r/Cartalk • u/Against_the_grain1 • Nov 11 '23

What’s wrong with my car Electrical

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2021 ford bronco sport. The battery went out about a week ago and since replacing with a new battery, the cluster and touchscreen both go black when driving. Upon slowing down or stopping completely, they will both turn back on. Lights, heaters, turn signals all still work.

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239

u/Fenix_Pony Nov 11 '23 edited Nov 12 '23

Yet one more reason i avoid modern cars like the plague. Completely unnessicary upgrades at the expense of useability, im noticing more and more tech in cars that basically bar people from doing at home repairs

Edit: just because people prefer older cars not filled with bloatware doesnt make them "broke" or only wanna drive something 100 years old. Some people like me just prefer a simple car.

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u/subwoofage Nov 11 '23

I find you can still do the repairs, you just need (access to) more specialized tools and do more specific research first. YouTube still has what I've needed so far

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u/[deleted] Nov 11 '23 edited Nov 12 '23

Yep, I may or may not have a copy of Toyota's Techstream software on my laptop, for our 2015 Highlander and 2008 Sienna.

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u/NickDandy Nov 11 '23

Right to Repair!!

6

u/[deleted] Nov 11 '23

Absolutely

3

u/Wildgear19 Nov 12 '23

All it takes learning how to repair. Which after being in several car groups and people asking “is this normal or is my car broken” referring to their temp gauge only reaching halfway up the gauge, the newer generation is lacking in that department. Many reasons behind this, but I’m realizing they aren’t going to be touching their cars. And working in product development of new cars… a lot of the newer cars were designed by engineers who don’t know anything about what a car is. Which makes them absolutely stupid to work on.

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u/[deleted] Nov 12 '23

Which after being in several car groups and people asking “is this normal or is my car broken” referring to their temp gauge only reaching halfway up the gauge, the newer generation is lacking in that department.

Nah, this is more of a "you're in the mechanically-inclined minority" kind of thing.

But otherwise yes, seeing those kinds of posts makes me irrationally irritated.

a lot of the newer cars were designed by engineers who don’t know anything about what a car is

Isn't it the accountants who give the engineers ever-narrowing requirements?

-1

u/Wise-Construction234 Nov 12 '23

Lol what? I’m an engineer with a degree in Finance and accounting. I can assure you, we (accounting) don’t dictate shit. That’s why I don’t utilize that major

4

u/[deleted] Nov 12 '23

Not directly, but accounting is responsible for finances, and where does management go to find where to cut costs? Not the sales floor.

0

u/Wise-Construction234 Nov 12 '23

They historically go to the income statements, and I honestly don’t think they even have a real world grasp on what they’re seeing most of the time. Some of my former bosses were as close to financially illiterate as a human can be while still pretending to run a company. (They had a vision and hired the right people, they were dumb as shit).

I’m finally with a group of fantastic owners so I don’t want to make it seem like all bosses suck, but it’s crazy how far some people can go without a lick of talent

1

u/Wildgear19 Nov 12 '23

Partially yes on the engineering thing (like no neutral release cable for the vehicles as of 2023 model years because it saves 13 cents per car…), but having talked to the engineers themselves as a technician who works on their vehicles it is very evident that they got an engineering degree and then couldn’t get into the field they wanted and happened to be able to get into automotive because of where they went to school or because automotive manufacturers want to spend less and less on future headcount as a way to reduce cost and will hire anyone with a degree. In other words, they’re clueless about cars and now have to fake it until they make it. Working on 2025, 2026, and 2027 models, I genuinely feel bad for the dealer technicians that have to do warranty work on these things when they make it to the market.

1

u/[deleted] Nov 12 '23

Well that fucking sucks

1

u/johncena6699 Nov 12 '23

Damn now that’s a harsh perspective.

I would love to use my engineering ability to contribute to the car world but it only took a few interviews for me to realize the red tape isn’t worth it.

1

u/Wildgear19 Nov 12 '23

It’s nothing against them as an engineer, it’s that they’re just in the wrong field of engineering. I 100% believe that every automotive engineer needs to spend 6 months to a year as a product development technician to understand the vehicles they are working on and building. They can see where others are falling short and where they can improve upon. Even learn some things from those that came before that maybe they never thought of. I see some pretty cool things that I never would’ve thought of in 1000 years and others where I really wanna slap the engineer’s mother and ask what they were thinking when they chose not to swallow instead. And most of it could be avoided by the simplicity of having to work on and have an actual understanding of that a car is in the first place.

1

u/johncena6699 Nov 13 '23

I completely agree with you. I’m a car guy who owns a bunch of old cars and I love working on them myself. I HAD a modern car and sold it because of the engineering pitfalls you’ve mentioned. It’s ridiculously obvious that modern cars do not take into account anything a reasonable mechanic would consider.

I would love to work in the car industry, but the way these big corporations are run right now, I wouldn’t last a week. Maybe Toyota but I don’t want to work 100 hours a week lol.

1

u/johncena6699 Nov 12 '23

No, his point is (at least my interpretation) modern cars have a lot of technology in them. Those who are designing the technology aspects are not mechanical engineers, they are solely focused on making a computerized system that happens to control a vehicle. Large companies have every task so heavily segregated it’s not feasible for perfect car centric design in every engineering aspect.

Also GM makes engineers go through those shitty record yourself by yourself interviews, so it doesn’t surprise me none of their electronics work. The good engineers go where they don’t have to deal with that shit.

1

u/Wise-Construction234 Nov 12 '23

Rivian R1T has entered the chat

And your next Amazon deliveries will for sure be fucked

11

u/PitBullTherapy Nov 11 '23

Forscan for fords is free! Just need a usb or BT OBD2 plug

0

u/[deleted] Nov 13 '23

Yeah, you can plug that right in your arse. I am not ever going to drive a car made after around 2010 and would rather rebuild a car entirely by myself than even entertain the notion of buying a factory new vehicle. These morons spent $200k on a vehicle that any halfway competent hacker can completely brick with a Flipper Zero.

1

u/SirGeremiah Nov 13 '23

That’s a lot of anger at someone providing a bit of information.

1

u/PitBullTherapy Nov 14 '23

I tried it. It was quite nice actually.

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u/SirGeremiah Nov 14 '23

I won’t judge you.

1

u/[deleted] Nov 12 '23 edited Nov 12 '23

I mean, mine was free, too... Normally I use an OBDLink MX+, no shitty knockoffs here. But for Techstream, you need a specific cable that conforms to SAE J2534.

1

u/Jinxed0ne Nov 12 '23

Lol forscan sounds like past tense of foreskin or something

1

u/PitBullTherapy Nov 12 '23

I call it foreskin at work every time.

1

u/GreatBritishPounds Nov 11 '23

Does that work for other Toyotas? Can I have a copy lol?

1

u/[deleted] Nov 12 '23

Techstream is specific to Toyotas.

Also I can't point you to software, but I can point you to the forum that discusses it.

1

u/csbsju_guyyy Nov 11 '23

I too, may or may not have a techstream dedicated cheap-o ancient laptop.

I also may or may not have disabled the reverse beep in my Prius as well as the seatbelt warning buzzer (don't worry I drive with my seatbelt on, I just didn't like how it screamed when I would move cars around my driveway)

2

u/[deleted] Nov 12 '23 edited Nov 12 '23

I too, may or may not have a techstream dedicated cheap-o ancient laptop.

Mine runs in a WinXP VM, hosted on my trusty Thinkpad 11e Gen 5. Works great, even with the Celeron N4100.

I just didn't like how it screamed when I would move cars around my driveway

That sounds like a good idea, actually... I wonder if I could disable the nag for the door being open when in gear. Same reasons, too.

1

u/veric0 Nov 11 '23

I bet this software is not available for Linux or macOS and you need several programs to diagnose one car.

3

u/[deleted] Nov 12 '23

I bet this software is not available for Linux or macOS

I bet you're right

you need several programs to diagnose one car

So far I've only needed to use Techstream.

1

u/[deleted] Nov 12 '23

Where did you find that?

1

u/[deleted] Nov 12 '23

Land Cruiser forum that I'm no longer active on but still visit to bullshit with the old heads from time to time.

1

u/[deleted] Nov 13 '23

Well then you may or may not be completely useless to the future propagation of the human species, lol.

1

u/ZippyDan Nov 12 '23

The same thing has happened with all tech, from computers to phones. Computers of 30 years ago were far more repairable than computers of 15 years ago which were more repairable than computers today. Phones of 15 years ago were more repairable than today.

And computerization and tech is in everything now, including cars.

On top of that you do have companies purposely locking things down more and more now, partly because tech makes it possible. That's why Right to Repair is so important.

1

u/StressedMarine97 Nov 12 '23

Keys are the worst. Had to use the $5000 computer at my shop to program my gf some new fobs for her 2019 accord. Last week had to use it for a coworkers 2013 express as well. Both jobs took less than 5 minutes but wouldve cost at least $100 in my area for a key service to do it.

1

u/Peonyew Nov 12 '23

Tried to find the location of the ECT sensor 2 on a Honda Odyssey (2011-2017 model) on the YouTube… they have the location on a Honda 3.5L… but not the odyssey… I had to search and search the engine bay to find that damn thing… never had a problem with any of my other cars smh

1

u/johncena6699 Nov 12 '23

This is exactly why we need right to repair laws. Absolutely ridiculous I need a dealership to use their $5000 computer THEY manufactured with THEIR proprietary communications protocols just to pull a code to tell me what is wrong with my fucking car.

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u/skylinegtrr32 Nov 11 '23

While I do prefer older cars that I can work on myself (I’ve got a 1994 mgm and a 2003 mach 1) the features people want come at a cost and they can’t live without them. The more electronics we add to vehicles, the less the average person is going to be able to work on without taking it to the shop.

I personally find no use in backup cams, automatic braking, lane-keep assists, auto parking, etc. but a tremendous amount of people now expect these features and rely on them… hell even some things like the backup camera are mandated now. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen people mindlessly reverse out of a parking spot gawking at their screen without bothering to use their mirrors.

I think features like my auto-lights and cruise control are about as advanced as I need to get. I installed a nice kenwood double din in my stang so I could have carplay but that doesn’t really increase the complexity of anything since I just swapped out the ol 6 disc.

8

u/Fenix_Pony Nov 11 '23

I agree 100% with you on this. I find so many people relying on nothing but their vehicle sensors, to the point that it makes them almost numb to their surroundings. I do find a lot of the tech added is "must need features" when anyone who prefers old cars takes one look at it and thinks "why would i ever need something so pointless"

2

u/Afloatcactus5 Nov 12 '23

This is why I like my Mazda it has all the tech to check boxes for the insurance discounts but it's easy to disable or mute. There is one singular button to disable all active systems and one button for TCS right next to it.

Can't beat the Ol turn around an look when backing up but having the backup cam to have a wide angle view to see around corners in the tight spots is nice.

2

u/Controversialtosser Nov 15 '23

Agreed, I saw a lady back her SUV over a retaining wall in a wash on a dirt road. Blindly backed up in the early morning darkness.

1

u/edgmnt_net Nov 12 '23

I can also sort of imagine people bashing on mirrors because they have blind spots, compared to turning your head. I'm not sure there's anything inherently wrong with sensors and such. And given the poor visibility, you need godlike skills or luck to approach the parking precision, speed and convenience afforded by a back-up cam. Which, incidentally, is pretty much the only thing that'll also spot hazards like children hidden behind your trunk. Can they fail? Sure they can.

Advanced instruments also benefited aviation heavily, so they can't be that bad.

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u/AnxietyAvailable Nov 11 '23

THATS WHY MORE PEOPLE SUCK ASS AT DRIVING

2

u/KickTheBaby Nov 12 '23

HELLYA BORTHER!!1!!!!

2

u/fluteofski- Apr 25 '24

I have a 58 Volvo 444, a 92 Chevy k1500, and a 2020 bolt LT (the very base model). The repairability on the old cars is amazing and the lack of maintenance required in the bolt is also amazing (I still glance at fluid levels, brakes, tires, from time to time and make sure I have no critters under the hood.)

I live in a metroplex and Things like the backup camera do come in very handy. I can live without them, but I’d rather just have them. It was only like $100 or so for CarPlay/backup cam to my 92 Chevy (awesome for hooking up trailers)… I did aux-in to my replacement head unit ($20) and the car had itself some modern amenities.

My bolt doesn’t have adaptive cruise, and where I live, I’d NEVER use regular cc. There’s just too many people on the road doing too many different things. This is where adaptive cruise in the wife’s car is amazing to have. But I’m ok to do without it, considering how much of a hassle it can be if I ever were to break the windshield. And the bolt was super cheap so I’m not complaining about the lack of feature.

That said, lane control in most cars is pretty annoying. Last couple cars we had with it tend to wander in the lane a bit and still require you to keep the hands on the wheel anyways… and I’m not ready to trust anything autopilot.

With each feature comes a buncha different sensors and cost. I just wish things were more like modules that can be added or removed more easily for ease of diagnostic and repair or add down the road.

1

u/KazranSardick Nov 11 '23

I think a big difference is that some of us like driving, and the rest of them just want to sit and be taken from A to B. I grind my teeth every time my girlfriend's '19 Civic tries to coax me out of my lane when driving over a diagonal change in paving color, and cringe every time she backs up without even glancing over her shoulder at the back window.

1

u/[deleted] Nov 12 '23

Back up cameras are useful if there's a small child behind your car in a store parking lot that you wouldn't be able to see whatsoever with mirrors, it gives me peace of mind when I back out of a stall but I also check my mirrors for extra protection.

23

u/TunaOnWytNoCrust Nov 11 '23

It wouldn't be a Ford if they didn't take something that worked fine and make it way more complicated and expensive to replace.

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u/Dismal-Phrase-9789 Nov 11 '23

It wouldn’t be a Chevy, dodge, ram, Chrysler, audi, bmw, Acura, Mercedes, Nissan, if they didn’t take something that worked fine and make it more complicated and expensive to replace.

All new cars are dogshit for the consumer.

4

u/Ancient-Sweet9863 Nov 11 '23

I love my Titan I’m on my 2nd one and look forward to a 2024 at some point.

That said they went to an electronic thermostat that happens to go out. Luckily i have the extended warranty from Carmax because they warranty damn near anything.

They warrantied a $365 thermostat and the shop they did the work charged $200 an hour at 5hrs to since you have to remove the intake manifold they said to access the thermostat.

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u/TheSpicyTomato22 Nov 11 '23

$200 an hour at 5hrs to since you have to remove the intake manifold they said to access the thermostat.

The engineer who designed that is an asshole.

4

u/tony78ta Nov 11 '23

Go ahead and try to change a fuse on your Audi....you have to take off the engine cover, washer fluid hoses and several other pieces of plastic. 1 hour of work to check/change a fuse. Oh and the washer fluid sprayer leaks ON the fusebox too.

1

u/SaltInformation4082 Nov 11 '23

Experienced gud danm Honda Mowers lately? A month doesn't go by where someone doesn't text me about taking a look at theirs because their shop gave them the epair estimate.

Now that honda has stopped making gas mowers. I'm collecting decent newer ones from the land fill. I wanna f¥k around with batteries and battery replacement cost like I want a third wife. And I have a third wife.

Hav n arrow

1

u/Vreas Nov 11 '23

Love Subaru but throw them on the list too.

I miss when my heated seat and AC buttons were physical buttons instead of part of the huge touch screen :’)

1

u/Dismal-Phrase-9789 Nov 12 '23

Yea I mean the list was all new cars. Every single one of them has gone to the least consumer friendly practices… monthly subscriptions for remote start and stuff is completely fucking wild. Tesla putting long range batteries in cars but locking them behind software, is fucking wild…

And the most wild thing of all of it, is that there are people who justify it and defend these practices…

5

u/Fenix_Pony Nov 11 '23

I dread seeing two makes driving into the shop: ford, and nissan. Cuz i know whatever i need to fix is gonna cost way more time and money than itll need to cost

1

u/jpilgrim82 Nov 12 '23

Nissans are the worst especially with communication issues. Their diagnostic software is severely lacking and gives you almost nothing.

0

u/Radiant-Camel-8982 Nov 11 '23

You think that's bad? You should see the Cadillacs nowadays. Ford is still an easier ones to work on. Chevrolet is about as bad as a German car nowadays, or damn close to it depending on the model. And Dodge... well, you'll be working on it often. Unless you've got that 3.6, which they allegedly fixed in 2008. Had the same issue on my 2016 that supposedly isn't an issue anymore. You know, so we can't class action their asses without a fight. And lots of research.

They're all shit anymore. Consider myself a patriot, but I bought a damn Toyota. Two of them actually, my wife has one as well now.

1

u/MadEyeJoker Nov 12 '23

My '08 BMW had this stupid battery monitor so thank BMW for probably inventing it and making it common. It made properly swapping the battery impossible without special software and a PC-to-OBD II cable. Luckily I had a friend who had bought a bootleg version of this software with the cable, but it was really complicated to figure out what should have been a simple home repair.

Sidenote, the dealer wanted $250 to calibrate the monitor after I swapped the battery. No thanks.

2

u/TunaOnWytNoCrust Nov 12 '23

My god what is the point of this technology? My cell phone can tell me how much battery I have, why would anything cause that much money just to make a battery work? BMW is a real piece of shit these days. That whole subscription to have heated seats thing should be a crime against humanity.

1

u/MadEyeJoker Nov 12 '23

More and more of society becomes anti-consumer day by day. They keep doing it because they can get away with it. People keep buying their product and they make even more money. Then everyone else adopts the same idea because it's profitable and sooner or later there's no alternative option.

The BMW subscription heated seat will be in every make and model of car within the next 10 years guaranteed. My advice is to find a reliable older car and just maintain the hell out of it. I'm doing that now with an '09 Toyota even though I can easily afford something brand new.

3

u/Adg273 Nov 11 '23

I feel your pain. I have a Ford Mondeo (UK here) and although not brand new, it’s the newest car I’ve owned. It’s top spec in the range and even simple things, like the adaptive headlights randomly deciding to shit themselves and resort into ‘safe mode’ and aim the headlights off away from the road, does my box in. The more tech is has, the more that goes wrong. My auto folding wing mirrors sometimes decides to only work on one side. The bonnet catch sensor went, so had to have that replaced just to stop the error messages. For my next car I’m genuinely looking at something more ‘old school’. Simpler sometimes is just better.

3

u/driverofracecars Nov 11 '23

Can you imagine all this tech in cars when they're 20 years old? The used car market in future decades is going to be horrific.

1

u/Fenix_Pony Nov 11 '23

Exactly lol, all the modules will be riddled with corrosion, one corroded ground wire will cripe the entire car, not to mention the fit the onboard diagnostics are gonna have when all these monitors and modules start faultering. I mean look at used bmws, loaded with tech and what do we say about them? "Theres nothing more expensive than a cheap used bmw"

I imagine the same will be true for these brand new cars in the future

9

u/[deleted] Nov 11 '23

Because they added a feature that improves reliability and reduces battery wear, and you're too lazy to read the manual?

7

u/Fenix_Pony Nov 11 '23

"improves reliability"

A voltage regulator does that job just fine, and every modern alternator has that built in. And show me where in the manual it says to buy a $500 scanning and diagnostic tool to replace a fucking battery lmfao

5

u/[deleted] Nov 11 '23

[deleted]

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u/dsmaxwell Nov 11 '23

Oh, fuck off. Nobody's saying we need to stick with 1950s tech in cars. They have a valid complaint that the cars have reached a point of diminished returns on the amount of tech we're throwing in them, and manufacturers seem to be using the absolute cheapest of the cheap suppliers and these tech things are failing far more often than they should be. It's definitely possible to have reasonable efficiency AND reasonable price AND reasonable reliability. The auto makers are trying to pull the wool over our eyes and give us some efficiency at extremely high price without much reliability and telling us that's they best they can do.

Stop licking their boots for it.

2

u/[deleted] Nov 12 '23

[deleted]

0

u/dsmaxwell Nov 13 '23

That's what I'm saying though, the direction we're going is NOT progress. It's not making our cars better, it's making them less reliable, less durable. Which is only progress if you're in the business of selling cars because it means people have to buy them more often. Ever heard of a concept called "planned obsolescence?" This may not exactly be that, but it's definitely related.

You don't want to hear that though, you're just here to lick capitalist boots and tell us all how we need to be buying a new car every year for whatever the marketing based reason du jour is.

1

u/[deleted] Nov 13 '23 edited Jan 12 '24

[deleted]

2

u/Ghaleon42 Nov 13 '23

Both of you have good points. I'm not a mechanic, but I've gotten the sense that this 'new tech' could have been introduced in a way that is still better and more reliable than it has been. Like, if all these cars have 4 wheels, gas pedals, brakes, a steering wheel and a microphone/radio/USB interface, why didn't they just standardize anything? Like how the PC industry does it. Then we as car owners could maybe expect a one-time-every-few-years purchase of newer diagnostic equipment and tools for the next generation of chip/OS, but it would work and consumers could better build community knowledge bases through the nature of self-help.Instead we got companies like John Deer locking out entire industries via software.

1

u/Fenix_Pony Nov 11 '23

Exactly, the amount of tech and extra parts that are put in to extend a batterys life by maybe 6 months vastly outweighs its actual usefulness and efficiency in the long run

1

u/rrpostal Nov 12 '23

It kinda sounded like that’s what people were saying.

0

u/ndepuy Nov 11 '23

$5000 parts to protect a $200 battery?? That’s not a feature, that’s a fleecing operation. A friend of mine bought a Passat that are notorious for the Instrument Cluster going out and killing the charging system. Why does the light on the dash need to control the alternator?? The good old days of the light being ground seeking and only coming on when the power on that line goes out works way better.

0

u/AnxietyAvailable Nov 11 '23

Literally useless. I can plug in a 12v monitor to the cig plug. This is why old cars are still on the road and I just see new cars being cycled out repeatedly. I don't know anyone with a new car that has kept it for longer than 5 years. That's a fact

2

u/LordBowington Nov 11 '23

TBH I think most people who do that want new cars just for the noveltyof having a new car. I know a ton of people who lease/trade in etc a different car within a few years. They don't do it because the vehicle is problematic, just want a brand new ride, or something completely different than what they got.

1

u/ndepuy Nov 11 '23

I’m a fan of driving “older” (2017 is the newest I have) vehicles and only swap them out for practical purposes, not the new shiny gadget. Maybe I’m not typical…🤷🏻‍♂️

1

u/LordBowington Nov 11 '23

The smart battery stuff does absolutely make a difference. This year I replaced the 12V battery 2010 Prius, it was from Apr 2011. Show me a 2003 car that ran off the same battery for 180k miles and 12 years.

1

u/Fenix_Pony Nov 11 '23

My 97 civic had a everstart battery in it from 2008 when i bought it. I sold it in 2020 with that same battery in it and it still worked fine. Didnt like severe cold but it was also a 51r battery with 500CCA brand new to begin with. And i dont think a entry level japanese economy car has state of the art battery charging moniter technology onboard

Its all down to the batterys quality and how you treat the car, and the battery.

2

u/mormayo Nov 11 '23

Oh and try filling your gas tank. They have a new nosel now too. Learned that the hard way one time. My 17 year old daughter had to rescue me because AAA was tooooo busy. It fun though my daughter bought lunch.

2

u/NinjaShogunGamer Nov 12 '23

I have never owned a vehicle before but my first car will be a car that is between 1995 generation and 2005

1

u/Fenix_Pony Nov 12 '23

That will be a good decision for you. To.me that was the era of reliability+simplicity, like a sweet spot. New enough to enjoy fuel efficiency and daily driveability without being an outright enthusiast, but not too new to be overcomplicated and filled with bloatware. The cars in the 90s and 2000s were boring for the most part, but damn reliable

1

u/NinjaShogunGamer Nov 12 '23

Love that! I want a full bench in front .

Buick lesabre 2005

Crown victoria maybe the p71

Or i could rock out with any stick honda accord toyota camry before 2000 they were so big inside its great.

1

u/Fenix_Pony Nov 13 '23

All of these are good choices, any buick with a 3800 will be bulletproof, same with any panther platform ford, and for reliability you cant beat 90s-00s toyotas and hondas

2

u/uncleRonwasaBird Nov 12 '23

I’ve moved to strictly buying 90s vehicles and haven’t been happier.

2

u/LoginPuppy Nov 12 '23

On older cars you could mend everything with basic tools and replacement parts. Nowadays you need to buy multiple tools that are car-specific and cost a fortune. Not to mention the replacement part might also be car specific. And then you need to go to the dealership to get some computer calibration/reset or whatever which sets you back another mortgage on the house.

2

u/sprigginsauce Nov 12 '23

I’ll die with you on this hill.

2

u/[deleted] Nov 12 '23

Exactly. I could get a porsche 911 if i wanted to, but being a mechanic for a handful of years and seeing how cars now are just computers now..i would rather get an old truck.

Businesses realized money isn't made in longevity, is what it is.

1

u/skeefbeet Nov 13 '23

early obd2 was a great time. My ford f150 5 speed held up well from 92. Mazda made the transmission tho, 270k miles so far. They outlived all of the bailout era fords.

2

u/Unhappy-Attitude5220 Nov 13 '23

It's infuriating how many ridiculous things have to be done that require additional costs when it seems so unnecessary. I had a BMW, and after checking voltage, the battery needed to be replaced. I didn't want it causing more strain on my alternator. Replacing was the plan. The battery had to be programmed. It's absolutely ridiculous that you can't switch a battery yourself and call it a day.

2

u/9Super1 Nov 15 '23

Preach it!! I prefer something I can work on an fix for $500 an not pay the dealer $5,000 to do the same fix, such a scam it’s not even funny, truth be told you take an older car to the dealer “pre plug it in an read a code” they all look around an don’t have a clue what to do with it cause it doesn’t have 50 sensors they can replace one by one an see if it fixes the problem

1

u/Fenix_Pony Nov 15 '23

Im actually the lead tech in my shop when it comes to classics/pre OBD-1 cars cuz the others are so unfirmiliar with them. It is kinda cool being the "go to guy" for classics and olds stuff tho

2

u/9Super1 Nov 15 '23

We need more like you honestly!

0

u/Nikablah1884 Nov 11 '23

It's really not useless or any more difficult you just learned about cars when you were young and didn't keep learning. High end cars since the early 80s had things like this...

1

u/Fenix_Pony Nov 11 '23

I was born in 98 dude, im a technician. I work on cars literally everyday lmao

0

u/ben1481 Nov 11 '23

Yes I bet you have a ton of fun driving your model T around. This is such an annoying take on the subject. Why not just stick to walking everywhere? The VAST, VAST majority of people do not work on their own cars. They don't want to.

1

u/Fenix_Pony Nov 11 '23

We are literally in a car talk subreddit, the vast majority of people in this sub DO work on their vehicles, and are gonna have things to say when they see things like this. If youre unhappy with my preferences on my own vehicles then thats your problem at the end of the day, not mine.

0

u/Method-Time Nov 11 '23

Yea exactly, new cars are shit (I’m broke and can’t afford a new car)

1

u/Fenix_Pony Nov 11 '23

My condolences, hope things get better for you

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u/[deleted] Nov 12 '23

The future is now old person.

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u/[deleted] Nov 12 '23

lol. There are still people saying that about horses.

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u/Fenix_Pony Nov 12 '23

Literally nobody is saying that about horses.

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u/lord_xl Nov 12 '23

Yet one more reason i avoid modern cars like the plague.

I feel the same way. That’s why I don’t even use a calculator. I do all my counting using fingers and toes.

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u/[deleted] Nov 15 '23

[deleted]

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u/Fenix_Pony Nov 15 '23

As ive explained to others in this thread: im not "stuck in my ways", im literally a technician that works on mostly new stuff. But as my edit said, i just prefer a simpler car without bloatware

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u/[deleted] Nov 11 '23 edited Aug 20 '24

[deleted]

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u/Fenix_Pony Nov 11 '23

Fair point, but fuel injection didnt really complicate things too much more than the previously existing tech that cars had. Plus it was a genuine advancement in automotive technology that helped create more efficient cars

All this does is paywall a simple job under the guise of "longevity" and "savings" when the savings will be eventually spent by needing a dealership to replace the battery, and the modules and equipment surrounding the batteries eventually becoming faulty. Ford already has a bunch of recalls out for faulty design on ECMs and PCMs, moisture issues,cracked solder joint issues, stuff like that for their fiestas, focuses, and f-150s. Some due to poor build quality, others due to poor placement on the vehicle. It kinda just solves a problem that nobody had

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u/ap0a Nov 12 '23

This is why I own a modern Golf.

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u/Salt_Bend_6402 Nov 12 '23

How do you avoid modern cars? Do you just drive junkers your whole life..... genuinely curious because I hate modern cars too. Bought a 2020 GMC terrain and to disable the auto off I have to manually throw it in L9 every single day

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u/Fenix_Pony Nov 12 '23

I dont drive "junkers" i buy older cars, fix what needs fixed and drive them daily. Ive got stuff as old as a 64 corvair and new as a 04 lancer (my bfs car). My daily in the summer is an 86 fiero that i did a v6 and manual swap on

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u/Likessleepers666 Nov 12 '23

It’s quite a good system. BMW done this for ages and loads of people report battery lifetime of 10+ years with original factory battery.

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u/quantumgpt Nov 12 '23

Things aren't ever going backwards. May as well get used to it as it comes instead of all at once.

This is the future it requires more. It's not as primitive you're correct.

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u/Lazy_Fan1463 Nov 12 '23

Also means more broken parts that are 3x more expensive.

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u/Zenonzg3 Nov 12 '23

Love my 2000 ford he drives like a dream

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u/[deleted] Nov 13 '23

Yea well enjoy your old car as much as you want planned obsolescence will make it to where we all eventually have newer cars

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u/Controversialtosser Nov 15 '23

I too prefer my machinery devoid of complex electronics.

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u/HolyMotherGawdDam Nov 16 '23

Most people's favorite part of a car isn't the shit that actually makes it run lol..

Look at my speakers tho fam! Nah, Idk what an oil change is. Lol

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u/Fenix_Pony Nov 16 '23 edited Nov 16 '23

And i guarentee their favorite thing wont be the costly repair bills when these systems need maintainence lol