Keyless vehicles

Mountain Mama wrote:
YouTube is your friend, we learned!

Owners manual is a great place for any new vehicle owner to start.

I seldom lock my truck and I find with the keyless fob I often throw the fob on the console and end up leaving the truck unlocked with the fob in it.

No wonder it’s complicated! :B

Bumpyroad wrote:
can I "assume" that those who consider the "greatly enlarged" key fob to be unacceptable, dumped their large smart phone for a nice small flip phone?
bumpy

My phone goes into a jacket pocket and keys go in my pants packet. Even if the phone were smaller, I would not be sitting on it.

My iPhone XR has a “Do not disturb while driving” much like our Garmin GPS unit. I use it. We have satellite radio but very seldom change the station or volume. Takes discipline but well worth the effort. The only real distraction in our rig is the constant chatter from somewhere in my truck. :B

can I "assume" that those who consider the "greatly enlarged" key fob to be unacceptable, dumped their large smart phone for a nice small flip phone?
bumpy

fj12ryder wrote:
If you all like them I don't really care. To me they are a "convenience", and one I can easily live without. Complexity in all things is not necessarily a good thing. Free country, don'cha know.

I work with technology and security daily which is why I prefer to not have these devices in my vehicle. Manufacturers are behind the technology curve and do not provide a reliable upgrade or remediation path when problems are discovered. Anyone that keeps vehicles beyond the warranty period and has had failures knows the cost and difficulty of getting replacement parts. Sometimes it is the scarcity of the device while other times it is the unavailability of programming tools.

Touch screen displays to me are very much a distraction. You cannot use tactical feel to select the correct control and must divert your driving attention. I even feel Ram could have done better with its physical buttons - Ford has a different texture or pattern on the button face so you know which button by feel.

wilber1 wrote:
That is evolving as well. Audi’s virtual cockpit uses a CRT screen in place of the normal instrument panel that can be configured many different ways, including conventional instrumentation. Most of the central flat screen functions including a nav system that can use either conventional map or Google Earth display can be transferred to that screen and accessed through the steering wheel. They still use regular knobs and switches for things like climate control, lights, etc. You can do without it, but it sure is nice.

Our 2016 Ram Laramie has many of the same functions, that and steering wheel controls. Used correctly technology adds to safety. While in our 2001 Ram we had a Parrot device, a blue tooth device for hands free phone use. The Ram is one step better as the control is on the steering wheel. While it also has a voice to text, and will also change incoming text to audio. While many would consider this distracted driving, if hands don’t leave wheel and eyes don’t road and mirrors hardly a distraction.
One other that is very nice to have is “Park Sense” knowing those inches with a good size truck is helpful.

It's not just a matter of convenience, or having a new bell-and-whistle to tout in brochures. Automakers want to get rid of ignition switches because ignition switches have caused problems for years. Everything from random no-start conditions, to steering interlock problems, to GM's well known recall of defective switches.