Assisted ANYTHING

[Ontario Chick]

If you guys ever buy a newer vehicle that has "Adaptive Cruise Control" or the "Autopilot"(Tesla) it is IMPERATIVE that you understand how the thing works and when it doesn't!

They use radar to get the speed of the vehicles in front of you. However radar is a noisy signal with false readings sent back from the road itself, trees, signs and other things at the side of the road. So for the electronics to handle it, they programmed in a filter: If you go faster than ~80 km/h,ignore anything standing still.
So far so good. Problem comes when you have this situation: Driving on Highway following a car. Car in front slows down to turn right and pulls over. You now have an open highway. Surprise! Firetruck parked in your lane to tend to an accident.
Car response: speed up, road is clear!
You now HAVE to intervene and hit the breaks!!! Don't be reading a book now just because you have autopilot!!

https://www.wired.com/story/tesla-autop ... ash-radar/
https://arstechnica.com/cars/2018/06/wh ... -dividers/

My first reaction, was not very likely am I ever going to hand over control of my life to a vehicle computer, even if I could actually afford it, my Ludite tendencies and personal control preferences would prevent that even if I could afford it, but then of course other people will and I may be sharing the road with them,
and I will still get on a plane that is assisted or controlled by a computer, so pretty much doomed one way or another.

[Ontario Chick]

My friends car has no key hole to enter the car its the car fob or you don't get in. The car fob wouldn't work the other day so someone had to drive her home to get her other car fob. How stupid is that. The rest of us didn't believe her at first when she said there was no key hole, never heard of that before.

Wow, that's a new one on me, who would think to look if car has any other way of opening it beside the fob and I just only found out that some fobs have a key like tool inside them, just in case.....and I leave my phone in the car.........coz I don't like to be "connected" at all times, makes me feel like I am on a leash
@kenya we may need to know what make of car???

[poultry_admin]

@Ontario Chick
ALL new cars have "keyless entry" and use the fob to start it. Ok, maybe not all, but the vast majority of middle class vehicles and of all brands. 2-3years ago it was only in top end vehicles.

[Ontario Chick]

@Ontario Chick
ALL new cars have "keyless entry" and use the fob to start it. Ok, maybe not all, but the vast majority of middle class vehicles and of all brands. 2-3years ago it was only in top end vehicles.

I know I test them every year, when I get a rental when I travel, luckily the rentals don't have ALL the bells and whistles, but I feel I am being upgraded every year and frankly accept of the back up camera , which I think is a godsend, they can have all the rest.
At this point I kind of dread the idea of getting a new car, not only because of the cost, but also of all the "helpful" gizmos it will no doubt have, and I am pretty sure I will not figure out half of them, because just like the computer, I would like it to serve me and my needs, as opposed to the other way around.

[kenya]

Tiguan, Volkswagen, is the make, yes most cars have keyless entry but this is the first one I've seen without a key entry period. No way to even get in the back.

[WLLady]

audi and mercedes and bmw too. hubby has a tiguan...yep no backup if the fob fails

[Mfrase27]

I just checked my VW, no back up key. I’d never taken the time to look before. I just assumed it was like the other keyless entry vehicles I’ve seen that have a little key tucked inside. Yikes. Good to know! I’ll take that battery fob warning more seriously

[poultry_admin]

Found this on youtube. Great way to spend a few minutes and interesting to learn where algorithms are being used already...



For those VW owners trying to get into their car:

same works on Cadillac ATS ~2013

[Mfrase27]

Good to know!! I did actually figure out the hidden key inside the fob. Originally, I thought it was the battery compartment, but with some prying I discovered the key. I never would have guessed popping off a little cover on the door handle! I’m sure this just saved me some frantic googling in a mall or school parking lot with a dead fob lol. Thanks!! :D

[Ontario Chick]

Thank you @poultry_admin great post I feel so much smarter now :)
You would think that this information would be made available to the new car owners in some pretty obvious way.