To hate modern cars?

[Sandflea9900]

Just got a new car after having our previous one for about 9 years. It’s a disaster. Too damn clever for its own good with automatic everything. The problem is that all these automatic features don’t work properly to the point where I think they’re actually making the car more dangerous. Examples:

a) Automatic headlines on, driving at night on the motorway, car changes from dipped headlights to full beam despite there being oncoming traffic on the other side of the motorway.

b) Driving along a residential road at the speed limit of 20mph, late at night. No other road users on the road, no pedestrians, cats etc. The anti collision system does an emergency stop for no reason.

c) Car randomly beeps warnings with no visual warning light/symbol/message so I have no idea what it’s warning me about. Car manual doesn’t explain.

AIBU to want to go back to a simpler car without all these magical gadgets? DH insists all cars are like this now. I know I can turn off automatic lights (and have done so) but I’m thinking I need to turn off all the other safety features if this is how the car is going to behave.

My biggest bug-bear on my new car is the bloody lane assist

Trying to navigate around potholes on the UK roads and the bloody car is yanking me back into them. Or doesn't understand when I'm trying to change lanes (even while indicating) so will try to pull me back into the lane.

I can turn it off but it automatically comes back on every time I start the car.

I have a license. Just let me drive!!!!

I prefer a paper map, I can go the way I want for my convenience not to appease some random voice. I have a few very old OS maps to let me avoid the Sat nav sheep in heavy traffic.

I hate touch screens.
I much prefer physical dials and chunky buttons.

Upgrading my car soon. I love new tech on a car. But I won't want all this! Fortunately on my current Hyundai iconiq I had been able to turn a lot of it off and it was fun to drive. I love driving and a car being pleasurable to drive is very important to me.

I love my modern car, it warns me of low tyre pressure, low oil etc instead of me having to check these things manually like I used to with an F reg fiesta, I turn the lane assist off because that annoys me but everything else is helpful. The sat nav is excellent, I just speak to the car where I want to go, real time traffic updates. Spotify interface is brilliant. The cruise control which updates as you go through different speed limit is great on long journeys. I've got an app where I can set things up in advance. I'm actually about to clear the finance as I plan on keeping it long term, love it!

I love my 17 year old hatchback 😅 So much extra stuff to go wrong on modern cars, all I want is an aux-in and functioning air!

I thought it was just me. And all the flashing and beeping on the dashboard is distracting to the point of being dangerous.

Honda HRV

Old cars all the way for me. I can just about handle auto lights (except they ignore fog) but the rest..nope... just want aircon for the dog and aux . I like driving and I don't want to be told what to do by a car!

Thanks everyone, I feel much better now and a whole lot less useless. I keep thinking I’m an intelligent woman so I really shouldn’t have a problem with this stuff, but…

DH says a lot if these new “safety features” are now mandatory under government rules. If so, then I guess there’s no chance of any manufacturer doing a Nokia as one poster hoped for and launching a simpler car 😕

I’m giving up with auto lights. Never come on when you want them, especially in overcast, rainy conditions. The whole putting on full beam automatically thing was the last straw for me.

I presume that's only for new cars - I can see the used car market being boosted by this!

I’m old enough to remember cars without power steering. You had to have a short lie down after parking in a multi storey.

My current car has an electronic handbrake that is just a switch, you only have to switch it on and it will switch itself off when you move,and automatic engine cut off when you stop at lights, then it starts itself up when you touch the accelerator. That’s all I think.

My Ford has the anti collision thing and so far it's just flashed a warning, not randomly braked. It's also never put full beam on with the automatic headlights (neither did my last Ford).

I bloody love my basic as hell and absolutely ancient Smart Car convertible. I’ve got a radio, electric windows and roof but that’s about it. Nothing to beep at me, no random wtf does that do buttons to worry about. Hopefully it’ll last me a while as long as I look after it. Definitely don’t want fancy car.

Clearly I'm in the minority thinking most of these features are useful!

We've had several cars over the years which did these things with varying degrees of success the astra that would slam the brakes on if the sun caught it wrong was a liability, the MG that would try and follow any line but the white one was annoying. But the golf and the volvo that work well, the collision avoidance system that saved my ass that one time, the automatic lights that just work make the thousands of work miles that little bit easier. But in all cases these features can be overridden if the car decides to do something I don't agree with, that's always the first thing to learn with a new car, how to work with the technology

Last time I bought a car, which was a 3 year old car purchased 7 years ago, I had a choice of 2 vehicles. I went for the one that had a proper key fob and key ignition over the one with a key card. I'm hanging on to that car for as long as I can. I'm not looking forward to having to buy a replacement. I jump if the petrol warning alarm sounds (which is rarely as i fill up before it gets there mostly). I don't need lots of other things that might beep at me!

@Sandflea9900 YANBU!

We bought a new car with adaptive cruise control and lane position, they seemed like such good safety features. But living with them is a PITA, harsh breaking every time someone pulls out 5 yards ahead then zooming acceleration when the road clears again, vibrating steering wheel when adjusting lane position to overtake large vehicles....

My parents say exactly the same, just let me drive!
I like the lane assist on my car but my parents hate it on theirs. I don't drive down the same types of roads as them so it's not a nuisance for me but is for them. I must be quite lucky for not having the pot hole problem a PP mentions.

DH just messaged me to say that switching off some of these features might be a problem with the insurance. Anyone know anything about this?

Auto headlights work fine so long as you switch the auto full beam off - that’s a total pain and ignores cars in the opposite direction on dual carriageway. Can’t count the number of times other cars have dazzled me with these and they just breeze on regardless. It seems to be a favourite deployment on middle-lane driving Hyundais.

Lane assist is OK so long as you can set it to just vibrate the steering wheel (which you can on BMWs) otherwise it drags you unwillingly across the road and sometimes gets triggered by joining from a slip road.

Auto braking is terrible and is often triggered by parked cars on corners. I’ve switched this off as it’s dangerous.

the automatic headlights should only be coming onto dipped beams, not full. I still have to change manually to full beams if I need them.

I had an ancient clio which I adored...unfortunately written off in an accident.

Now I have a full bells and Whistles, sorry beeps and error messages new car that drives me INSANE.

It does redeem itself a bit due to the heated seats and steering wheel.

BUT who makes a car with no rear window wipers?????
And what idiot buys it and doesn't notice until pick up day???

Where I am it rains over 50% of the year, its muddy, and I can't see I bloody thing. Apparently its not needed cause its heated......bollocks!

I've managed to turn off most of the insane "safety" features but the beeping at nothing still makes me think I've hit some poor pedestrian or am about to be wiped out on the motorway again.

Lane assist ! Nightmare.
Had it in 2 hire cars over summer. The Audi you could switch it off. The BMW , nope.
The sat navs were awful too.Fortunately we could get Apple Maps in the Audi by linking phones in.
My husband had said he was thinking of replacing our 67 plate but not now.

This is fascinating. I’ve never had a car newer than 2010. I still miss my old Golf tdi with its cassette player. (RIP)
So are the auto fog lights why I am being perpetually blinded on the roads at night by cars with what look like search lights aging right in my eyes? Bloody dangerous!
Also, I have never in my life used a sat nav- just never got round to getting one. I have a uk roads atlas thingy in the boot and I look up new journeys before I set off, then follow my nose. I do sometimes get slightly lost in my own city but work it out eventually!