Ongoing General Automotive Thread 2.0

[calgarygeologist]

Originally Posted by TorqueDog

Automakers including BMW already have been using LEDs in tail lamps and marker / signal lights for a long time. And generally they aren't designed to be serviceable by the owner, meaning a burnt out signal = replacing a $1,100 tail lamp assembly.

The LEDs should last the life of a vehicle. We have a 2009 Ford with 225,000km that has LED taillights/turn signals and they are still functional.

[TorqueDog]

Originally Posted by calgarygeologist

The LEDs should last the life of a vehicle. We have a 2009 Ford with 225,000km that has LED taillights/turn signals and they are still functional.

Should, of course, but that ignores the point that sometimes it can simply be down to a bad LED on the PCB, or a problem with lamp sealing over time that allows a bit of moisture to get in and short it out. With a regular bulb or an LED bulb that can be replaced, it's a few minutes with some hand tools (and often times, no tools are required). But if the LEDs are not replaceable, then it's an assembly repair / swap.

[Wormius]

Originally Posted by monkeyman

If you think AliExpress LED's have issues, wait until BMW implements them. Only you'll be paying 10x as much. To be fair, they probably wouldn't burn out, they'd probably just stop working or blink on the wrong side or turn on the interior light.

To other drivers this will be indistinguishable from how they see the typical BMW driver using their signals.

[speede5]

Speaking of signal lights I was behind some small suv the other day and it had brake lights right where they are on basically every suv, but the signal light was separate and way down on the bumper. What a daft design. Why the heck would they detach it and put it out of your sight line. I can’t remember the model.

[Bill Bumface]

Originally Posted by speede5

Speaking of signal lights I was behind some small suv the other day and it had brake lights right where they are on basically every suv, but the signal light was separate and way down on the bumper. What a daft design. Why the heck would they detach it and put it out of your sight line. I can’t remember the model.

Hyundai Kona?

[calgarygeologist]

Originally Posted by speede5

Speaking of signal lights I was behind some small suv the other day and it had brake lights right where they are on basically every suv, but the signal light was separate and way down on the bumper. What a daft design. Why the heck would they detach it and put it out of your sight line. I can’t remember the model.

There are a bunch of vehicles like this now including various Hyundais, Kias, Infinitis and others and it drives me crazy as well. During daylight there are honestly times where I can't see the turn signal down low in the bumper because I'm so accustomed to seeing it up higher incorporated around the tail lights. At night it isn't as bad because it is more noticeable when they illuminate but I'm honestly surprised there isn't some sort of US/Canadian regulation about this.

[speede5]

Originally Posted by Bill Bumface

Hyundai Kona?

I don’t know for sure, I felt like there was no red or anything around it.


Reading a bit into it online seems regulations are part of the reason why they are doing it. I guess the rules state they can’t have the brake lights on a movable surface (hatch) so they are adding lights to the bumper to be compliant.

[Fuzz]

So I find this kinda wild while browsing the Tesla forums. So you can buy Tesla insurance, and your rate is based on your safety score, which the car comes up with based on how you drive it. Tesla used this to allow FSD beta activation early on, so you needed to be a "safe" driver to get the beta. Anyway, the car decides when you make a safety blunder, like heavy breaking, and in this person's case, a forward collision warning.

I am amazed at the collision warnings that I am getting and the undue hesitancy of Autopilot. The one that really bugs me is:
During manual drive: When the car ahead of me is turning off to the right into a driveway or road, etc and I get a collision warning. The only way that I could possible crash into that vehicle is if I purposefully swerved into it! I wouldn't care too much except for the fact it dinged me 2 points on the safety score.
The reason I drove manually is because the Tesla route would have me cut across 3 busy lanes of traffic where the lanes are solid lines (no crossing) or a U-turn on another very busy road. Neither choices make sense. That 2 point drop cost $5 on the Tesla insurance.
Any attorney out there bored and what to set up a class action law suit! Haha!

https://teslamotorsclub.com/tmc/thre...arning.299119/

So the car clearly has some bad programing, and it ends up costing the guy $5 more. What a great system! Is this the future we have to look forward to? Basically guilty by tech?

[timun]

The crap Tesla owners are willing to put up with never ceases to amaze me

[timun]

Originally Posted by speede5

Speaking of signal lights I was behind some small suv the other day and it had brake lights right where they are on basically every suv, but the signal light was separate and way down on the bumper. What a daft design. Why the heck would they detach it and put it out of your sight line. I can’t remember the model.

I noticed this a while ago on the Hyundai and Kia products of the last few years, and just this morning on my commute to the office encountered a Kia Sportage with a bike rack that in the stowed position completely obscured the signal lights... Didn't even occur to me until the driver—immediately in front of me—seemingly slowed down for no reason on 14th Street. It wasn't until they were halfway into their right turn that I was able to see the (actuated) turn signal light.

[nik-]

Yeah, those bumper turn signals are stupid and those cars should be blown up.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by timun

The crap Tesla owners are willing to put up with never ceases to amaze me

It's crazy on the forums when you see some poor sap take delivery of a Tesla with extra-shoddy construction and the masses think they are being a complainer.

[Wormius]

Any recommendations for an aftermarket head unit with Apple Car Play / Android Auto support in a double-DIN size?

I just want something with a good display that I can easily play podcasts or music and use the maps. I am not a huge audiophile, so as long as it doesn't sound staticky, I am content.


Are any of these brands like "boss" or "nakamichi" worth looking at, or is it wiser to stick with a brand like sony or pioneer?

[BloodFetish]

I can't answer directly but have a look at at Crutchfield.ca. You can put your car in to find compatible models and then have good filtering tools to narrow down results.

Nakamichi is an old brand that had a reputation for quality long ago. Not sure about today. I know Boss is cheap but no idea on quality.

[speede5]

I just bought a nice Alpine unit from Crutchfield, haven't installed it yet but it looks like it will do everything you need. Nice thing with Crutchfield is you tell them the car you have and it recommends all the adapters etc that you need you the install. I needed a new faceplate and a harness for the steering wheel controls and they have it all.

https://www.crutchfield.ca/p_500ILXW....html?tp=73318

[kevman]

Originally Posted by Wormius

Any recommendations for an aftermarket head unit with Apple Car Play / Android Auto support in a double-DIN size?

I just want something with a good display that I can easily play podcasts or music and use the maps. I am not a huge audiophile, so as long as it doesn't sound staticky, I am content.


Are any of these brands like "boss" or "nakamichi" worth looking at, or is it wiser to stick with a brand like sony or pioneer?

We bought a Sony XAV-AX1000 a while back and it does everything we needed and was only $500. I liked that it didn't have it's own maps built in (wasted functionality/cost) and fully supports both Android (my phone) and Apple (wife's phone). I also really like the physical volume and next track buttons to make it easier to adjust while driving.

The AX1000 is obviously discontinued now but the newer versions appear to be around $400.

[Crazy Flamer]

I have a 2015 Acura MDX and the touch screen in the vehicle cracked. The dealership wants around $2,000 and that's just for the unit. I have seen some aftermarket options where just the screen itself and not the whole unit can be replaced, anyone have any experience with this? Having troubles finding anyone that could do the work.

[CorsiHockeyLeague]

Which screen is it, the upper navigation screen or the lower head unit screen? Because replacing the latter would be easy, replacing the former... not so much.

[you&me]

Used cars used to be the smart-value choice... The ubiquity of these screens is creating a massive liability.

Can you imagine when some of these current, monster 30"+ screens start crapping out?

[Crazy Flamer]

Originally Posted by CorsiHockeyLeague

Which screen is it, the upper navigation screen or the lower head unit screen? Because replacing the latter would be easy, replacing the former... not so much.

The upper navigation screen is not a touch screen it would be the lower one. I did a Google search of shops that do automotive electronic work here in Calgary and luckily I found someone who can do the repair.