Really ?

[whydontu]

Recently my father in law passed. His car was a Hyundai of some sort almost new. I'm tasked with retrieving it and then selling it.

FOB not working can't get in the car ( try both FOBs), finally get in it starts but the windshield wipers are so weak they can't move 1/2" of melting snow.

Get it home and I clean it up vacuum etc. the doors are open for about 1/2 hour that kills the (lawn tractor sized )battery. Look under the hood nope the battery is in the trunk. Trunk release is solenoid operated, cant get in the trunk. Google search yields various solutions one is boosting the car from some basically unreachable terminals under the hood or look in the backseat area for this little plastic cap, remove the cap and use needle nose pliers to reach down and find a string. Fish the string up and pull really hard. It worked but I'm guessing that string is good for perhaps 3 pulls before it breaks. What a complete piece of s****!

Put it up for sale with the title Low milage, almost new PRICED TO SELL.

I drove that car for 20km and it gave me more trouble than my Lexus has in 10 years.

To qualify my experience with a Hyundai. I’ve owned a lot of vehicles. Some true winners were: 1964 Bedford van, 1959 DKW sedan, 1959 DKM MUNGA 4x4 (both with 900cc 3-cylinder two-stroke engines), 1975 Maverick, 1982 Plymouth Volare wagon, 1979 Chevette, 1972 Cortina, Fiat 124 (let’s put the alternator below the oil pan, great design when you live in a city where it rains 200 days a year, died going through puddles), plus numerous old VWs and a bunch of 60s AMC Ramblers.

None of the compare to the exquisite design of a 1988 Hyundai Excel. Made the mistake of shutting off the engine with it still in Drive. Went shopping, came back to the car, put the key in the ignition, nada. Key wouldn’t turn. No biggie, must be the steering lock is hanging up. Nope, reefing on the wheel has no effect. Notice the shift lever is in Drive. Try to shift to Park. No go. Shift lever starts to bend, but won’t move out of Drive. Give up, call a tow truck. Tow driver needs the parking brake released so he can tow. Nope, it’s also seized. Entire POS is a solid immobile lump. Tow to Chevy dealer, they laugh and give me $200 trade-in on a brand new 1996 Chevy Cavalier. My brother is still driving the Cavalier. And it’s carbon-neutral, I’m sure the moss and algae growing on the outside of the Cavalier produce enough oxygen to offset the CO2 emissions from his 50km of driving per month.

 

[Downwindtracker2]

The story of two pigs, one a '74 Dodge W200 Power wagon and the other an '08 Ram 3500. Both 4x4 . One a 360, the other a 6.7 litre Cummins. Both manuals, a NP-435 and a DB G-56 .Both 4,500# payloads. The Ram gets 12.5 litres per hundred in town ! the Dodge got 14.7 mpg on the highway. Both pigs with campers on, after piddling along after some petrified prairie people when we come to a hill with a passing lane, in the Dodge with her rpms down all I could do was shift into 3rd. Her max in 3rd was 45 mph. no chance to pass. With the Ram, I just step on it, still in 6th., and breeze by.

 

[mickeyf]

Interesting that this thread so far is all about vehicles, I guessed it would be (and I'm sure it will become) more general. The scope for engineering and design screw-ups is broad.
I have a Hyundai Kona electric and love it - no issues or complaints to speak of, great range. For hauling compost and machinery, a 2006 F-150, with a bit of the expected rust for its age, pushing 200K, but so far runs like a champ. But maybe I'm just lucky when it comes to vehicles.

 

[YotaBota]

I have a Hyundai Kona electric

No old oil to get rid of, no spark plugs buried in there somewhere etc ect.

Electrics aren't without their issues but less maintenance and cleaner are a big plus.

I was called "well off" one day for owning an $60K electric car, this from a guy driving a F150 Tremor ($100K+) towing a BB Chevy ski boat.

 

[jorogi]

You guys have no idea how much you are making me appreciate my decision to double down on my '78 Fords. I have far less money in both of them than any of the vehicles being mentioned here, and the only time they don't work is when I have one down for "upgrades".
So, thanks guys, I am in such a good mood today.

No old oil to get rid of, no spark plugs buried in there somewhere etc ect.

Electrics aren't without their issues but less maintenance and cleaner are a big plus.

I was called "well off" one day for owning an $60K electric car, this from a guy driving a F150 Tremor ($100K+) towing a BB Chevy ski boat.

He must have known you have a Bota and not a Mahindra

 

[jorogi]

Interesting that this thread so far is all about vehicles, I guessed it would be (and I'm sure it will become) more general.

Yes but not surprising. I have three more in mind and they are not vehicle related, they are one of my other pet peeves, signs. Have to get some pictures first though.

 

[Elektrishun]

One of my jobs as an electrician was working in the Maintenance Department at a hospital.

The hospital had a DALI lighting system (Digital Addressable Lighting Interface). Most floors had a mini computer in an IT closet running the control software.

During my time there two of the computers crashed. The system was designed that in the event of certain types of failures, this being a software failure, the lights default to full bright. You can't do anything to change the lighting output short of killing the power. Wall switches don't work, no manual overrides, nothing. Full bright 24/7.

Took about a month after contacting the vendor to get new computers with upgraded software. In the meantime, computers from less critical areas (basement and main floor) were swapped with failed ones in patient areas.

Super cool system to learn and play with. But any system that uses proprietary software without a back-up is just begging for trouble.

It seems like a lot of building systems whether it's a BMS, HVAC equipment, mechanical equipment, electrical equipment have all become more sophisticated with controls that have proprietary software. This limits the ability of the maintenance staff to deal with certain problems. IMO it is one reason why one of the most important tools a maintenance or service tradesman can have is a cell phone that has a list of vendor's numbers.

 

[slow-poke]

Software doesn't break.

That's not to say software can't have bugs that may or may not have been exposed yet.

That a software update can't introduce a bug that breaks something that was working.

The important point is if you have fully tested bug free code, it can't break. The hardware can break, but not the software.

 

[brino]

It seems like a lot of building systems whether it's a BMS, HVAC equipment, mechanical equipment, electrical equipment have all become more sophisticated with controls that have proprietary software. This limits the ability of the maintenance staff to deal with certain problems. IMO it is one reason why one of the most important tools a maintenance or service tradesman can have is a cell phone that has a list of vendor's numbers.

^This is the very reason I absolutely dread having to replace any of our vehicles.

I do NOT want a touch-screen, I do NOT want an infotainment system, I do NOT want lane departure warnings, I do NOT want a vehicle with a wifi or cellular link, I do not want a phone app for my vehicle. Just stop!

I am sure it has great mark-up, "flash", user data tracking and personalized advertising, but none of that benefits me.

I see it all as extra, whiz-bang complexity with negative value for me; I won't be able to repair it myself, it will cost many thousands of dollars to pay other to fix it, and it's likely to leave me stranded or in limp mode.

I draw the line at fuel injection and anti-lock brakes.
I don't even want TPMS; the transmitter batteries keep going dead and pestering me.

I joke that I'll need to import a car from Cuba.

Sorry for the rant, I sound like an angry old man......
Brian

 

[jorogi]

One of my jobs as an electrician was working in the Maintenance Department at a hospital.

The hospital had a DALI lighting system (Digital Addressable Lighting Interface). Most floors had a mini computer in an IT closet running the control software.

During my time there two of the computers crashed. The system was designed that in the event of certain types of failures, this being a software failure, the lights default to full bright. You can't do anything to change the lighting output short of killing the power. Wall switches don't work, no manual overrides, nothing. Full bright 24/7.

Took about a month after contacting the vendor to get new computers with upgraded software. In the meantime, computers from less critical areas (basement and main floor) were swapped with failed ones in patient areas.

Super cool system to learn and play with. But any system that uses proprietary software without a back-up is just begging for trouble.

It seems like a lot of building systems whether it's a BMS, HVAC equipment, mechanical equipment, electrical equipment have all become more sophisticated with controls that have proprietary software. This limits the ability of the maintenance staff to deal with certain problems. IMO it is one reason why one of the most important tools a maintenance or service tradesman can have is a cell phone that has a list of vendor's numbers.

I guess the ultimate in this vane is the Boeing 737-800 Max. A computer system that is so proprietary that the flight crews aren't even aware of it and have no way to overide it if they did. Anyone want a pilot less plane any more ?

 

[Tecnico]

^This is the very reason I absolutely dread having to replace any of our vehicles.

I do NOT want a touch-screen, I do NOT want an infotainment system, I do NOT want lane departure warnings, I do NOT want a vehicle with a wifi or cellular link, I do not want a phone app for my vehicle. Just stop!

I am sure it has great mark-up, "flash", user data tracking and personalized advertising, but none of that benefits me.

I see it all as extra, whiz-bang complexity with negative value for me; I won't be able to repair it myself, it will cost many thousands of dollars to pay other to fix it, and it's likely to leave me stranded or in limp mode.

I draw the line at fuel injection and anti-lock brakes.
I don't even want TPMS; the transmitter batteries keep going dead and pestering me.

I joke that I'll need to import a car from Cuba.

Sorry for the rant, I sound like an angry old man......
Brian

I could not agree more with what you say, just too many frivolous electronic things to break and add cost. Not a selling feature for me.

D

 

[Elektrishun]

Software doesn't break.

That's not to say software can't have bugs that may or may not have been exposed yet.

That a software update can't introduce a bug that breaks something that was working.

The important point is if you have fully tested bug free code, it can't break. The hardware can break, but not the software.

In the example I gave I was told that the issue with the system failure was software related and that an OS upgrade was needed. The company that supported the system was using an older version of CentOS.

I use Linux software that fails to work properly, if it all, at times. Sometimes the solution is an OS update or upgrade. This situation seemed to be no different but I could be wrong. I am definitely not an expert in that area.

 

[Elektrishun]

^This is the very reason I absolutely dread having to replace any of our vehicles.

I do NOT want a touch-screen, I do NOT want an infotainment system, I do NOT want lane departure warnings, I do NOT want a vehicle with a wifi or cellular link, I do not want a phone app for my vehicle. Just stop!

Sorry for the rant, I sound like an angry old man......
Brian

Hold on there pardner.

If I can't own a vehicle for dropping my kids off at soccer practice before going to Yoga while the whole time talking to Becky about what happened on The Bachelor last night with my hands-free cellular (take a breath...) that isn't equipped with heated seats, a heated steering wheel, heated mirrors, heated floor mats and a heated cup holder for my chai latte with skim goats milk then somebody is going to hear about it.

 

[brino]

@Elektrishun

A great list of some of societies more recent failures!

The last heated side mirror replacement on my old truck was a dollar store mirror cut to shape with a custom heating element of nichrome wire that I calculated, cut to length and then stuck on the back with JB-weld. It worked perfectly!

Brian