Do car engineers deliberately make things difficult ?

[Bodgedbuild]

This might be helpful for BMW owners to know with regard to stop-start. BMW Carly can enable the ECU to remember the last option chosen by the driver so if the last option was to disable it, the car will keep it disabled until the driver chooses to enable it. At this point it remembers this choice.
Carly coding options for the IHKA module

Start/Stop-Automatic memory
• on
• off
Setting for Start/Stop-Automatic is saved. This way the manual setting of the Start/Stop-Automatic button, i.e. whether the button is turned on or off, is saved for the next start. Deactivating the Start/Stop-Automatic on the car can increase the life time of the battery and the starter. (codable in IHKA)

 

[mointainwalker]

'Er indoors Honda HRV is keyless and once it locks itself, it unlocks again as soon as you approach - so you can't walk back to it to check if it is actually locked!
A mighty pain in the ass if ever there was one
John

Do you not hear the simultaneous loud solenoid activations, or has Mr Honda managed to make those silent ?

 

[Burnerman]

For sure, the car does make reassuring(!) clunks when the locking operates but it's the same noise when opening or closing.
Once the car is locked, it's second nature to me to check by giving the door handles a pull - but the Honda has none of that ......wifey has to walk away and when out of range, I can check to see if the darn thing is locked.
Another moan....even a fly inside will set the alarm off - unbelievably sensitive.
John

 

[johnny2007]

with ours you have to disable it every time you start it, there is no setting to permanently disable it as there is in my mothers car.

I have found though, it only stops the engine at a certain brake peddle pressure, so if I am very gentle with the brake pddle at junctions it won't stop the engine. It really is a pain in the arse feature of the car (along with keyless ignition)

What don't you like of the keyless system?

 

[mointainwalker]

For sure, the car does make reassuring(!) clunks when the locking operates but it's the same noise when opening or closing.
Once the car is locked, it's second nature to me to check by giving the door handles a pull - but the Honda has none of that ......wifey has to walk away and when out of range, I can check to see if the darn thing is locked.
Another moan....even a fly inside will set the alarm off - unbelievably sensitive.
John

Sorry, don't see problem. You disembark and after 10 m it goes "clunk " : all locked.... or ?

 

[Burnerman]

Key in my pocket, I switch the engine off, get out and press the tit on the door handle......the car locks.
Then, just to make sure, I try the door handle before I walk away - and it's unlocked itself for my convenience.
I guess it has it's good side.....if you approach the car it unlocks itself just as you arrive. Or wasn't it locked in the first place?
John

 

[Munroast]

What don't you like of the keyless system?

I have twice now spent ages searching for the key fob at the other end of my journey - with the traditional key in the ignition that has never happened. I'm now wearing the f'n thing like a necklace. Must look like farkwit of the year with my mercedes medallion. Piece of F'n junk

Can't really switch the car off when in it and enjoy a bit of silence. Normally you pull the key out and the car or van goes into sleep mode, with this stupid car we have now if you are in it, even with the engine off there are all these computer fans whirring away. You have to go and hide the key fob in a field and then come back and get in the car for a bit of peace and quiet

And what advantage is there in this stupid system, instead of turning a key you have to press a button, WOW! - god knows how much I have paid for this unwanted pointless function.

I hate these new cars that are full of pointless useless crap that when it goes wrong will only be repairable at the main dealer at vast expense.

 

[Stivino]

Not to mention the faffing about trying to get the radio to stay on for the length of time that I am washing or hoovering the car. I prefer to have the key in the ignition at accessory position when I'm playing with the car.

 

[EddieM]

I hired a car recently that had all this keyless malarkey, I had real trouble actually driving the thing, too many driver "aids" for my liking, lane assist is annoying, all the gadgets and gizmos are a distraction to me and the keyless thing was a nightmare. You have to remember my normal drive is a 16 YO car, which doesn't have many of these new accessories.

 

[johnny2007]

I have twice now spent ages searching for the key fob at the other end of my journey - with the traditional key in the ignition that has never happened. I'm now wearing the f'n thing like a necklace. Must look like farkwit of the year with my mercedes medallion. Piece of F'n junk

Can't really switch the car off when in it and enjoy a bit of silence. Normally you pull the key out and the car or van goes into sleep mode, with this stupid car we have now if you are in it, even with the engine off there are all these computer fans whirring away. You have to go and hide the key fob in a field and then come back and get in the car for a bit of peace and quiet

And what advantage is there in this stupid system, instead of turning a key you have to press a button, WOW! - god knows how much I have paid for this unwanted pointless function.

I hate these new cars that are full of pointless useless crap that when it goes wrong will only be repairable at the main dealer at vast expense.

But you can always use it as a normal key, unless Mercedes is different from audi and VW.
As said, when you get out of the car, you press the button on any door, then you have 5 seconds to try the handle.
Won't reopen unless you wait and touch the handle again

 

[Brigadier]

Haha, I doubt it... with electric cars I wouldn't be at all surprised if one was forced to subscribe to a manufacturer in order to receive critical software updates. I think I'll stick to ICE engines until I stop driving.

By the tone of some of your posts Eddie, I thought you'd already all but retired from driving

 

[EddieM]

By the tone of some of your posts Eddie, I thought you'd already all but retired from driving

Only by dint of the fact I seldom have the need to drive, I mean ~800 miles between May 2019 and Oct 2020 counts as almost never driving.

 

[ReganAndCarter]

My 1981 Ford Escort had a start/stop engine but not by design.

Triumph were ahead of the game. My '76 Dolly had this feature too.

Stop start on certain vehicles seems ridiculous. On the rare ocasions I travel by bus, they are constantly stopping and starting the engines at stops within seconds. Wear on engine and components must be high.

 

[ReganAndCarter]

And what advantage is there in this stupid system, instead of turning a key you have to press a button, WOW! - god knows how much I have paid for this unwanted pointless function.

I hate these new cars that are full of pointless useless crap that when it goes wrong will only be repairable at the main dealer at vast expense.

I am hanging onto my immaculate 1986 MK1 80,000 miles Carlton in it's nice dry garage to save myself the future pain of nightmare modern cars with tons of unnecessary junk. It's the CDi model so has all the toys needed for motoring bar one - a/c. But I suppose that could be retro-fitted if I could be arzed.

Why do we get conned into making our lives so complicated?

 

[Munroast]

I am hanging onto my immaculate 1986 MK1 80,000 miles Carlton in it's nice dry garage to save myself the future pain of nightmare modern cars with tons of unnecessary junk. It's the CDi model so has all the toys needed for motoring bar one - a/c. But I suppose that could be retro-fitted if I could be arzed.

Why do we get conned into making our lives so complicated?

I had a Maestro Van and the seat in was bolluxed (previous driver was about 25 stone or something) Anyways, went down the scrappies and got the drivers seat out of a Carlton that had been totalled. It was the most comfortable drivers seat I ever had, done huge mileage on it.