Don't ya just love

[MrGiggles]

3 hours ago, Sam said:

Gotta love modern "improved" technology, and some of it really is good.  I remember when vehicles were pretty much worn out at 100k miles.

But with that said, I think some of the "improvements" aren't really.  My fishing partner bought a new Ford F-150 a couple of months ago and I've been driving it sometimes coming back from our trips.  It's a nice ride!  BUT, in lots of ways I think they've found complicated, expensive solutions to problems that didn't exist.  Some of you folks have newer F-150's, I'm sure - so what's the deal with the ignition key?  That weird-shaped electronic thing is impossible to duplicate all right - but were unauthorized copies of keys a big problem?  That key just looks complex and expensive - real, real expensive.

Then there's the emergency brake, which I always use on a boat ramp - I sure don't want to put a truck in the lake.  The new emergency brake is electronic, operated with a pull-switch on the dash.  There's no brake release, it releases automatically when the truck is in gear and the gas pedal is depressed.  Now, that thing just has to mess up sometime, and the repair is going to be difficult and expensive.  Didn't they have manual emergency/parking brakes figured out many years ago, and they're simple and work just fine?  Why the heck did they mess with that?  Just my $.02 worth.

You cant smoke the parking brake by leaving it engaged if its electronic. 

90% of drivers have never touched the parking brake in their vehicle, it's just a marketing gimmick more than anything.

They either use shorter cables that run to an electric motor, or the motors are integrated into the caliper. Neither of which are much more expensive or difficult to deal with than conventional cables.

Replacing the old school cables on a mechanical system is not fun or easy either.

[Sam]

9 minutes ago, MrGiggles said:

You cant smoke the parking brake by leaving it engaged if its electronic. 

90% of drivers have never touched the parking brake in their vehicle, it's just a marketing gimmick more than anything.

They either use shorter cables that run to an electric motor, or the motors are integrated into the caliper. Neither of which are much more expensive or difficult to deal with than conventional cables.

Replacing the old school cables on a mechanical system is not fun or easy either.

OK, I didn't think about the new system making it impossible to drive with the parking brake on - so that explains it.

I still suspect that someone, somewhere, is eventually going to experience a failure where the electronic parking brake switch won't release and then they'll be stuck.  I guess old style parking brakes could get stuck too, rarely, so never mind. 

[fishinwrench]

Old style parking brakes never failed unless you went years without using them.    Just like anything else mechanical.  

Computer controlled stuff fails.....just cuz.

[MOPanfisher]

The new ford's we have at work have to electronic parking brakes.  They will release by using the same button you use to set it also.  They also have a setting that will shut off the engine if you set still for more than 10 seconds or so and start up as soon as you release the brake or move anything.  But it can be deactivated easily.

[snagged in outlet 3]

A guy here at work got a flat and he was changing it out.  Trying I should say.  First he couldn't figure out how to get the hub cap off of an aluminum wheel with no hub cap.  Then the wheel was seized on because it had never been removed before.  6 year old car that never had the wheel off.  Crazy!

[MrGiggles]

7 hours ago, fishinwrench said:

Old style parking brakes never failed unless you went years without using them.    Just like anything else mechanical.  

Computer controlled stuff fails.....just cuz.

I think every truck I've ever owned needed them. But I drive ragged out junk, so that's not really a good example.

[MOPanfisher]

LOL, I spend most of a day getting a wheel off of a Toyota Corolla a couple years back.  And if yiu ever have a flat in a dodge mini van, the spare tire is uder the dang console.

[snagged in outlet 3]

1 minute ago, MOPanfisher said:

LOL, I spend most of a day getting a wheel off of a Toyota Corolla a couple years back.  And if yiu ever have a flat in a dodge mini van, the spare tire is uder the dang console.

Found that out on the gravel road going to Ho Hum one year.  My mom got a flat and it was the worst flat tire I've ever changed.

[oghfm]

I think we've gone from non-venting fuel caps to just plain venting. LOL  Just saying

[MOPanfisher]

Hey venting is venting.  No topic on OA stays on track, it's an unwritten rule.