Tired of High Tech

[BillTheHiker]

Oil change intervals are up from 3000 miles to 10,000 miles and you don't need a transmission 'flush' every year.

Is that true for synthetic only?

 

[ntsqd]

My fone is a flip fone. It is a fone, not a camera, not a PA, not a pager, not a mini-Tablet, a fone. I answer it when it is convenient for me and when SWMBO calls, only.

Had a '91 4WD Suburban that I launched off a small ledge and got airborne for about 1.5 vehicle lengths because the anti-lock brakes decided it knew better than I did about what needed to happen. I'm standing on the brakes trying to get it slowed down before we got to that ledge and I feel the brakes _ just _ let _ go. The brain permanently lost it's electrical connection as soon as I did get it stopped, and I advised the new owner that he was on his own if he hooked it back up, but that I strongly advised against it.

My home computers, once stable, are all locked down. Windoz can't do anything without my allowing it. Oddly enough my work machine is nearly the same way, but I've had nothing to do with that. Their IT guys want it that way.

 

[Moose Dog]

Oh boy I am refraining from a high tech rant...due to personal opinion and my own Pauli effect I kept things manual in my truck as much as I could...

Might not apply to anyone's vehicles here but when the 'check engine' light goes on in my car, more often or not the gas cap needs an extra twist or two. This is always after my mind rolodexes through all the potential big problems and I start grumbling big time. Then..tah-dah. Alas not always the solution but it's lovely when it works.

 

[rando]

I think so. Our newer cars have all used 0w20, which as far as I know is only available in synthetic.

 

[cwdtmmrs]

I don't think it is coincidental that the oil change and service intervals increased when vehicle manufactures started offering free maintenance and oil changes for 1st 2-3 years.

 

[Mighty Dodge Ram]

I’m afraid I’m with Rando on this topic. Back in the day when I drove VW campers I could adjust points with a matchbook cover, R & R a generator on the side of the road (which happened several times), and always carried TWO spare clutch cables. Granted, they were VWs, but I wasn’t much of a mechanic then and I’m certainly not now. Even if I can accuarately diagnose what I believe the problem to be, I’m not necessarily “equipped” to deal with it. I always travel with people who are so inclined, carry appropriate spares, and appreciate what I feel are more reliable vehicles, at least in my experience. I admire those with the mechanical talent.

 

[PackRat]

All us OGs remember our teenage cars from the 50s and 60s as basically something we could fix most of the problems on and since there was less stuff to go south on us we didn't have to worry about a lot of stuff. While we may have added seat belts, we didn't look at power windows as a "necessity", thereby saving $350 when one died. Pretty much manual everything. Those cars/trucks lasted forever.

My 55 GMC I bought in Turlock cost me about $500 or $700 back in the early 70s and while it had hardly any brakes, I drove it to Santa Rosa where my cousin, a GM mechanic fixed that for what a full tank of gas for my F-250 costs today. In 1979 my room-mate was driving and it threw a rod. Simple...bought a '78 Chevy 305 w/3sp. drive train & exhaust system with 4100 miles on it for some reasonable price I forgot and we installed that. I drove it until 1989 or so and sold it to a friend (dumb move) who use it as a daily driver from Berkeley to Brisbane for another ten years. I tried to buy it back as it was a cool 1/2 ton but it was sold when he passed away and I was out of town.

It had turn indicators, a passible heater, vacuum wipers and a stereo I put into it....aside from tires and shocks and king pins that thing made the Energizer Bunny look weak.

Point is, often "Less Is More"....I did not NEED 4x4, heated mirrors with memory settings, heated seats, power steering, ABS, back-up camera, a Check Engine Light and I certainly did not need a Catalytic Converter.

As we approach Old Age...we end up with a $50,000 truck that might have a Service Agreement or Maintenance deal but if you sell it after a couple years you lose a ton of money. If you keep it long enough to where you have paid it off, then the repairs you CAN'T do may cost you hundreds or thousands of dollars.

Or....you buy a used truck with good service records on it at a much reduced price from a Little Old Lady who only drove it to church on Sundays and drive it ten years or more.

Now the Millennials are taught to buy the Next New Thing from a cell phone to a computer and who probably get a new vehicle every couple years because "its so old".

Each to their own, I say....but my truck is 30 years old with 112,000 miles on it so I'm gonna die before it does I think.

 

[ntsqd]

I recall replacing the cam timing belt on my 2.0L '73 Pinto Wagon near the top of the grade on CA 166 west out of Maricopa. I had just driven it from Tacoma by way of Lincoln City, OR, but I had put the belt on in McCloud, CA. Because the crank pulley was worn and I couldn't afford a replacement I carried the couple simple tools needed and a spare belt. Wasn't a big deal, took all of 20 mins or so from stop to start and running.

I don't see ever buying something new for me.

 

[moveinon]

Being an old guy I can relate to all the folks that have said they used to be able to do the work on the cars but can not now. My last camping rig before the 4WC was a VW Syncro. I could do all of the work on it after I figured out how the weird German engineering worked on those VW’s. But the problem was similar to my many years ago 56 Chevy, I needed to work on it all of the time to keep it running well. With newer truck and camper I do far less work on the truck (only brakes, shocks, air bags, oil, and filters) and get to spend much more time camping which is the point isn’t it. My truck now is dependable I never have to worry about where I go and whether I will break down. My brakes are so much better, twice the gas mileage, no tune ups, and where is that carb I need to rebuild. My tool kit I carry in the truck is 1/4 the size it used to be. I can hike alone if I want because I can carry an Inreach to get help. I can find where I want to go easily with a GPS and keep in touch with a cell booster. I can video the trip with an in truck camera and take quality pictures of where I go with a camera that fits in my pocket. I love the complex radio where I can listen to books on CD on my trip and Serious radio for any type of music I want. Backup camera on the truck-great. I still have fond memories of 56 Chevy truck, but would not trade a lot of money and all the benefits I get now for the simplicity of that truck.

 

[Wandering Sagebrush]

I somewhat resent that I can’t fix some of the newer technologies like I could when I was a kid, but to be truthful... I am relieved. Even though I have the mechanical and electrical skills to fix many things, I prefer not to. I don’t like busted knuckles from slipped wrenches, or dirt in the eyes while working on a creeper, or multiple trips to NAPA for whatever I forgot, or grease under my fingernails, all over my hands and clothing. I like the functionality of the new trucks. I like how easy they are to drive. How quiet and comfortable they are.

I’ll take my chances and go with the newer vehicles.

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

X2

I'm with Wandering Sagebrush on this one.

 

[EDR]

I had a 2006 Ram which I enjoyed, but after driving my wife’s car and my company car, which are both 2014s SUVs, I started to appreciate the benefits of the new technology, including the back up camera and hands free options. I recently bought a 2016 Ram to replace my last truck, and have enjoyed the benefits of technology. I destroyed a tailgate on my last truck after backing it into a stump while camping, so I recently installed an OEM back up camera on my Hawk to help me while backing and parking. It does makes parking a lot easier.

I can’t/won’t work on the new vehicles, but I have an old Chevy i like to tinker on to keep my skills somewhat intact.

 

[CougarCouple]

I somewhat resent that I can’t fix some of the newer technologies like I could when I was a kid, but to be truthful... I am relieved. Even though I have the mechanical and electrical skills to fix many things, I prefer not to. I don’t like busted knuckles from slipped wrenches, or dirt in the eyes while working on a creeper, or multiple trips to NAPA for whatever I forgot, or grease under my fingernails, all over my hands and clothing. I like the functionality of the new trucks. I like how easy they are to drive. How quiet and comfortable they are.

I’ll take my chances and go with the newer vehicles.

Don't know why but this popped in my head.“You're no daisy. No daisy at all.”
I agree with you and have a maintenance agreement, how sweet it was till they told me the broken grab handle on the "A" pillar was not going to be covered. Got it covered but really, that handle is so cheep and poorly designed. Oh well keep on trucking. As for working on them they still pretty much are the same just with lots of extra wires and sensors and maybe the need for a couple special tools to work on"em. We"re good for the next few years on some level, so thats that.

Russ

 

[Vic Harder]

I'll add my bit... but talk about a car I had... a 1998 Toyota Avalon that we put 450,xxx Km on. The drivetrain was flawless. Changing the oil after 6000km results in a pan full of still clear/clean oil. Body is ok for that age, with some small rust spots. Interior still looks like new.

BUT.... all the electronics are toast or on their way. Meaning the A/C computer is nutso - turning on the rear defroster causes the radio to fuzz out, stepping on the brakes shifts the transmission too; all the indicator warning lights are on, even though everything works.

If I had wanted to keep driving the car, I would have needed to rip out all the computers (except for the ECU) and replace them with toggle switches. Having done that, I bet the car would run for another 400K Km.

All that said, I prefer vehicles that have great engine managment systems, but few bells/whistles otherwise.

 

[ntsqd]

I'm becoming convinced that the added complexity is the result of two things. The desire of the code writers at the OEM's to stay employed at any cost; and the desire of the OEM's to technically negate the "Right to work on" law thru sophistication and complexity.

 

[Mickey Bitsko]

No secret, the auto industry would love to require all their vehicles to be dealer maintained, I do believe they're not far from their goal.
Notice their latest hook, full warranty with required dealer service contract .
I'm a little over the hill now, but for the life of me I cannot understand how the young people buy a 50k truck and pour another 5-10k in lift kits and tires and wheels and make the payment.
Required insurance on 50k auto loan for a young person gotta be outrageous..
End of rant.

 

[Atlin]

If only the manufacturers put a tiny bit of their (huge) profits on trucks into some user-friendly software, it would help a lot. I cannot believe how bad the Ford Sync system is - seems like a computer system from 1982. I would love to buy something without the computer, without the bells and whistles, the automatic everything, but they don't come that way any more. I certainly appreciate the general increase in reliability of newer vehicles, but could do without all the junk on them.

 

[62C20]

Well you can still get a new truck without all the bells and whistles. You will need to order it though. I went through the whole order process on an F-250 last year. Three months from placing order to delivery. A base model XL trim with a few choice options. No power windows, door locks or fancy power heated and cooled seats or Sync or adaptive this or that. Just a good simple ( by todays standards ) 4x4 camper hauler. But having said that, I still dig my vintage rigs.

 

[ski3pin]

I'm a little over the hill now, but for the life of me I cannot understand how the young people buy a 50k truck and pour another 5-10k in lift kits and tires and wheels and make the payment.
Required insurance on 50k auto loan for a young person gotta be outrageous..
End of rant.

We see this every weekend at our local Safeway - summer & winter - with city folks coming up the hill to play in the mountains. Expensive vehicles, trailers, full ski outfits for the entire family, boats, toy haulers, toys and more toys - how do they afford and make the payments on all this stuff? One month without a paycheck and its bankruptcy. It boggles the mind. And, if they can afford it, why aren't they spending the money more wisely? Save for the kid's college? Retire 10 years earlier?

I am a geezer. End of rant, but I'm with you Mr. Bitsko.

Back to our scheduled programing.

 

[Bill D]

I worked at a dealership and they ordered in a truck specifically to advertise a low price on an in stock model. They never really had any intention on selling it.

It had:
6 cylinder
manual transmission
steel wheels (similar to basic winter wheels)
vinyl bench seat (when the driver slid forward and back, so did the passenger)
no radio
no antennae for a radio (just a rubber plug in the body panel)
no rear bumper
manual windows
manual locks
no AC
no cruise
no tilt

Power steering was about the only feature it came with.

Funny, it was in blue in color and not the typical fleet white


Regarding tech:
I honestly don't find things too confusing. Most sensors are pretty basic yet they can do amazing things. I have a BlueDriver OBD2 scanner. What I like about it is it sends the codes wirelessly to an iPhone, iPad or Android device. When you have a code on a given vehicle it gives you information on what most people with your given vehicle had an issue with. This is important because 1 code can sometimes mean 1 of 10 things. It's nice to be able to start troubleshooting with the most likely culprit.

I've had ABS and stability control save my bacon on 2 separate occasions. Both can be turned off when they are not wanted (like when you are stuck in mud or snow).