Why do manufacturers do it?

Topmast

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Three years ago I needed to replace my car ,I needed good ground clearance and a basic car looking at the secondhand rubbish available I purchased a new Dacia Duster yes it has been a good car the only thing I have replaced was the battery but why do the makers put so much on a basic car that you don’t want? I.e stop start,eco button ,hill start,all round electric windows,air con , media player so complicated you need a degree in computers to work it.most of the above I have never used and probably never will. Thinking back to some cars I have had years ago one of the best things was a free wheel device fitted on a Rover 75. And also later on a Saab.now that was something that saved petrol. Also what is wrong with wind up windows where you don’t need to switch on to open them.
 
We've got stop start on our Smart. It is such a pain that we leave it switched off. You see a gap you could slide into and it won't go. We also have aircon but it has never been switched on, just open the window,I also don't like remote locking, my son had his keys lifted a few years back when he had a brand new Fiat people carrier and they just stood in the pub yard and pressed the button, lo and behold the lights came on and the doors opened. To me the most secure are the old fashioned cars with seperate keys for the doors and ignition.
 
All these items are connected to the ECU just to stop it going when the FAULT shows up. My ford went into Safe mode when the Heaterplugs packed up, it seems they were not for starting when above 2 degrees but are for stopping pollution when driving in traffic?????????????????????
al these item make money for the dealers as there is NO INFORMATION available for any modern vehicle. it must come through the dealer chain and the makers computor system. Haynes manuals have become useless because of the lack of info.
 
I was always told that you use more fuel and create more noxious gases starting up than keep running. Also the way it is set up on Smarts when you take your foot off the brake it starts up again, so if you drive properly and use the handbrake and put it in neutral when at lights it starts up again. When I took my test ***** years ago I was taught not to sit in gear and put the handbrake on then keep your feet away from the peddles until the lights started to change.
 
Why do they do it? they do it to put you off working on your car yourself.

My beemer is off the road at the mo, with a steering lock fault, this can be caused by a sticky lock, a bad battery or the ELV counter telling the ecu that the lock has been operated a certain number of times so needs replacing.
Apparently, after the amber/red steering wheel with a pad lock light comes on on the dash, it'll start about 250 times before it locks up. won't start & needs picking up on a break down truck.
BMW say it needs a new steering column, yes sir that's £800 + labour as you can't replace the steering lock on it's own!

Solution, remove the column yourself, remove the steering lock (needs a 5 point torx socket), buy steering lock emulator (about £75) & plug into the lock wiring connector, re-install the column, reset the ELV counter & check for faults.

It's nice to have a mate who has the gear to talk to the car!

Oh & you need to be a contortionist to get to the bolts & the wiring loom plug on the lock!!

Phill
 
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Cars are sold on compu/ tech and looks , very few these days have the mechanical knowledge to make decisions based on that area. You would think that all the aggravation caused with electronic goods , people would be wary , of higher levels of complexity . Most car problems under warranty are electronic tech
 
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