Modern cars are turning into computers, and it’s an unfortunate sight to see.
And, no, I’m not talking about Honda Civics with laptops in them.
Modern cars are giant computers. They’re packed full of chips and bits, all working toward the goal of making your ride smoother, safer, and more comfortable. But when it comes time to take these technical advancements in for repairs, all the code under the hood becomes more of a nuisance than anything. Auto shops have struggled to keep up with the needs of these high-tech vehicles. And companies aren’t about to stop filling their cars with gadgets anytime soon.
Because cars are getting so complicated, you need increasingly specialized information, specialized and expensive tools to fix them. And those actually can differ between different makes and models of cars. So it’s a lot more complicated than it used to be.
Hundreds, even thousands in some cars, of chips and sensors are actually integrated throughout modern vehicles, which makes the prospect of repairs that much more complicated. Once simple repairs can now take hours. And it’s put many traditional auto shops out of business, for inability to keep up with the rapid technological advances.
Many 2024 models have a “Head Up Display,” like in the 2024 Audi A6, which pops up on your front windshield to encourage attention on the road, however, I feel that could be dangerous and distract drivers more. Here’s what I mean:
According to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, “HUDs may improve safety by reducing the time required to view driving-related information relative to a traditional head-down display (HDD). However, because the HUD is in the driver’s field of view, drivers may fixate on it and fail to perceive events in the environment.” This is my point precisely. Personally, I think it is a dumb idea.
Moving on, I am also not big on unlocking your car with an app.
If your phone gets stolen, so can your car.
They both have remote park also, that’s just stupid also and asking for your car to get stolen…
I want a car, not a computer, if that makes sense.
I was okay with my standard, 2017 Subaru WRX Starlink screen, where I could press the screen to change the song, and that was its only function, but I’m not a fan of all of these high-tech innovations we are putting in cars.
I think they’re kind of stupid.
For car manufacturers now, they all seem to be copying one-another with their driving features and mass-technological inclusions, and now it seems like everyone is racing to remain relevant. But alas, this poses serious privacy concerns for the consumer…
New cars today are loaded with high-tech features for car shoppers, from their own operating systems to navigation and remote unlock. But with those advancements come questions about driver privacy, said Ivan Drury, the director of insights at Edmunds, a car site.
“As much advancement as we have when it comes to new features, many of them are data dependent,” he said, whether it’s through a computer that is built into the car or a GPS service on your phone that connects to your car systems.
Almost every new vehicle collects different types of details about you — and they will share and sell that data, according to a September report by Mozilla, a data privacy advocate, which looked at the privacy practices of 25 different car brands. Most of the reviewed brands, 84%, share personal data with service providers, data brokers and other parties not named, the report found. About 76%, or 19 of the consulted brands, said they sell customer data to third parties. Only two car brands currently allow users to delete their personal data, Mozilla found: Renault and Dacia.
To be sure, data collected by cars nowadays may not be too different from that shared from the “cellphones already in our pocket,” said Tom McParland, a contributing writer for automotive website Jalopnik and operator of vehicle-buying service Automatch Consulting. Said Drury: “Think about how you use your phone. There’s a lot of stuff that people don’t realize that they’ve already given up when it comes to data.”
