Why some people are too stupid to own a car

[Jstpssng]

Check you manual. There should be a dedicated light that comes on when low on oil. My older Sierra would just flash up an alert that said "Low Oil" on the display

You could be right, I have never had to worry about it. I did find out that light will come on when the battery is bad... luckily I was at a hardware store which sold batteries, conveniently located right next to my bank so that I could get the cash to pay for it.

 

[pmsmechanic]

Every car has a driver in the seat and dashboard lights that will at least say low oil pressure when the oil gets super low so that handles the car engine oil level...

We were told in school that an engine needs around 10 psi of oil pressure for every 1000 rpm. So for easy figuring say the car is at 2000 rpm at speed so 20 psi. The oil pressure switch is set for around 7 psi to turn the light on. So I think an oil level switch is a good idea. Definitely better than a light which lights up after the damage is done.

 

[Jstpssng]

Syncing a phone on a vehicle is one of the few tasks I struggle with and terribly dislike.
Ex. My 2016 trucks outside my phones on me inside the house multiple times I say hello but crickets cause it's on speaker phone in my truck. Id it doesn't have nuts, bolts, or screws I'm screwed. Perhaps I'm to stupid to drive newer vehicles.

Don't feel alone.

 

[Oaktree]

Imo if your going to have daytime running lights on cars with illuminated gauges they should also be automatic turning on at night.

Any vehicles I've had (both GM cars) that had DRLs had automatic headlights. One was a mid-90s vintage Beretta. I thought that was a standard feature.

Syncing a phone on a vehicle is one of the few tasks I struggle with and terribly dislike.
Ex. My 2016 trucks outside my phones on me inside the house multiple times I say hello but crickets cause it's on speaker phone in my truck. Id it doesn't have nuts, bolts, or screws I'm screwed. Perhaps I'm to stupid to drive newer vehicles.

Nothing to make you feel more stupid than trying to learn how to use a smartphone. Couple of times someone's tried to show me it was enough to make my head explode. Totally non-intuitive to my way of thinking. Still don't have one. Not sure what syncing it on a vehicle means.

 

[jjeff]

Any vehicles I've had (both GM cars) that had DRLs had automatic headlights. One was a mid-90s vintage Beretta. I thought that was a standard feature.

Nothing to make you feel more stupid than trying to learn how to use a smartphone. Couple of times someone's tried to show me it was enough to make my head explode. Totally non-intuitive to my way of thinking. Still don't have one. Not sure what syncing it on a vehicle means.

I've driven Toyotas as new as 2015 with no auto headlights/ daytime running lights current winter beater from 2008 doesn't have them either. One of the few options I do like is auto headlights though.

 

[Dftodd]

I've driven Toyotas as new as 2015 with no auto headlights/ daytime running lights current winter beater from 2008 doesn't have them either. One of the few options I do like is auto headlights though.

The auto headlights don't work as intended in all situations though.

It has to be a certain shade of dark before the taillights come on. I've had certain instances when driving in either rain or fog where the tail lights and marker lights haven't come on, but are needed for safety, visibility, or required by state law.

 

[dodge man]

The headlights on our two vehicles with automatic headlights come on with the wipers but I think it’s a setting you have to turn on.

 

[KennyG]

My truck lights are about as dummy proof as you can get. In automatic mode, the daytime running lights are on unless the truck is in park. The regular lights come on at dusk or when the wipers are turned on. Indicator on the dashboard tells you when they are on. I'm not sure how they operate in manual mode since I leave them in automatic mode all the time. I just hope the headlight never burns out because replacements are about $250 each.

 

[Oaktree]

One of the few options I do like is auto headlights though.

The auto headlights don't work as intended in all situations though.

It has to be a certain shade of dark before the taillights come on. I've had certain instances when driving in either rain or fog where the tail lights and marker lights haven't come on, but are needed for safety, visibility, or required by state law.

It's a feature I can take or leave. It was kind of annoying on the Beretta on bright sunny days, the lights would come on if you went down a section of road with a heavy tree canopy, dimming the dash indicators (ie-radio/clock) then go back to DRLs when you came out into the sun. I'm sure it's more sophisticated today. My wife's car has auto headlights, but I don't drive it enough to know how it deals with situations like that.

How do states that have headlights on when raining laws deal with DRLs? Do they consider them "headlights", and how do they tell the difference if it's the same lamps, just different intensities?

 

[jjeff]

It's a feature I can take or leave. It was kind of annoying on the Beretta on bright sunny days, the lights would come on if you went down a section of road with a heavy tree canopy, dimming the dash indicators (ie-radio/clock) then go back to DRLs when you came out into the sun. I'm sure it's more sophisticated today. My wife's car has auto headlights, but I don't drive it enough to know how it deals with situations like that.

How do states that have headlights on when raining laws deal with DRLs? Do they consider them "headlights", and how do they tell the difference if it's the same lamps, just different intensities?

I believe most of daytime lights only run headlights not taillights or markers definitely used to be at a lower intensity unsure now. On newer GM products anyway you have the option of using auto on nighttime headlights or manually switching them on. All my gm vehicles all have daytime running headlights unsure if it's a regulation required on all cars now though?

 

[Jstpssng]

I've told this story before but given the thread title, it seems appropriate to have it here.
Years ago I worked with two brothers, Bert and Nels. Nels had a decided limp stemming from an accident when his foot went through the rusted floorboards when his brother's truck left the road. Bert told me "I don't know what happened, it just veered off the road all of a sudden.

A while after that he told how somebody had given him a pair of tube type tires which fit his truck. "I didn't have any tubes so I just put them on the rim and aired them up. They held air so I used them."
I didn't say anything, but now have a pretty good guess why the truck left the road.

 

[bigtiller]

Nothing to make you feel more stupid than trying to learn how to use a smartphone. Couple of times someone's tried to show me it was enough to make my head explode. Totally non-intuitive to my way of thinking. Still don't have one. Not sure what syncing it on a vehicle means.

I think I know what it means, even my tractor wants me to do it but I have no idea how it is done.

 

[Jstpssng]

I think I know what it means, even my tractor wants me to do it but I have no idea how it is done.

Your TRACTOR has bluetooth? It's actually a handy feature. I often will go out into my truck to make a phone call as the speakers are a lot better, and I don't have to hold the stinkin' phone.

It isn't that difficult to set up, simply go to "Settings" and turn it on, then go to "settings" on your vehicle and turn on the bluetooth there.

If I can do it, anybody can.

 

[Dftodd]

Your TRACTOR has bluetooth? It's actually a handy feature. I often will go out into my truck to make a phone call as the speakers are a lot better, and I don't have to hold the stinkin' phone.

It isn't that difficult to set up, simply go to "Settings" and turn it on, then go to "settings" on your vehicle and turn on the bluetooth there.

If I can do it, anybody can.

Most vehicles are pretty intuitive now on setting up blue tooth. On my 09' I had to peruse the owners manual to refresh my memory when connecting my phone back up. That one used voice commands and I could never remember what you needed to speak to get to that point.

Both my 2016 Sierra and my wife's 2020 Buick are super simple. Just connect the USB cable to the phone and it pretty much takes care of itself.

 

[jjeff]

.

 

[BravoXray]

Had to rent a car a couple of years ago when I had to leave my plane at the Grand Rapids airport to get some avionics problems sorted out. I had asked for an economy car, but when I got to the counter, all they had left were a few SUVs, so I chise a Lincoln Navigator. Found it at the FAR end of the parking garage, a big black beast. Got in, got it started, but it took we a minute or so to figure out how to operate the transmission. Got on the road, wanted to listen to the FM radio, but it took me most of the way back to Indiana to figure that out. Same for the rear wiper, it was on when I picked it up and took a while to figure out how to turn it off. Way too much distracting tech in vehicles today.

I'll stick with my very low-tech 2006 F150 and 2004 Lincoln Town Car.

 

[BnRidge]

Had to rent a car a couple of years ago when I had to leave my plane at the Grand Rapids airport to get some avionics problems sorted out. I had asked for an economy car, but when I got to the counter, all they had left were a few SUVs, so I chise a Lincoln Navigator. Found it at the FAR end of the parking garage, a big black beast. Got in, got it started, but it took we a minute or so to figure out how to operate the transmission. Got on the road, wanted to listen to the FM radio, but it took me most of the way back to Indiana to figure that out. Same for the rear wiper, it was on when I picked it up and took a while to figure out how to turn it off. Way too much distracting tech in vehicles today.

I'll stick with my very low-tech 2006 F150 and 2004 Lincoln Town Car.

Lincoln Navigator rental- that's the POS "big black beast" we had too, where we couldn't find a way to get the rear hatch open, and finally threw the luggage over the back seat. Way too much distracting tech.

 

[JethroB]

I once rented a Pontiac at the Seattle airport around midnight. What a desertEd place at night. Drove a couple of hours north to Bellingham. Couldn’t figure out the cruise control. I swore that I would only rent car makes I was familiar with in the future.

And give me big buttons and knobs, not a freaking touch screen.

 

[Oaktree]

I once rented a Pontiac at the Seattle airport around midnight. What a desertEd place at night. Drove a couple of hours north to Bellingham. Couldn’t figure out the cruise control. I swore that I would only rent car makes I was familiar with in the future.

And give me big buttons and knobs, not a freaking touch screen.

I'm surprised there hasn't been more of an outcry on the increasing complexity of autos. I thought technology was supposed to make our lives easier.
Or maybe most buyers are younger people who are used to non-intuitive tech gadgets.

 

[NoTrespassing]

I'm surprised there hasn't been more of an outcry on the increasing complexity of autos. I thought technology was supposed to make our lives easier.
Or maybe most buyers are younger people who are used to non-intuitive tech gadgets.

I cuss technology all the time. My 81 year old father is being forced into a smartphone by his company now. He's not happy about it.