What car electronics you deem most useful?

[Mr. Scram]

I don't understand why a reminder would be preferable to a car that simply turned off the headlights when you turn the key to OFF!

This is not rocket science or expensive to do. Every motorcycle I've ever ridden has done this -- even the cheapest. So do all Subaru cars dating back to at least the early 90s (personal experience). Maybe others do too.

I even modified my father's Kingswood 202 wagon to do this when I was a teenager in the late 1970s. I was crawling under the dashboard anyway to add a home-made 555 and veroboard intermittent control to the wipers, and while I was there I changed the radio to always have power, and the headlight relay coil to only have power if the key was on -- as I recall I simply switched the spade connectors for the two of them!

Having the option of using the lights without being near the car to prevent anyone driving away with it has been useful in the past, both in the sense of wanting to see something else and leaving your vehicle somewhere and wanting to be sure it gets seen.

[coppice]

1.5 Head light on warning when car is turned off

I'd like a head light warning I can see when the car is on. The "lights" and "main beam" indicators are usually placed where the steering wheel prevents a tall driver seeing them. In general, the dashboard in most cars is laid over very badly for anyone tall.

My car at the time didn't have a headlight reminder, so I bought a cheap Radio Shack module sold for that purpose.  I never got around to wiring it in, but I never left my lights on again ... Having it tied to the keyring reminded me to check every time I removed the keys from the ignition.   

I don't understand why a reminder would be preferable to a car that simply turned off the headlights when you turn the key to OFF!

This is not rocket science or expensive to do. Every motorcycle I've ever ridden has done this -- even the cheapest. So do all Subaru cars dating back to at least the early 90s (personal experience). Maybe others do too.

I even modified my father's Kingswood 202 wagon to do this when I was a teenager in the late 1970s. I was crawling under the dashboard anyway to add a home-made 555 and veroboard intermittent control to the wipers, and while I was there I changed the radio to always have power, and the headlight relay coil to only have power if the key was on -- as I recall I simply switched the spade connectors for the two of them!

I think there may be regulations preventing this in some countries. Long ago I had a car which turned off the main headlights, but left the parking lights on when you took out the key. Later versions of the same car didn't turn off the headlights. They might have been stripping a little cost, but I think they'd fallen foul of some regulation.

Even if the headlights are switched off automatically, you still want a warning that the parking lights are on, so you can make an informed decision about whether they need to be left on.

[senso]

OBD2 so I can work out why the engine light is on before I get shafted by the garage.

As if the self diagnostic actually work  It is there because of regulations but it doesn't help at all to pinpoint the exact problem.

The OBD2 diagnostics actually work well in my experience.

So, I'd say OBD2 is very useful if you have a modern vehicle with ECU/EFI etc etc.

These are the simple problems you can find without OBD2 errors. Over the years I have had various problems for which the OBD2 errors messages where wrong or the problem wasn't even detected. For example: when the timing belt on my previous car snapped the OBD2 gave an error for a valve on the (diesel) fuel injection pump. Fortunately I looked further before ordering a 350 euro valve.

How do you snap a TIMING belt in a diesel(very interference engine by design), and not notice that your valves are now part of your pistons, or that the engine is not running anymore, nor it wont run anymore without extensive parts and labor done..

I call BS..

[SeanB]

VW solved that by using the indicator stalk as a sidelight switch. park, remove key and set the indicators to the side in the street, and that side park lights turn on. Open the door and the chime/buzzer will sound to let you know the lights are on, and it shuts up when you close the door. Been that way since at least 1998.

Headlights that can be only on with the engine running are common these days though, many cars have this as standard, in those vehicles that do not have daylight running lights.

[tautech]

VW solved that by using the indicator stalk as a sidelight switch. park, remove key and set the indicators to the side in the street, and that side park lights turn on.

'70's Mk 3 Ford Cortinas had this too.

Open the door and the chime/buzzer will sound to let you know the lights are on, and it shuts up when you close the door. Been that way since at least 1998.

Japs where onto this earlier too.

Headlights that can be only on with the engine running are common these days though, many cars have this as standard, in those vehicles that do not have daylight running lights.

But IMO you need to be able to override this.
Numerous times I've wanted a good source of light and car headlights on while the engine is not running definitely won't hurt a good battery. Some interlock system were if the key is pulled and then headlights turned on is trivial to implement in this day and age.

[Falcon69]

My headlights on the truck turn on with windshield wipers and when it gets dusk/darker outside. That part of it plays hell on my new LED lights. It makes them strobe as during that time of day when light slowly turns to dark, the light sensor in the truck is turning off/on at a rapid rate trying to decide what to do. It makes my headlights strobe or pulse.  The company sent me a resistor (50W 6ohm) to put inline with the LED's, but, I haven't installed them yet to see if it fixes the problem.  Lately I've just been manually turning the headlights on just to avoid the strobing/pulsing problem. 

The headlights turning on when wipers are switched on is a great idea, but the light/dark sensor sucks. If that resistor doesn't work, I need to find a way to disable that sensor.

[james_s]

Fuel injection, electronic ignition, antilock brakes, intermittent wiper delay, radio is nice but please give me a standard DIN slot and don't integrate it into everything else, grr. Ambient temperature gauge is useful but not essential. Heated seats are nice but not sure I'd call them "electronics."

Virtually everything else is frivolous. I hate those automatic power windows that run the window all the way down when you try to open it a crack, I seriously don't understand the appeal at all, how hard is it to hold the button down for a few seconds if one wants the window all the way down? I almost never want to fully open it. Also I loathe touchscreens and features hidden in multi level menus, just give me a row of physical switches that I can operate without taking my eyes off the road, stop trying to "de-clutter" by hiding everything!

[james_s]

Having the option of using the lights without being near the car to prevent anyone driving away with it has been useful in the past, both in the sense of wanting to see something else and leaving your vehicle somewhere and wanting to be sure it gets seen.

I don't mind having an override that allows the headlights to be turned on with the ignition off but the default should always be turn off the lights when you turn off the ignition. My '77 and '84 Volvos allow you to leave the headlights on easily, starting in '86 the lights go off with the ignition but you can still turn the parking lights on, this makes a lot more sense.

[Mr. Scram]

I don't mind having an override that allows the headlights to be turned on with the ignition off but the default should always be turn off the lights when you turn off the ignition. My '77 and '84 Volvos allow you to leave the headlights on easily, starting in '86 the lights go off with the ignition but you can still turn the parking lights on, this makes a lot more sense.

Sometimes you need a little more than parking lights. I don't see the problem with the lights turning on and off whenever you like, as long as there's the little beeper warning you you left them on. It's never been a problem so far.

[james_s]

It's been a problem for me, I've drained a battery flat at least twice in my life by leaving the headlights on inadvertently and it happens to countless other people and is a major inconvenience. My cars had a beeper to remind but it's really easy to tune that out and not even notice when getting out of a car in a hurry. Like I said, go ahead and provide an override switch somewhere but by default it's a lot more sensible to have them turn off automatically. It would be pretty easy to have an override switch in some other location, or a button with a simple latching circuit that will revert the next time the vehicle is turned off.

[Mr. Scram]

It's been a problem for me, I've drained a battery flat at least twice in my life by leaving the headlights on inadvertently and it happens to countless other people and is a major inconvenience. My cars had a beeper to remind but it's really easy to tune that out and not even notice when getting out of a car in a hurry. Like I said, go ahead and provide an override switch somewhere but by default it's a lot more sensible to have them turn off automatically. It would be pretty easy to have an override switch in some other location, or a button with a simple latching circuit that will revert the next time the vehicle is turned off.

It's a problem I have trouble imagining having, but I guess some people do. Though it kinda sorta is on yourself if you manage to drown out a thing that alerting you 

I for sure prefer the headlight to be separated from the key. It's annoying enough to have the windows stop working when you pull out the key.

[Someone]

Its interesting the focus is on my skills and confusion about the difference between ABS and traction control  and my comment about the brakes being applied automatically.   No questions so let me try provide some details, first by offering that I am a very safe driver for the most part when driving a car.  I

.....

  We have enough areas where you try slow speed ice slides to see how their controls work.   ABS has never been a problem for me on dry or even wet road conditions.  It never activates.

Still sounds suspicious, there will almost certainly be logging on the ABS ECU (which may not be visible to workshop tools) and that you fix the problem by turning off traction control makes it sound like not a fault with ABS but some other functionality. Certainly not a reason to suggest ABS shouldn't be installed on vehicles.

If you're using ABS on ice without studs or chains of course its going to be inferior, put some appropriate treads to the road surface.

Show me where I suggest ABS shouldn't be installed on vehicles. 

At 15 or so thousand miles, this car started to set the traction control every time you drove the car above 20 or so MPH.  Fault code was for a wheel speed sensor but when I looked, both tone rings cracked.  The replacement rings were about 2X thicker.   No brake codes have set after that repair.   I have a car that when I would start it from time to time, the message center would flash that the ABS was damaged.   There was actually a note in the manual that said to restart engine and if the code cleared, it was most likely alright.  It took them some time, but they did find the problem and corrected the firmware.  It makes you wonder how well they test their code if things like this knowingly get released.   

I fully agree with your last comment.  This may indeed be a solution where you drive but studs and chains are no longer in use where I am and have not been for many years.  There is no laws against using studded tires that are approved however, there are no approved tires.

Take some responsibility, if you can't fit chains or studs then don't drive on ice! its not that complicated. This smacks of the people who drive through flood waters in a car without checking the depth or seeing another (snorkel equipped) vehicle traverse the crossing and then complain when they get stuck. You need to understand the limitations of your vehicle and drive within them. But since you seem to have forgotten what you said, you opened up with a rather unambiguous statement regarding not wanting to purchase a vehicle with ABS:

4) As must as I like traction control, I hate ABS.  More than once, I've had my current car brake for me while driving on dry pavement.   I've never looked into it but would not be surprised at all to find that modern electronics (software included) were not the root cause of more than one accident.  Strange is the cars I have owned will allow you to disable the traction control but not the ABS.   

Most of the fluff, I could care less about.  To me they are just more failure points and I would gladly give them up. 

I looked at buying a new bike a few years back and they only offered the model I wanted with ABS.  There is no way I want any electronics/firmware doing anything with the braking system!

But now we hear the vehicle causing concern was throwing fault codes and needed repair to the failing wheel sensors which is an obvious cause/effect that any competent mechanic would have found quickly. Might as well complain about a flat tire and try finding cars with airless systems because they're causing more accidents than faulty ABS systems.

[joeqsmith]

Take some responsibility, if you can't fit chains or studs then don't drive on ice! its not that complicated. This smacks of the people who drive through flood waters in a car without checking the depth or seeing another (snorkel equipped) vehicle traverse the crossing and then complain when they get stuck. You need to understand the limitations of your vehicle and drive within them. But since you seem to have forgotten what you said, you opened up with a rather unambiguous statement regarding not wanting to purchase a vehicle with ABS:

4) As must as I like traction control, I hate ABS.  More than once, I've had my current car brake for me while driving on dry pavement.   I've never looked into it but would not be surprised at all to find that modern electronics (software included) were not the root cause of more than one accident.  Strange is the cars I have owned will allow you to disable the traction control but not the ABS.   

Most of the fluff, I could care less about.  To me they are just more failure points and I would gladly give them up. 

I looked at buying a new bike a few years back and they only offered the model I wanted with ABS.  There is no way I want any electronics/firmware doing anything with the braking system!

But now we hear the vehicle causing concern was throwing fault codes and needed repair to the failing wheel sensors which is an obvious cause/effect that any competent mechanic would have found quickly. Might as well complain about a flat tire and try finding cars with airless systems because they're causing more accidents than faulty ABS systems.

You seem unable to understand that there are no approved tires and not driving when there is ice is not an option.  I don't typically ride a bike on ice but you are correct that I did not buy a new one because it was not offered without ABS.  I don't trust it on a car and I certainly would never trust it on a bike.  That's my choice to make.     

Yes the brake controller threw a fault code, not codes.   And yes the dash did lite the traction control indicator.  The few times the car has had this problem were several miles after the tone rings were replaced but I guess you can assume the two are related.

[joeqsmith]

I should mention that I had to replace the front wheel bearings as well on this same car which also did cause the brake controller to set a fault code as well.   The problem with the traction control has happened after replacing them as well as prior.  I've also changed the front rotors and pads.  No fault codes with those, just PM.

[james_s]

It's a problem I have trouble imagining having, but I guess some people do. Though it kinda sorta is on yourself if you manage to drown out a thing that alerting you 

I for sure prefer the headlight to be separated from the key. It's annoying enough to have the windows stop working when you pull out the key.

I'm never going to claim to win any awards for short term memory or lack of distraction. I'm certainly not the only person though, I remember back in the 80s when most cars could have the lights left on it was very common to see parked cars with the lights left on. Quite a few times I have given someone a jump start to rescue them from this situation.

The headlights in my '90 turn off with the ignition so I often just leave the switch on rather than turning the lights on only when needed. Other than the slight fuel penalty and reduced lamp life there are few issues with doing so.

[Rick Law]

Not an electronic, of course at the time I wish it was electronic, but, I did find it/her useful.  My ex would often remind me my blinker was on and that it needed to be turned off after turns.

But, then again, she also thought they were needing blinker fluid too, after I told her they weren't operating correctly because they were low on it. 

Speaking of wife/girl-friend...

Well, normally, my car is not equipped with side airbag...  until my wife seats next to me.  Also, when an airbag is deployed, it can hit the driver's face enough for nose to bleed.  This side airbag of mine when deployed can make other very sensitive area of my body hurts a hell of a lot worst than nose bleed.

(Joke made with love at heart, so don't take it is anything bad).

[Mr. Scram]

I'm never going to claim to win any awards for short term memory or lack of distraction. I'm certainly not the only person though, I remember back in the 80s when most cars could have the lights left on it was very common to see parked cars with the lights left on. Quite a few times I have given someone a jump start to rescue them from this situation.

The headlights in my '90 turn off with the ignition so I often just leave the switch on rather than turning the lights on only when needed. Other than the slight fuel penalty and reduced lamp life there are few issues with doing so.

I was wondering about this. There are a number of things you do when you park your car, right? Straighten your wheels. Turn off the ignition. Check to see your parking brake is on, so the car doesn't roll away. Disengage the transmission if you have a manual, or put in in a gear to assist the parking brake. Put the car in park if you have an automatic transmission. Roll up the windows. Check all the doors are properly shut. Do you get those wrong regularly?

It's not about always having your headlights on, as far as I'm concerned. Plenty of people do that, but it's just part of the starting and parking sequence. I don't think there are many models around here that turn off the lights as you turn off the ignition, other than those with fully automatic headlights. I can't remember ever seeing a car parked with the headlights on. I've seen one or two with the interior light on, though.

[Someone]

Take some responsibility, if you can't fit chains or studs then don't drive on ice! its not that complicated.

You seem unable to understand that there are no approved tires and not driving when there is ice is not an option.

Not driving is always an option, some times I might be planning that walking might not be an option. If you choose to take an unsuitable vehicle out onto the roads thats your choice. If the local authorities won't permit any studded tires to be used and ban chains then they are sending a clear message (or you have greatly misinterpreted the actual rules).

[Mr. Scram]

Not driving is always an option, some times I might be planning that walking might not be an option. If you choose to take an unsuitable vehicle out onto the roads thats your choice. If the local authorities won't permit any studded tires to be used and ban chains then they are sending a clear message (or you have greatly misinterpreted the actual rules).

Studded tires and chains are often prohibited, unless there's a thick and consistent and layer of snow. You absolutely destroy any road surface if you drive over it with chains or studs, which leads to lots of loose debris and rocks when things thaw.

[Rick Law]

1.5 Head light on warning when car is turned off

I'd like a head light warning I can see when the car is on. The "lights" and "main beam" indicators are usually placed where the steering wheel prevents a tall driver seeing them. In general, the dashboard in most cars is laid over very badly for anyone tall.

My car at the time didn't have a headlight reminder, so I bought a cheap Radio Shack module sold for that purpose.  I never got around to wiring it in, but I never left my lights on again ... Having it tied to the keyring reminded me to check every time I removed the keys from the ignition.   

I don't understand why a reminder would be preferable to a car that simply turned off the headlights when you turn the key to OFF!

This is not rocket science or expensive to do. Every motorcycle I've ever ridden has done this -- even the cheapest. So do all Subaru cars dating back to at least the early 90s (personal experience). Maybe others do too.

I even modified my father's Kingswood 202 wagon to do this when I was a teenager in the late 1970s. I was crawling under the dashboard anyway to add a home-made 555 and veroboard intermittent control to the wipers, and while I was there I changed the radio to always have power, and the headlight relay coil to only have power if the key was on -- as I recall I simply switched the spade connectors for the two of them!

Absolutely agree.  For the rare occasion that you do want the lights to stay on, there could be a light-on button which resets to off each time you turn off the engine. (So you have to actually press ON after shutting the engine).

Oh, as to the "normal parking procedure", often, head lights are left on during day time in the rain.  During day time, some of the night-specific parking steps got skipped by the brain.

I actually don't like some cars that keep the head lights on for a minute or so after the car turned off, and then it shuts the head light.  A car with head light on for a while calls attention to itself and then allows car thieves extra time to identify which car just got left unattended.

[james_s]

I was wondering about this. There are a number of things you do when you park your car, right? Straighten your wheels. Turn off the ignition. Check to see your parking brake is on, so the car doesn't roll away. Disengage the transmission if you have a manual, or put in in a gear to assist the parking brake. Put the car in park if you have an automatic transmission. Roll up the windows. Check all the doors are properly shut. Do you get those wrong regularly?

It's not about always having your headlights on, as far as I'm concerned. Plenty of people do that, but it's just part of the starting and parking sequence. I don't think there are many models around here that turn off the lights as you turn off the ignition, other than those with fully automatic headlights. I can't remember ever seeing a car parked with the headlights on. I've seen one or two with the interior light on, though.

Things like shutting off the key, turning the wheels toward the curb, putting it in gear, setting the parking brake, those are all part of my regular "mental checklist" that I do every time. The headlights on the other hand I may use sometimes and not others. Maybe it's light out but I go through a dark tunnel so I turn them on, then I get out into the daylight and I don't think to turn them off. Or it's dark when I leave for work in the morning so I turn them on but the sun is out by the time I arrive and I'm not thinking about headlights. Then I park and get out and looking at the headlight switch is not something that occurs to me because I haven't driven at night in a few days so I haven't used them regularly. I don't know, clearly you have superior mental abilities to many people and that's great but certainly it's easy to forget something, people do it all the time.

Heck I've seen people drive off with a coffee cup on the roof of their car. There have been cases of people driving off with the gas pump hose still connected, their child in a carseat sitting on the roof or forgetting they have a kid or a pet in the car when they get home. People leave windows and sunroofs open getting rain inside the car all the time. Not infrequently I see someone driving around downtown at night who's forgotten to turn their headlights *on*. People forget to lock their front door when they leave, people forget to turn off the stove when they're done cooking something, people forget to turn off the tap and overflow the tub. Stuff happens, distractions are a thing, the human brain is not as good at multitasking as many people think, that's why gadgets and technology exists to prevent stuff like this.

[Mr. Scram]

Things like shutting off the key, turning the wheels toward the curb, putting it in gear, setting the parking brake, those are all part of my regular "mental checklist" that I do every time. The headlights on the other hand I may use sometimes and not others. Maybe it's light out but I go through a dark tunnel so I turn them on, then I get out into the daylight and I don't think to turn them off. Or it's dark when I leave for work in the morning so I turn them on but the sun is out by the time I arrive and I'm not thinking about headlights. Then I park and get out and looking at the headlight switch is not something that occurs to me because I haven't driven at night in a few days so I haven't used them regularly. I don't know, clearly you have superior mental abilities to many people and that's great but certainly it's easy to forget something, people do it all the time.

Heck I've seen people drive off with a coffee cup on the roof of their car. There have been cases of people driving off with the gas pump hose still connected, their child in a carseat sitting on the roof or forgetting they have a kid or a pet in the car when they get home. People leave windows and sunroofs open getting rain inside the car all the time. Not infrequently I see someone driving around downtown at night who's forgotten to turn their headlights *on*. People forget to lock their front door when they leave, people forget to turn off the stove when they're done cooking something, people forget to turn off the tap and overflow the tub. Stuff happens, distractions are a thing, the human brain is not as good at multitasking as many people think, that's why gadgets and technology exists to prevent stuff like this.

I don't claim to have superior mental abilities. I just get terribly confused why people can run through a checklist and get all the other things right, with this suddenly being a game breaker. I haven't seen other people struggling with this either, probably thanks to the alarm. Yay technology! So I don't feel I'm an exception either. It seems a matter of simple discipline well within the capabilities or any somewhat functioning adult. And trust me, quite a few people will hesitate to call me a disciplined adult

[james_s]

Because it's not part of the regular checklist if you don't use the headlights every time you drive, and headlights are one of the few car features fitting that specific use pattern. Every other accessory that gets intermittent/irregular use also turns off when the ignition is off. If I used the lights every time it would be no problem to remember to turn them on each time I start the car and off again each time I park, but in practice I use the headlights maybe 10% of the time I drive, frequently in the winter then hardly ever in the summer. The irregularity makes it something I can easily forget. Other things like putting on my seatbelt, releasing the parking brake, look behind me before reversing, those are things I do every single time I get in the driver's seat. Other occasional stuff like turning on the wipers, the rear defogger, adjusting the heat or the mirrors is something I'm automatically reminded to do by situations that require it.

[Mr. Scram]

Because it's not part of the regular checklist if you don't use the headlights every time you drive, and headlights are one of the few car features fitting that specific use pattern. Every other accessory that gets intermittent/irregular use also turns off when the ignition is off. If I used the lights every time it would be no problem to remember to turn them on each time I start the car and off again each time I park, but in practice I use the headlights maybe 10% of the time I drive, frequently in the winter then hardly ever in the summer. The irregularity makes it something I can easily forget. Other things like putting on my seatbelt, releasing the parking brake, look behind me before reversing, those are things I do every single time I get in the driver's seat. Other occasional stuff like turning on the wipers, the rear defogger, adjusting the heat or the mirrors is something I'm automatically reminded to do by situations that require it.

The solution is simple. Use them every time. You'll be seen better in daylight too.

Just because I'm curious: do you end up without gas very often?

[Freelander]

Because it's not part of the regular checklist if you don't use the headlights every time you drive, and headlights are one of the few car features fitting that specific use pattern. Every other accessory that gets intermittent/irregular use also turns off when the ignition is off. If I used the lights every time it would be no problem to remember to turn them on each time I start the car and off again each time I park, but in practice I use the headlights maybe 10% of the time I drive, frequently in the winter then hardly ever in the summer. The irregularity makes it something I can easily forget. Other things like putting on my seatbelt, releasing the parking brake, look behind me before reversing, those are things I do every single time I get in the driver's seat. Other occasional stuff like turning on the wipers, the rear defogger, adjusting the heat or the mirrors is something I'm automatically reminded to do by situations that require it.

We usually end up with the headlights on as there are tunnels on our main routes. Even though they are well illuminated it is illegal here to not use dipped beam in tunnels. Quite often we just leave them on. My Landy screams at me if I turn off the key and open the door with the lights on, my brides nearly new Panda simply turns them off - silently - which is nice. . The panda has a really good  manual delay function for the lights that you set with the indicator (R) after ignition off. Each push up is 30 seconds delay. Excellent for illuminating the rather awkward path from her parking area to the house. The Landy I just drive up to the house in any weather.

I am surprised some are against ABS. It is exceptionally good. Cadence braking is all well and good but not a patch on a real abs system. ABS reacts FAR faster and in a better manner than any human operator could. I can see special cases for not wanting it -
 on a track car etc (can't comment on motor bikes as never ridden one on the road) , but on the road I think it (ABS) is a godsend. It should never operate before a wheel is actually sensed as stopped. (ABS mode - not ABD or Traction). Each to their own though on that one.
Left foot braking in a front wheel drive is also not 'good' with ABS  ...  not recommended on the queens highway though...

Usually have fun at the IPO (MOT / annual Safety test) as the ABS warning light on the dash of the landy doesn't turn off until the speed is over 5 MPH. (so as to check the reluctor rings) - old tech but quality Wabco bullet proof ABS AWD TC system. The local test station is now  aware of how the ABS test and warning light operate on this model. Amazing also how many times they seem to forget and leave the ignition on when brake roller testing vehicles too. - yikes ! . Luckily here we can walk through the bay with them during the test, they are generally really good.