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.

View from the Street: Do Salespeople Understand the Tech They Sell?

Salespeople Just Sell

An article appeared recently in Automotive News that essentially asked if salespeople know the technology in the cars they are selling. As someone who was at one time employed at an auto dealer, I can say that the short answer is all too often no. We’ll go with the long answer here.

Smart Cruise Control Radar Warning IndicatorIn the article, a vehicle being test driven was allowed to hit a stopped vehicle because the car’s salesman was sure that the automatic braking function would bring the vehicle to a stop in time. It could not and did not. Unfamiliarity with the specifics of vehicle functions is a common occurrence. Training for salespeople is generally handled by computer courses, and passing requires only the completion of rather unchallenging tests.

I once listened in as regenerative braking technology in a hybrid vehicle was explained to a customer, completely wrong! And by the dealership’s owner!

First and foremost the majority of salespeople are just that, salespeople. Their concern, and that of their bosses, runs to the next commission and it is quite likely they know little about what they are selling, and don’t care to know. These are the same people expected to explain the vehicle’s function to the buyer after the sale.

The Deep End of the Problem

The problem is most prevalent in broad-line dealerships. That is, dealerships that offer stripped down models as well as vehicles with all the bells and whistles. The majority of sales will come from the low-end, and the experience level with new technology suffers. Turnover, cited in the article at 65% for men and 88% for women, contributes to the problems and is highest here as well.

High-line dealerships are not immune, as sales is a numbers game regardless. However, salespeople in these dealerships tend to stay with high-line manufacturers even as turnover occurs and their tech familiarity can be quite high.

Follow Mode IndicatorIn essence the article describes why we chose to create DashboardSymbols.com. We love new technology and despise how it is presented to the buying public. And this goes well beyond salespeople. New functions are incorporated into cars, new warning lights added, new pages printed in the owner’s manual, and training for owners is little more than what salespeople receive – without the poor testing.

So, while the industry struggles with getting their drivers to understand their products, we’ll continue to do what we can to give those drivers a leg 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/2016/12/view-from-the-street-do-salespeople-understand-auto-technology/

Tesla Eliminates Heat Stroke Risk from its Cars

Tesla Steps Up

Innovation continues to at a breakneck pace in the automotive world, and nowhere is innovation more front and center than at Tesla.

Tesla Model SIn case over the air updates weren’t innovative enough, the latest solves a problem that has stumped the best minds at every auto manufacturer: a car is shut down and left in the sun to overheat, and any occupant unable to exit, human or animal, perishes of heat stroke.

Update version 8.0 allows a Tesla to maintain a temperature of 40C or 105F by automatically venting the cabin and turning on the air conditioning when necessary. And most important, this process works even if the vehicle is turned off.

An updated Tesla can do this for up to a year on a full charge. Currently it stops at a 20% state of charge, a figure that may be adjustable somewhat in a later update.

On the flip side, the car can be made to stay warm on cold days. Cold has rarely been as serious an issue as heat stroke has been during the summer months however.

Practically An Afterthought

Elon Musk tweeted that it is his favorite new “feature”. To him, saving lives is just a feature. Ho hum.

Problem?
Solution.
Done.
Simple

This is the Musk way. The Tesla way.

Leaving everyone else just spinning their gas-powered wheels, yet again.

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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/2016/09/tesla-eliminates-vexing-heat-stroke-risk-from-its-cars/

To Autopilot or Not to Autopilot, that Is the Question

Autopilot Risks

A recent accident involving a Tesla Model S with its Autopilot function engaged cost the life of the car’s driver. Since then, there have been calls to disable the function or as least rename it.

Red TeslaWe have cautioned many times in these posts about the advance of technology in automobiles. The advances are racing ahead faster than motorists – and perhaps manufacturers – can keep up. We even came to the conclusion that reaching true self drive mode would resolve these issues by taking the car out of the hands of drivers and relieving them of the responsibility.

But the technology has not yet matured and it remains incumbent on motorists to remain alert and engaged. This goes for backing up with the assist of a camera and proximity sensors, changing lanes while a blind spot monitor is active, and certainly will remain the case with an autopilot engaged.

Nissan will reportedly enlist countermeasures to ensure that drivers remain alert as it rolls out its ProPilot system. A torque sensor on the steering column will determine whether a hand is in contact with the steering wheel. Moving from warning lights through beepers to system disengagement, ProPilot will require driver input, period.

We applaud this from a company that has frankly been irresponsible in its advertising of other driver assist systems.

Tesla cites the fact that in order to engage its Autopilot function, the vehicle operator must pass through and accept a warning that the system requires the driver’s attention. It is essentially the equivalent of reading a software license agreement, which we all skim at best, and is not enough.

Airline Pilots Get Confused Too

Pilot confusion with an engaged Autothrottle system was cited as the cause of the crash of Asiana Airlines flight 214 in San Francisco in July of 2013. Pilots with thousands of hours of experience and training still managed to fall on human error. Drivers will never be given training remotely equivalent to that of an airline pilot. Nissan has it right in this case.

To be completely fair, 100 people die on average every day on U.S. roadways and a single fatality after well over one million miles driven on Autopilot has everyone shouting to the rafters.

For the foreseeable future however, autonomous driving system designs need to keep the driver in his or her seat – unlike this early Tesla example from a year ago – as well as engaged in the driving process. It may defeat the spirit and purpose of autonomous operation from the driver’s perspective, but safety is the ultimate goal.

Perhaps as vehicles became more computerized, a second seat could be given the driving responsibility at times.

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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/2016/07/to-autopilot-or-not-to-autopilot-that-is-the-question/

Is Anyone Ready for a Self-driving Car?

Ready for a Self-driving?

Evidently, according to reports, only a very few drivers are ready for a self driving car.

In a recent newscast from Automotive News, Bloomberg was cited as a source saying that one half to three quarters of all drivers do not want a self-driving car. Parts supplier Robert Bosch stated that drivers will need to be persuaded. They Active Cruise Control Symbolnoted that we all have experience with computers crashing, phone apps misbehaving, and there is understandable alarm at the thought of software being in control of our cars. We’ve been saying this for a while now…

But these statements, and those of Automotive News commentator Krishnan Anantharaman, fail to truly grasp the real disconnect between drivers and technology. He stated that driver behavior says that they do want self-driving technology – on everyone else’s cars, since we all overstate our own abilities behind the wheel and yet continue to cause accidents. He’s absolutely right about this. But these folks themselves exhibit a real disconnect from drivers as well as another set of their behaviors.

The Tech We Want

In the showroom, driver’s want automatic braking. They want blind spot monitoring. They want sensors to help them park and back up cameras with collision warning, etc., etc., etc.

These shoppers simply don’t recognize that these are all technological elements that lead directly to cars driving themselves. They don’t eat, breath and sleep cars and technology – we do.

As has been the case for at least a decade, technology continues to advance faster than driver’s can assimilate. Not because they are stupid, lazy or out of touch. But simply because they have full, busy lives that leave little time to learn what auto manufacturers take for granted their customers will take the time to learn.

Once the industry grasps this, it will have a far easier time moving its customers to self-driving cars. They will be free to focus on what’s necessary in their lives and not what they are told is necessary by their car’s manufacturer.

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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/2016/05/whos-ready-for-a-self-driving-car/

Three Things to Know about Automatic Braking

Automatic Braking

The news in March 2016 is that 20 auto manufacturers and counting have agreed to roll out automatic braking in their cars by the 2022 model year. These are terrific systems and a technology we love and we only argue that there is little reason other than cost to wait a full six years for full roll out.

Smart Cruise Control Radar Warning IndicatorRegardless, here are three things to know about these systems.

1) Naming

Pre-collision System, Auto Braking, Automatic Emergency Braking, Autonomous Emergency Braking, Collision Avoidance – these are all names for the same thing and serve only to pump up the egos of manufacturers. There is simply no reason for multiple naming schemes that confuse the average driver who has more than enough to remember about his or her car. Anti-lock brakes has satisfied everyone from the start and never needed embellishment. The trend that somehow allows each manufacturer to give its own moniker to every new safety system is senseless and needs to stop.

Standardize on one name. Period.

2) Presentation

Subaru gets a gold star here. It has been advertising its Eye Sight system for some time, using unmanned cars aimed at static obstacles. By contrast, Nissan and Infiniti have been advertising their systems using drivers in traffic who are simply not paying attention. Hyundai went this route with its Super Bowl ad featuring Ryan Reynolds and Volkswagen has recently got into the distracted driver act. Mercedes has gone both ways, using an obstacle course in one ad and a driver who actually puts a child in the driver’s seat of a fully autonomous vehicle in another. Have the airbags been removed??

We’ve taken Mercedes-Benz and Nissan to task for their advertising in the past. Safety systems are no substitute for paying attention while behind the wheel and certainly not an excuse for essentially teaching drivers that their new car doesn’t need them to pay attention to the road or to the safety of their passengers.

3) Liability

A self driving Google car, with a driver on board but not in control, was recently involved in an accident in California while in testing and Google said a very funny thing. Its car turned into a city bus and the company said “In this case, we clearly bear some responsibility…”. Some responsible? Who else is there to blame?

The industry says that liability issues surrounded autonomous systems have yet to be ironed out. Months ago, Volvo said flatly that it would take responsibility for any accidents that result from a failure of its autonomous features. The roll out of automatic braking is underway and there is no more time to decide. If auto manufacturers are going to install systems that they will claim will stop a vehicle before a collision, then those manufacturers have placed themselves in the path of liability.

This is a collision that cannot be avoided.

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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/2016/03/three-things-to-know-about-automatic-braking/

Push Button Start — A Little Touch Will Do Ya

Push Button Start

So, we recently put together a video about push button or keyless start systems. Why? Well, it may be a bit silly, but its been nagging at us that the results just may be start button failures in the future.

Push ButtonYou see, no matter what the start button in your push button start car looks like, or even if its a lever, a single press is a command to start the car and is all that’s needed. Yet we have seen automotive professionals at all levels from service writers to technicians and from sales people to automotive journalists repeat the same mistake — holding the button down until the vehicle starts! It is a habit left over from key start cars, where the key needs to held in the start position until the engine starts, and is simply not necessary.

The video demonstrates multiple times in multiple vehicles that it is completely unnecessary. A single touch, and you’re off.

We haven’t found anyone who can say for a fact that holding the button actually causes any harm. Although once underway, many manufacturers make a press and hold of the button an emergency shut down procedure. But, since holding the button down until the engine starts is unnecessary, why do
it? Just press and go. Maybe it will save a little maintenance cost down the road.

For more videos and information on push-button start cars and automotive warning lights, check our channel on YouTube or search here at DashboardSymbols.com.

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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/2016/02/push-button-start-a-little-touch-will-do-ya/

Designing Safety Systems? Keep Air Bag History in Mind

Safety By Design

Pedestrian Warning Symbol 2

No, aliens have not landed! The image is a Pedestrian Detection Systems indicator symbol. It is associated with a new system now being deployed. What looks for all the world like energy beams emanating from a humanoid’s hands are actually meant to be lane lines the human(oid) is standing in.

But this article is not about the warning light, rather about new auto safety systems in general. We retweeted this item from Retro Report in November. It is a video that traces the history of safety systems in cars, particularly that of air bags. We hope that everyone currently working on new automotive safety systems is well versed in this history. Air bags have saved countless thousands of lives since their introduction in the 1970s, but many others died while the industry worked out a few flaws in their first iterations.

Passenger Air Bag IndicatorSoon after their adoption, the industry discovered that the force of an air bag deployment could and did kill children and small adults. No one thought of this in advance of their use. The result is that we now host young children in the back seats and sensors keep passenger side airbags turned off until enough weight is detected in the passenger seat. A light like the one in the image will appear somewhere on the dashboard.

Air Bag Recalls

Currently a massive recall continues because of flawed air bag inflators. Shrapnel from inflators have killed drivers. Already recalls have been issued to address auto baking systems that were randomly deploying when a collision was not imminent. No one has been hurt or killed by these systems, at least not yet. And now we have pedestrian detection systems being deployed.

New technologies always result in problems before they are truly effective. Anyone who’s ever owned a computer can attest to that. And of course, computers and software are at the heart of today’s safety trends.

Ultimately the plan is for cars to drive themselves, and some can in limited settings, and we’ve already seen drivers do absolutely moronic things with their cars while on autopilot: setting excessive speeds and leaving the driver’s seat completely.

There are very, very smart people working on these systems, but what might not be thought of in advance of deployment is what will come back to haunt us all. We hope that they keep the troubles encountered making air bags work, and keeping them working, in the front of their minds at all times.

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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/2015/12/designing-safety-systems-keep-air-bag-history-in-mind/