New Stuff on Vehicles likes/dislikes

[jimmbo]

I absolutely hate the auto stop/start feature that turns off the engine when I stop and then turns it on when you step on the accelerator. Thank goodness our car has a bypass switch that turns off this feature while driving.

Amazon offers a Wiring Harness for GM that plugs into the Hood Switch that permanently disables that Horrible Feature, no button Pressing required. My car didn't have disable button, but that Harness fixed that Problem, cost was about $15(us).
Security and Remote Start are not affected by it either.

 

[matt167]

I work on them every day so I ‘get’ them. The electronics are what I don’t like. A radio update has the potential to create a no start on a GM vehicle for instance

 

[redneck joe]

Last week I came within a whisker of buying a 74 Ford f100, 360 with three on the tree. Didn't have air except the old school two fifty five style but I would have lived with that as otherwise had all i need.

My 14 sportwagon with a 2.0 TDI is just about perfect for as new as it is. Radio has knobs. Lights are manual. Etc. Does have a screen but I would consider it dumb. Big icons for the radiostations. Has sat radio but I don't pay for stuff like that I have Pandora on phone and I can just Bluetooth it in to the system.

 

[Scott Danforth]

The electronics are what I don’t like.

any time you need a service tool to retract a park brake actuator to do a pad change or even bleed the brakes means that the electronics have been attached to systems they should not be attached to.

My next two vehicles will be a 81-87 CJ8 for the wife and a 1952 Fiat for me...... Round sealed beam headlights rule.....

 

[alldodge]

Don't like the start/stop on wife's Caddy, so I press the button turning it off every time

Don't use cruise Reg or adaptive cruise in heavy traffic

Don't get the no dipstick on the transmission

Like the TPMS which also monitors trailer tires

Trailer camera extension, so the camera is installed on the rear or the trailer

 

[Grub54891]

Rear view mirror. Ours has the on star button on it. When I go to flip the mirror to night mode with the lever I put my thumb on the front and flip the lever with my finger. Twice I hit the button and on star called me and asked me if I was ok. Ugh….

 

[cyclops222]

The safety features DO DO save killing and crippling innocent people.
By drug addicts and drunks. And people on medical drugs.

 

[FLATHEAD]

Don’t like oil life monitors. Today they want depending on your car oil changes at 7500- 10.000 miles. Nope I do mine every 5000.

 

[cyclops222]

Modern oils can easily go 15,000 in a normal driven car. In the 1980' s I was doing 10,000 miles with super clean oil and no engine wear.
FEAR and ego sells more than the truth.

 

[alldodge]

Do my oil and fuel changes every 15K, figure if Cummins recommends then it's ok, full Syn 10W30

 

[Lou C]

Aluminum & plastic engines no
Stop start no
No transmission dipstick no
Air suspension no
$1,000 headlights no
I’m keeping my 2 old Grand Cherokees as long as I can

 

[Pmt133]

I run oil analysis along side the GM OLM (which has been in use since the late 80s) and its extremely conservative. My 04 used to run 14k miles on it and that things out there with nearly 400k miles on it. That is one of the few things I do actually set and forget. My current truck maxes out around 7500 miles on the monitor.

 

[jimmbo]

Don't get the no dipstick on the transmission

The Main Reason, is that a lot of todays Transmissions use a very Specific Fluid, which is NOT Cheap. If there was a Dipstick on the Transmission, not just the One operating the Vehicle, and for whatever reason, the 2nd Dipstick, figured it needed Fluid, they might balk at the Price of the Required Fluid, and buy the Much Cheaper Conventional ATF(Cause Oil is Oil), and end up destroying the Unit.

 

[kd4pbs]

#1 best thing for me would be Air Conditioning. Living in a place that frequently sees summertime dewpoints in the upper 70s and above, it is a necessity.
Oh, and forced induction: IMHO, anything else and you may as well leave it home.
As far as the rest of the mess, meh... I can take it or leave it.

 

[Lou C]

But if the trans developed a small leak as it ages as they ALL do, w/o a dipstick you’re stuck with putting the vehicle up on 4 stands and adding fluid in some inaccessible location right next to a hot cat converter (some Chrysler products with the ZF 8 spd). With a dipstick you’re stand up like a normal person & simply add fluid. Brilliant!

 

[jimmbo]

Modern oils can easily go 15,000 in a normal driven car. In the 1980' s I was doing 10,000 miles with super clean oil and no engine wear.
FEAR and ego sells more than the truth.

Tell that to the Owners of the GM 3.6 LTT Engines after DI was introduced. Extended Oil Change Intervals, even as low as 8000 miles resulted in Excessive Chain Wear. Mine were replaced after 8 yrs and 70,000, under Warranty. GM extended the Warranty to 10 yr and well over 100K.

 

[kd4pbs]

But if the trans developed a small leak as it ages as they ALL do, w/o a dipstick you’re stuck with putting the vehicle up on 4 stands and adding fluid in some inaccessible location right next to a hot cat converter (some Chrysler products with the ZF 8 spd). With a dipstick you’re stand up like a normal person & simply add fluid. Brilliant!

And on yet another stroke of German ingenuity, like on both my Mercedes, the transmission gets filled through the drain hole.
Leave it to the Germans to think of the most complicated ways to do the simplest things.

 

[jimmbo]

But if the trans developed a small leak as it ages as they ALL do, w/o a dipstick you’re stuck with putting the vehicle up on 4 stands and adding fluid in some inaccessible location right next to a hot cat converter (some Chrysler products with the ZF 8 spd). With a dipstick you’re stand up like a normal person & simply add fluid. Brilliant!

A lot of Brilliant People overfill the Units too, and never consider the Temp of the Fluid, in regards to the Level.
Every Time my Cars get serviced, when the OLM comes on, usually less than 6 months and about 9000km, the Level is checked and the Seal Areas inspected for signs of leakage. Being that the first 4 or 5 yrs, all Routine Service is no Cost... Why take it anywhere but the Stealership?

 

[jimmbo]

And on yet another stroke of German ingenuity, like on both my Mercedes, the transmission gets filled through the drain hole.
Leave it to the Germans to think of the most complicated ways to do the simplest things.

Actually that isn't a bad Idea, as there would be a Vent, like how you fill a Gearcase on an Outboard or I/O. A lot more Difficult to Overfill

 

[kd4pbs]

Actually that isn't a bad Idea, as there would be a Vent, like how you fill a Gearcase on an Outboard or I/O. A lot more Difficult to Overfill

Yes - it would be a great idea if there was a vent.
There's not.
It's a convoluted mess of stupidity involving overfilling the transmission then allowing the excess to drain off. All of this has to be performed between a precise and narrow range of temperature.
Edit:
I almost forgot... the vehicle has to be level of course. So you either put it on four jackstands or need to have a lift.