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Drivers Hate The Tech In Their Cars

It turns out that more technology in cars isn’t necessarily something customers want, and it’s not really improving their driving experience. We know my thoughts on the matter, but I’ll do my best to stay impartial on this latest survey from JD Power that shows most customers don’t appreciate technology in cars unless they can see a clear benefit to them.

JD Power’s 2024 U.S. Tech Experience Index Study evaluated over 81,000 drivers’ experience with “advanced vehicle technologies” in 2024 model year vehicles after 90 days of ownership, It turned out to be a pretty mixed bag when it came to what people liked using. There are a number of tech features that customers like using because they feels that it answers their needs, but at the same time there is a whole lot that don’t get used very often or are continually annoying, according to the survey.

…

Darkassassin07 ,
@Darkassassin07@lemmy.ca avatar

Yup.

I refuse to buy any vehicle made after 2015, and even that’s quite a bit newer than I’d like.

grue ,

I wouldn’t mind having tech in my car, but I have a zero-tolerance policy for proprietary spyware-infested shit. Therefore, I can’t buy any vehicle made after 2015.

I’d like to have a double-DIN car computer with a Raspberry Pi, RTL-SDR (for the radio) and OBD2 connection, but haven’t gotten around to making one yet.

dmtalon ,

I’m ok with a decent amount of tech in a car. Like I’m fine being able to connect my phone to the car and have android auto take over the infotainment system.

But the HVAC stuff needs to be buttons I can access/control without looking or very minimal looking.

I don’t want/need my car to have a SIM card, or connect to wifi, and report what I’m doing. If they want to do that, then they can give me the car for free and I’ll drive it around letting them collect my driving habits.

Edit: Oh, and I’m sure as hell not paying some subscription fee on top of the price of the car.

odium ,

Good news, lawmakers in the US finally started looking at this issue.

Bad news: probably will take years for change

callouscomic ,

There are numerous headlines like:

118th Congress on track to become one of the least productive in US history

So good luck with that.

odium ,

The company I work at is tangentially related to car company data collection. And this week, all employees received an email that we were legally required to save all records newer than 2005 related to a specific car company’s onboard data collection service.

So it does seem like the investigation has already got a subpoena or smth.

tal ,
@tal@lemmy.today avatar

There’s activity at the state level too in multiple states. I heard something about California, then not a lot. Bunch of articles about Texas.

01189998819991197253 ,
@01189998819991197253@infosec.pub avatar

Spoiler from the future: it’s legal, and there’s nothing you can do about it.

FlyingSquid ,
@FlyingSquid@lemmy.world avatar

As of 2022, Toyota still put physical buttons on their HVAC system and audio system.

I know because, against my advice, my wife bought a Toyota Rav4 Hybrid in 2022. I can’t tell her how to spend her money, but at least the car she got didn’t have some of this other bullshit.

Cyyris ,

Hey, at least she picked one of the most reliable cars on the market.

FlyingSquid ,
@FlyingSquid@lemmy.world avatar

It’s a good car. I just wish she hadn’t decided to buy one in 2022. It’s bad enough to buy a new car now, it was worse then.

blackluster117 ,
@blackluster117@possumpat.io avatar

Out of curiosity, why didn’t you want her to buy that specific vehicle?

FlyingSquid ,
@FlyingSquid@lemmy.world avatar

I didn’t think she should have bought any car. Her old car worked. It wasn’t in the best shape in the world, but it was fine. And 2022 was a terrible year for buying a car.

tal ,
@tal@lemmy.today avatar

Oh, the COVID-19 shortages? Yeah, that’s a good point.

dmtalon ,

I have a 2008 tundra a coworker just bought a new one so I asked for a ride. It was nice to see under the enormous center display, the HVAC controls!

TheDemonBuer ,
@TheDemonBuer@lemmy.world avatar

I’m ok with a decent amount of tech in a car. Like I’m fine being able to connect my phone to the car and have android auto take over the infotainment system.

This reminds me of my 2016 Honda Civic. It had just the right amount of tech.

Wogi ,

I love my subaru outback. It’s a great car. It does all the car things exceptionally well. It holds a lot of stuff. Snow, mud, fuck you it’s all pavement to me baybeee.

I fucking hate my Outback’s climate control, entertainment, map, and information screen. I understand newer models have improved slightly. It’s still awful. The only good thing about that fucking screen is that I can turn everything on from my phone. Literally every other function is awful to try to access and use while you’re driving.

EldritchFeminity ,

I just bought a forester a few months ago, and my 2 stipulations on the cars I was looking at were all-wheel drive because I live in snow country, and a car no newer than 2018 (IIRC) because that was the year car companies largely switched from manual controls to a 16-inch screen with everything, including climate control, accessed from an app.

When I was talking to the guy at the dealership I bought it from and mentioned how much I disliked the new screens, he outright said, “Yeah, a lot of people don’t like them.”

restingboredface ,

Got a '24 outback late last year. For the most part I love it-it’s comfortable, holds my giant dogs and it’s way better to drive in bad weather than my previous car.

I’d read reports on subaru forums that infotainment was bad, so my expectations were low. But even basic stuff isn’t functional. It has gotten less responsive over the months (reminder: we’ve had it just barely a year). The screen has several seconds of lag with every touch, and sometimes controls just don’t work at all. I don’t like that we have to use it for temperature control, and android auto integration is clunky (though that may not be Subaru’s fault).

Add that to the horrifying data collection practices and it makes me question ever getting a Subaru again.

tal ,
@tal@lemmy.today avatar

Is it possible to get some kind of firmware update that you may not have received?

kagis

This Reddit thread makes it sound like you need to manually do it or the dealer will do it as part of the regular maintenance. Not sure if this is specific to that model year.

old.reddit.com/…/software_update_december_2023/

Reminds me I need to update mine!! Did you have to take this in to the dealer to get it updated or did you do it yourself?

Dealer did that

What does the dealer charge?

I am not sure. It was part of my regular maintenance.

And

Does this help the PAINFULLY slow response in the screen?

Yes, it does! The lags are very short now, if there are any at all.

The people there are also complaining about the touchscreen instead of physical controls.

restingboredface ,

Hey good catch! I’ll try to ring my dealership to see if I can get that checked out during my next oil change visit.

Thanks

frunch ,

Similar complaint here. We were ready to replace our 2011 outback and decided it would make sense to get something at least a bit more modern. Loved our outback, and honestly would have bought another if it weren’t for that damn screen.

After getting a gander at that thing, we seemingly confused (or probably just disappointed) our salesman by insisting we wanted the most simple, stripped-down style console they had to offer. Apparently we’re not the most common customers, but i know I’m kinda weird so fair enough. After he went back inside to find out which models they had on the lot that might fit that description, the only one that had a “simple” console was the base model Forester. It was just not enough to transition over from our comfy 6-cyl beast that just had a 6-cd changer with a 1-inch-tall screen and an aux jack, but everything was operated by buttons. Even the rear view mirror had a clever backup camera integrated into it. Makes more sense that way, imo. It was everything we needed and only a smidge more.

I really wish we could have just bought a newer model of the exact same car feature-wise… That outback was a great car 🙂

Wrench ,

When carplay works, it’s great. But mine constantly has issues connecting to phones. Both my wife’s iPhone, and my Android. Both are flagships that are a couple years old, so still very current and sufficient specs.

Meanwhile, my old aftermarket Bluetooth radio connects every time with no issue.

I do like the convenience of GPS and audio on the car tablet when it works. But honestly, it’s a distraction when it’s being fussy.

Steve ,

Exactly my experience.
Phone dash mount all the way!

Thebeardedsinglemalt ,

But the HVAC stuff needs to be buttons I can access/control without looking or very minimal looking.

100% this. I shouldn’t have to click through 2 menus on a touchscreen to change a basic environmental control. Give me a damn knob, so if I want to change something I can reach my hand over and turn 2 clicks without taking my eyes off the road.

kn0wmad1c ,
@kn0wmad1c@programming.dev avatar

I have a 2023 Mazda CX-5 and it has the perfect amount of tech for me. The headunit isn’t touch screen, but you get used to the control knob after about a day and eventually it just feels second-nature. Also, all of the hvac controls are physical knobs and buttons, which is amazing.

Auduras ,

I stopped using Android Auto on my infotainment system. I thought it was just me but when I’m using navigation (Google maps or wyze), the second I lose service for any reason, it completely exits out and cancels my navigation. I found that if I use it in my phone, it doesn’t have that issue.

2020 Subaru Forester, but friends with other cars (VW, Honda) mentioned the same issue. Not sure if this has been fixes in recent Android Auto updates or in newer cars, but I’m not going to chance it anymore.

dmtalon ,

I’ve only experienced real issues when out of network coverage for a long time.

I make sure I download the areas I’ll visit especially if the network coverage is spotty.

My Ford sync 3 amd my old Tundra with a Kenwood AA radio bot work fine out of service as long as I have the maps downloaded

tal ,
@tal@lemmy.today avatar

If they want to do that, then they can give me the car for free and I’ll drive it around letting them collect my driving habits.

I mean, that’s kind of what they’re doing in that having another revenue stream will reduce the car price relative to what would have been the case if they couldn’t do so.

If some people want to make that trade, I think that they should have the option to do so.

I don’t personally want to make that trade myself, though.

dmtalon ,

I disagree, most of these subscriptions options are all built in and “enabled” if bought. There ain’t no car manufacturers looking to reduce their car prices for us. It’s profit above everything

letsgo2themall ,

give me buttons and dials, not touch screens and ai. I want to drive, not check social media. I’ll be keeping my 2009 until the engine locks up.

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