Category: Articles & Commentaries

Discussions on topics of interest to drivers concerning things they may not understand about their vehicles as well as articles on the future of the auto industry.

Reflections on Whether to Lease or Not to Lease Your New Car

To Lease or Not to Lease

I am two months away from turning in my leased Polestar 2 and I have been reflecting on leasing. Hopefully the return process won’t mar this post.

Note that this was my first experience with a lease. And note that it turned out that I was both right and wrong to have leased.

Polestar 2What I Got Right

I was right in that I got three years behind the wheel of a new EV at a far better monthly price than if it had been purchased.

Second, I had had a sneaky suspicion that, in a relatively new market, resale values might be an issue a few years down the road. I got this right as well. The residual value of the Polestar is well above current asking prices for equivalent used models. This is currently true across the used EV market, and as I had suspected, there is a reasonably strong supply of good used EVs available for purchase at reasonable prices.

What I Got Wrong

I missed on two counts. First of all, I seriously overestimated how many miles I would put on the car, which means I paid more than I needed to for the lease. There will be no refund…

The second wrong, if you will, has to do with psychology. I have come to understand that I am poorly suited to leasing. This is to say that I never felt fully comfortable with driving what is essentially someone else’s car! I initially thought that my discomfort surrounded the idea of it being new car — also a first for me. But the discomfort never completely went away. I eventually concluded it was about it not truly being mine.

So if you’re considering a lease, its always been true that a lease is more affordable on a monthly basis. Of course, when you’re done, you’ll need new wheels.

But ask yourself whether you are truly suited to being a lessor. I’m unlikely to do it again. If you decide a lease is right for you, do some math on mileage expectations as well.

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Remember that only proper service and repair procedures will ensure the safe and reliable operation of your car. In addition, proper safety procedures and precautions, such as the  use of safety goggles, the right tools and the equipment should be followed at all times to eliminate the possibility of personal injury or improper service which could damage the vehicle or compromise its safety.

These posts are for information sharing purposes only, and should not be used in lieu of an OEM service manual or factory authorized service procedure. We are not in the auto repair business nor do we publish automotive service manuals. Nothing we include on these pages and posts has been reviewed, approved or authorized by any vehicle manufacturer.

Technology is always changing and what is current and accurate today may be literally out-of-date and inaccurate tomorrow. And when it comes to the current state of flux in the auto industry, nothing is more true.

Permanent link to this article: https://dashboardsymbols.com/2024/07/reflections-on-whether-to-lease-or-not-to-lease-your-new-car/

EV Charging Etiquette

Charging EVs While Being Considerate

We’re not the only ones to speak on this, but we’ve seen too many electric vehicles (EVs) sitting at Level 3 fast charge stations either done charging and blocking a station or charging above 80%, meaning very, very slowly. So it we will add our voice to the chorus of EV charging etiquette posts, and we’ll take that last one first.

1) Stop charging at 80%

We’ve seen more confusion about this than anything else related to Level 3 charging, and it all comes down to charge curves. Regardless of how fast an EV charges, each and every one of them slows down dramatically at 80% charge (see the image below from P3). So whatever time it takes to get to 80%, it will take up to three times that time to get to 100%. This is the least efficient way to charge on long trips. You can get half way to the next charge station in the time wasted getting to 100%!

The result is a charger that is not available to another driver, a waste of your time, and its really hard on the battery. Meaning it will shorten its life!

We understand the desire to “fill the tank” angst associated with leaving a battery 20% empty. But trust us when we say that the angst will pass with time and you’ll get along just fine at 80% and less.

2) Use the proper plug

This is essentially for non-Tesla owners. Your car determines the rate at which electricity is transferred to the battery. So parking a Chevy Bolt, which charges at 50 kW, at 350 kW charger does a huge disservice to owners of vehicles that can make use of the faster charger. Your car will not charge any faster than its rated speed, regardless of what charger you’ve plugged into.

Please leave the faster chargers for vehicles that can use them.

3) Move your EV when its done charging, not when you’re done shopping!

This is a primarily time awareness issue, and of course moving your car is again about opening a charge spot for another driver. Most EV’s get to 80% charge in 20 to 30 minutes and your owner’s manual will give you a solid heads up. Also, your car’s app may be able to tell you when charging is finished or close to finished.

So if you’ve wandered off to lunch or shopping, for the sake of everyone else, please come back to your car on time to open a slot for someone else.

4) Know your vehicle’s charge port location

Nearly all gasoline fill locations on on one side or the other in the rear of the vehicle. EVs can charge from similar locations but some are in the front! In any case, knowing which par of the car that needs to be closest to the charge cable will save some embarrassment.

Of course, all Tesla models charge from the left rear.

5) Don’t leave trash behind

One would think all EV drivers are environmentally conscious, but this turns out not to be the case. And unfortunately, charge stations don’t have trash receptacles around, since no attendant is needed! So, if you generate some trash, please be prepared to take it away with you.

6) Never unplug someone else’s vehicle

Unless its an absolute emergency, never, ever touch another driver’s car. You wouldn’t want someone to do that to you (unless you left a note allowing it!) so don’t ever do it to someone else.

7) Level 2 charger time limits

Finally, if you happen upon a slower Level 2 public charger, be aware of any posted time limits. You won’t get as much charge, but others may want a little boost too. Leave when its your time to leave.

In all cases, be considerate of other EV drivers!

P3-Charging_Index

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Remember that only proper service and repair procedures will ensure the safe and reliable operation of your car. In addition, proper safety procedures and precautions, such as the  use of safety goggles, the right tools and the equipment should be followed at all times to eliminate the possibility of personal injury or improper service which could damage the vehicle or compromise its safety.

These posts are for information sharing purposes only, and should not be used in lieu of an OEM service manual or factory authorized service procedure. We are not in the auto repair business nor do we publish automotive service manuals. Nothing we include on these pages and posts has been reviewed, approved or authorized by any vehicle manufacturer.

Technology is always changing and what is current and accurate today may be literally out-of-date and inaccurate tomorrow. And when it comes to the current state of flux in the auto industry, nothing is more true.

Permanent link to this article: https://dashboardsymbols.com/2024/04/ev-charging-etiquette/

2024 New York International Auto Show Reflections

Who Showed, Who Didn’t

The 2024 New York International Auto Show (NYIAS) was notable as much for who still didn’t show up as for what we found on the show floor.

Since the pandemic shut down the show for two years, Mercedes-Benz and BMW have yet to reappear. And while Mazda and Mitsubishi made appearances in ’22 and ’23, there were a no show this year. And from Fiat Chrysler — or Stellantis — only Jeep showed up with its outdoor test climb.

The value of industry trade shows was questioned in the wake of the pandemic. They are expensive to put on, requiring the movement of large numbers of people and vehicles and booth materials. There’s no EV trackevidence of Mercedes and BMW suffering from ignoring this and other trade shows.

Further evidence of a cut back in show attendance were the tiny booths set up by both Volvo and Audi. Barely room for a few car. For the second year in row, Hyundai took advantage of available floor space to make its own test track. The EV track (right) remained on the first level.

EVs in the Limelight

ID BuzzPolestar 4Elsewhere, EVs remain a focus of the show, clearly an attempt to acquaint the buying public with the shift to electric driving. Volkswagen’s ID Buzz (left) made and appearance. Polestar was at the show for the first time and brought its 2, 3, and 4 models. The Polestar 4 (right) won’t be available to order for another few months with deliveries expected in 2025.

Acura ZDXPorsche line upPorsche featured all four of its available electric line: the Tacan, Macan, Cayenne and Panamera (left), all open and available to crawl through. As always with Porsche, the styling is impeccable.

Acura brought its first EV, the ZDX (right), but kept it locked tight. Seems a bit short sighted if you’re hoping to generate interest.

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Remember that only proper service and repair procedures will ensure the safe and reliable operation of your car. In addition, proper safety procedures and precautions, such as the  use of safety goggles, the right tools and the equipment should be followed at all times to eliminate the possibility of personal injury or improper service which could damage the vehicle or compromise its safety.

These posts are for information sharing purposes only, and should not be used in lieu of an OEM service manual or factory authorized service procedure. We are not in the auto repair business nor do we publish automotive service manuals. Nothing we include on these pages and posts has been reviewed, approved or authorized by any vehicle manufacturer.

Technology is always changing and what is current and accurate today may be literally out-of-date and inaccurate tomorrow. And when it comes to the current state of flux in the auto industry, nothing is more true.

Permanent link to this article: https://dashboardsymbols.com/2024/03/2024-new-york-international-auto-show-reflections/

And The Dashboard Symbols Saga Continues

A Manufacturer Update Adds Yet More Symbols

In an earlier post, the Dashboard Symbols Saga, some weeks ago, we noted that we now host 986 warning lights and indicators. Nine hundred and eighty six! Well, we updated our Buick page, and added yet another five new symbols, bringing the total to 991 (now over 1000!). And those additions serve to point out just how out of control the entire warning light system has become.

The new entries are an Auto Start symbol, a Driver Attention symbol, a Super Cruise symbol, a Snow Mode symbol and a Sport Mode symbol. In each case, the industry already had perfectly usable pre-existing symbols, but Buick opted to use new ones anyway!

Were These Necessary?

Auto start stop symbolIn a word. no. Top the left is the new Auto Start symbol. It is very similar to others in use across the industry. In fact, we have a post (here) that includes 17 previous iterations! Some are in text.

Stop Start Ready IndicatorHowever, what Buick chose to use was sufficiently different that it could not be ignored. The symbol shown to the right is the closest pre-existing version, but the new one did not include the words Start and Stop.

Attention alertSuper Cruise indicatorSnow and ice modeSport mode indicatorIn effect, the next four could be discussed in exactly the same way. The Driver Attention, Super Cruise, Snow Mode and Sport Mode symbols, seen from the left, all exist in other forms. Each is also linked to our posts on the subjects. In fact Super Cruise is a General Motors construct and still the company opted to make a change in the image!

Driver monitoring system malfunctionSuper cruise indicatorFrost Warning IndicatorSport modePre-existing versions of the symbols are shown to the right. Certainly in the case of Super Cruise, the new symbol is very, very close to the original representation. However, we feel an obligation to present them exactly as a driver would see them.

We find the entire experience to an insult to drivers everywhere. Assuming the system remains in place, then it should be said that any new system developed and introduced in automobiles must have its own symbol. These symbols are meant first and foremost to easily identifiable to the average driver. And while it can easily be called into questioned that this first principle is actually achieved, if each system ends up being represented by a dozen or more symbol versions, it is highly unlikely that any one driver anywhere will ever be able to determine a symbol’s meaning without looking it up.

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Remember that only proper service and repair procedures will ensure the safe and reliable operation of your car. In addition, proper safety procedures and precautions, such as the use of safety goggles, the right tools and the equipment should be followed at all times to eliminate the possibility of personal injury or improper service which could damage the vehicle or compromise its safety.

These posts are for information sharing purposes only, and should not be used in lieu of an OEM service manual or factory authorized service procedure. We are not in the auto repair business nor do we publish automotive service manuals. Nothing we include on these pages and posts has been reviewed, approved or authorized by any vehicle manufacturer.

Technology is always changing and what is current and accurate today may be literally out-of-date and inaccurate tomorrow. And when it comes to the current state of flux in the auto industry, nothing is more true.

Permanent link to this article: https://dashboardsymbols.com/2024/03/and-the-dashboard-symbols-saga-continues/

Recall Targets Tesla Typefaces

What Size Type?

Way back in 2012, we noted in a post linked here that a group at MIT (the Massachusetts Institute of Technology) was doing a study on typefaces that would mitigate driver distraction. That is, typefaces that would be the least distracting.

And while it was a time where there was a lot of attention focused on driver distraction, our take was that while the intent of the research was laudable, it would make more sense to remove text altogether! That is, if a GPS system can give audible turn by turn directions, couldn’t text be shifted to spoken word?

Owners poke fun at recall

A “Recall”?

Well, we appear to be full circle, as Tesla has had to “recall” pretty much every car they’ve ever produced to correct the size of the type they use in warning lights on instrument panels! Twelve years after we posted on the typeface study, the maker of some of the most sophisticated cars ever built, is being forced to adjust the text in its warning lights with what the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) terms as a “recall”.

The word “recall” belongs in quotes throughout because the problem was handled within days by an over-the-air (OTA) update.

Critics on the social media platform X have made fun of the issue, with some poking fun of the notices sent to Tesla owners through the mail that arrived Letter to transportation secretaryafter the OTA update had already been applied (above, right)!

Still others noted that manufacturers are required to send the notifications under the NHTSA rules!

And still others noted the ridiculous waste of paper (trees!) and postage involved. One even took a photo of an envelope addressed to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg (right). In the envelope, aside from a letter asking for a change in the rules, he included the letters that were sent to him by Tesla.

We called for the warning light system to be scrapped years ago, but no dice. The legacy warning indicators persist, not to mention the legacy recall system, so we’ll call for that to be replaced as well. Maybe the phase out of ICE vehicles will lead to a phase out of both the warning light and recall systems.

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Remember that only proper service and repair procedures will ensure the safe and reliable operation of your car. In addition, proper safety procedures and precautions, such as the use of safety goggles, the right tools and the equipment should be followed at all times to eliminate the possibility of personal injury or improper service which could damage the vehicle or compromise its safety.

These posts are for information sharing purposes only, and should not be used in lieu of an OEM service manual or factory authorized service procedure. We are not in the auto repair business nor do we publish automotive service manuals. Nothing we include on these pages and posts has been reviewed, approved or authorized by any vehicle manufacturer.

Technology is always changing and what is current and accurate today may be literally out-of-date and inaccurate tomorrow. And when it comes to the current state of flux in the auto industry, nothing is more true.

Permanent link to this article: https://dashboardsymbols.com/2024/02/recall-targets-tesla-typefaces/

A Cheap Replacement Fob Tested for Automotive Use

Remote controlCan A Cheap Fob Work With Your Car?

Ok, so we spotted an ad for the cheap replacement fob seen to the right available from Amazon and eBay. Its really inexpensive for all of you with just one fob, and if it works it would a great thing to have. Note that you would still be missing the proper mechanical key!

Now the list they supplied — garage doors, car alarms, wireless home security products, etc., in the image below right — did not expressly say it will clone an automotive fob, but the ad I saw appeared to show an automotive fob actually being cloned! So we bought it to test and to either be able to recommend it you or tell you not to waste your money, even if its only $15 or even less. There is a  screw at the bottom for access to replace its cylindrical Cloned fobbattery.

Don’t waste your money

We tested it on fobs from Volvo, Lexus, Acura, Toyota and Chevrolet. The Toyota fob was a key start version, while the others were from keyless or push button start cars. The clone failed to recognize any of them.

The idea is to hold one button of each fob at the same time until the the clone flashes. In each case we made sure the clone was cleared of any codes it might hold. The clone fob flashed when this is accomplished.

So that’s it. If you’re tempted, don’t waste your money. If you get one and manage to clone a garage door, car alarm or any other remote, please drop us an email, and we’ll pass along the info.

And for those of you without a back up key fob, please get one. We constantly hear from folks stuck when their single fob goes missing or gets dropped in water, etc. They’re expensive but worth the investment. And you can find instructions to replace the batteries in your existing fobs here…

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Remember that only proper service and repair procedures will ensure the safe and reliable operation of your car. In addition, proper safety procedures and precautions, such as the use of safety goggles, the right tools and the equipment should be followed at all times to eliminate the possibility of personal injury or improper service which could damage the vehicle or compromise its safety.

These posts are for information sharing purposes only, and should not be used in lieu of an OEM service manual or factory authorized service procedure. We are not in the auto repair business nor do we publish automotive service manuals. Nothing we include on these pages and posts has been reviewed, approved or authorized by any vehicle manufacturer.

Technology is always changing and what is current and accurate today may be literally out-of-date and inaccurate tomorrow. And when it comes to the current state of flux in the auto industry, nothing is more true.

Permanent link to this article: https://dashboardsymbols.com/2024/02/a-cheap-replacement-fob-tested-for-automotive-use/

EV Driving Life is an App Driving Life

Why You Might Need a Smart Phone App

Charging an electric vehicle (EV) in most cases involves an intermediary – a smart phone app. Needless to say an app failure when in need of a charge is a massive problem, and all too often it will be left to the driver to come up with a fix! This makes EV driving an App driving life.

So, this is at once a call to app makers to get it right for the sake and safety of their users, and to app users to be on guard.

No App Needed

First, for those with less familiarity we’ll note the charging opportunities that do not require an app:

  • Plugging directly into a 120v or 240 v AC home outlet
  • Tesla drivers at a Tesla supercharges
  •  Mercedes-Benz drivers at an Electrify America charge station – a program that may eventually be extended to other manufacturers.

App Needed

And charging that does require an app:

  • Any DC Level 3 fast charging network that does not belong to Tesla
  • Any Tesla driver using one of those networks
  • Any non-Tesla driver using Tesla’s Level 3 Magic Docks
  • EV Driving LifeLevel 2 AC chargers installed at a residence
  • Shared Level 2 network chargers

Bad example #1. I have access to a shared Level 2 network where I live. What is supposed to happen is illustrated by the image to the right. The app opens the camera which is used to scan a QR code on the charger, which can be seen coming into focus. Assuming an account has been set up, charging starts automatically.

However, an attempt to use it a few weeks ago resulted in the screen shown in the Charge image 2second image. The camera screen flashed on only momentarily, and was then replaced by what is seen on the image.

A call to the company resulted in the maddening suggestion of uninstall and reinstall the software! The user finds himself/herself the technician! We’ve dealt with these kinds of issues before.

Needless to say the process changed nothing, even though an update appeared to take place. The problem resolved itself a few days without any further input!

Charge image 3Bad example #2. My lease came with 24 months of free charging with Electrify America. This ran out a bit ago, so I have not used them in some time.

However, I follow them on X, and recently saw the post shown in the screen grab to the right. Their app was experiencing a service interruption. Now, one can only imagine the time wasted by drivers attempting to charge their vehicles. And unless they themselves followed Electrify America on social media, and thought to check for a post, they would oblivious to the fact that a session could actually be started regardless! Its a bit hard to read, but the text says this.

Service interruptions, software – read app – failures, this is the world of EV charging. For those who are faint of heart or hate technology, this world is not – yet – for you!

I added yet because everyone who claims to hate and/or be “bad” at technology likely as not already owns and makes great use of a smart phone. It merely an adjustment.

But be ready for help calls that will require you to be in the “driver’s seat” while finding a solution.

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Remember that only proper service and repair procedures will ensure the safe and reliable operation of your car. In addition, proper safety procedures and precautions, such as the use of safety goggles, the right tools and the equipment should be followed at all times to eliminate the possibility of personal injury or improper service which could damage the vehicle or compromise its safety.

These posts are for information sharing purposes only, and should not be used in lieu of an OEM service manual or factory authorized service procedure. We are not in the auto repair business nor do we publish automotive service manuals. Nothing we include on these pages and posts has been reviewed, approved or authorized by any vehicle manufacturer.

Technology is always changing and what is current and accurate today may be literally out-of-date and inaccurate tomorrow. And when it comes to the current state of flux in the auto industry, nothing is more true.

Permanent link to this article: https://dashboardsymbols.com/2024/02/ev-driving-life-is-an-app-driving-life/