Are cars easy to use?

[Diwundrin]

Heated seats?? What the hell are heated seats?? They would be as easy to market as parkas in Honolulu in most places here.
Big fat thick fluffy wool seat covers are the go. Best all year round insulators yet devised. Vacuum the dust and bugs out of them every so often and they last forever. I inherited mine 2nd hand, from a deceased Uncle's car 13 years ago, and they're still good as new.

Something went kaput with the wiring in my vehicle years ago. The 'courtesy' lights took the notion to stay on and flatten the battery. So the fuse got pulled and stayed pulled. The quote from an auto-electrician just to look for the fault turned me pale so.....
I've got a torch if I need to find stuff in the dark. I don't need to be looking in the dash box while I'm actually driving so no big deal. Amazing what whizzbang essentials you can do without.

Electric windows. Only ever had one car with those. Mazda 626. Drove it for 16 years and the only thing I really hated about it's bells and whistles was the windows. When I had to leave Mum 'parked' in it to go into a shop she couldn't put the windows up or down because the motor wasn't running. If I left 'em down you could bank on it that it would rain. If I left them up she would have to open the door to breathe. An override 'manual' window winder upper would have been nice.

I went down market after that and the 'Opel'/Vectra has manual windows, no cruise control, a radio and tape player, gauges that make sense, and minimum blinkin' lights on the dash. It's got levers to adjust stuff, not buttons to be held down for fractions of miliseconds to get settings just right. Judging by experience with the VW, and the fried courtesy lights in the Vectra, Germans don't do electrics all that well in cars, but they sure built some sturdy common sense ones.

Has this research pointed up the fact yet that one size doesn't fit all in any demographic and that 'oldies' aren't the only ones who are technologically challenged? I've always been like that, but most are far from it.

 

[sunny12]

I'm happy to see all these replies! I wanted to let this thread sit for a little to get some replies, but I didn't expect so many so soon.

SifuPhil, TICA, seabreezy, Diwundrin, TWHRider, and Old Hipster, I agree with you. Cars have become overly computerized and it is not as easy to maintain them yourself as older models are. And to add insult to injury, replacement parts are ridiculously expensive.

Jackie22 and deadbeyat, you seem to be the only one who likes the new amenities and safety new cars these days offer. But do you think they are implemented in a way that's easy to use? Could they be any more intuitive?

Someone has way too much time on their hands.

Katybug, I wish I had more time on my hands.

LMAO, wrong age group to be asking indeed!

Actually, you are the age group to be asking! Research has shown that it is more likely that a 65 year old is four times more likely to buy a brand new car than a 25 year old. 52% of vehicles sold in 2012 were sold to consumers aged over 55.

Pappy, these courses are good. But the idea of this project is to make cars themselves easier to use.

Lol, Thatguy, so many times I've seen cars parked and wish I had one of those.

atwhatcost, I'm sorry if my OP came off as offensive to you (or anyone else) but it wasn't supposed to be. The idea is, cars are so complicated nowadays, it's impossible to perform simple functions like tuning the radio quickly and easily. So I want to know from you all, how can cars be easier to use?

So how can cars be easier to use? Yes, manufacturers could strip out everything and sell something which has just two buttons on the dash, but that would only apply to a very niche market.

It seems like most of you who replied own cars and work on them yourselves. But think about those who don't know much about vehicle maintenance. The people who just take their car to the local mechanic every now and then and say "My car is making a funny sound, fix it." How useful are the car's onboard warnings and maintenance alerts? Is a simple "beep" and flashing symbol good enough? Do these symbols even make any sense to non-car savvy people?

...your Hokies are on a real winning streak (6-1), congratulations How'd they get the name "Hokies" anyway?

Thank you . After last season it's nice to be winning again lol. The name "Hokies" came about from the "Old Hokie" cheer. You can read more about it here.

 

[SifuPhil]

Great reply.

I think ultimately you have two choices for making cars more user-friendly: dumb them down or smarten them up. The former involves regression to a simpler time, which although that is no doubt appealing to many seniors through their rose-tinted glasses (and in my own case through hands-on experience with many cars) it is also probably as you said a niche market. It wouldn't pay, from any angle - initial purchase price, maintenance or after-market R&R parts.

Smartening the cars up involves adding ever more tech, which appears to be the current trend. Voice-activated controls, advanced sensor tech (collision avoidance, parking assist, etc.) all make driving easier but increase both the cost and the repair / maintenance complexity. From the end-users viewpoint it's a good thing; from the manufacturer's POV it's more profit; from the techs you'll hear some griping about staying current with the technology, but they'll also appreciate the overtime.

Since people, especially American people, are at heart lazy and feel entitled to owning the latest gadgetry no matter the cost, I'd put my money on cars becoming simpler to use but more technologically complex.

 

[Jackie22]

Hi, Sunny, yes, to me the new amenities are fairly easy to use, if not I get out the manual and read up and I've had to do that several times...changing the clock, radio settings and also I remember having to look up some of the icons displayed to see what they were.

 

[SeaBreeze]

I like the older cars that are simpler, user and maintenance friendly. My husband does all of the maintenance on our 1992 Dodge Ram 250 Cummins diesel and 1996 Jeep Cherokee. Our newest vehicle, the 2007 Dodge Nitro is much harder to maintain in regard to changing fluids, etc. The dealers like frequent visits from new car customers for basic check-ups, etc. :dollar: Luckily we rarely use the Nitro, and the Jeep is our everyday vehicle.

I don't like or need the bid exclamation point warning flashing in my face on the dashboard, because there's an issue with the air in my tires. The air pressure in my tires are just fine, and that warning signal is affected by temperature, etc. Luckily it goes off and doesn't stay on. I also don't need annoying beeping noises telling me to buckle my seatbelt. If my seatbelt is not buckled, that is my choice, it's not because I am too scatter-brained and need a reminder to put it on.

Our truck and Jeep still have hand cranked roll up windows, they work just fine and we don't have to worry about the automatic ones that fault out. I've knows a few people who have a half opened window that just froze in winter, and they have to go to the service rep to throw money out the window to have it fixed. As far as GPS or OnStar, no thanks...I don't need anybody controlling my car from a remote location, or keeping tabs on my location.

I can't believe some of the features on the newer cars . Let's just drive, and pay attention to the road. All of our vehicles were bought new, and we purposely declined on all the 'bells and whistles'. If Chrysler really wants to make a new car that's hot, they should make one that is simple, one that the owner can easily work on if they desire, and one that won't be on recall in 6 months for some common computer glitch.

 

[Katybug]

Sunny 12, I sincerely apologize for assuming you were not sincere. Quite obviously, I was wrong and I hope you are able to secure the necessary info for your research.

 

[That Guy]

 

[Davey Jones]

Just brought a 1 year old Honda CRV and love it with all its fancy toys, my next vehicle will definitely have that push button START.

 

[That Guy]

 

[sunny12]

I think ultimately you have two choices for making cars more user-friendly: dumb them down or smarten them up. Since people, especially American people, are at heart lazy and feel entitled to owning the latest gadgetry no matter the cost, I'd put my money on cars becoming simpler to use but more technologically complex.

You're right, I feel that the American car market will sway towards the latter as well. The slow death of the manual transmission in our country is proof of this.

I can't believe some of the features on the newer cars . Let's just drive, and pay attention to the road. All of our vehicles were bought new, and we purposely declined on all the 'bells and whistles'. If Chrysler really wants to make a new car that's hot, they should make one that is simple, one that the owner can easily work on if they desire, and one that won't be on recall in 6 months for some common computer glitch.

Sunny 12, I sincerely apologize for assuming you were not sincere. Quite obviously, I was wrong and I hope you are able to secure the necessary info for your research.

Apology accepted.

Put the new car buyer thru school for a few hours, then give the new car buyer a written test (high school level, a/k/a easy-to-understand).

Hmm, could this realistically even be accomplished? How can a salesman sitting down their customer and make them take such a test without having them feel incompetent? Maybe a walkthrough of all the features?

You're right about vehicle user manuals though. They aren't quite as easy to read as they should be.

Hi, Sunny, yes, to me the new amenities are fairly easy to use, if not I get out the manual and read up and I've had to do that several times...changing the clock, radio settings and also I remember having to look up some of the icons displayed to see what they were.

Just brought a 1 year old Honda CRV and love it with all its fancy toys, my next vehicle will definitely have that push button START.

Anything in particular you both don't like about your cars? Buttons in weird places or labeled strangely? Or are you both 100% happy with your purchase?

E: Forgot to mention: Blindspots. What are the current causes and work arounds for blind spots? How do other vehicles address this problem?

 

[That Guy]

Are cars easy to use? Please refer to Driving in India thread...

 

[Tom Young]

A driving a 96 Cadillac SLS and a 1998 Lincoln Signature Town Car... 70K and 113K miles respectively. Like both and both look showroom new. Total book value $4K for both.
Love the comfort and luxury. Total cost of operation for both cars per year, including insurance, registration, gas, oil and planned for $1000 each maintenance and repair... less than $5,000. I'll take it.

That said, bit by bit, small things go wrong, that I won't and don't need to repair... but which would cost many, many thousands of dollars. things that don't have to be. Rear window doesn't work. $500... still doesn't work. Heated mirror leaked oil... $300 to fix, I drained the oil with a drill hole in the mirror. Ride suspension light in cadillac comes on... $5K to 6.5K to fix... Can't tell the difference in handling... won't fix. Cadillac check engine light comes on every 200 to 400 miles... bad signal from o2 sensor... $500 to $2000 for dealer to do the recommended catalytic converter and MAP sensor replacement... A known problem to Cadillac Forum users. Air suspension light comes on in Lincoln... a $3,000 repair. Runs fine, ride a bit stiffer, but ok.

So what?... Well, all of these things are basically "luxury" items, that I like, but won't spend money on for repair, as they aren't necessary fot my needs.
...................................................
Back to the OP...
Digital Dash too complex.
Speed the only continuous measure that needs be on continuous display. All others should be pop-up or on demand, with a possible pre-driving scan of major readings.
Basic Radio, Telephone, Speed contols, simple and on steering wheel. All others for setting tuning or selecting to be analog and with auto lighting when being or set. For involved controls, a slide out keyboard for use when car is stopped. For GPS or view screens... large manual select buttons... (not a fan of this).
Steering wheel s/b smaller and designed with spinner handle.

Am reminded of my first Lincoln repair in year 2000. Air conditioning heater flap lever (cost $.52) was a strip-to-the-firewall both sides repair that took 2 full days and cost $2200... Main point being that all parts (especially electronics) be modular, and designed for access.

Blindspots... in lieu of mfg improvements, I use $2 Walmart stickon mirror for left rearview. Need to practice using.

 

[Diwundrin]

Blind spots are the big worry to me. I started driving in a Beetle and that whole thing was a blind spot with visibility gaps in it!

The Jap Junkers were a big improvement, the early Corollas etc but they've gone all trendy too. Why restricting visibility to accommodate fashion seems a good idea puzzles me but hey, must be a marketing buck in it right?

e.g. My previous ride was a Mazda 626 Hatch. It had a huge back windscreen and the hatch was designed so the back edge you could see in the mirror was almost directly above the back bumper. It was also very low, at tail light level. Where it ended was close to how much room you had left before connecting with what you were reversing up to. I could put that 626 on a dime, backwards and forwards. I could judge to a millimetre where the car ended and walls or parking space lines began.

But the Opel/Vectra I drive now? Complete wing and prayer. I've been driving this thing since 2001 and I still can't reverse park the %*#! thing without embarrassment!

I didn't get old and doddery overnight. I didn't lose the faculty to pinpoint the Mazda overnight! The cars changed overnight, my capabilities didn't. There is something wrong with the design of the Vectra. I can/could park other peoples' cars better than my own!

It has a curved sloping bonnet which is disorienting for keeping it aligned with a parking space line. Once you lose sight of the line or low wall you'd better make sure that steering wheel doesn't move a fraction because you can't judge a straight line while looking at a curve. (Or is that just me?)

Reversing is worse. It has a very high back window and boot/trunk lip, also slightly curved. A rough experiment to see just how much vision there was of what was directly behind revealed that I couldn't see anything lower than the top of the boot/trunk closer than around 8 feet away from the back of the car. Nothing at all. Not even the lid of a wheelie bin, let alone a small child or anything else that could be there unexpectedly.

As to seeing right down to ground level it was closer to 18 feet! The side mirrors don't show what is directly behind either. Why would anyone, from the dill who designed it right up to the CEO think that was a smart move?

Does anyone ever consider that a lot of the high tech and very exy gadgetry to improve driving safety, (like reversing cameras and their associated expense and whizzbangery) wouldn't be necessary if they just designed the bloody cars so that you could actually see out of them?

While I'm at it... no, I haven't had brekky yet, I'll settle down when I've been fed....hopefully.

Seats! nice and comfy but the height of them is now my biggest problem. Spine damage has shortened me by several inches and whereas I once bought cars based on how much head room they had, I now find I can barely see over the dashboard! I have to use a thick bolster cushion to raise my line of sight. That in turn puts the contours of the seat back out of proper alignment with what I'm sitting on and it sure ain't comfy any more.
Perhaps newer cars have the ability to raise and adjust the whole seat and not just tilt parts of them but mine doesn't. I don't need a new car, just a higher driver's seat. siiiiigh.

 

[Sid]

The slow death of the manual transmission was mentioned. For all those years, I was not rejecting the idea of an automatic transmission, I was rejecting a product that performed inferior to what I wanted. In my opinion the manual shift stuck around a long time because the performance of automatics where not equal. Todays automatics are so much better than they were when they first came out. I still would like to see the option to buy either one.

 

[Davey Jones]

Manual transmission were always good for gas mileage.
I went to a drive-in movie with that stick shift on the floor needless to say it was a pain when I made my move towards her.

 

[That Guy]

 

[Diwundrin]

That's more like it!