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The Forum > General Discussion > Automobile Technology - And the elderly:

Automobile Technology - And the elderly:

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These new cars must be an auto electrician's dream.

My main concern with all the new bells and whistles on cars these days is that there is so much more that can go wrong. I'm already cursing an electric window in my thirteen-year-old car that no longer works.

I also get frustrated when I drive a car that doesn't allow me to take the keys out because I haven't slipped it into "Park" yet; or doesn't allow me to slip it into "Drive" because my foot isn't on the brake. Not allowing a manual car to start unless your foot is on the clutch makes sense, but if I go to slip an automatic car into "Drive" without having my foot on the brake, then I bloody well want to be able to do it. Just imagine not being able to drive your car because one of these mechanisms failed. This is probably why I like manual cars so much: manual transmission seems like the one piece of control I still get to exercise over a car.

But these are all first world problems.
Posted by AJ Philips, Monday, 26 May 2014 3:47:58 PM
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'afternoon to you; JOSEPHUS, WM TREVOR, HASBEEN and PERICLES...Thank you all for replying to my simple topic.

Hi there HASBEEN...

'Hooning' around in a seventies model 5.8 Falcon, between Hornsby & Gosford, wasn't too bad really. Putting the fear of God into the hearts and minds of the many ne'er do wells who chose to run the Pacific Hwy. gauntlet, was satisfying. Considering some of the worst and most horrific fatal's, we're 'forced' to attend as a consequence of their total traffic madness!

A question if I may ? This German beast whenever it stops at traffic signals, or on any other occasion, it automatically switches 'off' the engine. Ostensibly, so we're told, for the purposes of saving fuel ?

I readily acknowledge my understanding of automotive mechanics may be essentially rudimentary, to me by re-cranking the engine in order to re-start it, on each and every occasion the engine is automatically turned off, seems absurd even counterproductive to me ? To my way of thinking, it only serves to increase a much greater level of wear 'n tear, to such tenuous componentry as the battery, and the starter motor, fuel pump etc, particularly on very cold mornings ?

Like 'em or hate 'em, the Germans make a fair sort of car. Nevertheless, it's for this reason I just can't figure out why such a feature has been firstly engineered, and then introduced into such a reasonably regarded marque ? Come on HASBEEN, you're the 'go to man' on such perplexing questions and answers, please ?

Hi there WM TREVOR...

If the standard of motor car was juxtaposed by my previous rank, the only individual who just might be at risk of being deprived of his 'ride' might be poor ol' Mr Bean ? Many thanks indeed for you response, I greatly appreciate it.
Posted by o sung wu, Monday, 26 May 2014 5:03:20 PM
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The more Toys you get, the more you have to fix ! Once there broken you cant just open the bonnet and fix it yourself, you will have to pay through your nose instead ! I prefer the cars of yesterday, a bit of elbow grease a second hand part and your off and running, and whats even better, no beep beeps and ding dings as you drive along !
Posted by trapdiocan, Monday, 26 May 2014 5:04:14 PM
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Sorry o sung, I really don't know what system they use. I certainly hope it is not the old bendix starter motor system, which is a rather rough engagement. I assume they have a soft engagement of the gears, effected before the power is introduced.

I expect they have introduced it to counter the promotion of it as an advantage of the dreadful hybrid things. They have a huge battery capacity compared to normal cars, to provide the starting power.

As we now see, many modern turbo diesels are achieving the same or better economy as the hybrid, & this may be one of the ways they are doing it.

I wonder how they handle morning peak hour in places like the Gold Coast expressway. When I have had to use it, the usual progress through the Springwood area is about 6 car lengths between stops. I wonder how many starts the battery can supply.

Aston Martin went all up market with the first electronic instrument display quite a few years back now. The huge warrant claims sent them bankrupt for the second time, allowing Ford to buy them. I hope your electronid wizard device is better proven.
Posted by Hasbeen, Monday, 26 May 2014 5:54:43 PM
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Good evening; HASBEEN, A J PHILIPS & TRAPDIOCAN...

Thanks HASBEEN for trying to figure out exactly what technology they employ and how they achieve it ? Having opened the bonnet myself, I peered in and was confronted with this completely sealed unit, obviously designed to defeat all efforts by meddling busybodies like myself, from mucking about with their precious German engineering. With the only (apparent) permissible access points, being the usual filling ports for oil, windscreen washers, brake fluids etc., and nothing else that may tempt an old goat like moi, from interfering with their pretentious little car out of sheer inquisitiveness !

I tend to agree with our friends A J PHILIPS and TRAPDIOCAN when they both said, the more 'bells and whistles' you have, the more things that can go wrong, and the costly it becomes ? I might add for the record, these tricky little bits will never wear out on my account, because I have absolutely no idea how they work or what they do ?

I might add it's all rather annoying you know, when one is confronted by the immutable fact of how dull witted one becomes in old age ? In conclusion, I'd like to thank you one and all, for your various levels of commiserations and moral support you've extended me, during this time of immense trial of purchasing a new car ?
Posted by o sung wu, Monday, 26 May 2014 10:39:12 PM
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< I wonder how they handle morning peak hour in places like the Gold Coast expressway. When I have had to use it, the usual progress through the Springwood area is about 6 car lengths between stops. I wonder how many starts the battery can supply. >

They don't use the battery, Hasbeen. When the engine stops the computer knows which cylinder is in the right place to fire. It injects a small amount of fuel into that cylinder, which in a warm combustion chamber instantly vaporises. It then fires the spark plug multiple times and away she goes. If the engine doesn't start, it tries again, if that fails it engages the starter. At least, this is how the Audi's work.

Congrats on getting a new car o sung wu. I hope it gives you years of trouble free running.
Posted by RawMustard, Monday, 26 May 2014 11:15:25 PM
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