Thread: Seems Yanks having a problem!

Hmm. I haven't seen any figures, but I bet you guys aren't alone with this sort of thing.

Back in the day when you had to push the lock buttons on the doors to lock them, I have seen plenty of people lock the keys in the car with the engine still running...

Technology has just moved on - people haven't...

A couple of years ago at a car park in Oregon, a woman was becoming frantic. She couldn't unlock the car to let some passengers out (she was outside).

The remote wasn't working. We had to tell her to unlock the car with the key.

Once car electronics evolve to the point where cars are smarter than their owners, drivers will be redundant. Cars will spend their days cruising around looking for their stupid lost owners. Wanna buy a Nanny-Ford, anyone?

Originally Posted by bee utey

Once car electronics evolve to the point where cars are smarter than their owners, drivers will be redundant. Cars will spend their days cruising around looking for their stupid lost owners. Wanna buy a Nanny-Ford, anyone?

i would say that every shopping centre manager wish they had those cars now

Tried to lock the keys in the car with our Santa Fe, but the car wouldn't do it.

Must have an override in the seat sensor, as the vehicle will lock when you're seated.

Originally Posted by bee utey

Once car electronics evolve to the point where cars are smarter than their owners, drivers will be redundant.

I don't know about that but we have reached a point where it can cause some consternation!

What comes immediately to mind is the Prius and similar cars with the "proximity key".
Now I fix these cars, I got trained to fix them a few years ago. I was the oldest bloke in the class of young hi-tech Pre-Madonnas.

(Now dare I call them cars these days I prefer to new turn of the century classifications--- DEVICES")

For those who have never got near a Pious and the later Gen 2 models, the car comes with a proximity security system.

Simply put, the car is looking for you the operator to come near it with the plipper box in your pocket. Basically searching for you "like I am looking for you I am looking for --I am looking for you" When it sees you it then lights the car up de-arming it electronically "I see you-- I see you".
You open the door and your butt sits down in the seat--Seat sensors!

(Butt in seat sensor) signalling the car he/she might start it.

With no key in the dash you push the button and the car will start the ICE , or maybe it won't if all the start up systems have been satisfied, like engine warmed up, battery both vehicular and traction fully charged etc etc. It just sits there armed and waiting for an instruction. Apply/Release the foot brake, moving the gear shifter; the auto park system dis-engages and you drive off with MG 2 (Motor Generator #2 )driving the car silently down the road. Until that is you punch it and the ICE kicks in.

Now comes the funny bits,
Mechanic A is instructed to change the oil. He starts the car up and the ICE warms it up like any regular car. It stops once all systems satisfied.

He forgets its armed, drops the oil and filter, and slides off to the parts counter waits for his parts, has a chin wag, with another mechanic, maybe take a pee, and comes back to find the engine running with NO OIL! or worse engine is locked up! Crikey!

Or even worse its armed and dangerous, he's fiddling and fannying about in the engine area and it starts, mangling hands. The next time in the pub he holds up a stumpy fingered hand ordering 4 beers please mate!
Don't laugh cos its happened!-- Well I am anyway!

The other more serious is a road accident and there is a bunch of mangled cars in the road and on the pedestrian sidewalk.
The fire brigade and cops arrive as what they now call 'em First Responders. As usual a crowd of onlookers have gathered to look at guts, blood 'n gore.
Amongst the tangled wreckage is a Prius. Driver still in the seat but slumped unconscious over the wheel and the vehcile in gear all armed like; silently waiting for the un-informed to activate it by mistake.

Ist rescuer doesn't look for the proximity key and remove it to a safe place but instinctively moves to rescue the occupant. The removal of the occupant due to collision damage causes the car to come alive and drive off driver less. Mowing over the onlookers who wanted to see some excitement.
And on that day they got it--yes its happened!

So yes I can only thank the Japanese designed these systems and built in a lot of fail safe into it , but it not infallible if the untrained have ago. It only gives me cause to stop and muse if Joe Lucas could have got it right the first time.
If some of the Landrover products I have seen in all my years in this trade/business I doubt it somehow.OMG!
Enjoy the read.
Cheers Dennis
zedcars

Thanks for the stories. I haven't heard anything like that yet, but I'd suspected as much. The problem with designing anything is that the designer must be able to try and think about every and any situation that could possible happen, which they never seem to do.

Flat batteries from the car sensing nearby security systems, phones that connect to things and stay connected, cars with computerised transmissions where you can't change the battery yourself for some reason . . . the list gets longer and longer. Around here it's rare now for anyone to fix their car out in the bush. They simply get recovered to a garage or dealer, which is just a bit expensive. And it's not exactly quick, either.

No such thing as a foolproof devise or machine Fools are so ingenious !!!!