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.

The Futility of a Convertible Top Trouble Light

Convertible Top Trouble Light

This past summer (2013), I was fortunate to pick up a pre-owned convertible with a power soft top. The experience has resulted in, first a new power top warning light being introduced to the website and second, a refresher course on the lack of utility that most of today’s automotive warning lights offer drivers.

Convertible Top IndicatorThe power top on my car is quirky and well past its warranty, but being a hands-on guy, I am generally able to deal with any issues that crop up. It sometimes stops near the end of the opening process. The top has gotten confused during the closing process, dropping the rear portion of the top before the storage cover is closed. It may start to open and decide not to! These issues usually require only a moment’s rest and a restart, although in the second case, a manual lift of the rear portion of the top is required.

But the resulting warning light is what I would like to discuss.

The Warning Light?

What does it tell me that I don’t already know? Nothing! The top is not fully closed? No kidding! It is not fully open? Really? How could I have guessed!

Further, the instrument panel features a small rectangular message center that will actually spell out – wait for it – “Soft top not fully closed.” Oh thank you…

This, of course, was a golden opportunity for the manufacturer to perhaps offer a diagnosis, such as to suggest that an actuator is weak and should be replaced, or a power supply is malfunctioning, etc. But instead, the message center reflects the useless warning light and tells me the obvious.

I do not envy the task of creating warning lights, chimes, buzzers and messages that provide necessary information as well keep a company’s liability at bay. Given this website, I have spent some time thinking about these issues. But if the industry is to remain saddled to the warning light paradigm, it seems to me that at minimum, a good deal more thought could go into the information being revealed in message centers.

In the case of a power top, what failed? Why? Was there user error? Is there an actual mechanical, electrical or hydraulic problem needing attention? With other warning lights, answers to those types of questions and more could be offered. For instance, can the car be driven??? Clearly each system and system light would need specialized attention and specialized messaging, which adds to costs. But as it stands, drivers are left with little choice but spend time at a service center, regardless of actual need or of seriousness of a problem.

All these lights and chimes and buzzers are more closely related to the boy who cried wolf than anything useful in the daily life of the driving public. The end result is that a truly serious warning could be and often is ignored.

For the record, the problems with the top are resolved. If you’re working on yours, this video might be helpful.

——————————————————————-

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/2013/10/the-futility-of-a-convertible-top-trouble-light/

Think You Locked Your Keys in the Trunk? Maybe Not…

Locked Your Keys in the Trunk?

In the world of Push Button or Keyless Start cars, three calls are commonly received by service departments and roadside assistance operators: lock outs, dead key fob batteries and keys “locked” in the trunk or behind the rear hatch.

Key Detected IndicatorOf the three, the lock out is most likely to require an actual visit from roadside assistance. The second, a dead fob battery, has a backup plan that you can find here at DashboardSymbols.com or in your owner’s manual – if you can get into the car.

The third, keys locked in the trunk or storage area, is usually a conceptual problem that is a result of the nature of “locked” when it comes to modern push button ignition systems.

And of course the length of the explanation highlights one of the many problems associated with advanced technology. Perceived as user-friendly, the details can be more than confusing.

So first, assuming, and yes we hate to use that word, that the battery in the fob is strong, closing the trunk with the fob inside does not lock your keys inside. Just as a driver can approach the car with the key fob in a pocket or purse and open a door with just a touch, there is also a touch spot or pad for the trunk.

The difference is, of course, that a door has a handle to pull while a trunk does not. Thus a sense of panic can easily arise in a driver who has not routinely opened the trunk using the touch pad. Feel for it – it will generally be a raised or depressed, rubberized bit above the license plate. It is not visible unless you bend over and look for it.

This takes us to the nature of “locked” on push button systems. A driver steps from his or her car and presses the lock button on the fob. The locks engage. However, he or she can approach the vehicle at any time and open it with just a touch, all because the vehicle is in constant communication with that key fob. The same is true for the trunk, even with the fob inside the trunk.

So is the vehicle locked?

Well yes – and no! If the driver is within range, anyone can walk up to vehicle and open it. However, most vehicles make it possible to lock all the doors from the inside, which overrides the touch system.

This can result in a lockout, if the interior lock switch is engaged when exiting the car – and leaving the keys inside. This is roadside assistance time, unless you are fortunate enough to have OnStar, or an equivalent service.

So just to confuse things further, many manufacturers have included a trunk lockout switch, usually located in the glove box. This allows a driver to lock the trunk with the switch, then manually lock the glove box and hand the key fob to a valet while keeping valuables protected. If that switch is engaged and the keys are in a closed trunk, its roadside assistance time again!

Truly though, in the vast majority of situations, if you have dropped the keys into the trunk and closed it, relax. If you have a push-button start system, simply touch the pad above the license plate or on the lift handle of your rear hatch and the trunk lid or hatch will pop open.

The video below will help as well.

——————————————————————-

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/2013/09/think-you-locked-your-keys-in-the-trunk-maybe-not/

Technology vs Distraction: Technology Charges On

Technology vs Distraction

Two recent articles, one in the New York Times and another from Automotive News, have been on our minds of late. Both discuss the issues of the driver distractions caused by new technologies, primarily touch screens. We noticed that there are potential solutions in the mix.

One of the plusses that accompanies the knobs and levers now being replaced by touch screens is the very sense of touch that is conversely missing from ‘touch’ screens. A driver can reach for a knob with a single glance and know with its movement that an adjustment has been made. Unfortunately, auto makers are simply running out of real estate in the dashboard for new features, and a touch screen can accommodate the additions. The electronics can also receive software updates.

As we noted in an earlier article, The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has set voluntary guidelines for touch-screen systems that call for a drivers’ attention be drawn for no more than two seconds at a time and 12 seconds total, which can be an eternity at 60 miles per hour. Solutions are few and far between, but Cadillac is using touch sensitive areas for some functions on its screens that vibrate a bit when manipulated to combat the attention problem. It is a step in the right direction.

Former transportation secretary Ray LaHood was the subject of the New York Times article, which had him railing at the distraction problems being introduced by new technologies. He went so far as to suggest that new, connected devices that steal attention from the task of driving “can be as alluring as alcohol”. And of course, car companies advertise them as fashionable – who doesn’t want to know where the nearest Italian restaurant is when your significant other asks?

He also complained that one potential solution, voice-recognition systems, simply do not yet meet his standard for safety. They can produce errors that can then cause their set of distractions! Add in wind, occupant noise and simple driving noises and there becomes a mountain of problems to overcome.

We still think that instrument panel Warning Lights provide their own unique set of distractions, not to mention Dead Key FOBs so please keep our site bookmarked.

——————————————————————-

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/2013/08/technology-vs-distraction-technology-charges-on/

Great Start: GM Will Make Door Unlock, Remote Start Standard

New Standard Services from GM

General Motors announced on June 5th, 2013 that GM Will Make Door Unlock, Remote Start standard (read, free!) for five years through the OnStar RemoteLink Mobile App. The services will be available for OnStar-equipped 2014 Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac models “even if the owner declines to pay for other OnStar services.” Thirty-six 2014 model year GM vehicles are compatible with the app.

Bravo. We can only continue to encourage an expansion of the program, making it permanent and moving it down the chain to older vehicles equipped with OnStar. GM’s own statistics bear this out.

Mary Chan, president GM Global Connected Consumer stated “GM owners request remote door unlock assistance through OnStar more than 60,000 times each month, so it makes sense for us to offer RemoteLink Key Fob Services to enable customers to lock, unlock or start their vehicle from anywhere they have a wireless or cellular connection.”

Sixty thousand times a month! The company did not say but given the number of calls going into roadside assistance centers and service departments for owners of vehicles that do not have the luxury of OnStar, we will bluntly assume that a very, very large percentage are due to dead key fobs.

Safety First

These are safety issues for motorists who could very well be stranded in potentially dangerous situations, caught off guard by a dead key fob. The service should be free and permanent for ALL OnStar customers, period. And other manufacturers should at least offer instructions on mobile platforms to help them get in and start their cars – particularly those manufacturers foolish enough to hide the lock cylinder for the sake of aesthetics. Ford is the latest addition to this list.

Interestingly, GM says that “remote start is the most popular remote service by current users of the RemoteLink Mobile App”. If the company’s commercials are any indicator, the feature is fun to play with. And while clearly many GM owners use the service for convenience, our experience suggests a very large percentage are useful or necessary starts due to dead key fobs.

This is a GREAT start. But GM, take a step further to the front and make this free for all OnStar equipped vehicles. Forever. You’ll still have lots of stuff to sell.

——————————————————————-

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/2013/06/great-start-gm-will-make-door-unlock-remote-start-standard/

Two Second Rule: Distraction Guidelines Seek to Limit Eyes on Text

Limit Eyes on Text

In order to keep a driver’s eyes on the road and hands on the wheel, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has recommended disabling several operations in a vehicle unless the vehicle is stopped and in park. It is also recommending a limit to the amount of time a driver must take their eyes off the road to perform a single task to 2 seconds and six screen touches in 12 seconds to perform a task. These could include changing the radio station, adjusting temperature or answering a phone call using a car’s built-in hands-free software.

The recommendations are the result of findings from a new NHTSA naturalistic driving study, which showed that visual-manual tasks associated with hand-held phones and other portable devices increased the risk of getting into a crash by a factor of three.

The operations recommended to be disabled, unless stopped and in park, would include manual text entry for the purposes of text messaging and internet browsing; video-based entertainment and communications; and the display of certain types of text, including text messages, web pages, social media content.

Yes, everyday electronics in use while driving trumps random and occasional instrument panel distraction. Our concern is that the issue will remain under the radar until someone is injured or worse, much like the stop light that is only installed after repeated accidents at the same street corner. It doesn’t have to be this way.

Compliance Timeline

Automakers will have three years to retool electronic navigation and entertainment systems in order to comply as the final guidelines are phased in. And NHTSA Administrator David L. Strickland said the agency will consider including the distraction guidelines in its New Car Assessment Program, which is the basis of the government’s five-star safety light vehicle ratings system.

Truly the growing everyday use of electronics while driving are a proven danger and the agency should be applauded for the solid data backing up the guidelines. However, the elephant in the room remains the impact on a driver that a warning light has when it pops on while driving. Or worse, multiple lights. Or worse yet, an associated text message on the information displays embedded in today’s instrument panels. How about the growing use by manufacturers of fuel economy and battery life readouts? The impact on and time used by driver’s in these case should be considered as well.

——————————————————————-

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/2013/04/two-second-rule-distraction-guidelines-seek-to-limit-eyes-on-text/

Tesla Model S Incident Shines a Laser on a Broader Problem

Tesla Model S Incident

We watched with a good deal of fascination the running battle between New York Times reporter John Broder and Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk. Broder took to the interstate system in the northeast to test the Tesla Model S and the company’s charging stations. The resulting debacle has Tesla reeling, and while we hope and believe the end result will be a positive for the company and the buying public, we see a different problem and one that is faced daily by all car manufacturers, not just Tesla.

The reality is that new technology in nearly all new cars has drivers calling roadside assistance and service departments at alarming and increasing rates. Most drivers are more like Broder – average Joes rather than car jocks. What happened to Broder and Tesla is frankly not a new phenomenon. But because it is Tesla, the issue he faced received a great deal of attention and presents an opportunity to focus on a growing knowledge gap.

Case in point: shortly after the East Coast debacle, autoblog.com posted a video of Kelly Blue Book’s Micah Muzio – for the record, a car jock – attempting a trip from LA to Las Vegas in a Model S. On the way, he and his cameraman pulled into the Tesla Design Center to get a rundown on the car. And there we are, one minute and six seconds into the 14 minute video, and the screen shows in big bold letters “Warning! Information Overload!”

Overload Indeed

This is what an entire industry runs headlong into every day, and manages to miss! A driver getting too much information to process and remember. And in this case, the managing editor for a top automotive website!

Seriously, what chance does everyone else have???

It really is time to pause and think about this.

In the back and forth that erupted on Twitter, Rebecca Greenfield of the Atlantic Wire posted “If a New York Times reporter, with an entire squadron of Tesla employees at his disposal, can’t use a Model S electric car properly, as Tesla founder and C.E.O. Elon Musk strongly asserted in a tweet this afternoon, it doesn’t say much about the usability of Tesla’s cars for regular people.”

And while she is right, our assessments from the trenches suggest that new car dealer service departments handle nearly 30 million calls a year related to electronics issues in gas and hybrid powered vehicles (17,000 new car dealers in the U.S. and Canada averaging a half dozen calls per day). And a whole lot of those drivers are also in vehicles that won’t move, or that they are afraid to move.

These are not electric cars, but they offer a good deal of new technology unfamiliar to the driving public. Drivers need and want a car they can get into, start and drive. They have full lives and more than enough to deal with without their car companies expecting them to learn every detail about their rides.

This is not just about usability. It is also about how a vehicle communicates its status and needs to its driver. Lights, chimes, buzzers and text have been rendered useless.

The laser focus placed on the Tesla Motors incident is an opportunity to shine a light on and re-think this entire process and come up with something as new as the electric car itself. We firmly believe that Tesla will make the improvements needed in its cars. We hope that the same will be true of its car-to-driver interface, and that of every other manufacturer.

——————————————————————-

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/2013/02/tesla-motors-incident-shines-a-laser-on-a-broader-problem/

The Company’s Problem or the Customer’s Problem?

Who’s Problem is It?

Company’s Problem or the Customer’s Problem. A recent headache we had with an online service prompts this post. Nearly every time an attempt is made to use the company’s service, a glitch arises. When the company is contacted, we are walked through the process of clearing the cache and closing and re-opening the browser as a “solution” to the problem. In each case, a full computer restart is actually necessary before the “solution” is effective and a common browser add-on must be turned off.

Note that we do not always contact them as we am quite familiar with the problem, and the fix. We just keep hoping beyond hope that they will have a software solution – this time.

Does this relate to the automotive business? It does indeed, as will become clear.

We use lots of software, web-based and otherwise, and they all have their quirks. None, however, require a system restart on every other use.

Your Product, My Time

The point is that it is truly maddening to have their help desk instruct me on what is needed to do to make their product work. What should be a 15 minute process is then 30 minutes or more, and they are not paying for the time. If it were not for the difficulties involved in making a change, they would have lost a customer. They have already lost any recommendations we might make.

As we went through this the last time, we realized that car customers face this exact problem. They call service departments every day with a growing list of glitches associated with advanced systems. They are then instructed on what they must do to make the company’s product work as needed – or get an appointment for service.

This message is thus for any company with a product and a customer for that product. Something is askew if you are making your problems your customers’ problems. Do you find yourself using the term “user issues”? Do you think your customer is the problem??

Look for new solutions or you will surely lose those customers. Some things can and should be fixed. Some, quite simply, may need a new and radical approach.

——————————————————————-

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/2013/01/the-company%e2%80%99s-problem-or-the-customers%e2%80%99-problem/