Had to get rental today so wives crv get airbags fixed.  Rental was brand new jeep compass.  Not sure if all gadgets are worth it.  Here is pic of center console.  Be nice to have some of stuff in a 2nd gen.  Wiring diagram probably need roll of butcher paper to get it all on.  Don't see how common guy can fix his own anymore.  Some things are nice but this is over kill.  

I use a rental car a few times a year for work.  I'm amazed how the base/mid-level cars of today are fitted with all the top gadgets, and more, than what was available on the premium model vehicles from only five years ago.

 

I consider myself a pretty techy person too who's fairly in touch with current day electronics.....but sometimes it takes me awhile to even figure out the computer like process of doing simple things like changing the radio station on these new cars.

That stuff seems to become the new norm in vehicles now, kind of like driving a computer, when it wears out and becomes outdated and gives you problems you just simply recycle it and get a new one, I think that’s the way the manufactures want it now days. 

 

Ya I like to keep the 2nd gen around too and even more the old bone stock 52 Chevy 

Back 30 years ago I worked forms contractor out of Dallas Tx. He flew me and the wife down for a Christmas party and we got a rental car. The vehicles we owned then were still old enough to have dimmer switch in the floor board and all the switches on the dash. It started raining and imhad pull off the highway and it took me 15 minutes just fugure where the wiper switch was. Looked every where but the turn signal arm. Learned a lot that day.

OP here...  When driving it home every red light the engine felt like it stopped and when light turned green and you stepped on the gas pedal it started.  

Auto start/stop.  Usually in FCA vehicles you can't turn it off.  

Just drove a rental F150 with that feature. It restarted every time I took my foot off the brake pedal. It also 10 speed auto in it.

 

Makes me wonder what kind of starter will hold up to that much use.

Most are switching to a 48V alternator/starter combo, similar to gas golf carts.  Audi calls it a BAS (belt alternator starter)

24 minutes ago, trreed said:

Most are switching to a 48V alternator/starter combo, similar to gas golf carts.  Audi calls it a BAS (belt alternator starter)

 

Interesting...i thought maybe engine cylinders quit except maybe

1 or 2 of them.  

Ive heard there’s work arounds to that, can’t remember off the top of my head how but sounded annoying.

16 minutes ago, 015point9 said:

 

Interesting...i thought maybe engine cylinders quit except maybe

1 or 2 of them.  

That's what they do for cruising to save fuel.  Some of the new Chevy 5.3L motors can run on one cylinder when cruising.

Edited June 1, 20186 yr by trreed

Some days I would love to jump into the newer technology but the same time I really don't want to have to learn all the repairing process and finding out all the special tools and diagnostic tools you need to fix these vehicles. 

 

Kind of like in the past older PC's I used to assemble had expansion slots for different add-ons. Now today most motherboards are designed with everything on board already. So now saying this its the same way with the vehicles back in the past you had options to add or remove different options. Now vehicles already come with all these option built-in and don't give you an option for change or modification much.