Modern cars and privacy

[curtis]

Best thing is to stay with an earlier car where you make the decisions. When I bought the Ford Kuga the salesman made much of all the automatic functions and each time I asked if they could be disabled. Fortunately there was a manual handbrake. There was no spare wheel and just an aerosol. What nonsense; No guarantee it will work when you need it and it doesn't do the tyre any good. Also, if you have a blow out as I did recently it's useless. So they put a spare in, albeit one of the skinny ones.

[niemeyjt]

Many "features" are generally bad for the car owner. I always reach for the "disable stop-start" on friends' Land Rovers which addresses some of the issues.

But no spare which "reduces the weight of the car so saves money" is probably my number two annoyance.

And don't get me onto modern contaminated fuels.

[Hotrodder]

We are all expected to embrace any new technology like good compliant sheeple.
The profit makers who shape our world know what's best for us.

[Polarengineer]

We are all expected to embrace any new technology like good compliant sheeple.
The profit makers who shape our world know what's best for us.

Perhaps it is those "sheeple" who bring it on themselves? The profit makers are fufilling some dumb demand in the market, gadget hunters, keeping up with the Jones. All these extras in a new car only complicate life and are an expensive pain when they fail. As for the BMW ruse, anyone buying the marque deserves to be ripped off for seeking a false status while there are better solutions for transport (as transport is the objective, no?)

[Bayleaf]

Adding to the above two posts, you can also "blame" advertising, media, etc. for convincing people that they need this and that, to get the latest model, bla bla bla.

We have to endure adverts on some of the channels we watch, and the only entertainment we get from them is ripping the p*ss out of the blatent rubbish they're pushing on the masses!

We've seen the light!

[Hotrodder]

We are all expected to embrace any new technology like good compliant sheeple.
The profit makers who shape our world know what's best for us.

Perhaps it is those "sheeple" who bring it on themselves? The profit makers are fufilling some dumb demand in the market, gadget hunters, keeping up with the Jones. All these extras in a new car only complicate life and are an expensive pain when they fail. As for the BMW ruse, anyone buying the marque deserves to be ripped off for seeking a false status while there are better solutions for transport (as transport is the objective, no?)

I disagree. The manufacturers are brainwashing the public with every ad they push trying to illustrate how much better our lives will be if we buy the latest crap that nobody really needs. They keep coming up with little gadgets and tweeks to make their offerings more tempting than that of the opposition. They work to convince us all that we want stuff we can't really afford.

I fully agree with your comment about the needless complication built in to new cars.
Don't get me started.......................

[Hotrodder]

A passing comment by someone on the radio this morning about proposed 20mph speed limits prompted another negative aspect. Now that all new cars appear to be connected to the internet (supposedly to allow performance and servicing updates to be remotely monitored) there is now the possibility (using gps) to monitor the speed limit at the car's location and take control to reduce its maximum speed to that limit. A simple process as an offshoot of all the technology developed for autonomous cars.

[RobertArthur]

Modern cars and safety. It is not my intention to echo Ralph Nader's "Unsafe at any speed". Modern cars are safer: crumple zones, air bags, blind spot detection, safety belts, stability control and convenient: backup camera.

Department gadgets: you are supposed to observe the traffic in front of you and around you, windscreen, windows, mirrors. Not to look at a huge screen infotainment system where simple functions sometimes are hiding deep down in a complicated menu system. And quite often is asking your almost constant attention with alarming beeps and flashing lights. Some cars allow you to switch off certain annoying warning signals, only to default to the original "everything on" when starting the engine the following day. Is this the best way to keep your concentration on the driving task?

Modern cars and maintenance: a lot of money goes to the design of all these safety gadgets. Less money available for bodywork and other traditional mechanical parts. Doors not opening because of a simple failure happens quite often. What about the lack of a real spare tyre?

[Hotrodder]

That has been a cost cutting exercise by the corporate bean counters for quite some time now. All in the name of the god Profit.

[A.N.Other]

Isn't the automatic emergency call an EU requirement for all new cars?

So very glad my current base model Skoda Yeti has none of that crap and has a fair probability of being to be the last car I ever have to buy.