Arrrrrrrgh! I can't stand modern cars!

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theholycow
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Re: Arrrrrrrgh! I can't stand modern cars!

Post by theholycow »

I sure liked all the stuff I could configure/do with Vag-Com too. Disabled some automatic features that I didn't like, enabled some features (remote power windows!), adjusted some things, even did datalogging.

Thinking more about a flat dashboard face, I like various panels and such rather than a blank expanse. That works better for me mounting things. It's great in my pickup, I used to have all kinds of crap installed, looked like a command center.
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Re: Arrrrrrrgh! I can't stand modern cars!

Post by ClutchFork »

AHTOXA wrote:I also hate the seatbelt chime and I had it turned off the the VW I owned a while back. VAG-COM does give a lot of customization options. On the Sonic I don't really mind because it does not beep or chime at me when the car is standing. Only when it's moving that it starts to beep. I have my seatbelt on before I take off anyway, so it's a non-issue for me.
Ah yes, I turned off seatbelt chime in Mountaineer and in my Ranger. The light is enough. Procedure to turn off on a Ford is complex monkeying with key on off and fastening and unfastening seat belt multiple times.

Suspect one can turn off those mis-used backup lights on GM cars somehow, but most won't care or bother. Should come from factory set to off.
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theholycow wrote:Why in the world would you even want to be as smooth as an automatic? Might as well just drive an automatic...
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Re: Arrrrrrrgh! I can't stand modern cars!

Post by Shadow »

Another cool feature in my car--- automatic recirculate. How many times have you pulled up behind a bus or truck and you reach for the recirculate button to avoid smelling the noxious fumes? Well, my car has a sensor that continuously sniffs out offensive fumes and then automatically turns the recirculate on if it is off. Of course like everything else in the car, the driver has the ability to turn this feature on or off.
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Re: Arrrrrrrgh! I can't stand modern cars!

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theholycow wrote:... enabled some features (remote power windows!)...
Yup, got that too. Can make the windows and the sunroof go up or down with the remote. Very cool feature for those hot summer days.
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Re: Arrrrrrrgh! I can't stand modern cars!

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Shadow wrote:Another cool feature in my car--- automatic recirculate. How many times have you pulled up behind a bus or truck and you reach for the recirculate button to avoid smelling the noxious fumes? Well, my car has a sensor that continuously sniffs out offensive fumes and then automatically turns the recirculate on if it is off. Of course like everything else in the car, the driver has the ability to turn this feature on or off.
Oh the re-circulation button. I am afraid Ford was way behind on that. We had our first one on the 2005 Mountaineer, but this 1999 Voyager van we just bought has it. I just run it all the time when my wife is in the car because she smells every odor that is on the road, no matter how faint. Me, I have to get behind a oil burner or someone in an old beater before I smell anything from the road.
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theholycow wrote:Why in the world would you even want to be as smooth as an automatic? Might as well just drive an automatic...
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Re: Arrrrrrrgh! I can't stand modern cars!

Post by bk7794 »

I agree, I enjoy the simplicity with my car.

I like the no power steering, the lack of power windows and locks, the conventional mechanical odo, and the simple climate controls.

I have come into situations where the power windows can be handy though, and the keyless entry.


I do enjoy some of the modern conveniences. For a daily driver I don't mind them, but for an oldie project, I enjoy the simplicity.

InlinePaul wrote:
Shadow wrote:Another cool feature in my car--- automatic recirculate. How many times have you pulled up behind a bus or truck and you reach for the recirculate button to avoid smelling the noxious fumes? Well, my car has a sensor that continuously sniffs out offensive fumes and then automatically turns the recirculate on if it is off. Of course like everything else in the car, the driver has the ability to turn this feature on or off.
Oh the re-circulation button. I am afraid Ford was way behind on that. We had our first one on the 2005 Mountaineer, but this 1999 Voyager van we just bought has it. I just run it all the time when my wife is in the car because she smells every odor that is on the road, no matter how faint. Me, I have to get behind a oil burner or someone in an old beater before I smell anything from the road.
your ranger doesn't have recirculation?
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Re: Arrrrrrrgh! I can't stand modern cars!

Post by Shadow »

bk7794 wrote: your ranger doesn't have recirculation?
I don't think I've ever seen a car without recirculate. At least not a car from the 80s or newer. But what I was describing was automatic recirculate, where the car constantly sniffs the outside air and recirculates the cabin air automatically to prevent offensive smells/fumes from reaching the passenger compartment.
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Re: Arrrrrrrgh! I can't stand modern cars!

Post by six »

My recirculate doesn't work; it's broken. The city I live in is next to a landfill. Fill in the blanks. :(

It costs more than $100 to fix.
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Re: Arrrrrrrgh! I can't stand modern cars!

Post by theholycow »

I would not want automatic recirculation. I am able-bodied and the car is not smarter than me. I'll choose when I want recirculation just like I'll choose my gear.

Recirculation also always turns on the air conditioning compressor. In some owner's manuals it explicitly says it will, because with people breathing in the car the air is going to get very humid and fog up the windows. I dislike that about recirculation. I also dislike it about the defogger, as I mentioned.

I always want to be in charge of my environment, I make the decisions around here!

On the endless to-do list for my car, is the addition of a manual override On/Auto/Off switch for A/C and another for recirculate if possible, which is currently operated by position. "Max A/C" (dash, compressor on, recirc), "Normal A/C" (dash, compressor on, fresh), Bi-Level (defog/feet, compressor on, fresh), Vent (dash, compressor off, fresh), Heater (feet, compressor off, fresh), Def (defog, compressor on, fresh). Options, as you can see, are limited, I can't mix-and-match how I might want.
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bk7794 wrote:I agree, I enjoy the simplicity with my car.

I like the no power steering, the lack of power windows and locks, the conventional mechanical odo, and the simple climate controls.

I have come into situations where the power windows can be handy though, and the keyless entry.
I sometimes think I'd like manual steering.

You can add power windows and locks easily enough and without costing a whole lot, and with locks you won't even lose manual operation. Windows might be a little tough for your car because you may have trouble finding a door panel with the switches, but you can entirely skip switches for power locks and just use a remote. Of course there's always the option of doing it aftermarket-style, just adding switches wherever you have a nice panel for them.
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Re: Arrrrrrrgh! I can't stand modern cars!

Post by Shadow »

theholycow wrote:I would not want automatic recirculation. I am able-bodied and the car is not smarter than me. I'll choose when I want recirculation just like I'll choose my gear.

Recirculation also always turns on the air conditioning compressor. In some owner's manuals it explicitly says it will, because with people breathing in the car the air is going to get very humid and fog up the windows. I dislike that about recirculation. I also dislike it about the defogger, as I mentioned.
It's not about being smarter.....it's about being faster. Since polluted air is often invisible, a driver sometimes reacts after its too late and he/she is already breathing the offensive air. With automatic recirculate, the sensor reacts immediately to close off the car to outside air. It also opens it back up once the air outside air clears up. It works amazing well when I'm driving on city roads with lots of buses and trucks. Like I said, if someone doesn't want to use the automatic recirc feature, it's easy to turn off in the MMI menu.

And BTW, my car will allow for recirc without the A/C compressor running. Lots of cars have that ability, although it will tend to fog up the glass if you drive around too long like that.
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Re: Arrrrrrrgh! I can't stand modern cars!

Post by ClutchFork »

bk7794 wrote: your ranger doesn't have recirculation?
Not a separate button for re-circulation. It will re-circulate on Max Air but that is AC only. Nor did my 1995 F150 have it.
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Re: Arrrrrrrgh! I can't stand modern cars!

Post by tankinbeans »

InlinePaul wrote:
bk7794 wrote: your ranger doesn't have recirculation?
Not a separate button for re-circulation. It will re-circulate on Max Air but that is AC only. Nor did my 1995 F150 have it.
All the Fords I've ever had have had a recirc button, with the backwards sideways U.

Clifford's Max AC is on the temp dial, which is kind of annoying but not a big deal.
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Re: Arrrrrrrgh! I can't stand modern cars!

Post by theholycow »

tankinbeans wrote:Clifford's Max AC is on the temp dial, which is kind of annoying but not a big deal.
I wonder why they combine the controls, either the way I described or that way. Do they think it's too complicated for the driver to choose each function individually, do they think the driver doesn't want to have to choose and would rather operate one control to a setting that engages a bunch of functions, or are there technological/economical reasons?
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Re: Arrrrrrrgh! I can't stand modern cars!

Post by tankinbeans »

theholycow wrote:
tankinbeans wrote:Clifford's Max AC is on the temp dial, which is kind of annoying but not a big deal.
I wonder why they combine the controls, either the way I described or that way. Do they think it's too complicated for the driver to choose each function individually, do they think the driver doesn't want to have to choose and would rather operate one control to a setting that engages a bunch of functions, or are there technological/economical reasons?
My guess is they're trying not to overwhelm people with too many choices as they figure most want something as simple to operate as possible. Most leave their climate settings the same for entire seasons anyway. Everybody in my family leaves the heat on the hottest setting all winter. I prefer my car slightly chilly.
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Re: Arrrrrrrgh! I can't stand modern cars!

Post by Shadow »

tankinbeans wrote: Most leave their climate settings the same for entire seasons anyway.
Yeah, I agree that there are a lot of people who just set the climate control and leave it there most of the time. I mean, that's pretty much the way cars are designed now with the automatic climate control. All we have to do is pick a temperature and the car does whatever is necessary to maintain that temperature inside the cabin. Lots of cars can also compensate for the additional heat from sunlight with a sensor on the dash.
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