I like touch screens for navigation and infotainment, but knobs & switches are definitely the best interface for things you switch on the fly while keeping your eyes on the road.
I know it’s not the same thing as what you mean, but my CR-Z has a tiny shark fin on top which I believe serves as the antenna, and it’s one of my favorite things about it. More fins on cars, please.
Man I feel you - those dumb engineering decisions that have been around for so long. I had to open a fuel tank to replace a fuel pump once which I’m sure some engineer was like ‘well it’s all fuel stuff so what’s the problem’ and that makes sense until the pump goes out and someone has to go in and replace it. I did replace it in my driveway but that was a real BS job and I did also decide then and there I wasn’t going to do my own work anymore, which I’m sure the dealerships are/were quite happy about.
The fact that the whole thing could be worked on in a driveway with basic tools is what I miss.
This is still the case for most parts of car maintenance and repairs. The dealerships, manufacturers, and car mechanics have done a great job in tricking people into thinking cars are these impossible pieces of technology that require certified experts to repair, and then charge $200 an hour to do so. The reality is that all of the mechanical parts of the cars are still perfectly user-servicable. Changing your brakes today is the same as it was 20 years ago. Changing your oil is the same too. Changing spark plugs or a starter is also the same, you just have to remove the cover that they put over the top of the engine to make it look like some futuristic piece of technology. They’re still internal combustion engines, and they still work the same way they did 30 years ago.
My wife has driven Hondas the whole time I’ve known her, and those have always been a bitch to work on. It’s like they intentionally put things in the absolute worst spot. So, I guess I’m just used to it. My new Chevy is still easier to work on than her 2000 Honda was. But I get what you’re saying. You could climb into the engine compartment and still have room to spare on the cars in the 60’s and 70’s.
You can talk shit all you want about fuel efficiency but fins on cars was the peak of pure automotive design.
And I will fight you over this.
I’d settle for going back a couple decades to entirely tactile controls and no touch screens in cars
What do you mean, “going back a couple decades?” I never stopped driving cars from the '90s!
I like touch screens for navigation and infotainment, but knobs & switches are definitely the best interface for things you switch on the fly while keeping your eyes on the road.
I know it’s not the same thing as what you mean, but my CR-Z has a tiny shark fin on top which I believe serves as the antenna, and it’s one of my favorite things about it. More fins on cars, please.
The CRZ is a beautiful car.
Oh I’m not picky, antenna fins are true car fins and they definitely are aesthetic.
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Man I feel you - those dumb engineering decisions that have been around for so long. I had to open a fuel tank to replace a fuel pump once which I’m sure some engineer was like ‘well it’s all fuel stuff so what’s the problem’ and that makes sense until the pump goes out and someone has to go in and replace it. I did replace it in my driveway but that was a real BS job and I did also decide then and there I wasn’t going to do my own work anymore, which I’m sure the dealerships are/were quite happy about.
Unable to delete so editing instead. Leaving Lemmy.world due to privacy concerns.
This is still the case for most parts of car maintenance and repairs. The dealerships, manufacturers, and car mechanics have done a great job in tricking people into thinking cars are these impossible pieces of technology that require certified experts to repair, and then charge $200 an hour to do so. The reality is that all of the mechanical parts of the cars are still perfectly user-servicable. Changing your brakes today is the same as it was 20 years ago. Changing your oil is the same too. Changing spark plugs or a starter is also the same, you just have to remove the cover that they put over the top of the engine to make it look like some futuristic piece of technology. They’re still internal combustion engines, and they still work the same way they did 30 years ago.
deleted by creator
My wife has driven Hondas the whole time I’ve known her, and those have always been a bitch to work on. It’s like they intentionally put things in the absolute worst spot. So, I guess I’m just used to it. My new Chevy is still easier to work on than her 2000 Honda was. But I get what you’re saying. You could climb into the engine compartment and still have room to spare on the cars in the 60’s and 70’s.