New Car "Advances" that you don't like

[SEIOWA CLONE]

Yes, SE, not LX. I fail to keep up with the model designations.

Mmmm. My 13 Fusion also had some tire issues. Not as bad as yours, but they did seem to go bad on the rear. Real bad cupping. The vehicle had been rear-ended about a year after I got it (rather severely - $9,XXX repair) by a drunk driver in FL. I always just assumed maybe the repair was not quite right. I think I put 2 full sets on it, plus another 2 tires right before I got the Flex. It had maybe 90k on it by then.

I was talking to a worker from our local Goodyear, tire center and he said the problem is that the 2013 needs spacers placed in the rear end suspension. The rear wheels tend to flex and slide side to side. The spacer stiffens up the suspension and fixes the problem. He claimed that ford knows about the problem but refuses to fix it.

 

[NodawayRiverClone]

[QUOTE="Plus, I work with mech engineers who say this restarting is like starting your engine dry without oil everytime and will greatly diminish engine life.[/QUOTE]

Did the engineers say why stop/start is like starting a dry engine. I would think a stop at a light or sign is not long enough for oil coating to go dry. Maybe, if the restart is a hard jackrabbit start to highway speeds, it's hard on an engine. Otherwise, seems any extra wear would take a very long time to make a difference vs saving fuel and cutting emissions. Inquiring mind(s) want to know.

Edit: Waded through other comments, now, and agree with most that a brief stop is not a dry engine start.

 

[NodawayRiverClone]

statistics don't back that up: 60-69 age group has the least accidents. Thought I would say around early 70's is probably when things start getting troubling for older drivers.

Need another graph showing crashes per miles driven. Will probably look like the Fatal Crashes graph, with older ages graphing higher. Older drivers, like me, tend to drive familiar routes and slower, as well as much fewer miles than when young. So, we're more cautious, as a rule, but crash more often than others except, perhaps, carefree teens.

 

[keepngoal]

You saying you use cruise control in town? That is a LOT of trust for a feature that wasn't meant for negotiating city driving.

Cruise control and negotiating city driving are pretty far a part.

I use it on many roads, especially 25 mph roads. And any longer road without much traffic.

 

[NodawayRiverClone]

CVT Transmissions........makes better profit for the manufacturer but costs the owner shyt ton of money to repair. Most people probably don't even know they have one.

Disagree with the idea many need repaired, although Nissan had a bad stretch a few years back. Took a 2005 Ford cvt to 126,000 miles and a family member now has it at or over 200,000 with no problems. AC compressor, though, has blown out twice.

 

[motorcy90]

Honestly I could care less about the bells and whistles. I’m 39 and can use mirrors vs a backup camera, heated seats aren’t my thing, navigation, I can read a map. Various other options have come and gone like displacement on demand. I’m a classic car guy and I’d much rather cruise in my 59 Chevy or 79 Thunderbird vs our ‘14 Equinox. I also drive a ‘19 Superduty and I do like the ride but I don’t understand why they make them so tall. Thankfully I am 6’2. I do like the fuel economy and performance but to me so many of the other “options” just drive the price up. I know when to change my oil so I don’t need it programmed in. Who would have ever thought that a truck would go for 50k plus. I also like regular cab for for work purposes and they are a thing of the past.

its not just the options but inflation really. the other day I was looking at a craigslist add for an 02 Lincoln LS that had the sticker pictured. Just over $37k then = $53k in 2019. but really my old 05' dodge 1500 SLT sticker'd for $28k, my 17' express was $42k but had over $10k discounts. I lost a few features but gained more horsepower, mpg, towing, and "safety".

Also on a Dodge. The lugnuts are not actual lug nuts. The put a cap over them. Which is fine if you live in non snow areas. However, in Iowa over time dirt, salt, and sand get in the case for the lug nut and it spins. Thus, if you have a flat tire. You might not be able to get the tire off. How about just putting lug nuts back on instead of doing some nonsense with a lug nut cap.

all the big 3 use hub caps for some of their HDs depending on trim.

Not a complaint, just a question. My Silverado has the oil sensor that tells me when to change it. Im just over 5,000 miles and still at 30%. Im planning on changing it this weekend, the dealership I got it from has a lifetime warranty on the motor as long as they either maintain it, or I keep receipts and bring it in once a year. (They would change it every 3000 it looks like) How accuarate is that sensor? Dont want to push it miles wise, but dont want to throw all the money or oil away.

Those sensors are pretty accurate, I use the one in my truck, even seeing the oil coming out of the pan at an 8k mi change you can still see its decently clean oil still coming out. I'll probably do a Blackstone oil analysis on my next change to see how long I could actually possibly go.

 

[AlaCyclone]

How can that be bad? If you really can't figure it out you don't have to look at it, do it the old fashioned way.

Back-up cameras are the best invention ever! As for my dislikes, add me to the key-less cars. Luckily, I still have a 2017 car that uses a key.

 

[besserheimerphat]

I'll probably do a Blackstone oil analysis on my next change to see how long I could actually possibly go.

The oil change intervals on our semi engines are 60,000 miles.

 

[motorcy90]

The oil change intervals on our semi engines are 60,000 miles.

That's a little bit of quantity over quality though right? how many qts of oil do they use compared to the 7qts for my truck? granted its also probably over double the displacement on the engine.

 

[BCClone]

Not a complaint, just a question. My Silverado has the oil sensor that tells me when to change it. Im just over 5,000 miles and still at 30%. Im planning on changing it this weekend, the dealership I got it from has a lifetime warranty on the motor as long as they either maintain it, or I keep receipts and bring it in once a year. (They would change it every 3000 it looks like) How accuarate is that sensor? Dont want to push it miles wise, but dont want to throw all the money or oil away.

A lot of variables. Most recs are for 100% typical oil. Very few places run that anymore. Most run blends that are 50 regular and 50%synthetics. Will basically double the longevity of the oil. Grab the owners manual and see what their recommended oil is. That will tell you if the sensors are reading correctly. If a blend, you probably have more life than the sensors say.

 

[besserheimerphat]

That's a little bit of quantity over quality though right? how many qts of oil do they use compared to the 7qts for my truck? granted its also probably over double the displacement on the engine.

Yeah absolutely. Our 13 liter engine has an oil capacity of 42qts.

https://paccarpowertrain.com/MX-13-Spec-Sheet

 

[Psyclone]

Not a complaint, just a question. My Silverado has the oil sensor that tells me when to change it. Im just over 5,000 miles and still at 30%. Im planning on changing it this weekend, the dealership I got it from has a lifetime warranty on the motor as long as they either maintain it, or I keep receipts and bring it in once a year. (They would change it every 3000 it looks like) How accuarate is that sensor? Dont want to push it miles wise, but dont want to throw all the money or oil away.

All the motor heads I know say you can trust the sensor. Your mileage between oil changes will vary based on the kind of driving you do. I get about 6000 miles between oil changes.

The sensor may be calibrated for synthetic oil, so check your manual and use the right stuff.

 

[khardbored]

I'm car shopping right now and the damn middle consoles are a pain in the ... knee. Being a tall guy who likes to likes to let my legs flop over when commuting every day, it's been really hard to find something that's not a hatchback or truck with enough knee room. Right now the only 2 cars I've found with a short center console are the Chevy Malibu, which has **** ratings, and the 2019 Subaru Legacy. The 2020 Legacy is going to have a tall console, so I need to pull the trigger soon if that's the direction I've going to go.

I'm car shopping right now and have found three that have "acceptable" middle consoles to avoid the right knee banging the console: Kia Sorento (but only 2016 or newer), Toyota RAV4, and the Mitsubishi Outlander.

Your results may vary based on height, etc. For reference, I'm about 5'10"

 

[BikeSkiClone]

My Ranger has manual locks, hand crank windows, and I have to push on my side mirrors to move them. The screen displays time and radio station.

But I travel for work a lot and geek out over 99% of the tech mentioned in this thread. The company paid test drives for cars I’m interested in are nice too