What gadget did your vehicle come with that you like the most?
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SQUEEKY2 (
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November 19th, 2017
And what gadget do you like the least?
I bought a new truck this year and it came with power windows and, power door locks.
I have come to like the power door locks but still don’t care for the power windows.
People think I greatly dislike technology, that is not quite true I greatly dislike gadgets, that most times fail and are quite costly to fix.
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57 Answers
Not a gadget, but I appreciate the dark almost black windows. It’s a great boon in hot summers.
I quite like the bell that’s fitted to the handlebars.
Does it sound like the ice cream man’s bell?^^
I love my butt warmer!
What I don’t like is that you can set the seats to match whoever is driving at the time. Apparently I set mine when I had on high heels and I can’t figure out how to change it now. It’s just me being technically challenged.
And @SQUEEKY2, I also fought electric windows until it was just useless. I go over 6 bridges to and 6 bridges from work every day. I always worry that the bridge will fall and I’ll end up in the water with no way out because the electric will have buzzed out.
I look at my “Back-up Camera” every time, I back up. I hear they will be required on all vehicle in the near future.
Like @chyna I love my heated seats!!! The rest is just gravy. Some things are fine, others just irritate me, but nothing is a really big deal.
But oh, to have a warm butt…mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
Just discovered that my car has plugins for charging cell phones! Love it.
@SQUEEKY2 No, fortunately. It is a very simple bell and looks like this
Automatic doors, toilet, and the train driver.
@marinelife Most vehicles have plugins for charging cell phones,unless you are talking about a usb port that can be used to charge them as well.
@Tropical_Willie an you are sure that will be where you want it after a violent entry into a body of water, or you can even reach it?
WE had one of those mounted in one of our loaders,and I like the idea of it just as long as it stays where you put it ,and you can reach it under extreme conditions.
Please enlighten us on what gadgets irritate you @canidmajor ,and would you pay to have them repaired if they failed on your vehicle?
At this time of year it gets dark at 4:30PM and I like the blinky tail light on my bicycle. Well, on my belt.
I miss the windows and sun roof that closed when I turned the key to lock my ‘97 VW Jetta.
Also the Jetta had a clever intermittent windshield wiper setting. You set it on intermittent, then off, then back to intermittent. The off time became the interval setting. If you kept it off for two seconds, the interval was set for two seconds. If you kept it off for five, then you had five second wipers.
OK, the touch screen for handling stuff like the radio and the other settings. When the sun is just right, it’s a source of glare. I’m pretty sure it’s covered on the warranty, so it would be an inconvenience to replace/repair. Otherwise I just ignore the stuff that I don’t use.
Frankly, I tend not to stress about this stuff.
Was that enlightening enough, @SQUEEKY2, or do you need more? :-)
Because I don’t spend a fraction if the time driving as I suspect you do, @SQUEEKY2, these things will be much less of a source of stress for me. Your livelihood, and your life, will often rely on these things being in perfect working order on your rig, so you’ll be hyper aware of them on your personal vehicle as well.
True, and I stress about these items that I didn’t want on my personal vehicle because I didn’t have the option of saying no to these gadgets that are coming more and more on the todays vehicles.
I do kinda miss the basics as well, @SQUEEKY2.
But like I said getting to really like the power door locks,once in a while I would second guess myself if I had locked my truck as I was pulling out with my semi and would stop run back and check now all I do is point the fob and click see the lights flash and horn beep and I know it’s locked.
@SQUEEKY2 The window breaker is attached to the driver’s seat belt.
That would work as long as it is a comfortable spot.
Like I said I do like the idea of them.
I do wonder would it be hard to break the window if the vehicle was full of water??
You break out the side windows while there is still air to breathe.
My 97 Nissan pick up? The intermittent wiper.
My 56 Pontiac? The heater being under the driver’s seat. (And the defroster was in the dash where it belonged!)
^I plan on getting me and everyone in the family one for Christmas. It is very inexpensive to save a life.
Oh yes! Heated seats! They’re also perfect for keeping an Egg McMuffin toasty until you get where you’re going!
I have had cars before that had heated seats and they can be wonderful. My current car has them. But the twist I think I like better is that the seats also have cooling/air conditioning. Wonderful on hot days.
I have never used my heated seats. But I had a little dog who would step on the buttons as she jumped between the front and back seats. I wouldn’t notice until my butt was baking. Bummer in August.
Our three temp heated seats & CD player.
Boy,heated seats are sure a winner with the ladies!
I like the power brakes and power steering, and the speaker system.
I can’t think of much else “tech” that I like much at all. The seat controls are pretty good, I guess.
Mostly I dislike the rest of the “high tech” nonsense, as it seems mostly worse than the “lower tech” versions, worse than nothing, and/or it breaks in ways that makes it a problem.
The most hated is a toss-up between:
* the broken LIGHT CONTROL UNIT, a $600 computer for the #$&*@$ headlights, which flashes the high beams at random unless I completely disconnect the high beams.
* the moronic failure of the #@&% over-complicated rear-view mirror design, which involves two light sensors and attempts to control the reflectivity of the rear-view mirror to automatically reduce the brightness of over-bright headlights blinding the driver, without requiring the driver to flip the mirror… so they removed the ability to flip the mirror manually BUT IT DOESN’T REALLY WORK VERY WELL, SO YOU JUST HAVE TO DODGE THE LIGHT!
I also hate (but less) the stupid beeping door lock, the stupid false-alarm system, the broken CD changer deadweight, the useless and broken cup holders, the eroding LED displays, the text alert display that is too dim to read except in the dark and that vanishes after a few seconds, and probably some other useless stupid junk I’m not thinking about.
Loved your answer @Zaku , and people wonder why I want a simple plain jane vehicle.
Too much of this wonder tech shit breaks down and costs a fortune to fix it.
That took a while @SQUEEKY2 to get get to “Technology is S&*T” !
You’re in a rut, not saying it is good or bad but you have a “one track mind”.
Show me where it is great @Tropical_Willie and I might change my one track mind, so far I haven’t seen it, other than the ladies love the heated seats.
I see it is something that really isn’t needed , (on a vehicles at least) and costs a freakin fortune to repair when it fails and it usually does at some point fail.
And what frosts my one track mind is most manufacturers have stopped giving the consumer the option of not having it on their vehicles, NO they just come with it, so bend over and accept it.
In 1998 I had the option of ordering a very plain jane truck,and in the 19 years I had it I had very little go wrong with it.
In 2017 all I had was the least plain one the dealer had to offer and it still had a ton of crap on it,at least it has a full 7 years warranty on it but after that we will have to see how it lasts.
And I must point out @Tropical_Willie I am not against true technology, BUT true technology is about innovation and advancement NOT gadgetry that most people get all caught up in.
Oh, @SQUEEKY2, surely you realize that there can be advantages to the things you hate so much? Your disdain for heated seats for “the ladies” is silly. The arthritis I’ve had to deal with since I was 25 (not sex-linked, by the way) causes me a LOT of pain. The heated seats alleviate that pain dramatically from October to April. The variable intermittent wipers are helpful on longer drives when the intensity of precipitation waxes and wanes, The rear and side view cameras help me at night.
You can’t get what you want because there’s not enough market for it. This stuff is innovative stuff, even if its uses now include comfort for passenger vehicle drivers. I am probably a safer driver if my pain is lessened, my windshield is clearer and my night vision enhanced my the mirrors.
You will be much less stressed (and less prone to shingles, BTW) if you can learn to shrug this stuff off.
@canidmajor I don’t dislike the heated seat thing at all, but you know what?
That is actually an option you can opt out of.
You do make a point that things I can’t opt of, is not in the manufacturers interest to do it for less than 1% of the market.
But then again why did they offer it in 1998 if that is the reason?
Intermittent wipers have been around since the late 70’s maybe even earlier but haven’t researched it, and that technology is actually good, not a rearview mirror that automatically moves to night driving because we can’t be bothered to reach up and move the lever on the mirror.
But @SQUEEKY2, to use your example, the technology of the day-to-night automatic rear view mirror was very likely not originally developed for regular passenger vehicles, but simply adapted to it. It was probably a military development, things like that very often are. It’s a convenience for some, a extra safety feature for others. Just because you don’t like/want them doesn’t mean only lazy people do.
Arguing with the examples I gave is silly, all of them represent technological advances at some point in automotive history which I’m sure some didn’t like.
Don’t like this stuff? Don’t use it. Don’t like the GPS? Use a map. Afraid the automatic windows will stop working? Never open them. And so on and so on. Railing against an entire enormous industry because you can’t go back to the ‘70s in your automotive choices is really a waste of energy.
But there’s a good project for you. Restore a classic.
Personally, I kinda miss those little wing windows in the front.
See @canidmajor THAT is my biggest complaint about these wonder gadgets that come standard on most of todays vehicles, I don’t like them, I have no need for them( great for the people that do) BUT I still have to pay for them, I still have to pay to have them repaired when these wonder gadgets fail and believe me in time they will fail.
Some of these wonder gadgets still give the consumer the option of not having them, but a lot come standard.
I will admit I didn’t want power windows or door locks , but have come to rather like the power door locks, the power windows not so much.
GPS you can opt out of,(THANK GOD) because it becomes outdated almost instantly on todays vehicles.
I have been learning that the rental industry can order a very plain jane basic, why can’t the average consumer?
I have learned a lot of people don’t care for all the wonder gadgets their vehicles come with,why can’t the automotive industry listen and still offer a plain jane to those that want one?
I will tell you it’s all money,they make a lot of money making people take them and charging them to fix them when they fail, it’s really all about money,not safety.
It would cost them more to have “special” vehicles without all the stuff you don’t like/want as these things are mass-produced. Like I said, if you restore a pre-“Squeeky’s doesn’t like this stuff” model, you could have a custom vehicle.
Please provide source > “I have been learning that the rental industry can order a very plain jane basic, why can’t the average consumer?”
I worked for a rental car company, they ordered vehicles middle to high end “loaded” for resell. Only exception was the “sub sub compact” with no A/C, roll-up windows and were the vehicles “Priceline” online customers ended up with.
I wonder why it is just the ladies, apparently, who love the heated seats? Is it because our body temps generally run colder than men and we have less insulation?
Yeah, women have more fat / insulation than men, even slender women so that wouldn’t account for it. Maybe we’re just keener on comfort?
I met a guy at the local coffee shop, he and his friends were out hunting and they came in a brand new Honda ridge line pick up, he turns out to own a Honda dealer ship in Vancouver,I told him the wife and I test drove the Ridge line, liked the truck and got turned off by all the gadgets the vehicle comes with, he said he is getting that complaint from a lot of people, I said then why doesn’t Honda offer a more plain jane version, he shrugged and said what could he do about it.
JUST pointing out it aint just me who doesn’t care for all the wonder gadgets, todays vehicles come with.
@SQUEEKY2, no one is arguing with you on that point. The thing is, lots of people do like those features. Probably more than don’t. The business is set up to meet the greatest demand. It’s just that simple.
I can just ignore features I don’t care for. When you think about it, even a plain Jane vehicle is a wonder of modern technology compared to buggies and covered wagons. I think a lot of it depends on where you were in your life when all TheThings came out.
@SQUEEKY2 do you like cruise control and electric windows? I remember when they came out when I was a teenager. Dad was really excited about it. What about radios and DVD players and such? What about when they moved the dimmer switch from the floor board to the blinker levers?
Can you describe what you consider a “Plain Jane” car to be? And we can ask “Would you want this or this…”
@SQUEEKY2 Thirty years ago Japanese auto manufacturers built the cars and sent them to the dealer. NO Dealer orders, you got what they made. Honda and Toyota were that way through the 1980’s and 1990’s.
I still think you end up with what the manufacturer made not what a dealer ordered. (No stripped down Ridgelines too big a profit margin).
By the way my local dealer can’t keep them on the lot, people come to the lot when the truck is unloading the Ridgelines; money in hand; 4Wheel drive and loaded go first. Those buyers don’t see things the way you do.
They over look the gadgets they don’t want because they want the freaking vehicle more, and don’t mind paying for the wonder gadgets that they will probably never use much less need.
I keep my vehicles for a long time, hence why I don’t want a shit load of wonder gadgets that with out a doubt in time fail, and cost a small fortune to fix or replace, some people like these tech goodies, but some don’t I am one of those that don’t.
I don’t want or need a GPS installed, they become out dated almost instantly and again costly to fix.
I don’t need a semi automatous feature that comes standard on the ridgeline, I could never trust it and I like driving I don’t want the vehicle to do it for me.
Another would be a self braking vehicle OMG I can do my own braking.
The industry puts these on todays vehicles in the name of safety, but in reality it is to drive the cost of the vehicle up to make bigger profits.
For people that love these gadgets great, but what about those of us that do not?
In 1998 I could factory order a plain jane pick up.that was only 19 years ago not the 1070’s why has the industry done away with that?
Think the oil field companies want a fully loaded crew cabs when their guys are climbing in covered in mud and dirt?
See @Tropical_Willie you even admitted it NO stripped down Ridglines to big a profit margin, if ya want that model you have to take all that comes on it and be happy about it,really is that for safety or profit?
By the way both the wife and I liked the Honda ridge line,and the cost wasn’t what had us walk away the fact we couldn’t opt out of most the gadgets did.
”OMG I can do my own braking” LOLLL! Right? I feel the same way. It’s to the point we don’t have to think at all when we get in a car. I suppose for many people that’s a good thing, because they never think about anything when they’re driving anyway, but for me it’s annoying.
To answer your question a few posts up @Dutchess_III , my new truck came with cruise control I haven’t used it at all, it came with power windows and power door locks I have come to rather like the power locks the windows not so much.
It has blue tooth connectivity for my cell phone that I have no intention of using my cell is off while driving big truck or my private one.
It also came with a years subscription of satellite radio that I will not renew,other than that the truck is plain jane which is what I want.
I super wish I could have gotten rubber floors,instead of carpet. but the dealer through in weather tech mats,that covers the floors nicely, but if you’re going to do that why not have rubber as an option, but oh no they don’t do that.
I like cruise control. It helps me maintain an even speed, although I was pretty spot on when I had cars without it. I nag my husband to use it because he tends to speed up when people pass him, like he’s racing. He has SO many bad driving habits he picked up racing, that are dangerous or annoying on the road. One time, in town, there was a gap of about 4 car lengths between us and the guy in front. It was 4 lanes. We were doing 30. Someone passed on the left, and, without thinking, Rick sped up and closed the gap so the guy couldn’t get in even if he wanted to. Exactly the wrong thing to do, IMO.
I remember my dad insisted on have locks you could pull up, even on his cars that had power locks. He said if you wind up in the river everything would short out and you couldn’t open the door. That was in the 70’s.
He probably should have insisted on having the option to physically roll down the windows too, for the same reason!
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