If it weren't for bad luck............

[Gregor 4,846]

I'd have no luck at all. 😕 A few weeks ago, I did a dumb thing, and backed into the street at the very worst moment.  Yep, I hit a car. :( Took the truck to the local body shop. It is a Nissan Titan. Titans have a small lockable storage area in the lower left side of the truck. Handy for storing hitches, chain, any number of things. Got the truck back, no storage area. OOPS ! They put on the wrong panel. Oh well, I can live without it, I needed my truck back. Then I discovered the back-up camera didn't work. Took it back for a day. They could not find the problem. I told them I would take care of it, I needed my truck back. Then I noticed my back-up lights were not working. Took it back for a day. They could not find the problem. Again, I told them I would take care of it, I needed my truck back. I fixed the camera, and the lights. 2 fuses. Two days ago, we had hail. Significant hail damage. I figured it was going back to the shop again, but I told them I needed my truck back. Now, it may be a moot point. Just to add insult to injury, last night, someone stole my truck. ARRRRGGGHHH !!  I NEED MY TRUCK BACK !

[Pullstart 62,834]

Wow, maybe you need a new truck Gregor?

[Ed Kennell 38,133]

19 minutes ago, Pullstart said:

Wow, maybe you need a new truck Gregor?

                       I was just thinking the same thing.

 

I was never a fan of bells and whistles on my vehichles, but I am impressed with Mrs. Ks new SUVs driver assist features.

Bells ring if an object is approaching when backing out in reverse and if you don't react, auto brakes are applied.

Bells ring and warnings flash in the drivers mirror if you attempt to change lanes with a car in the blind spot.

Steering wheel vibrates if you get close to the lane lines and it will make a steering correction if you don't make a correction.

When in cruise control mode, a preset safe distance with the vehicle in front is auto maintained by slowing and or stopping 

Auto hi low beams headlight control.

The auto assist can be set to meet the drivers needs.  From complete off to warning only  to complete brake and steering assist.

 

Oh, and it has Immoblizers to prevent theft.        

 

All some pretty good features for old drivers with poor memory, hearing , and stiff necks that don't turn.

 

 

 

[lynnmor 7,305]

You don't need your truck back, you need a new truck and a new body shop.  It is time to turn the page.

[SylvanLakeWH 25,534]

Wow... 

 

Just...

 

Wow... 

 

And to think two fuses stumped them... 

[Pullstart 62,834]

Also, sorry to hear what the world’s coming to…

[oliver2-44 9,729]

Sorry to hear, you gained some good Karma fixing things yourself

My body shop experience when the tree fell on my truck was about the same. 

Every body shop within 100 miles of here booked 6-8 weeks. All short workers and have Help Wanted signs out.

My truck went back twice, backup lights and paint issue.

My truck was painted the first week they switched to water based paint system.  Thank you EPA

For the 2nd repaint I said only use your old solvent based system. 

I know they will get the kinks out of switching paint systems, but not on me again. 

[Tractorhead 9,064]

Sorry to read about your Truck lost.
hope it will found quick without much troubles.

 

got a visit from few Friends the last 2 Months with their RV‘s while they be on the Way along.
They all where directly before in Companies for small fixes or even scheduled addon‘s like Solarsystem adding.
Mechanically they mostly did a good job, but Electric seems to be for them „the book with 7 seals“.

 

It shocks me, this „Companies“ wasn‘t even able to fix simplest electric failures and some built them.

 

Blown fuses be the simplest mistakes they be not found.

Beginning with completely wrong connected LiFePo Batteries even with completely wrong wire diameters

( much to thin) over loose batteries with wires over the poles completely without any fuses.

The best thing i found was a Solar system wich wasn‘t work after a additional solarcell was mounted.

Firstly i thought they connected it wrong together but i was wondering why it blinks on charging

but the Voltage tells me 0,16V with 15A of Charging. Connected without any Fuse to a multiple colorchanging wire.

That measurement gives me the right direction.

the Problem must be after the regulator.
one view and i found the „Problem“ when i removed the multicolordiameter Wire.

They connected the Solar regulators Output with the positive Output directly to Ground.

That simple.

They changed 5x the Solar Regulator and told him, his Solarpaneel seems to be defect...

no other problem can be found.....

 

i just wonder sometimes to myself

who and how had them  qualified to work on any electric systems....
 

[Gregor 4,846]

On 8/21/2023 at 7:26 AM, Ed Kennell said:

All some pretty good features for old drivers with poor memory, hearing , and stiff necks that don't turn.

Aint that the truth!

I use to hear these comments from "old timers" about declining senses, mobility, motor skills and such. I always thought they were exaggerating. Nope, they weren't.

[953 nut 55,188]

On 8/21/2023 at 8:26 AM, Ed Kennell said:

safe distance with the vehicle in front is auto maintained by slowing and or stopping

 

 

This can be a very aggravating safety feature.  One of my friends has a Honda SUV with full time "too close" deceleration/braking system. If you are in a slow moving line of cars and see an opening coming up in the faster lane and move over into the opening the brakes will be applied and the driver who is now behind you is likely to think you applied the brakes rather than the safety system. He is a very safe but somewhat aggressive driver and it is driving him crazy. The system can be turned off but you must do it each time you start the car.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

jump into that opening the brakes 

[Ed Kennell 38,133]

12 minutes ago, 953 nut said:

can be turned off but you must do it each time you start the car.

Not very user friendly.    Not the case with Mrs. Ks.     On hers all the driver assist features are selected and locked in and are the default.  Of course they can be changed at any time on the touch screen.     Her safe distance feature is only available when the cruise control is on.   Of course,  the brakes will be auto applied anytime a  collision is sensed.

 

One feature I can't lock in is the engine/transmission options.     It has three modes...economy, normal, and sport.   I like the economy mode because the acceleration and shifting is smoother, but the default goes to normal mode every time the engine is started and I have to push a button to change it to econ.    I may see if the Ford tecky can change this.    Probably not until it is out of warranty.

The other one I don't like is the engine shutting down when the car is not moving for more than 4 seconds.    This is a default and I must push an off button to disable it.

I do feel the good driver assist safety features out weigh these two that I chose not to use.

 

A note on the lane sensing feature.    Mrs. K always tended to hug the right side of the road.  When she first drove the car, she commented  the wheels needed aligned and balanced.

Yep, the vibrating steering wheel was trying to tell her she was on the right side white line.

 

 

[Tractorhead 9,064]

14 hours ago, 953 nut said:

 

 

 He is a very safe but somewhat aggressive driver and it is driving him crazy. 

 

 

 

are you talking about me 😄
Wow, that's an accurate description... 👍😎

I had a Peugeot from the company to drive to a client a few moons ago.
It's a brand new "Dunnowhatthe<censored>itwas" with all the blinkys and gadgets I don't normally need and have.
When I want to overtake a car, I turn left and floor the gas until I've overtaken, then let the car back slightly into the right lane.
As I passed the lane markings, the "system" snatched the steering wheel from my hand and held me back in the left lane.
Immediately afterwards, I couldn't understand the emergency braking in the middle of the left lane.
This system is dangerous to the public - how can such nonsense ever get approval.

Wtf, is that for a bullsh... yap, the thing is called - lane assistant - but please, who in the real mine needs that?

I almost got two heart attacks in that awful electric <censored> gadget garbage truck.

Next situation where when I want to pass a truck, I turn on the left traffic light, let a faster car pass and "try to move into the left lane"
Under normal circumstances, there's nothing secrecy except with that damn toy
When I turned left, "automatic emergency braking" was performed in the left lane with no prior warning.
A fast car coming up behind me almost crashes into this neverridesearch crap.
In a regular car without that blinkyhupy, I'm going to floor the pedal and line up with the other faster cars.

For me these are terrible scenarios
Even if these gadgets were to be installed for security reasons, the last situation was a no-go at all.

By the way. A simple distance beeper directly on the back does a good job as long as it can be switched off.

I love my analog car, even if it‘s 25 years old...

[Mickwhitt 4,612]

I had a mate in the accident investigation branch who refused to buy any vehicle that was cleverer than he was.  Automatic headlights or wipers or reversing, it was just all too much for him as he believed people should be able to drive cars, not cars. 

But he also hated buses on the roads and said if people couldn't afford a car they should be made to stay at home.

Oh and he also came up with a compilation music album called "Tunes to die for" if we had a fatal accident vehicle, he would see what track was playing on the cd player and add it to his list. 

He was a real hero of mine. 

[Handy Don 12,212]

A couple of months ago my spouse made it very clear that my 20-y.o., 300,000 mile car had to go. The new-to-me replacement has all the stuff @Ed Kennell notes and more.  I’ve chosen to take the long view and consciously use these “assists” for a good while to evaluate them. So far, most of them are winning me over, though in the same way we adapt to any other vehicle’s quirks I’ve been learning how this one behaves and in some cases, adjusting my own habits.

 

Adaptive cruise control keeps me at a safe following distance at all times. Yes, it sometimes brakes harder than I might because it cannot see three or four cars ahead of an impending slowdown so I now know to help it by “down clicking” to a lower setting or tapping the brake myself. True, it also doesn’t say anything when I was cruising at 70 and am now going 60 behind a slower driver, where my other car would creep up and try to rear-end the driver ahead. But isn’t it my responsibility to stay aware? (The car does have a “heads-up” speed display to help me out here.) I really appreciate that in slow traffic I can let the system handle the smoothing out of the stop and go and that it’ll ask me, after being stopped for 4 seconds and having the car ahead move off, “Do you want to resume driving?”

 

The lane keeping (Pilot Assist in my brand) initially irritated me, but I’ve grown to appreciate it. I realize that for years I’ve been driving too far to the right side of the lane and probably irritating plenty of other drivers. It also notices and calls out a lack of driver input on the wheel. If this were inattention (or worse, drowsing) it could prevent a crash. (This has a clear dashboard/heads up indicator and can be disabled with a simple keypress on the steering wheel for the current cruise control session or be temporarily suspended as long as a turn signal is operating). When hooking up my trailer to head to the Big Show, I learned that the car automatically detected it and disabled several feature like lane keeping, blind spot detection, and backup warnings because the body of the trailer would have continuously affected their operation--it did offer, though, to do a trailer lighting check by flashing them in a sequence.

 

The sensors and cameras for detecting too-close nearby objects (both moving and stationary) are also a win for me. Yes, they don't know that I am well aware of the bush on the side of the driveway that I must pass closely to get into the garage but they did see and warn me of a pedestrian obscured by shrubbery when I was backing out of an unfamiliar driveway and they slammed on the brakes when I might otherwise have backed into an unseen car speeding past my driveway.

 

I suspected the "engine off at stop” would be a real annoyance, but it just hasn’t been. The car has a separate battery for helping with restart so the engine is running before my foot moves from the brake to the accelerator to move off. The engine doesn’t stop if the A/C compressor is working on cooling the car. The same battery drives a supercharger so there is almost no acceleration lag and plenty of power. Passing is much more assured. Regenerative braking recharges the battery.

 

So overall I’ve been willing to invest some time to learn new behaviors and adjust old habits to take advantage of these safety offerings and, to me, it is paying off.

 

Edited August 23, 2023 by Handy Don

[wh500special 2,170]

On 8/22/2023 at 8:51 AM, 953 nut said:

 

 

This can be a very aggravating safety feature.  One of my friends has a Honda SUV with full time "too close" deceleration/braking system. If you are in a slow moving line of cars and see an opening coming up in the faster lane and move over into the opening the brakes will be applied and the driver who is now behind you is likely to think you applied the brakes rather than the safety system. He is a very safe but somewhat aggressive driver and it is driving him crazy. The system can be turned off but you must do it each time you start the car.

 

 

Aggressive drivers don't seem to be very satisfied with the driver assistance features in cars.  They feel that they are too intrusive or erratic in their responses, which may be fair points.

 

Honda permits the driver to shut off the Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) permanently and it keeps the selection through successive ignition cycles.  The Collision Mitigation Braking System (CMBS) is automatically reengaged every time the car is turned back on.  ACC is meant to be a convenience feature, CMBS is meant to be a means of minimizing damage or injury when things go wrong. CMBS might not prevent a driver from plowing into a stopped dump truck, but it will make efforts to scrub considerable speed before it happens.  ACC has a smaller operating window that might otherwise just let you hit that dump truck at full boogie if the conditions are right (wrong?) if you've turned off the CMBS.

 

ACC tries to maintain a preset following distance between his car and the car in front of him.  This distance can be selected from four levels.  Unlike a defensive driver who can look beyond the car in front of them and preemptively react to the situation, the radar (and sometimes camera) unit only watches the car in the same lane immediately in front of you.  It senses the distance and differences in velocity of the two cars to try to decide what to do.  If the cruise is set to 70 mph and you close in on a car that's doing 45, it's going to react more aggressively and abruptly than it would if you're closing on a car that's doing 65.  A good driver would see this coming beyond the programmed range of the radar and let off the gas or change lanes sooner.  Engineers could program the distance to be much longer, but they try to strike a balance between nuisance operation and usability.

 

CMBS does nothing to adjust speed or following distance until it thinks a collision is almost a certainty.  It will allow you to race up to the car in front of you and get pretty close before it first issues a warning to get the driver's attention and then applies the brakes with significant force.  It mostly tries to predict if the driver's actions are going to put the front bumper inside the car in front of it and reacts to lessen the impact of that situation.  If the driver makes no reaction to the predicted collision, it steps in.  Usually even the slightest accident avoidance action curtails its response.

 

These systems do not read every situation on the road appropriately.  On a gentle curve on a two lane road for instance they often see an oncoming car in the opposite lane as being in the same lane and think a collision may be imminent.  Driving habits - like introducing a steering input that puts the car on a path predicted to miss the oncoming car - can cancel the action, but there can be misfires.  Similarly, in the instance where you're coming up on a car that is clearly going to vacate your lane before you get there (as in the case of that car waiting to make a left turn through oncoming traffic) the car can't figure out what's going on so it may overreact.

 

It sounds like your friend might be using the systems outside their effective window or it is completely possible that the radar and camera in your friend's car needs to be calibrated or aligned.  If it's under warranty get it in there for a checkup.

 

My truck has yet to hit the brakes unexpectedly, but it does occasionally give me the "Oh my god you're gonna hit that car!" audio/visual warning on some roads in select situations.  i have yet to have it react in stop and go or heavy traffic, but I suspect it's my driving style of being preemptive on the gas and brake that keeps it from triggering.  I had a Nissan rental car that hit the brakes hard and unexpectedly one time when a piece of carboard blew across the road in front of me, so I can relate to how unnerving a misfire can be.

 

I do not like ACC.  I've given it a fair trial and it just doesn't match my driving style.  I have mine in normal Cruise Control mode permanently.  It works better for me, but all of my coworkers and friends who have it swear by using ACC in their cars.

 

When I bought the truck I thought there was no way I'd ever use or be able to get used to the lane centering or the other convenience and safety features.   I was hellbent on not needing this technology but I decided I need to give them a fair shot…otherwise I couldn't continue to pride myself on making objective decisions.  I do like the lane centering feature and find that I even miss it a bit when I get in one of my other (older) vehicles.  It doesn't allow me to daydream or not pay attention, but it does make long drives more relaxing.

 

What I really miss when I drive our oldest car is the backup camera.  I didn't realize I was even using them in the other cars, but I find myself making a quick glance at the dashboard radio before I back up the old car to make sure there is nothing immediately behind me that might be hiding from the side mirrors or below the back window...and there is no display there to show me the way.

And backup cameras are absolute game changers for hooking up a trailer.

 

 

Steve

Edited August 24, 2023 by wh500special

[Tractorhead 9,064]

@wh500special

What means Aggressive Drivers?

 

driving fast where you can has nothing to do with aggressiveness.

the beepy annoys me, that is fact.

We be in 21 century and cars just can „beep“ in different sounds instead they give clear advices like a talk with a nice human Voice before the Car‘s  take any action

should that be the actual hightec?

i find this a poor development and a way back instead ahead.

soundsystems be in each car wich be misused as „soundgenerator“ for hearing a bigger engine as it has.

why there is no voicemodul with a nice voice instead this annoying beepsounds?

Here on our autobahns you can on some parts drive as fast as you want.

There are 200 km/h on a free 3-lane highway, no turf as long as you drive with concentration, that's definitely required.

But if a driver with a speed of 80 km/h without any reason changes from the far right to the far left without looking, preferably without blinking, short in front of you then that is criminal brainless action and I already know that such drivers urgently need such little helpers.

 

Driving fast has nothing to do with aggressiveness for me, I do it where I can and where it's allowed.

But even at a speed of 90 km/h these "little helpers" would annoy me with their beepy.  

I like to have full control over what I'm doing.
Being patronized by any kind of technology is just not my thing, doesn‘t matter of what i‘m doing.

 

 

I recently saw an accident on a section of the Autobahn that I would be very interested in how it happened.

A brand new Cupra with all these little helpers and helpful thingis inside was on the roof in the ditch before a skid mark across all lanes - despite ABS in the box - and the car had hit the left and right in the crash barrier on a complete empty Autobahn.

Not a second vehicle to be seen far and wide, only police and ambulances.

Could the technology have failed?

Those are the questions I ask myself when I see something like this.

 

@Handy Don
that is a very good approach to consciously deal with such a vehicle or to decide for it.

It's a completely different situation than I had.

I don't want to demonize the whole technology in general, but if, like me, you just have to use such a vehicle "quickly" without being warned in any way, then it's very - let's say "adventurous and strange" - like this one Vehicles now patronize one.

From a certain age (please don't misunderstand now) or if you like it or if you have physical limitations,

it can also be quite sensible and relaxing.

 

However, I found it more than strange that the lane assistant wanted to pull the steering wheel out of my hand with a jerk when I was running back into the lane without any warning. A short vibration on the steering wheel in front of this reaction would not have scared me nearly as much.

I initially assumed it was a bursting tire and the “emergency braking” that immediately followed was completely terrible.

ok, that reaction may be a special peugeot „ gadget“ but it was senseless and even not helpful in this situation.

 

I drive long enough now - even on racetracks borderlining - to be able to react also on roadtraffic properly even with a bursting tire in the corner and I think I've had more than enough road and racetrack experiences to judge situations correctly for me.

That's why I feel that such "little helpers" are useless for me and annoying.

 

It may well be that I will see things differently in a few years or decades, but at the moment I'm too young for all this frills.
I don't have to play on my cell phone while driving either,

when I drive I drive and enjoy it.

[Handy Don 12,212]

1 hour ago, Tractorhead said:

accident on a section of the Autobahn

My preferred term is “crash” not accident, since nearly always one or more very poor decisions lead up to them.

 

I have driven the Autobahn and on open stretches hit close to 250 KPH for a short while. Before doing this, I took a course on driving in Germany and the teacher emphasized that if you choose to go fast, you are taking responsibility for the implications of your speed--including reduced time to react when slower traffic, which has an equal right to the road, is near.

I can understand your surprise (and frustration) when that car tried to force the steering, but must point out that you chose to drive a vehicle which had features you had not taken time to learn! 

 

I fully agree that speed doesn’t at all equal aggression. Aggression is assuming that one’s right to the road or right-of-way supersedes others’ rights or that legal obligations do not apply to oneself, only to others.

[The Freightliner Guy 1,327]

On 8/21/2023 at 5:01 AM, Gregor said:

I'd have no luck at all. 😕 A few weeks ago, I did a dumb thing, and backed into the street at the very worst moment.  Yep, I hit a car. Took the truck to the local body shop. It is a Nissan Titan. Titans have a small lockable storage area in the lower left side of the truck. Handy for storing hitches, chain, any number of things. Got the truck back, no storage area. OOPS ! They put on the wrong panel. Oh well, I can live without it, I needed my truck back. Then I discovered the back-up camera didn't work. Took it back for a day. They could not find the problem. I told them I would take care of it, I needed my truck back. Then I noticed my back-up lights were not working. Took it back for a day. They could not find the problem. Again, I told them I would take care of it, I needed my truck back. I fixed the camera, and the lights. 2 fuses. Two days ago, we had hail. Significant hail damage. I figured it was going back to the shop again, but I told them I needed my truck back. Now, it may be a moot point. Just to add insult to injury, last night, someone stole my truck. ARRRRGGGHHH !!  I NEED MY TRUCK BACK !

maybe next time leave it looking clapped out oooorr take teh tires and have the rotors on cinderblocks cant steal it then

[wh500special 2,170]

@Tractorhead

 

My definition of an aggressive driver does include speed, but it’s more broad than that.

 

Aggressive drivers are those of us who always feel the need to be up in the front of the pack or passing everyone else on the road.  Most of the time it shows up with frequent and rapid bursts of acceleration and braking…rushing up to the cars in front of them and then applying the brakes to reign it in.  Being quick to jump into the intersection when the stoplight turns green, frequently sailing through the intersection on a yellow, not wanting to yield lane position to merging traffic…these sorts of things.  It’s generally being impatient or unforgiving of others’ driving or mistakes and making the roadway a competitive zone.

 

I wish I could say this aggression was a city behavior or a rural behavior, but it doesn’t seem to know boundaries.  It’s easy to spot though.

 

A large percentage of the interstate highways here in the USA are very open and relatively free from traffic.  Many probably resemble your Autobahn or other European roadways with no posted speed limits.  There are some locations in the American West where there aren’t posted speed limits, but most areas are limited to 65 or 70 mph (100-115 kph).  On many occasions when I host international visitors – especially those from Germany and Italy – they remark how off it is that we have such low allowable speeds.  I can’t help but think the pockmarked roads and crumbing bridges probably have a lot to do with this…

 

It’s very common for people who I really wouldn’t otherwise consider to be aggressive drivers to exceed those speeds.  The Police seem to be largely indifferent to some degree of speeding and – I presume – focus on those motorists who are presenting hazards in some other way.  For what it’s worth, I don’t usually exceed the speed limit as long as traffic allows.  It’s not that I’m prudish or a model citizen, but rather it’s because my cars (every car in fact) gets better fuel economy at lower speeds than at higher and I am an extremely cheap person at heart.

 

I am not a technology obsessed person at all.  I don’t play video games, have a Wi-Fi thermostat, or update my iPhone with every new iteration.   But I find when used within the intended boundary conditions a lot of this driver assistance technology is quite helpful.  It’s proving to be reasonably reliable and effective and insurance companies – who keep the most accurate and detailed actuarial statistics on the planet – are rewarding drivers whose cars have this equipment.  So it’s generally a win…with limitations.

 

3 hours ago, Handy Don said:

I fully agree that speed doesn’t at all equal aggression. Aggression is assuming that one’s right to the road or right-of-way supersedes others’ rights or that legal obligations do not apply to oneself, only to others.

 

That is a beautifully articulate way to phrase what I was trying to say.  I didn't see it until I'd written my epistle.

 

Generally the lane keeping, lane centering, and lane departure prevention systems immediately disengage with actuation of the turn signal.  It's possible the Peugeot system takes its own path...as the French auto industry has been known to do.

 

Steve

 

Edited August 24, 2023 by wh500special
quote

[Ed Kennell 38,133]

3 hours ago, Tractorhead said:

I recently saw an accident on a section of the Autobahn that I would be very interested in how it happened.

A brand new Cupra with all these little helpers and helpful thingis inside was on the roof in the ditch before a skid mark across all lanes - despite ABS in the box - and the car had hit the left and right in the crash barrier on a complete empty Autobahn.

Not a second vehicle to be seen far and wide, only police and ambulances.

Could the technology have failed?

Those are the questions I ask myself when I see something like this.

Mechanical and now electronic failures will always be a cause of some accidents.

 

Auto accidents result in over 40,000 deaths annually in the USA.       With 30% of them caused by impaired (DWI) drivers.   Most of these deaths are caused by impaired drivers crossing into the oncoming traffic.    Some good defensive drivers may be able to avoid these killers, but not all.    I wonder if these deaths will decrease or increase as more driver assisted autos fill our highways.

 

[Tractorhead 9,064]

2 hours ago, Handy Don said:

My preferred term is “crash” not accident, since nearly always one or more very poor decisions lead up to them.

 

I have driven the Autobahn and on open stretches hit close to 250 KPH for a short while. Before doing this, I took a course on driving in Germany and the teacher emphasized that if you choose to go fast, you are taking responsibility for the implications of your speed--including reduced time to react when slower traffic, which has an equal right to the road, is near.

I can understand your surprise (and frustration) when that car tried to force the steering, but must point out that you chose to drive a vehicle which had features you had not taken time to learn! 

 

I fully agree that speed doesn’t at all equal aggression. Aggression is assuming that one’s right to the road or right-of-way supersedes others’ rights or that legal obligations do not apply to oneself, only to others.

 

No, it was definitely not my decision,
I liked to ride my own Car and cash later for the Fuel, but while it was a Company ride i must use this Vehicle.
That was Company Order - not my own decision.

 

i know if i ride fast or slow, i allways take all responibilities for my driving, and i have no problem with that.

With my Car i be able to handle such situations by myself, if i fail, i made a Crash. That simple

I Fail = Boom = expensive.

 

But this changes if any unwanted or unknown Action by a car itself is taken without any warning or knowledge it does.
Training on a Car - huh, sorry, but that‘s a little funny for my opinion.

if you need a Training periode or a Paperwork for any thing to being used, trash it!
If it is not self explanating,  its not logical, it is for the bin nothing for me - that‘s my statement.

if such a Gadgeto mobil needs urgently such a huge briefing and a Training to be used, it‘s definitely nothing for me.
I have decades of crashfree drivings and i can live with that.

 

it have 4 Wheels or chains and an Engine, brakes, steering wheel or levers - let’s go ride it.

Explain me in short what lever is for what and i will find my Limits.

The only differences for me are different lenghts sizes and weights what results mostly in completely different drive dynamics.
This can be feeled, tested and be calculated. You decide where your limits are.

- Get in and test to find your limits on the save Track then go out anc race, but don‘t get in and estimate your limits on the Racetrack-
that was a important sentence one of my drivercoach on Racetracks teaches me and he was right.

Unsure or estimate driving  - result mostly in Crashes - that simple the equation is.

Driving dynamic differs from one vehicle to another that‘s the truth, but unknown taken action by any gadgets can‘t be calculated in such an equation,
you just have to trust blind to all the technic, if it works - all is fine
but what if it fails?
 

[Tractorhead 9,064]

Ed, i understand your statement and question

but any assistance systems and ai be not the holy gral.

the ability to drive should not be just secured by any technical gadgets.

 

A little piece of basement intelligence should be happen to drive a Car or Truck.

Shure Assistance systems be a huge benefit for older or even for disabled persons

there‘s no doubt about it.

 

 But letme explain what i mean.

i be shocked, how often every day i. the morning Drivers come my lane with cellphone in hands.

yap i love my Horn in this situation.thinking about a trainhorn, but that‘s a different Story.

 

But tell me, wich gadget in my car can give this idiots their brain back.

if he crashes into my car, should i be guilty than just while i have no assistance systems.

 

all this gadgets in my Car may should be shure good addons, but they ain‘t be the brain of the opposite driver who plays on his cellphone and it is independent how fast i drive, if this driver go fast into my lane, no assistance system can help me.

cellphone using while driving is prohibited in our street law but i can each week have at leas an easy peasy accident with such brainless idiots.

one Valley ahead they plan to install a fix traffic camera because of lots accidents happens in last year.

ask me why the leaving the lane....

 

[Ed Kennell 38,133]

11 minutes ago, Tractorhead said:

if this driver go fast into my lane, no assistance system can help me.

I agree, but my point is if the driver assist is in place, it may just prevent the idiot from crossing into your lane in which case the driver assist of the idiots auto may save you.

 

Maybe I should add.    I would never ride in any auto that is on auto pilot.      I don't even like to ride in an auto unless I am the driver.

As stated earlier, there are some features of the driver assist system that I like and am certain help prevent the type of accident that @Gregor experienced when he started this thread.     My rear sensing system has all ready alerted me of people and autos crossing behind me while I was backing out of parking spaces and my driveway.

Edited August 24, 2023 by Ed Kennell

[Tractorhead 9,064]

13 hours ago, Ed Kennell said:

I agree, but my point is if the driver assist is in place, it may just prevent the idiot from crossing into your lane in which case the driver assist of the idiots auto may save you.

 

 

So far i agreed, if technic works right, you be right.
But my experiences with that lane assist in that Peugeot was, 
if there are no lane markings, there is no correct function of the System. 
That is what i means with system failures. Not all the nice electronic gadgets for my opinion be senseless.

 

I see all that gadgets and gimmicks implementation more global.

Here in our Outbacks we didn‘t have any roadmarkers in the middle except sometimes only outlines.
in the Passage where i ride every morning they don‘t have middlemarkers at all until now.
They reworked this Lane and until now no roadmarking are made.

That is one of the big fails imho this systems have. What is on gravelroads?

Don‘t missunderstood me, but i be a damn realist and if i get a Gadget, i tested it out with all circumstances i can imagine.
The distance Assistance i.eg for me is a absolut sensefully Thing, 
but pleas with a prewarning not only a emergency Brake for whatever reason.
I be also a „Toykid“ and love nice and useful gadgets, but i ain‘t like gadgets they be imperfect.

Toy‘s for the Kids but before they be approoved on the Road, they should also be able to handle unexpected situations.
my own experiences be - they have actual touch too much mistakes.

A human driver - even if he‘s just a little knowledged - can estimate how wide his car is.
That is here common part of the Drivertraining to find a spot into your car near the Dash where you be able to see if it fits or not.
The AI vehicles seems doesn‘t. They have sensors that‘s it, what is, if a sensor is dejusted?

 

 

@ Handy Don 
I tried it now few times when i have any Company ride for different testing what they can handle and what not.
even on Trucks (beginning from Ford Pickups ( Ranger ) Mercedes Trucks - like Atego or Vans like Sprinter and MAN up to 18to.) when i must do a Testdrive. Some of them just beeps for a Warning - as mentioned a selectable voice male or female sounds nicer- 
but few reacts in some situations absolutely over the top.

you talk just about your Vehicle, i have sadly few more to test.

The newer the Cars( and trucks) the more they have any Gadgets in.

The art of implementing give me the choice if i find it useful or dangerous or even senseless.

 

 

 

The newest Trucks have now since last year a Telematics Unit into the Truck that must work 24/7
To do this, it is passed by the Mainpower Switch and draw continousely between 1-3 Amps.

 

ok, small calculations- 
Actual MAN 18To. chassis RV truck consumpts in middle equated 2A continousely for that gadgets !!!!
that be divided by the Battery Capacity 120Ah /2=60h
That means 60h/24h=2,5days

This gadgets kills a Truckbattery in just 2,5 Day‘s.

 

Such a Truck with 120Ah batteries is Empty in less than a Week.
That is unusable sensless Crap for a RV Truck that should be independently even for some Construction Company Trucks they must lives little Outback with no Powerlines.
sorry, but that‘s my opinion.

 

 

The Alcomat ( measures Air alcohol ratio to prevent a drunken Start) they need now is one of this Systems they passing this Switch.

no doubt about, that the Alcomat is sensefully for itself, but how it is implemented actually is completely Idiotic.
like - operative hektive exchanges brainless.

That also be points i must have tested when i talk about sense and senseless gadgets.

 

For a private guy who can connect his Car or Truck in or near his Garage each day close to a Powercord

this can be useful, but not for all Customers.

Shure it can be fitted with Solarcell, but what is, if 4 day‘s rainy weather and solar is not available to recharge?

 

 

The last Electric Vehicle we tested has 70% charged Drive batteries, but the Starterbattery ( a 12 v battery)

was empty because of that Gimmicks.

It parks aside, where no Power is available, for a restart you need after 2 weeks a Jumpstarter.

- cool 70% drive battery, but you can‘t move the Truck any cm or meter because of a discharged Starterbattery.

idiotic implementations in my opinion and with all these knowledge i should blind trust any other implementations.

 

sorry, but i can‘t

Edited August 25, 2023 by Tractorhead
Corrected