Dumbing Down Over-Engineered Cars
02-18-05, 07:40 AM
#1
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Dumbing Down Over-Engineered Cars
By JIM MOTAVALLI
February 18, 2005
It happens every time you get in the car. The stereo that you left at a comfortable setting to play the new U2 album at sing-along volume has infuriatingly been changed. In its wisdom, the carmaker has decided that it knows the proper decibel level for you.
Or you're cruising along, enjoying the warm feeling that goes with one of the greatest automotive innovations of the last decade - seat heaters - when suddenly you notice that the leather beneath you has gone frosty. The car's designer has it on a timer and has decided that 15 minutes is long enough. Or, driving in an uncertain neighborhood, you want to just crack the window to ask directions, but when you press the button, it shoots all the way down.
Cars used to be dumb, but at least they were obedient. The AM radio on a 1965 Buick had push buttons to choose a station and ***** for tuning and volume. It was primitive but easy, and there was no question who was boss. Try to change the station now, and you could find yourself scrolling through menus on a computer screen.
Inevitably, as designers put in more features, relieving drivers of responsibility for even tiny adjustments, some drivers rebel. Despite the convenience of cars that guide us to destinations and automatically adjust seat positions, many long for the simplicity of that Buick. (And why does that G.P.S. ask you the same dumb question every time you start the car, anyway?) Armed with weapons from screwdrivers to laptops, people are fighting back.
For Greg Amy, the speed-dependent volume control built into the stereo on his twin-turbo 2000 Audi S4 was unbearable. The faster the car went, the louder the stereo grew (supposedly designed to compensate for additional engine noise). Annoyed, he got rid of the faster-louder function. "It's pretty easy," he said. "You use keystrokes on the front of the unit."
But he is a computer engineer. Mr. Amy, 40, who works on systems at Hartford Hospital, has also invested in software that, when plugged into the Audi's computer, can make adjustments, from turning off the check-engine light to reprogramming the transmission's shift points. That software is not for the faint of heart, he acknowledged. "If you're not careful," he said, "the car will end up on the back of a flatbed."
With even economy cars now loaded with features that beep or blink at their owners, many drivers have reason for frustration. Most car owners are not even aware that the remote doesn't have to make a loud noise every time it arms the alarm, that the automatic seat and mirror adjustments can be turned off or that it is possible to disable the irritating feature that automatically locks all the doors. In theory, these "conveniences" can all be adjusted or canceled. But Mr. Amy's level of expertise is rare, and the process is rarely intuitive.
Car owners frequently vent on Internet bulletin boards.
At the BMW forum www.bimmerfest.com, frustrated owners of 3 Series vehicles search for a way to disable the temporary frost warning, which beeps when the temperature outside nears 32 degrees. The beep is bad enough, but even more annoying for some is that the clock display automatically switches into thermometer mode.
Emmons1, a car owner posting a message at www.automotivehelper.com, wanted to know how he could stop the horn on his Toyota 4Runner from sounding every time the doors were locked - one of many security features drivers find overzealous. "I don't mind the parking lights flashing," Emmons1 wrote, "but the horn is a little annoying at 3 a.m. in my quiet neighborhood when I get home from the night shift." Another annoyed 4Runner owner, signing as Madbodger, was bothered by a factory alarm system, which self-arms "with no apparent way to disable it," and tried in vain to fix it by pulling the control unit from under the seat. "The description I was given does not match any wire I have," Madbodger complained.
Madbodger should probably be careful about using any tips. Instructions may be on the Internet for all sorts of adjustments (like the helpful posting telling Ford Taurus SHO owners how to change the factory-set keyless entry code - better be handy with a soldering iron), but that doesn't mean the uninitiated should take the plunge. Octavio Navarro, a spokesman for Ford Motor, advises caution. "It's dangerous to try and make some of these changes yourself," he said. "You can also do something that will void the warranty on your car."
Even carmakers that are trying to put the driver in charge frequently have it wrong. David Champion, director of automobile testing at Consumer Reports, pities the BMW 7 Series owners who must cope with its complex iDrive system, which clusters important controls on and near the steering wheel and embeds many secondary functions in a computer interface.
BMW says that it gives the driver unprecedented control with 700 possible commands. But it also adds complexity, even for something as simple as tuning the radio. "On most radios, you can just punch in the stations on presets," Mr. Champion said. "With iDrive, you call up the screen, scroll down to the right setting and press a button. Or you use a voice command and have it ask you to repeat yourself. It can be very distracting."
John Ydstie, a reporter for National Public Radio, tried out the iDrive and said on "All Things Considered" in August 2002: "On the way home from work the first night, it took me and a colleague 20 minutes just to tune the radio to a local NPR station. Obviously, iDrive was smarter than we were."
Mr. Champion said some expensive General Motors vehicles come with fairly simple message-center L.C.D. screens that enable the driver to change many settings, including whether the lights flash when the car is locked. But other vehicles force the driver into the back pages of the owner's manual. "And those manuals are like 'War and Peace' now," he said. "An inch thick."
Sam Later, 36, a systems integration analyst from West Paterson, N.J., found that the automatic climate control in his Subaru Forester was letting him freeze in the winter and boil in the summer - despite a temperature setting of 76 degrees. After complaining to the company and being told "the system is performing as designed," he got out his toolbox and traced the problem to a badly placed temperature sensor. His solution: a 12-volt fan that blows air over the sensor. "It forces the sensor to react to the slightest changes in temperature," he said. Mr. Later has now sold 20 kits to other Forester owners, who can make the repair with a Phillips screwdriver, a 10-millimeter socket and some duct tape.
ANOTHER Forester owner, Peat Romano, 43, a thermal processing specialist for a pet food company in Lawrence, Kan., has tinkered with cars since he was 10. But he now arms himself with a fast Internet connection instead of a wrench. "I scour the Net for information on how to improve my 2004 Subaru Forester XT Turbo," he said. One handy trick he has learned is how to cancel his manual transmission's annoying hill-holder feature by adjusting some well-hidden nuts. The hill holder applies the brakes when the car is stopped on any grade with more than a three-degree angle. "If I had wanted an automatic," he said, "I would have bought one."
Some experienced programmers, like Bob Frankston, co-creator of VisiCalc, the first electronic spreadsheet, say that carmakers would create user-friendly controls if unhappy consumers demanded them. Mr. Frankston said he became frustrated with the AutoPC group at Microsoft because "they wanted to replace the radio but not give you control over your car."
Mechanics often think customers wanttoo much help. They want some warning device "to stop beeping," said Neil Swanson, a mechanic in Fairfield, Conn. "If they ever read the manual, they'd know they simply have to hit a button and hold it down."
Of course it is also possible to run into a mechanic who has been lying in wait for the intimidated. On www.cartalk.com, Theresa complained to Tom and Ray Magliozzi of NPR's "Car Talk" that a mechanic had charged $35 to "reprogram her computer" after a battery change. But, as Ray Magliozzi pointed out, the computer reprograms after five minutes of driving.
It's all easier for engineers, as Mr. Amy showed. He reprogrammed his Audi's remote so it can close the sunroof and convinced his radio to mute when he uses his cellphone. He even wired his wife's 1999 Audi A4 Turbo with a cruise control-activated "valet mode," so teenage parking lot attendants will be handed the keys to a vehicle with only 50 horsepower.
But even the technology savvy can be frustrated. Andy Yiu, a software engineer in Austin, Tex., made multiple trips to the dealer to try to get the air-bag light on his 2002 Mazda Tribute to stop flashing an error code message. "Cars are more complex than ever," he said. "And even though I work with computers, I wouldn't try to reprogram my Tribute. A car's system is very different from an e-commerce server."
Hans Isler, 39, an information technology consultant from Fairfield, Conn., uses his laptop to recalibrate the engine on his 2001 Audi TT, but he still finds it a relief to switch to tending his 1961 Porsche 356B. "With the Porsche," he said, "if it has gas and a spark, it will run."
source : nytimes
February 18, 2005
It happens every time you get in the car. The stereo that you left at a comfortable setting to play the new U2 album at sing-along volume has infuriatingly been changed. In its wisdom, the carmaker has decided that it knows the proper decibel level for you.
Or you're cruising along, enjoying the warm feeling that goes with one of the greatest automotive innovations of the last decade - seat heaters - when suddenly you notice that the leather beneath you has gone frosty. The car's designer has it on a timer and has decided that 15 minutes is long enough. Or, driving in an uncertain neighborhood, you want to just crack the window to ask directions, but when you press the button, it shoots all the way down.
Cars used to be dumb, but at least they were obedient. The AM radio on a 1965 Buick had push buttons to choose a station and ***** for tuning and volume. It was primitive but easy, and there was no question who was boss. Try to change the station now, and you could find yourself scrolling through menus on a computer screen.
Inevitably, as designers put in more features, relieving drivers of responsibility for even tiny adjustments, some drivers rebel. Despite the convenience of cars that guide us to destinations and automatically adjust seat positions, many long for the simplicity of that Buick. (And why does that G.P.S. ask you the same dumb question every time you start the car, anyway?) Armed with weapons from screwdrivers to laptops, people are fighting back.
For Greg Amy, the speed-dependent volume control built into the stereo on his twin-turbo 2000 Audi S4 was unbearable. The faster the car went, the louder the stereo grew (supposedly designed to compensate for additional engine noise). Annoyed, he got rid of the faster-louder function. "It's pretty easy," he said. "You use keystrokes on the front of the unit."
But he is a computer engineer. Mr. Amy, 40, who works on systems at Hartford Hospital, has also invested in software that, when plugged into the Audi's computer, can make adjustments, from turning off the check-engine light to reprogramming the transmission's shift points. That software is not for the faint of heart, he acknowledged. "If you're not careful," he said, "the car will end up on the back of a flatbed."
With even economy cars now loaded with features that beep or blink at their owners, many drivers have reason for frustration. Most car owners are not even aware that the remote doesn't have to make a loud noise every time it arms the alarm, that the automatic seat and mirror adjustments can be turned off or that it is possible to disable the irritating feature that automatically locks all the doors. In theory, these "conveniences" can all be adjusted or canceled. But Mr. Amy's level of expertise is rare, and the process is rarely intuitive.
Car owners frequently vent on Internet bulletin boards.
At the BMW forum www.bimmerfest.com, frustrated owners of 3 Series vehicles search for a way to disable the temporary frost warning, which beeps when the temperature outside nears 32 degrees. The beep is bad enough, but even more annoying for some is that the clock display automatically switches into thermometer mode.
Emmons1, a car owner posting a message at www.automotivehelper.com, wanted to know how he could stop the horn on his Toyota 4Runner from sounding every time the doors were locked - one of many security features drivers find overzealous. "I don't mind the parking lights flashing," Emmons1 wrote, "but the horn is a little annoying at 3 a.m. in my quiet neighborhood when I get home from the night shift." Another annoyed 4Runner owner, signing as Madbodger, was bothered by a factory alarm system, which self-arms "with no apparent way to disable it," and tried in vain to fix it by pulling the control unit from under the seat. "The description I was given does not match any wire I have," Madbodger complained.
Madbodger should probably be careful about using any tips. Instructions may be on the Internet for all sorts of adjustments (like the helpful posting telling Ford Taurus SHO owners how to change the factory-set keyless entry code - better be handy with a soldering iron), but that doesn't mean the uninitiated should take the plunge. Octavio Navarro, a spokesman for Ford Motor, advises caution. "It's dangerous to try and make some of these changes yourself," he said. "You can also do something that will void the warranty on your car."
Even carmakers that are trying to put the driver in charge frequently have it wrong. David Champion, director of automobile testing at Consumer Reports, pities the BMW 7 Series owners who must cope with its complex iDrive system, which clusters important controls on and near the steering wheel and embeds many secondary functions in a computer interface.
BMW says that it gives the driver unprecedented control with 700 possible commands. But it also adds complexity, even for something as simple as tuning the radio. "On most radios, you can just punch in the stations on presets," Mr. Champion said. "With iDrive, you call up the screen, scroll down to the right setting and press a button. Or you use a voice command and have it ask you to repeat yourself. It can be very distracting."
John Ydstie, a reporter for National Public Radio, tried out the iDrive and said on "All Things Considered" in August 2002: "On the way home from work the first night, it took me and a colleague 20 minutes just to tune the radio to a local NPR station. Obviously, iDrive was smarter than we were."
Mr. Champion said some expensive General Motors vehicles come with fairly simple message-center L.C.D. screens that enable the driver to change many settings, including whether the lights flash when the car is locked. But other vehicles force the driver into the back pages of the owner's manual. "And those manuals are like 'War and Peace' now," he said. "An inch thick."
Sam Later, 36, a systems integration analyst from West Paterson, N.J., found that the automatic climate control in his Subaru Forester was letting him freeze in the winter and boil in the summer - despite a temperature setting of 76 degrees. After complaining to the company and being told "the system is performing as designed," he got out his toolbox and traced the problem to a badly placed temperature sensor. His solution: a 12-volt fan that blows air over the sensor. "It forces the sensor to react to the slightest changes in temperature," he said. Mr. Later has now sold 20 kits to other Forester owners, who can make the repair with a Phillips screwdriver, a 10-millimeter socket and some duct tape.
ANOTHER Forester owner, Peat Romano, 43, a thermal processing specialist for a pet food company in Lawrence, Kan., has tinkered with cars since he was 10. But he now arms himself with a fast Internet connection instead of a wrench. "I scour the Net for information on how to improve my 2004 Subaru Forester XT Turbo," he said. One handy trick he has learned is how to cancel his manual transmission's annoying hill-holder feature by adjusting some well-hidden nuts. The hill holder applies the brakes when the car is stopped on any grade with more than a three-degree angle. "If I had wanted an automatic," he said, "I would have bought one."
Some experienced programmers, like Bob Frankston, co-creator of VisiCalc, the first electronic spreadsheet, say that carmakers would create user-friendly controls if unhappy consumers demanded them. Mr. Frankston said he became frustrated with the AutoPC group at Microsoft because "they wanted to replace the radio but not give you control over your car."
Mechanics often think customers wanttoo much help. They want some warning device "to stop beeping," said Neil Swanson, a mechanic in Fairfield, Conn. "If they ever read the manual, they'd know they simply have to hit a button and hold it down."
Of course it is also possible to run into a mechanic who has been lying in wait for the intimidated. On www.cartalk.com, Theresa complained to Tom and Ray Magliozzi of NPR's "Car Talk" that a mechanic had charged $35 to "reprogram her computer" after a battery change. But, as Ray Magliozzi pointed out, the computer reprograms after five minutes of driving.
It's all easier for engineers, as Mr. Amy showed. He reprogrammed his Audi's remote so it can close the sunroof and convinced his radio to mute when he uses his cellphone. He even wired his wife's 1999 Audi A4 Turbo with a cruise control-activated "valet mode," so teenage parking lot attendants will be handed the keys to a vehicle with only 50 horsepower.
But even the technology savvy can be frustrated. Andy Yiu, a software engineer in Austin, Tex., made multiple trips to the dealer to try to get the air-bag light on his 2002 Mazda Tribute to stop flashing an error code message. "Cars are more complex than ever," he said. "And even though I work with computers, I wouldn't try to reprogram my Tribute. A car's system is very different from an e-commerce server."
Hans Isler, 39, an information technology consultant from Fairfield, Conn., uses his laptop to recalibrate the engine on his 2001 Audi TT, but he still finds it a relief to switch to tending his 1961 Porsche 356B. "With the Porsche," he said, "if it has gas and a spark, it will run."
source : nytimes
02-18-05, 08:46 AM
#3
Lexus Fanatic
Originally Posted by SexySC
By JIM MOTAVALLI
February 18, 2005
Or you're cruising along, enjoying the warm feeling that goes with one of the greatest automotive innovations of the last decade - seat heaters - when suddenly you notice that the leather beneath you has gone frosty. The car's designer has it on a timer and has decided that 15 minutes is long enough. Or, driving in an uncertain neighborhood, you want to just crack the window to ask directions, but when you press the button, it shoots all the way down.
source : nytimes
February 18, 2005
Or you're cruising along, enjoying the warm feeling that goes with one of the greatest automotive innovations of the last decade - seat heaters - when suddenly you notice that the leather beneath you has gone frosty. The car's designer has it on a timer and has decided that 15 minutes is long enough. Or, driving in an uncertain neighborhood, you want to just crack the window to ask directions, but when you press the button, it shoots all the way down.
source : nytimes
Same with rear window defrosters. Those small thin horizontal lines you see imbedded in rear-window glass or bonded to the inside surface are actually electrical conductors which carry a current to produce the heat necessary to warm the glass and get rid of fog and ice. If they stay on too long, they can not only overheat themselves and the glass but also cause the glass to overheat in uneven strips...placing even more stress on it.
Now...when glass overheats, what does it do?
It expands, of course. And .....when it expands, then what does it do? It puts pressure against the surround frame that holds it, of course. When this pressure gets to be more than the windshield's glass or frame can handle, THEN what? Yep....you got it. The glass shatters and can cause anything from a nice sudden cold breeze to personal injury and an accident. 
02-18-05, 08:57 AM
#4
Lexus Fanatic
I will agree with you, though, that the 7-series' I-Drive is the most ridiculous electronic piece of s - - - ever put on a production automoblie. It is truly an abomination. The 5-series I-Drive and Audi's MMI are almost as bad. 
02-18-05, 09:10 AM
#5
Lexus Champion
That's a pretty brutal, but not undeserved, review on the i drive.
There are some inventive people out there. The guy that used the fan to fix the Forester poor sensor placement was pretty good. I really liked the guy that rigged his A4 so that it produced only around 50hp in "valet mode". Wonder how he did that? Maybe found a way to make sure the boost wouldn't come on?
There are some inventive people out there. The guy that used the fan to fix the Forester poor sensor placement was pretty good. I really liked the guy that rigged his A4 so that it produced only around 50hp in "valet mode". Wonder how he did that? Maybe found a way to make sure the boost wouldn't come on?
02-18-05, 09:21 AM
#6
Lexus Fanatic
Originally Posted by Vegassc400
That's a pretty brutal, but not undeserved, review on the i drive.
Last edited by mmarshall; 02-18-05 at 09:28 AM.
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02-18-05, 01:04 PM
#8
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There is clearly a fine balance between coddling your customers and presuming they are idiots, incapable of controlling their own features. And while some people love to fiddle with tons of settings, others want it all to be seamless and invisible.
One reason I actually prefer Windows to MacOS is because Apple has always "protected" its users from the underlying code. If you fire it up and get a sad Mac, bring it back to the shop because there ain't a damn thing you as the user can do. With Windows, I can fiddle and tweak and troubleshoot and even revert to DOS if things get really bad.
One thing that really bugged me trading up from my '91 Saturn coupe to my '95 was the rear-window defroster. In the '91 it was on a toggle switch--I controlled when it came on and when to shut it off. The "new and improved" interior of the '95 had a push-button with an automatic timer that was invariably too short an amount of time to clear any fog or ice, causing repeated cycles and increasing frustration...
One reason I actually prefer Windows to MacOS is because Apple has always "protected" its users from the underlying code. If you fire it up and get a sad Mac, bring it back to the shop because there ain't a damn thing you as the user can do. With Windows, I can fiddle and tweak and troubleshoot and even revert to DOS if things get really bad.
One thing that really bugged me trading up from my '91 Saturn coupe to my '95 was the rear-window defroster. In the '91 it was on a toggle switch--I controlled when it came on and when to shut it off. The "new and improved" interior of the '95 had a push-button with an automatic timer that was invariably too short an amount of time to clear any fog or ice, causing repeated cycles and increasing frustration...
02-18-05, 03:33 PM
#9
Lexus Fanatic
Originally Posted by Iceman
The "new and improved" interior of the '95 had a push-button with an automatic timer that was invariably too short an amount of time to clear any fog or ice, causing repeated cycles and increasing frustration...
02-18-05, 04:16 PM
#10
With even economy cars now loaded with features that beep or blink at their owners, many drivers have reason for frustration. Most car owners are not even aware that the remote doesn't have to make a loud noise every time it arms the alarm, that the automatic seat and mirror adjustments can be turned off or that it is possible to disable the irritating feature that automatically locks all the doors. In theory, these "conveniences" can all be adjusted or canceled. But Mr. Amy's level of expertise is rare, and the process is rarely intuitive.
You know what I say to this? Read the damn owners manual. I guess not everyone who buys a car with these features can read. And if you choose not to read the owners manual it is your own damn fault.
02-19-05, 06:40 AM
#11
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Originally Posted by mmarshall
That timer may have been put on your '95 for a reason...it may draw more current or heat up faster. See my previous comments above in my answer to SexySC.
02-19-05, 07:34 AM
#12
Lexus Fanatic
Originally Posted by Iceman
I did read your comments there, and it's one of the rare times I disagree with you. A rear window designed so poorly that the heat generated by the defooger is going to cause shattering or excessive wear and tear on the moulding is indicative of horrible engineering. I'm not saying you're wrong--I could easily see lazy engineers solving this challenge by artificially limiting the amount of time the heater is active--but that it is a poor design and one that inconvenienced me as the driver. And isn't automotive design (like all design) supposed to be focused on the user?
Not all vehicles have a RR defroster timer. Some do...some don't. I wouldn't necessarily blame " lazy " engineers. Sometimes they have to answer to the company bean-counters....and it is a known fact that thinner glass is being used on many newer vehicles not only to save weight but costs as well ( though it still has to meet DOT safety standards, of course )
On a slightly different note, one electronic device that really irritates ME (besides the I-Drive) is the automatic door locks that engage either when you put the car in Drive and start rolling or when you get to a pre-programmed speed...usually 10-15 MPH. I understand the reasons this is done...to help keep the doors shut in a collision and for the kids in back.....and we may even see a Federal Safety Standard on it soon, which means we'll be stuck with it. But it just strikes me as one more electronic nanny (the subject of this whole thread to start with). For one thing, I've got enough sense to know whan I want the doors locked or not, and when they SHOULD be locked. Second, if you are wearing belts properly and have child car seats installed properly it doesn't matter if the doors open or not...you're not going to be thrown out. Third, modern vehicles have a hidden "child switch" in the rear doorjamb that locks the doors from the inside so that a child cannot get out. Fourth...and perhaps most important...if the car goes underwater or catches fire, the fewer devices you have preventing your rapid exit, the better off you will be.
I'm glad my 2001 IS300 doesn't have these automatic locks.
02-19-05, 07:56 AM
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Interesting article. The problem is that buyers (like me) want new and cool things. I miss a whole bunch of things my 5-series (E39) had that my GS doesn't. Like that frost warning (seriously, I loved it) and the ability to turn the key and let it go, the car starts without holding the key. Multi-level heated seats are also missed dearly.
Even features that both cars have I've become to expect and demand in my next car. Things like heated mirrors, memory seats, HID headlights, etc. So before we go asking that engineers dumb down our cars, we better make sure we know what we are asking for.
Even features that both cars have I've become to expect and demand in my next car. Things like heated mirrors, memory seats, HID headlights, etc. So before we go asking that engineers dumb down our cars, we better make sure we know what we are asking for.
02-19-05, 06:29 PM
#15
Lexus Fanatic
Originally Posted by doug_999
Interesting article. Like that frost warning (seriously, I loved it) and the ability to turn the key and let it go, the car starts without holding the key. Multi-level heated seats are also missed dearly.
.
.
If you want multi-level heated seats at a good price, look no further than the 2005 Subaru Legacy / Outback......an outstanding car in many other ways as well. 4-level heated seats with a precision-feel notched thumbwheel control on the console are standard on all Outbacks (starting at 24-25K), and all Legacys except the base model.
Heated seats have been standard on these cars for several years, but the 2005 is FAR better than its predecessors.
Last edited by mmarshall; 02-19-05 at 06:32 PM.