Unecessary Complication in Road Cars

[JHamilton]

Originally Posted by Adam43

I can already unlock my car with my phone! Not that I do, but is this over complication? I’m not sure it’s pretty easy to do. The best bit is the sending a route to the sat. nav. I like this as you can consider this beforehand rather than being tempted to enter it, or speak it to the car, as you are driving.

It’s annoying I don’t have the functionality to warm the car, especially the seats, before I set off.

Is this needed in a car, nah, but it is useful. Better than not having it.

I just upgraded the stereo in my truck as I did not have bluetooth streaming. I got one with Android Auto/Apple CarPlay and it has been terrific. Because this is basically just your phone transmitting commonly used apps to the screen, it cuts out all the arguments with the car's systems. I highly recommend it if you have the option.

I have remote start but my heated seats don't work if no one is sitting in them... but the heated steering wheel does. That sounds silly, but after having one, I'd put heated steering wheels with disc brakes for top automotive innovations.

[Adam43]

I’ve never had a heated steering wheel. Jealous.

[JHamilton]

Originally Posted by Adam43

I’ve never had a heated steering wheel. Jealous.

It's becoming a very common option and I would think it would be available on your next car purchase. If you can get it for 250-300 pounds, I promise it's a no-brainer.

[bella]

Originally Posted by JHamilton

I just upgraded the stereo in my truck as I did not have bluetooth streaming. I got one with Android Auto/Apple CarPlay and it has been terrific. Because this is basically just your phone transmitting commonly used apps to the screen, it cuts out all the arguments with the car's systems. I highly recommend it if you have the option.

I have remote start but my heated seats don't work if no one is sitting in them... but the heated steering wheel does. That sounds silly, but after having one, I'd put heated steering wheels with disc brakes for top automotive innovations.

disagree on apple play, it’s utter nonsense, but then i play stuff through my stereo with a bluetooth fm fag lighter plug off amazon

agree on the heated steering wheel. the only issue is like some heated seats, the ones i’ve used have decided when you’re warm enough and switch off

personally i’d not trust anything without a key that goes in ignition. don’t want to go back to the days when my grandad used to use a steering wheel lock, handbrake lock AND a big chain and the local kids would still nick it

[broadrun96]

Originally Posted by JHamilton

I have remote start but my heated seats don't work if no one is sitting in them... but the heated steering wheel does. That sounds silly, but after having one, I'd put heated steering wheels with disc brakes for top automotive innovations.

Really? Mine comes in with the remote start under 39 degrees. But, and yes it's a glaring fault, it only turns on the driver seat.

[Mike Bell]

Originally Posted by JHamilton

Trucks? What trucks? They sound like Rams?

Sorry, full size trucks- mine’s a 16.5 metre ‘semi’ race truck and Max runs a rigid for his karting.

As a sufferer or Raynaud’s ‘phenonom’ a heated steering wheel would be bliss, but unfortunately not available on anything I’ve purchased over the last 10 years! Gloves help in the winter...... It got to the stage years ago when I could only ride a motorcycle with heated grips, so thank you BMW for making the fitment ‘normal’.

My car will lock or unlock using the phone, but frustratingly it won’t do ‘total closure’ if a window is not completely closed. It tells me it’s open though, so I can go to the garage or return and sort it with the remote.....

Preconditioning is very useful, especially with a BEV, where the batteries are warmed or cooled to optimum temp as well.

[midgetman]

Five Live this morning said that car crime was on the rise again with the advent of keyless entry.



Sent from my EVA-L09 using Tapatalk

[Tim Falce]

Wife's car has heated seats and steering wheel, "I'll never use them" she said, after a few cold mornings it seems those and the heated windscreen are the best features possible to her now.

Originally Posted by JHamilton

Trucks? What trucks? They sound like Rams?

In the UK trucks (lorries) are what we haul large goods around in or on, mine is a 32ton 8 wheeler or to you it's a 71680 pound 12 wheeler, a Ram is something with horns that roams around a field or a small pickup truck

[grantp]

Originally Posted by Tim Falce

Wife's car has heated seats and steering wheel, "I'll never use them" she said, after a few cold mornings it seems those and the heated windscreen are the best features possible to her now.

You spoil her Tim.

Next she will be nagging for an upgrade to something with a longer list of options.

[bella]

Originally Posted by Mike Bell

As a sufferer or Raynaud’s ‘phenonom’ a heated steering wheel would be bliss, but unfortunately not available on anything I’ve purchased over the last 10 years! Gloves help in the winter......

same, same. it only takes going to the car and driving 10 minutes before it warms up on a cold day to get numbness and swelling in my fingers from the cold.

fwiw the steering wheel isn't as heated as the seat (source: ford focus), it's more like... a mug of lukewarm tea. and it's not all the way round either.

[chillibowl]

love the key fobs...car wont lock if the fob is left inside the car so i never lock my keys in anymore (which used to happen to me far more then i care to admit)!

[bella]

Originally Posted by chillibowl

love the key fobs...car wont lock if the fob is left inside the car so i never lock my keys in anymore (which used to happen to me far more then i care to admit)!

i er, know someone who managed to leave a car with a fob unlocked, with the lights on and the engine running, in a car park overnight once because it was very ambiguous with the auto start-stop thing and the pressy button.

that person remains convinced it was left switched off and locked...

[JHamilton]

Originally Posted by bella

disagree on apple play, it’s utter nonsense, but then i play stuff through my stereo with a bluetooth fm fag lighter plug off amazon

agree on the heated steering wheel. the only issue is like some heated seats, the ones i’ve used have decided when you’re warm enough and switch off

personally i’d not trust anything without a key that goes in ignition. don’t want to go back to the days when my grandad used to use a steering wheel lock, handbrake lock AND a big chain and the local kids would still nick it

I should have stated Android Auto as I've never owned an Apple product much less an iPhone. I love it! I never even touch the screen, I just ask for what I want and a few seconds later, there it is.

Originally Posted by broadrun96

Really? Mine comes in with the remote start under 39 degrees. But, and yes it's a glaring fault, it only turns on the driver seat.

Yes, that changed due to popular opinion. The light comes on but it doesn't start heating until you're sitting.

[JHamilton]

Originally Posted by Mike Bell

Sorry, full size trucks- mine’s a 16.5 metre ‘semi’ race truck and Max runs a rigid for his karting.

Originally Posted by Tim Falce

In the UK trucks (lorries) are what we haul large goods around in or on, mine is a 32ton 8 wheeler or to you it's a 71680 pound 12 wheeler, a Ram is something with horns that roams around a field or a small pickup truck

Whoa, I didn't realize y'all were ballers. I don't know anyone that has a semi (I thought you all called them lorries) and I've wanted a W900 since I was 5. How come there's not a thread for that??

Are they used for work and fun? I ask because the hard core racers I see and meet here max out with 1-1.5 ton pickups and gooseneck haulers. The big rigs are usually reserved for the track services companies.

[Tim Falce]

Originally Posted by JHamilton

Whoa, I didn't realize y'all were ballers. I don't know anyone that has a semi (I thought you all called them lorries) and I've wanted a W900 since I was 5. How come there's not a thread for that??

Are they used for work and fun? I ask because the hard core racers I see and meet here max out with 1-1.5 ton pickups and gooseneck haulers. The big rigs are usually reserved for the track services companies.

My lorry is a waste disposal truck (garbage truck to you) Mike's is his race car transporter which is work for him.
A few of my friends have Ram 1500s and a couple have Chevy pickups, I thought my BelAir was big until they park their trucks next to it and it gets dwarfed by them.
My nephew is an owner driver in Canada and has a Peterbuilt, it looks a bit disappointing to me as it's not a proper old skool Pete but more a US market Volvo lookalike

[bella]

Originally Posted by JHamilton

Whoa, I didn't realize y'all were ballers. I don't know anyone that has a semi (I thought you all called them lorries) and I've wanted a W900 since I was 5. How come there's not a thread for that??

Are they used for work and fun? I ask because the hard core racers I see and meet here max out with 1-1.5 ton pickups and gooseneck haulers. The big rigs are usually reserved for the track services companies.

i drive someone elses, does that make me a baller too?

lorries/semis tend to be used only by those with more than one car to transport around, or like you say, by the service companies and teams. anything without a bend in the middle is much more common. but anything over 3.5tonnes can get a little complex to own and run from a paperwork perspective, plus for anyone under the age of 40 usually it needs an extra driving test too. bear in mind our semis aren't strictly as cool as yours too, they've all had their noses chopped off

i work for a service company, and we have everything from 3.5tonne vans up to like, 15 or so artics and trailers that generally max out at about 35tonnes.

bringing this back on topic, i can tell you that as ex-fleet hand-me-downs, none of them have anything at all that could be considered unnecessary, they don't even have a second bunk

[Mike Bell]

Originally Posted by bella

i drive someone elses, does that make me a baller too

Absolutely! (Whatever it means...)

Originally Posted by bella

bringing this back on topic, i can tell you that as ex-fleet hand-me-downs, none of them have anything at all that could be considered unnecessary, they don't even have a second bunk

I spent a bit of time convoying with a fairly new (but previous model) Volvo tractor unit last Oct, and it had all the bells and whistles, including a huge drawer fridge, microwave, coffee maker, table, etc. All pretty essential if the driver is having to spend days at a time living in the thing! And You’re better off without the upper bunk- just gets in the way....

[Lancsbreaker]

Originally Posted by bella

same, same. it only takes going to the car and driving 10 minutes before it warms up on a cold day to get numbness and swelling in my fingers from the cold.

fwiw the steering wheel isn't as heated as the seat (source: ford focus), it's more like... a mug of lukewarm tea. and it's not all the way round either.

For those with Raynauds, a friend of milady suffered terribly from this but milady did find out that if you asked the GP they had electrically heated gloves available on prescription....."oh, yes, we've got plenty, the Doctor's assistant said - we've been waiting for someone to ask for them!" Nothing like being pro-active.......