Push button Starter discussion

[Andrew Button]

Ok, so this is my commentary on that push button starter thread. Some good information was provided there, but what was happening was well, say interesting. I think that through marketing and such, car manufacturers want to integrate and engineer things into newer cars in the hopes that the watcher of the tv commercial will feel whatever they currently own is just not with the times or out of step. Logically, most would say, gee, my car doesn’t have a so and so gadget so its time to upgrade and go out and finance a new car with gadget x,y or z, or spend a large wad of cash to gain a feature their car doesn’t have. Myself, I scoff at unrepairable and unserviceble things integrated in to new cars and like simplicity much better, but there are others that are pressed by society to have the latest and greatest, but that keeping up with the Joneses, whether it be a larger TV or a car with a feature is expensive. My overall observation is that some of these things are not only uneccesary, but problematic. One of my favorite modern day cars is the Corvette made from 1997 to 2004. However, when a friend of mine got a 2005 model, and it had a touch pad on on the door handle that would only open with a fob in the pocket, I immediatley thought of all the future problems that would cause when the system eventually failed, the touch sensor wore out, the transponder got scramble, the BCM was having a bad day, and I said I would never own a car with such frivolous nonsense. The fact that somebody would want to integrate this silly stuff in to older model cars is just mind blowing to me. I do not like transmitters, or things I cannot wire around. The modern day car has become to complicated to be what I would consider an impossible to maintain long term committement, say 20 years down the road. Current owners of some Chrysler models made between 10 and 15 years ago are having enough trouble getting window regulators and fuel pumps to keep the cars running, can you techs imagine what those gimmicks built in to cars are going to be like in another 10 years and the software, or hardware is no longer supported. Dorman is not going to be able to make all this stuff… These cars will end in the endless tech filled garbage piles they have over in China…

Topic

[Hokiedad4]

Interesting thoughts. In the long run, car manufacturers make what they think people want to buy. That’s it. If a push button ignition helps them sell more cars, they’ll install them. If yellow tinted windows were suddenly popular, you’d see yellow tinted windows on every car in the lot within two years. Is there a risk of going overboard with technology? Ask Ford. Their poor implementation of technology (SYNC, specifically) cost them market share a few years ago. But the manufacturers have learned not to get too far ahead of the curve.

Let’s not forget that cars are FAR more reliable today than two decades ago, which I think is the primary reason the average car on the road is >11 years old. So my 2004 Accord is average. Not much technology in that old girl. Would I want push button ignition in my next car. Probably, along with backup camera, BT connectivity, etc. That’s what we’ve come to expect in a new car. And that’s what they’ll manufacture. Then as soon as we want something else, they’ll make whatever that is.

[Andrew Button]

My Civic was made 2 decades ago. It will be putting around long after things with screens and backup cameras are in the landfill. Do you actually think a 2015 Honda is more reliable than a 1995 Honda.. ha, not a chance. That goes for pretty much any car I think of, not just Asian models. No electronic garbage to bog it down weight or technology wise. There is nothing on the car that cannot be fixed cheaply and easily, but it came from an era when people more of an emphasis on a rock solid piece of transportation that was serviceable versus the technocrap people are buying now. Does a car actually need to Sync with a phone ? Is a small car like a Civic really in need of a camera to see things behind it ? I have NEVER gotten lost because it doesn’t have a GPS, it doesn’t have a screen and I cannot watch Bob Barker and the price is right on the dash as I am driving and there is no loss there. I have come to expect a car to be simple and easy to repair, and the precludes transmitters, phone syncs, bluetooth and a bunch of other garbage integrated into so I cannot fix it. And yes, it will have a KEY for the ignition forever.

[Hokiedad4]

I’m sure every generation of car enthusiasts believes the same thing. Not that I’m saying you’re a Luddite…

[Jesse]

[quote=”Hokiedad4″ post=134276]I’m sure every generation of car enthusiasts believes the same thing. Not that I’m saying you’re a Luddite…[/quote]
There is actual hard evidence to suggest that cars are starting to get less reliable as opposed to more reliable. A study did in 2014 stated that cars are actually starting to have a drop in reliability for the first time since 1998. Eric himself made a great video about how the quality of Honda started going downhill while he was a technician. He mentioned that Honda was starting to cheap out on materials, for example instead of using stainless steel exhaust that would last practically forever, they used regular cheap steel.

I think the same problem will crop up with electronics. The more money you devote to putting in the latest, and greatest consumer electronics into your car, the more the mechanic aspects of the car will suffer. Car manufacturers NEED to keep their cars at a certain price point so their consumers can afford them and part of that is perhaps skimping on certain materials, and components that go into the car. Andrew also made a very valid point about replacement parts; where will you be able to find all of these things after the dealership stops carrying them? I highly doubt the aftermarket will be able to keep up with everything. Repair has also become a nightmare for certain electrical components in vehicles. Shops are starting to need to hire what are called field technicians to deal with some of these electrical problems. These guys are paid sometimes 75 to 100 dollars an hour, and they are not employees of the dealership, but rather are more of independent contractors.

I don’t mind electronics in vehicles, but I feel as if things are moving too fast in that direction, and I can guarantee you that it will lead to problems down the road.

[Author]

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