Board:   [WWIVnet] General Chat
Subject: Re: Vacation spots
From:    Weatherman #1 @1 (Mark)
To:      Bob Worm #81 @137
Date:    Sat Nov 22, 2025 10:12

BW> We're definitely on the same page here. When we looked at cars for my son
BW> there was a checklist of crap we didn't want - keyless entry was a flat
BW> no as they get relayed and stolen all the time. Manual handbrake
BW> (surprisingly hard to find these days) rather than electric. Annoyingly
BW> because we got something recent (like within the last 5 years) it's full
BW> of "driver aid" junk nobody wants and just costs a fortune to repair.
BW> Currently cars need start-stop (proven to knacker the engine), lane
BW> departure warning (great, I really wanted my mirrors to cost 600GBP each
BW> and require coding in) and I believe crash warning cameras are required.
BW> Either way it has one and after a minor nudge from behind in stationary
BW> traffic it needed resetting by a dealer-level computer to get rid of a
BW> spurious fault which would make it fail the MOT (inspection equivalent)
BW> test. Oh and it's a 3 pot with a wet belt. Thankfully at least not
BW> turbo'd up within an inch of its life.

The rearview cameras and sensors are nice, but I would be fine with manual
(non-power) windows and no auto-anything.  I don't want the vehicle to decide
anything for me - unless I'm driving a Tesla and sleeping.

My most recent vehicle is a 2022 Ram 1500 Laramie, and I turned off all the
auto lane change sensor crap, added the Autostop Eliminator so I could disable
to auto-stop and it would remember the setting if I so choose.

The other thing that I have had countless issues with are the vent door
actuators - particularly in the Dodge vehicles.  They always break and then
your vent doors don't work properly and they are a pain to replace.

The old school vent doors worked off vacuum and they had zero issues other than
if the small rubber hose would get eaten by a rodent or dryrot.  Otherwise,
they just worked.  The powered regulators are junk and also at times break at
the actual door itself.

My neighbor just had to buy a new truck after his 5 year old Chevy Truck's
transmission went up.  Only 5 years old.  GM's quality control has been
horrific since Y2k.  Their old vechiles were great, but that isn't the case
anymore.  I'll take a Dodge over GM anyday now - and I own both.

- Mark

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