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Javelin
Javelin GRM+ Memberand SuperDork
4/4/11 11:18 a.m.

I dunno if any of you read Edmund's Inside Line Long-Term Test Blog, but it is excellent reading on the internet to get an idea of what the new stuff is like to live with for years, and they frequently have older cars in the mix as well (C5 Z06 and a Supercharged 94M Miata right now).

Anyways, there was a post I read on there this morning about another one of their cars freaking out. Link

"So this was a reboot issue. Lest you think this is a Kia problem, remember that we've seen reboot-related electronic issues before in a half-dozen or more cases. At one point I was keeping track, but that Excel file disappeared two laptops ago.

A partial list includes the time the stereo went out in the Cadillac CTS. And then there was the BMW 750i that set something like 200 fault codes in one go and wouldn't move. There have been other examples covering other brands. No one, it seems, is immune.

To me this is a side-effect of the increasing role of software/firware code running behind the scenes in our vehicles. Our computers and smartphones get bug fixes, patches, reflashes and updates all the time and we don't even blink.

For me, that's not acceptable in a car. A car feels like hardware, not software, and I don't like having to hit the reset button. Let's hope this doesn't happen again...and again."

So basically it sounds like minor freak-outs could be fairly common (though obviously easily fixed so far). With all the "discussion" that went on about DBW, Toyota's recalls, and electronic in cars in general, it just seems like this would be a good (?) topic.

Have you ever had an electrical freak-out in your car? Did you fix it or did it need a dealer/expert/VooDoo Shaman?

I had a low battery once in my SHO and it flipped the car out. All the door locks kept locking and unlocking slowly and some stuff in the dash flashed and beeped. It was eerie, like sitting in a modern Christine...

92CelicaHalfTrac
92CelicaHalfTrac SuperDork
4/4/11 11:23 a.m.

I think the worst thing that's happened to me was because of a really low battery in both the Celica and the MX3.

I would hit the brakes, or turn on my turn signal, and the car would shut off momentarily. It was REAL interesting with the turn signal, because the car would run, then not run, then run, then not run, etc etc etc...

Beyond that... I've been lucky.

Javelin
Javelin GRM+ Memberand SuperDork
4/4/11 11:33 a.m.

That turn signal story is ! I think you and I deal with cars that are too old to really bug-out though. Then again, thinking about how many electrical issues the slightly older stuff has as it ages (VW/Audi, BMW, Benz, etc), I can only imagine what modern cars will be like in 10-20 years...

wvumtnbkr
wvumtnbkr GRM+ Memberand Reader
4/4/11 11:43 a.m.

I had an audi A4 that would randomly open the sunroof on really nice days... ...by itself! My only guess was there was an electrical circuit that was simehow being energized on hot sunny days.

It also loved to eat ignition circuits (where the key goes).

pigeon
pigeon Dork
4/4/11 12:02 p.m.

My BMW has more computers than any other car out there, so this will get more fun as the car gets older - just hit 100k miles and the CPO warranty went bye-bye. Only one major electrical "freak out" so far. Last year the idrive controller on my 750Li was very wonky, spinning on its own and making control of the various menus impossible, in particular for the audio and HVAC controllers. It spent a month at the dealer trying to get that worked out (the 550GT loaner I had made it more bearable). I finally solved it myself - the root cause was the burned backup of my navigation DVD was a crappy copy, and even though the navi worked flawlessly it was screwing up the rest of the systems on the canbus. Updated the DVD and all the problems went away.

Rusted_Busted_Spit
Rusted_Busted_Spit GRM+ Memberand Dork
4/4/11 12:20 p.m.

Last weekend I changed the oil in my wifes Benz. Later that night we went out and the radio would not work, no volume. We went to my inlaws, stayed for about 2 hours, when we got back in the van everything was fine. Very strange.

stuart in mn
stuart in mn SuperDork
4/4/11 12:30 p.m.

Almost makes you want to drive an antique car equipped with a hand crank starter, a magneto and acetylene headlamps.

Javelin
Javelin GRM+ Memberand SuperDork
4/4/11 12:53 p.m.
stuart in mn wrote: Almost makes you want to drive an antique car equipped with a hand crank starter, a magneto and acetylene headlamps.

Off-topic a bit, but I did get to drive an original early Model A once. It had a choke and the the spark advance lever both on the steering wheel. It was a hoot to drive for fun, but it would suck to do any real driving in it! Sometimes it is really fun just to play with something purely mechanical though, even if just for the novelty of it.

imirk
imirk Reader
4/4/11 1:09 p.m.

Not an early A ... but still http://www.365daysofa.com/

I haven't really had any electrical freakouts on a 95 honda or 01 toyota, but now we have an 05 VW TDI Beetle, so I may well end up with a CEL tattoo.

Javelin
Javelin GRM+ Memberand SuperDork
4/4/11 1:29 p.m.
imirk wrote: Not an early A ... but still http://www.365daysofa.com/

I saw that back when he started! It's totally awesome. My Stepfather has a 1930 A Truck he's owned since he was 14. If we ever get it restored and running it would be awesome even just to take it on a roadtrip.

Travis_K
Travis_K Dork
4/4/11 2:06 p.m.

I have no proof of this other than that I know the people involved and saw pictures, but my friends mom was driving an Audi a4 and the brakes locked one at a time and it went backwards off the freeway though a fence.

Wally
Wally GRM+ Memberand SuperDork
4/4/11 2:14 p.m.

One that annoys me is on my wife's Malibu. The car was about a month old and the driver's window wouldn't roll up. My wife says "turn the car off and on" I said that was stupid, I'd play with it when we got home. She insisted so I tried it to show her it was a dumb idea. It worked. She said "Duh, whenever you get a window problem try rebooting it first." It's happened three other times in the last 8 years and shutting the car off takes car of it.

daytonaer
daytonaer Reader
4/4/11 2:22 p.m.

My non mechanically inclined uncle was leasing an Audi 90 in the early 90's, he loved it and was on a road trip down south. He said he was on the highway at night and the headlights shut off at highway speed (they were auto on) and he could not get them to turn on. He refused to drive it at night for the rest of the trip.

Made him quite nervous to be so far away from home with an electrical glitch. The dealer was never able to find anything wrong, the headlights worked fine after that but he jumped out of the lease early.

My roommate got a baby jag when he got his first job out of college (x-type?), the auto wipers decided to stop working in a downpour when he too was traveling down the highway. That one turned out to be a burned out module, but I would imagine was pretty scary.

Every time I see the commercial for the new VW's crash features, the one that claims it turns on your 4 ways, unlocks the doors, cuts the engine etc after a crash, I wonder what those things are going to do when their modules and wiring start failing in the future.

mad_machine
mad_machine GRM+ Memberand SuperDork
4/4/11 2:35 p.m.

one of the nails in the 94 Saab NG900 I had was the Automatic Climate Control. One day, going to work, it decided that 90 degrees was too cold and turned on the heat.

Nothing I could do would get it to stop.. it took unhooking the battery overnight to stop it

oldeskewltoy
oldeskewltoy Reader
4/4/11 3:10 p.m.
Javelin wrote: I think you and I deal with cars that are too old to really bug-out though.

have you ever worked on a Lucas electrical system ??

92CelicaHalfTrac
92CelicaHalfTrac SuperDork
4/4/11 3:23 p.m.
oldeskewltoy wrote:
Javelin wrote: I think you and I deal with cars that are too old to really bug-out though.
have you ever worked on a Lucas electrical system ??

I haven't...

But at least my MX6 seems to still be intact, despite electronically-controlled steering rack, oscillating center air vents, in-cabin-electronically-adjustable suspension, etc etc etc.

MrJoshua
MrJoshua SuperDork
4/4/11 3:42 p.m.

My Land Rover likes to turn the radio on while the car is parked-even after you pull the radio fuse.

imirk
imirk Reader
4/4/11 3:47 p.m.
MrJoshua wrote: My Land Rover likes to turn the radio on while the car is parked-even after you pull the radio fuse.

There must be a ghost in there somewhere

Javelin
Javelin GRM+ Memberand SuperDork
4/4/11 3:53 p.m.
oldeskewltoy wrote:
Javelin wrote: I think you and I deal with cars that are too old to really bug-out though.
have you ever worked on a Lucas electrical system ??

I worked on a Jaguar XJ-S... once...

wearymicrobe
wearymicrobe Reader
4/4/11 5:57 p.m.
Javelin wrote:
stuart in mn wrote: Almost makes you want to drive an antique car equipped with a hand crank starter, a magneto and acetylene headlamps.
Off-topic a bit, but I did get to drive an original early Model A once. It had a choke and the the spark advance lever both on the steering wheel. It was a hoot to drive for fun, but it would suck to do any real driving in it! Sometimes it is really fun just to play with something purely mechanical though, even if just for the novelty of it.

once a week I drive my Model A to work so that I can go to the local car show after. Last week my Prius would not start due to some funky low battery warning in the remote. Model A fired right up.

I had a nightmare of a time with my 850/750L bot would flip out if the battery dropped below a specific voltage.

Streetwiseguy
Streetwiseguy Dork
4/4/11 6:15 p.m.

I once had to buy a customer a $1300 heater control module for a V70 Volvo because I hooked the battery up with the key on......

stuart in mn
stuart in mn SuperDork
4/4/11 6:23 p.m.
wearymicrobe wrote: once a week I drive my Model A to work so that I can go to the local car show after. Last week my Prius would not start due to some funky low battery warning in the remote. Model A fired right up.

I think everyone should drive an early (pre 1930) car at least once in their life, so they can have an appreciation of how far we've come. If nothing else, they'll gain a lot of respect for hydraulic brakes...those old mechanical brake cars could be pretty scary if they weren't set up just right.

Travis_K
Travis_K Dork
4/4/11 6:30 p.m.

How about the recalls for airbags going off for no reason? Thats pretty scary too.

Curmudgeon
Curmudgeon SuperDork
4/4/11 8:35 p.m.

Early Libertys had a weird BCM problem which would cause the dash warnings (door ajar, high beam, washer fluid, etc) lights to flash in random patterns one at a time and sometimes the warning dinger would go off. I had it happen to me once while driving a customer's car and yes it was weird. Car stuff doesn't scare me but I can see how a non-car person would be freaked out.

I have seen a couple of newer cars brought down by a bad iPod adapter. Yes, really. If the adapter screws up the CAN network comes to a screeching halt as does the car.

Junkyard_Dog
Junkyard_Dog Dork
4/4/11 9:25 p.m.

I worked on Land Rovers for 12 years. Believe it or not, the new ones are quite good. Most problems can be fixed with a programming update.

As it happens I worked at the store Consumer Reports bought their cars from. I also know a guy that works for CU. They never brought their cars back for reflashes we were doing for regular customers. When they did come in for service at the end of the test they never mentioned the lights. They bashed the product for warning lights that would have been fixed in 20 minutes.

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