fails because the battery is "too low". After driving it to charge, it finally starts the update (locking me out of the car for 30 minutes, completely unusable). Once it's done, the dashboard becomes "more modern" - which basically means it's worse and cluttered with useless information.
Then, I start the old car (2007) that's been parked for MONTHS. It spits out some smelly exhaust, makes a weird noise for a few seconds, and goes: "Let's go, I need to stretch my 'legs'."
I take it to the car wash. A guy there with a brand-new Chinese car takes a look and asks me about it. I tell him it's from 2007.
He peers inside the cabin and asks about the "infotainment" setup, since he "can't see the screen".
I calmly explain that it has a CD player, it even reads MP3s, and it has an Aux-in: I just plug my phone in with a cable and that's it.He looked at me like I was an alien. Or an ancient Roman. How on earth do I survive without a screen always available, and having to actually plug in a physical cable every time? Crazy!
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@BenCotterill I had it, back in the early 200x
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@BenCotterill I had it, back in the early 200x
@stefano I wonder what they would think if I turned up in my 1956 Morris Minor and asked them to fix the trafficators?
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@stefano @mwl as much as I want electric vehicles – not least, for the long-term economy (and, arguably, the environment) – I simply cannot afford one.
My 2005 Mercedes-Benz E 320 CDI (W211, estate) is relatively costly for fuel, tax, and the parking permit, but the purchase price was super low. Maybe £1,100 around five years ago.
I feel genuinely sorry for work colleagues who have much more modern vehicles that are shockingly expensive when maintenance and repairs, sometimes botched, are required.
My most recent annual MOT test: fail-free. Nothing more than the cost of the test.
As joyfully reliable as a W124? I had three of those in the past. Five years with the W211 is too soon for me to judge.
<https://goo.gl/photos/oeMVRzEDPCUi1YtD7> my first W124.
@fuzzy @stefano @mwl I'm not sure what it's like in the UK. In Australia we have basically hit price parity for EVs vs petrol cars.As rooftop solar is so common here the economics are already very clear cut. I know in Canada and the US the restrictions on imported EVs keeps the cost higher.
I bought a basic EV new (first new car in my life) and it was cheaper than a petrol corolla. So I'm not sure it's the real cost, might be more to do with govt policy settings that keep them less accessible. I fully recognise that new cars are prohibitively costly and have always carefully bought used. As we have solar and I track usage we've hit 20,000km and it's cost about $400 in grid electricity and I'm still a year from the first service which is about aud$300 (2 year service cycle). Having a postgrad in env studies it was about reducing carbon. Having an economics degree, it's totally clear cut we are well past the tipping point in Australia. -
I start my modern car (2023) that's been sitting for about ten days. The very first thing it does is demand a software update, which fails because the battery is "too low". After driving it to charge, it finally starts the update (locking me out of the car for 30 minutes, completely unusable). Once it's done, the dashboard becomes "more modern" - which basically means it's worse and cluttered with useless information.
Then, I start the old car (2007) that's been parked for MONTHS. It spits out some smelly exhaust, makes a weird noise for a few seconds, and goes: "Let's go, I need to stretch my 'legs'."
I take it to the car wash. A guy there with a brand-new Chinese car takes a look and asks me about it. I tell him it's from 2007.
He peers inside the cabin and asks about the "infotainment" setup, since he "can't see the screen".
I calmly explain that it has a CD player, it even reads MP3s, and it has an Aux-in: I just plug my phone in with a cable and that's it.He looked at me like I was an alien. Or an ancient Roman. How on earth do I survive without a screen always available, and having to actually plug in a physical cable every time? Crazy!
My infotainment on my 25 year old car stopped working when I changed the battery, and I left it like that for several years. Bliss. I only found the security code for unlocking it because I missed the tiny little black & white LCD screen which told me the time.
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