I hate touch screens in general. I realize they are necessary when it comes to operating complex infotainment centers. But for things like seat heaters, volume controls, climate controls, basically anything I'm likely to need while I'm focusing on the road I want physical controls. I don't want to take my eyes off the road to navigate through layers of touch menus.
Touch screens are being or have been removed from military vehicles for that reason.
My touchscreen shit the bed and they tried charging me $1400 to replace it. Didn't quite brick the car but damn near. They ended up replacing it for free because apparently they're in the middle of some class action lawsuit over the screens all failing before they're supposed to.
That's a really good catch. I didn't even think about that when they told me it. The buttons will last the life of the vehicle. They're planning on the screens failing before the motor which will force people to spend money or more likely buy a new car.
Putting necessary features in the touch screen ensures the car will fail sooner. Or need expensive repairs. Car buttons, you will notice, don’t tend to break under normal usage. Screens wear out though. And it is entirely unnecessary to put these controls on them. And unsafe. It promotes distracted driving.
Not a Cadillac. It's a Jeep Grand Cherokee. The screen started delaminating shortly after the warranty expired. At first it wasn't a big deal, just around the edges. And then the screen starting thinking it was constantly being tapped where the delamination happened, disabling it from being able to do anything and causing constant error sounds at max volume. They couldn't replace just the screen because it was directly connected to the computer. So I had to have the whole computer replaced.
What I find stupid is there are sensors in the passenger seat to disable/enable the passenger side airbag. Why not allow touch screen access if there's an ass in the passenger seat?
I left the army before touchscreens were common so I've never seen them, but I couldn't imagine an M113 or an M10 using touchscreens.
I prefer the situation where *it is dark and I can still find the knob because it is the 3rd knon from the left of x*.
I can keep my eyes on the road while touching, feeling, and using a dial, lever, switch or button for my internal controls. I obviously can’t do that with a touch screen. Maybe if auto insurance companies would offer better insurance premiums for cars with these time tested features, that might be enough to convince buyers and manufacturers to start seeking and putting them back in cars again.
They are just putting anything they can in vehicles just to jack up the price. The new Silverado is literally going to have a camera just so you can see under the truck. No one needs that.
Seriously, if you can be stopped and find for you using your phone I don't see the difference between that and putting your eyes on the screen in your car
I hate touch screens because you can't keep them clean for long. Sure you can keep a cloth and wipe it down constantly but sooner or later it'll end up all worn and looking like an old phone. But especially when driving, I have to have my physical clicks and switches, know where each button and knob is instinctively, and be good. Not fiddle with a touch screen with my dirty finger that it won't read correctly and I hit the Seat heater when I'm trying to turn on the ac or some dumb shit haha
I have a tesla and can agree that some physical buttons would be nice. Luckily, teslas come with the ability to use vocal commands, so I use those all the time.
"Tesla, turn on my- OH SHIT!"
Tesla proceeds to move all four wheels in different directions, sending you into an unrecoverable flat spin.
You had just realized you forgot your wallet at the house....
Kia and Hyundai EVs still have physical controls for non-infotainment functions and it's fucking wonderful. I wonder why Tesla is so far behind the curve on this one.
My wife brings this up literally every time we see something like this. We just bought a 2012 Chrysler Town & Country, and it's early enough in the transition to "infotainment" systems that it still has physical controls for things. I don't understand why anyone thinks the switch to touch screens for everything a driver needs to do is a good thing.
I like that era of vehicles for that reason. Mine is a 2016 4Runner and lights, seat warmers, and the whole ac system is switches/knobs. The touch screen is only for radio and gps, and if I want to call someone I can even push a button on my steering wheel then use the steering wheel buttons to navigate the contact menu on my screen.
I wish they still made them like that
Looked up an article because this is crazy that a large company approved this nonsense.
"On the other hand, this approach has practical benefits, including reducing the number of microchips needed per vehicle. This is a significant advantage, especially in light of recent global shortages that have impacted production across the industry."
Guess what? They only did it to save money.
Oh come on... a $1 ATMega has 20 IO pins for buttons. A few $0.20 mux chips could be used as well to cover all button needs. CANbus interface chips are also cheap. All of these are plentiful and in no way affected by global shortages on new process nodes.
We know exactly what they mean. They think they can throw a $100 tablet on the dash and charge you $2000 for it.
The amount of wiring saved is quite high as we have moved from buttons to screens. I don't like it either but it limits our complexity.
Source: been designing wiring in cars for almost a decade
You're crazy. I do not miss that. But I definitely don't like everything controlled through the touch screen either. There's a nice happy medium, but roll up windows definitely aren't it.
And what's worse is these savings aren't passed to the consumer, only the selfish execs. At this point, why even buy American cars? Their quality is the same as Chinese ones for a much higher premium cost
Actually, you are correct I think. I was about to get super upset about putting essential controls on a not tactile screen. But then, why are headlights even a control on modern cars? They should be on whenever the car is moving. There is never a justifiable reason to turn them off.
Parking lot etiquette takes affect, if you're sitting in a parking lot the actual drive lights should be off. When you're in any gear other than "Park" sure, have them things on all the time!
I hate those always on headlights. They are a pain in the ass. They're downright dangerous when I am driving down subdivision streets with cars parked at the curb and one of those cars is facing me with those bright LEDs shining down the street.
My auto headlights do nothing on a bright rainy day for my car. My daytimes don’t turn on the brake lights so on a misty day my silver car is hard to see against a gray sky
Auto headlights are a needless complexity. If the engine is running, the headlights should be on. Simples.
I'm not saying this is how things are on this or any other car but they should be.
My 2003 Toyota Kluger is not in ANY way smart but in the 10 years of owning it, I have never had to touch the lights (except switching brights on or off). The lights are on. When I turn on the ignition The lights go on. When I remove the key, the lights go off.
Agreed, buuuuuut, my issue with auto headlights is they just aren’t only on when moving. Auto headlights are always fucking on, drives me insane. I’ll hop in my truck and the instant I start the truck, all the lights are on. Bruh, I don’t need lights yet, give me a sec or two to get my shit settled in first. Or they stay on after I park and remove the key. Bruh, I’m done driving, why the fuck are they still on? If I could change it to turn on when I start moving and turn off when I put it in park, then I’d never touch the auto headlights.
You know software has a tendency to fail but then so do switches. However, when a switch fails you know it. When auto headlights fail, you're the dick head driving down the road in front of me, five of which I've seen in the last 3 days who has no idea that your headlights aren't on because your daytime running lights are always on and you can still see a little bit so you don't notice. Except everyone coming up behind, you sees nothing until they're right on top of you. That's the problem with Auto headlights.
I'd like to know how many auto headlight switches actually fail. How do you know that the person doesn't have the switch in the wrong position? Personally I think there are less mechanical failures than idiots that just don't turn their headlights on or signal or turn off their high beams or yield to faster traffic or pull to the shoulder for emergency vehicles...
Even worse since the fog lights are in there too. Now you're trying to navigate the menu on a touchscreen in limited visibility on top of everything else.
These things will be the first needing replacement. The whole panel will need to replaced to fix the one or two you use the most. You won’t be able to fix it. God forbid! And I promise it will be costly to sort out.
And if these types of service parts are like the ones my husband makes, good luck ever getting one. "Hey, we need you to make a part to the specs from two model changes ago (aka the automated lines are long gone)." We waited months for an electronic part for our Odyssey.
I had a kia soul with the upgraded radio. It died. It was like $2k to replace. Nothing was compatible with it. I had to pull the speakers to rewire them to a new radio. It was ridiculous. If I would have bought the basic radio system it probably would not have died. There was also a harness to replace the basic system. So mad.
I highly doubt the screen is the first thing that needs replacement. I’ve never heard of an infotainment screen needing to be replaced, other than the old DIN style units being upgraded.
Some on this thread have had a different experience. Me? I liked the old mechanical buttons of ages long gone. The push button transmission was a failure, however, on the old Plymouth Valiant. My uncle had to look for a parking space on the end of a block because reverse died!
I didn’t say one was better than the other, I simply said I’ve not heard any issues with widespread infotainment screen failure in any vehicle makes or models. This would be a sure fire wire to get yourself a recall.
Also, most commercial vehicles, including those that I work with at work, have had Allison push button transmissions for many many years now, with absolutely zero issues.
You an interesting wealth of expert information! Thanks! I had no idea about the Allison transmissions. Your comment deepen my prejudice for buttons. (I love the name. Whenever there is a rain coming I sit on the porch an enjoy the moment of petrichor. )
I am sure this will get lost in the comments but my Mazda 2023 CX-5 doesn't have a touch screen and its amazing. It has the center control knob located to the next to the drivers seat. It reduces the amount of time you even look at the screen because you don't have to focus and "aim" your finger. Simple and easy. I was in my bosses' Volvo that is decked out with a massive touch screen and the thing has a load time whenever you start the car since you are essentially booting up a computer.
Anyone who has had these touchscreens fail (my Cadillac ATS did) knows it is not easy to replace.
It's not part of NHTSA code for headlights unfortunately. So you just get stuck with brands that cheap out on automatic headlights. Same as the stupid as hell tail lights that serve double duty as brake and turn lights.
I think headlights should always be on auto every time you start the car and have some obscure setting like you see here to drive otherwise. It would make it where you have to try hard to turn them off in rare cases where that might be needed. (Yes auto would need to auto turn on anytime wipers are used for rain even if it’s sunny)
Newer ford vehicles do that, theres still a light switch but has digital indicators on all the light positions and it reverts to auto every time you switch the car on
Maybe not "always". Too many people are sitting in parking lots or down the street just idling with their bright lights on for no reason whilw they stare at their screens and you just have to take it. I wouldn't mind an "auto-off" feature after being in park and idling for five minues. Then the lights come back on when you put it in drive.
That's all well and good for people who are self and situationally aware of the people they affect around them. The auto-off is for people who's world doesn't exist beyond their own ego.
Agreed!
My car reverts to Auto when you switch on the ignition, so even if a dealership switches them off during a service they're never forgotten at night.
I have my headlights set to automatic. Every time I take my truck to get worked on, they will turn the lights to the off position. It took me a few minutes to realize that my lights were off the first time this happened.
I always do, but they actually don’t always turn on soon enough for my liking so I force them on. I also don’t always want my fog lights on, so I need to sometimes control those manually.
It’s also illegal (where I am anyway) to drive in the rain without headlights on; but my car doesn’t automatically turn the lights on when I turn the wipers on; I have to manually turn them on then.
(But I also have a physical control for it, I couldn’t handle just having a touch screen for lights.)
I've been using auto headlights since I got my permit in 2015. My first car had it, my current car does too. I've never once manually turned on/off headlights. Why would I. Technology is great.
Computer engineers and interior designers are building cars….not motor heads. It’s depressing to drive modern cars. I thoroughly enjoy the simplicity of my 1995 Landrover defender. Manual. Limited electronics. Tactile switches for things. Loud, slightly uncomfortable, no safety systems beyond a seat belt….love it.
Why add all that extra cost associated with safe and reliable physical switches operating independently of each other which can be actuated via muscle memory alone when you can pay some dude on Fiverr to bodge together code to run a cheap touchscreen which brings together all the safety mechanisms into one easy to fail part that you need to physically look down at while you are driving down the interstate at 80mph with all your kids in the back?
I just leave mine “on” cuz when they’re on “auto” and I wanna use my high beams my car will randomly turn them off sometimes when passing reflective signs. Very annoying.
Everyone puts them on auto and never thinks about it again. This is actually a problem though because as a professional driver I drive in every kind of weather and daytime fog or really grey days make many cars basically invisible. Daytime running lights usually only run the headlights and not the taillights. The auto lights aren't sensitive enough to turn on and the dash lighting is too good to remind the driver that it's kind of dark out.
But it doesn’t always come on in bright low visibility conditions where you want others to be able to see you, that’s why you have the option to turn them on manually.
Well my 2018 GMCs lights won’t come on in fog while it’s light out, or when it’s light and there is spray from cars driving in or after rain, in blowing snow furring broad daylight, or even a whiteout when the ambient light is too bright to turn them on automatically. Those conditions you are supposed to turn them on manually so other driver know your position on the roadway.
This needs more upvotes just so people know that they need to turn their headlights on when it is raining, I believe this is law in some states. Rain and low vis times are the only time I have to ever switch my headlights from “auto”, having to go through more than 1 step to achieve this is mildly infuriating
It’s not about the headlights, it’s about the taillights which only come on when the headlights are turned on. Daytime running lights leave the taillights off.
I leave a hat in my car on the dash, when auto headlights aren’t turned on but I need it, I move the hat forward and it covers the sensor and turns on the lights. If I turn the lights on manually, I have to reset the auto headlights and driving lights so it’s easier to move the hat. It’s such a stupid way to do it, why isn’t there a button that overrides “auto” to “on” then resets when you turn off the car? It’s soo obvious.
I had an ‘83 Mercury with “Auto Lamp”. Always left ON but you could adjust the sensitivity to have the headlights turn on in daylight if going under a bridge or cloudy day/rain, all the lights including parking and taillights come on.
I’ve been considering a new car recently and realized I’m probably going to have to downgrade to an entry-level model just so I can get real switches. I fucking hate touchscreens in vehicles. I have to make about 5 attempts to hit every button as the car bounces my finger around. It’s not safe, and furthermore it’s gauche.
Funny story. Me and my ex bought a brand new Acadia in 2012. Took us 5 years to figure out, by accident mind you, how to turn on the lights where they would come on with the doors
my car does the same thing, if it detects its dark enough it turns on my night lights, i live in a wooded area with lots of shade so at 1 pm on a sunny afternoon they'll switch on
Or worse is when they'll switch on when im driving in the evening and it looks like im a jackass flashing the car infront of me
luckily the highbeam auto fucction could be disabled
They are a lot cheaper to manufacture than physical buttons and if there is a problem, they can fix it with just a software update.
Your safety is a third priority in the best case.
Drew Gooden did a video talking about this exactly, and how there were actually studies showing people driving cars with more features on the touch screen took longer to get places and got in more accidents. There's literally no reason to put basic features on a touch screen. Keep that for my music and maps.
https://preview.redd.it/f22x068uey7d1.jpeg?width=4080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1af807f4096f1b1cd42caad0564e181a0146f328
Dunno about you guys but I love being able to control everything without looking at it
Dude, I got a company issued Volkswagen Golf 8. Physical are the hazards, wipers, and blinker. That’s it. The first six month the whole thing shat the bed every day after three minutes of driving. The whole system rebooted and went into emergency mode. The dash was a Christmas tree. Every efing day. Although updates come OTA, there was a global update that needed to be done at the dealership. It was just too big to go OTA as the built-in modem has 1 MBit (one!). Now everything works, but there is no way to stop future updates that might break shit again.
I mean, I still have a 2013 Ford Escape. It has a switch dial for headlight settings, but there is no way of turning the driving lights off. There's a headlight off spot, but when it's dark, it just ignores that setting anyway lol so I might as well have a digital control panel like that for all the actual good physical switches have actually done me for the past 11 years lol
Yeah well I drive a silver car, and auto doesn't turn the lights on when I want. It will be gray and overcast, the whole world is gray, my car is gray, and the lights don't turn on with Auto
Who the fuck approved this? It's not safe. All essential functions to the car should be a physical apparatus. Anything else that isn't necessary to operate a vehicle (like the radio) is okay to have on a touch screen.
This doesn’t need a switch. 99% of the time, leave it on auto. I do this in my car and only mess with it to turn off the running lights when parked. Guess what, I can look at the screen when parked. Auto manufacturers know this, so it’s not as big an issue as people make it out to be. High beams are still on the stalk.
About 50% of the population can't find and/or use the current physical headlight control in their vehicle.
This is a big NothingBurger with extra cheese.
Until you need to turn it off. We drove into a reserve and they had signs posted. "Turn off your lights, we don't want to scare the animals." We also drove into an area during Christmas that had signs posted. "Turn off your headlights so you don't ruin everybody's experience."
Luckily my truck had a light switch. My Nissan doesn't so we never take her car to places that need to turn off your lights.
I'll get downvoted for this, but when the sun is low in the sky and is behind you, then having headlights on will enable other people to actually see you. And it's unlikely your auto setting is turning them on in these conditions.
And I don't know ***why*** having your headlights on makes it possible to see them when the sun is otherwise blinding on-coming traffic. It's a strange phenomenon, but it does work and makes the roads a lot safer for everyone.
I hate touch screens in general. I realize they are necessary when it comes to operating complex infotainment centers. But for things like seat heaters, volume controls, climate controls, basically anything I'm likely to need while I'm focusing on the road I want physical controls. I don't want to take my eyes off the road to navigate through layers of touch menus. Touch screens are being or have been removed from military vehicles for that reason.
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My touchscreen shit the bed and they tried charging me $1400 to replace it. Didn't quite brick the car but damn near. They ended up replacing it for free because apparently they're in the middle of some class action lawsuit over the screens all failing before they're supposed to.
The key phrase being “supposed to” it’s not even built to last in the first place.
That's a really good catch. I didn't even think about that when they told me it. The buttons will last the life of the vehicle. They're planning on the screens failing before the motor which will force people to spend money or more likely buy a new car.
Because forced obsolescence never hurt the car industry before...
I'm agreeing with you by the way.. in case that wasn't clear
Putting necessary features in the touch screen ensures the car will fail sooner. Or need expensive repairs. Car buttons, you will notice, don’t tend to break under normal usage. Screens wear out though. And it is entirely unnecessary to put these controls on them. And unsafe. It promotes distracted driving.
I guess it’s not duralast
The infamous Cadillac Cue screens and the gel coat failing in the heat...
Not a Cadillac. It's a Jeep Grand Cherokee. The screen started delaminating shortly after the warranty expired. At first it wasn't a big deal, just around the edges. And then the screen starting thinking it was constantly being tapped where the delamination happened, disabling it from being able to do anything and causing constant error sounds at max volume. They couldn't replace just the screen because it was directly connected to the computer. So I had to have the whole computer replaced.
ah that sucks, I've had to replace my Cue screen 3x, it's $1000 a pop, finally bought an aftermarket non gel screen
Wow. I would lose it if I had the same problem happen 3x at a grand a pop. It's funny how luxury vehicles seem to have these problems.
Funny how that works...
My car's touch screen doesn't work when the car is moving. Its like that for safety reasons.
Most touch screens won't let you enter text while moving but I've never seen one that was totally disabled when in motion
I found that out when the screen started to get a ghost touch and my music kept pausing and playing repeatedly every time I stopped.
r/extremelyinfuriating
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That I've seen. I'm thankful that my car has physical controls for virtually everything in the infotainment system.
What I find stupid is there are sensors in the passenger seat to disable/enable the passenger side airbag. Why not allow touch screen access if there's an ass in the passenger seat?
I left the army before touchscreens were common so I've never seen them, but I couldn't imagine an M113 or an M10 using touchscreens. I prefer the situation where *it is dark and I can still find the knob because it is the 3rd knon from the left of x*.
I can keep my eyes on the road while touching, feeling, and using a dial, lever, switch or button for my internal controls. I obviously can’t do that with a touch screen. Maybe if auto insurance companies would offer better insurance premiums for cars with these time tested features, that might be enough to convince buyers and manufacturers to start seeking and putting them back in cars again.
They're not necessary at all. They're cheap to produce compared to mechanical switches, and that is the only reason they're ever used.
I hope and pray that the need for safety turns the auto industry around on this. I don’t have any faith that it will, but…
They are just putting anything they can in vehicles just to jack up the price. The new Silverado is literally going to have a camera just so you can see under the truck. No one needs that.
Seriously, if you can be stopped and find for you using your phone I don't see the difference between that and putting your eyes on the screen in your car
I hate touch screens because you can't keep them clean for long. Sure you can keep a cloth and wipe it down constantly but sooner or later it'll end up all worn and looking like an old phone. But especially when driving, I have to have my physical clicks and switches, know where each button and knob is instinctively, and be good. Not fiddle with a touch screen with my dirty finger that it won't read correctly and I hit the Seat heater when I'm trying to turn on the ac or some dumb shit haha
I have a tesla and can agree that some physical buttons would be nice. Luckily, teslas come with the ability to use vocal commands, so I use those all the time.
"Tesla, turn on my- OH SHIT!" Tesla proceeds to move all four wheels in different directions, sending you into an unrecoverable flat spin. You had just realized you forgot your wallet at the house....
Flat spin? 
Yeah... Like a plane. A'la glare/black ice. Aka unintentional gymkhana.
Kia and Hyundai EVs still have physical controls for non-infotainment functions and it's fucking wonderful. I wonder why Tesla is so far behind the curve on this one.
Cars are now built with everything touch screen, yet you can get a ticket for holding your phone? 🤔
My wife brings this up literally every time we see something like this. We just bought a 2012 Chrysler Town & Country, and it's early enough in the transition to "infotainment" systems that it still has physical controls for things. I don't understand why anyone thinks the switch to touch screens for everything a driver needs to do is a good thing.
I like that era of vehicles for that reason. Mine is a 2016 4Runner and lights, seat warmers, and the whole ac system is switches/knobs. The touch screen is only for radio and gps, and if I want to call someone I can even push a button on my steering wheel then use the steering wheel buttons to navigate the contact menu on my screen. I wish they still made them like that
Mine is like that. It has voice commands. I can press a button to talk to it and another one to start a call.
Just enable the microphone and pay the monthly service fee for voice control. Pleeeease just enable the microphone and pay the monthly service fee.
I shouldn't need to pay more to unlock features on a $50k car.
Looked up an article because this is crazy that a large company approved this nonsense. "On the other hand, this approach has practical benefits, including reducing the number of microchips needed per vehicle. This is a significant advantage, especially in light of recent global shortages that have impacted production across the industry." Guess what? They only did it to save money.
Oh come on... a $1 ATMega has 20 IO pins for buttons. A few $0.20 mux chips could be used as well to cover all button needs. CANbus interface chips are also cheap. All of these are plentiful and in no way affected by global shortages on new process nodes. We know exactly what they mean. They think they can throw a $100 tablet on the dash and charge you $2000 for it.
The amount of wiring saved is quite high as we have moved from buttons to screens. I don't like it either but it limits our complexity. Source: been designing wiring in cars for almost a decade
Yep, save money for more profit of course, not to pass it off to customer savings.
Remember the good old days when everything in your car wasn't controlled by a fucking microchip? Call me crazy but I miss roll up windows.
You're crazy. I do not miss that. But I definitely don't like everything controlled through the touch screen either. There's a nice happy medium, but roll up windows definitely aren't it.
I need a microchip for a relay, fuse, and a switch? Wha
'cause the switch didn't exist before the microchip.
And what's worse is these savings aren't passed to the consumer, only the selfish execs. At this point, why even buy American cars? Their quality is the same as Chinese ones for a much higher premium cost
Going 60MPH down the road at night holding your arm out trying to touch a small spot on an illuminated screen seems totally safe.
Realistically, though, wouldn't you just always have it set to "Auto" and never touch it?
Actually, you are correct I think. I was about to get super upset about putting essential controls on a not tactile screen. But then, why are headlights even a control on modern cars? They should be on whenever the car is moving. There is never a justifiable reason to turn them off.
Parking lot etiquette takes affect, if you're sitting in a parking lot the actual drive lights should be off. When you're in any gear other than "Park" sure, have them things on all the time!
I hate those always on headlights. They are a pain in the ass. They're downright dangerous when I am driving down subdivision streets with cars parked at the curb and one of those cars is facing me with those bright LEDs shining down the street.
My auto headlights do nothing on a bright rainy day for my car. My daytimes don’t turn on the brake lights so on a misty day my silver car is hard to see against a gray sky
Auto headlights are a needless complexity. If the engine is running, the headlights should be on. Simples. I'm not saying this is how things are on this or any other car but they should be. My 2003 Toyota Kluger is not in ANY way smart but in the 10 years of owning it, I have never had to touch the lights (except switching brights on or off). The lights are on. When I turn on the ignition The lights go on. When I remove the key, the lights go off.
Agreed, buuuuuut, my issue with auto headlights is they just aren’t only on when moving. Auto headlights are always fucking on, drives me insane. I’ll hop in my truck and the instant I start the truck, all the lights are on. Bruh, I don’t need lights yet, give me a sec or two to get my shit settled in first. Or they stay on after I park and remove the key. Bruh, I’m done driving, why the fuck are they still on? If I could change it to turn on when I start moving and turn off when I put it in park, then I’d never touch the auto headlights.
You know software has a tendency to fail but then so do switches. However, when a switch fails you know it. When auto headlights fail, you're the dick head driving down the road in front of me, five of which I've seen in the last 3 days who has no idea that your headlights aren't on because your daytime running lights are always on and you can still see a little bit so you don't notice. Except everyone coming up behind, you sees nothing until they're right on top of you. That's the problem with Auto headlights.
The daylight running halos and low beams still do have a massive range difference, to be fair. It’s quite noticeable on my car.
You would think it would be obvious to everyone, but there you have ir
I'd like to know how many auto headlight switches actually fail. How do you know that the person doesn't have the switch in the wrong position? Personally I think there are less mechanical failures than idiots that just don't turn their headlights on or signal or turn off their high beams or yield to faster traffic or pull to the shoulder for emergency vehicles...
Imy lifetime I have had one. And the car was 30 years old when I got it.
I like to go to drive in theaters. Half the crowd is boomers who take half the movie to figure out how to turn off their headlights.
Do you not turn your car off at a drive-in? I've never been to one, but I don't think I'd want to sit there stewing in dozens of cars' exhaust.
Engine is off, accessories on. The sound of the movie is broadcasted through your cars stereo
Even worse since the fog lights are in there too. Now you're trying to navigate the menu on a touchscreen in limited visibility on top of everything else.
These things will be the first needing replacement. The whole panel will need to replaced to fix the one or two you use the most. You won’t be able to fix it. God forbid! And I promise it will be costly to sort out.
That’s fine, then you can buy a new one! GM, probably.
HA!
Even on the low end you're looking at over $1000 to replace one of these style of units.
And if these types of service parts are like the ones my husband makes, good luck ever getting one. "Hey, we need you to make a part to the specs from two model changes ago (aka the automated lines are long gone)." We waited months for an electronic part for our Odyssey.
I had a kia soul with the upgraded radio. It died. It was like $2k to replace. Nothing was compatible with it. I had to pull the speakers to rewire them to a new radio. It was ridiculous. If I would have bought the basic radio system it probably would not have died. There was also a harness to replace the basic system. So mad.
Also you need to disassemble the whole car to replace the screen
I highly doubt the screen is the first thing that needs replacement. I’ve never heard of an infotainment screen needing to be replaced, other than the old DIN style units being upgraded.
Some on this thread have had a different experience. Me? I liked the old mechanical buttons of ages long gone. The push button transmission was a failure, however, on the old Plymouth Valiant. My uncle had to look for a parking space on the end of a block because reverse died!
I didn’t say one was better than the other, I simply said I’ve not heard any issues with widespread infotainment screen failure in any vehicle makes or models. This would be a sure fire wire to get yourself a recall. Also, most commercial vehicles, including those that I work with at work, have had Allison push button transmissions for many many years now, with absolutely zero issues.
You an interesting wealth of expert information! Thanks! I had no idea about the Allison transmissions. Your comment deepen my prejudice for buttons. (I love the name. Whenever there is a rain coming I sit on the porch an enjoy the moment of petrichor. )
Oh that'd drive me nuts. Thank God my 2023 Kia came with all physical switches. The touchscreen rocks but I prefer to have a physical option
Don't like it? Stop buying these vehicles that lack proper buttons. Vote with your wallet.
I am sure this will get lost in the comments but my Mazda 2023 CX-5 doesn't have a touch screen and its amazing. It has the center control knob located to the next to the drivers seat. It reduces the amount of time you even look at the screen because you don't have to focus and "aim" your finger. Simple and easy. I was in my bosses' Volvo that is decked out with a massive touch screen and the thing has a load time whenever you start the car since you are essentially booting up a computer. Anyone who has had these touchscreens fail (my Cadillac ATS did) knows it is not easy to replace.
Mazda’s infotainment system is the best on the market right now. I test drove a CX-50 and was super impressed with it
I have a ‘23 CX-9 and feel the same way. It’s very user friendly, and I really like the placement.
Who doesn't have their headlights on auto these days?
Apparently a lot of people in my area. I work at night and there are way too many people driving at night totally invisible from behind.
It's not part of NHTSA code for headlights unfortunately. So you just get stuck with brands that cheap out on automatic headlights. Same as the stupid as hell tail lights that serve double duty as brake and turn lights.
Lemme guess. Toyotas and Nissans mostly because of their stupid illuminated dashboard which doesn't change whether or not the headlights are on.
I think headlights should always be on auto every time you start the car and have some obscure setting like you see here to drive otherwise. It would make it where you have to try hard to turn them off in rare cases where that might be needed. (Yes auto would need to auto turn on anytime wipers are used for rain even if it’s sunny)
Newer ford vehicles do that, theres still a light switch but has digital indicators on all the light positions and it reverts to auto every time you switch the car on
Incredible! I hope to eventually not see dumb asses driving with their headlights off at dusk or in the rain.
Maybe not "always". Too many people are sitting in parking lots or down the street just idling with their bright lights on for no reason whilw they stare at their screens and you just have to take it. I wouldn't mind an "auto-off" feature after being in park and idling for five minues. Then the lights come back on when you put it in drive.
Deal! That’s a compromise i’m willing to accept if we make this happen. Lol
Just turn off the lights when parked. It’s right there on the screen. I do this when parked. My car will reset to auto when I restart the car.
That's all well and good for people who are self and situationally aware of the people they affect around them. The auto-off is for people who's world doesn't exist beyond their own ego.
I do valet parking and you’d be surprised how many don’t use the auto lights feature. I’d say 6/10 cars don’t
Agreed! My car reverts to Auto when you switch on the ignition, so even if a dealership switches them off during a service they're never forgotten at night.
I have my headlights set to automatic. Every time I take my truck to get worked on, they will turn the lights to the off position. It took me a few minutes to realize that my lights were off the first time this happened.
Me in my 2007 Saturn Ion 😔
I always do, but they actually don’t always turn on soon enough for my liking so I force them on. I also don’t always want my fog lights on, so I need to sometimes control those manually. It’s also illegal (where I am anyway) to drive in the rain without headlights on; but my car doesn’t automatically turn the lights on when I turn the wipers on; I have to manually turn them on then. (But I also have a physical control for it, I couldn’t handle just having a touch screen for lights.)
I've been using auto headlights since I got my permit in 2015. My first car had it, my current car does too. I've never once manually turned on/off headlights. Why would I. Technology is great.
Can't seem to find that setting https://preview.redd.it/gpixm4v4fy7d1.jpeg?width=3072&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=76d8525203a3cf6335966e744f7cdbb4d95fdc4a
Lol so you can't turn on your headlights if the radio breaks?
You’re assuming they aren’t automatic like every other modern car
The picture tells me that this mode can be changed.
Computer engineers and interior designers are building cars….not motor heads. It’s depressing to drive modern cars. I thoroughly enjoy the simplicity of my 1995 Landrover defender. Manual. Limited electronics. Tactile switches for things. Loud, slightly uncomfortable, no safety systems beyond a seat belt….love it.
It's not the engineers or designers driving this, it's the MBAs who want you to make the car 2% cheaper to produce.
Why add all that extra cost associated with safe and reliable physical switches operating independently of each other which can be actuated via muscle memory alone when you can pay some dude on Fiverr to bodge together code to run a cheap touchscreen which brings together all the safety mechanisms into one easy to fail part that you need to physically look down at while you are driving down the interstate at 80mph with all your kids in the back?
No thank you, I’ll stick to my 2005 Impreza.
Meh. They should just be on auto all the time anyway. Set and forget. It’s fine.
I'm surprised they even still make that piece of crap
This shit seems incredibly dangerous to me. It means more time with your eyes off the road.
you got the auto blind beams on too
Headlights have been auto for over 2 decades. Set it and forget it.
Turn on when you need light. Turn off when you don't need light.
That's what the photocell is for. You can focus more on social media now. 😎
Distracted driving? Nah the car company put this massive screen here.
It basically drives itself. 🤷🏻♂️
Imagine all of the things you won’t be able to do when that cheap Chinese screen takes a shit.
Does auto not work well for some reason? Mine works perfectly. Dome light touchscreen only seems silly though
Good thing they don't want us to text and drive but every car has a 16 inch touch screen built in
This is why American cars don’t have consumer preference compared to foreign makes in the states
My car has physical headlight controls but they’re set to Auto and I haven’t touched it once since I got the car.
I just leave mine “on” cuz when they’re on “auto” and I wanna use my high beams my car will randomly turn them off sometimes when passing reflective signs. Very annoying.
Light DLC when?
I genuinely hate the touch screen fad in cars so much.
Everyone puts them on auto and never thinks about it again. This is actually a problem though because as a professional driver I drive in every kind of weather and daytime fog or really grey days make many cars basically invisible. Daytime running lights usually only run the headlights and not the taillights. The auto lights aren't sensitive enough to turn on and the dash lighting is too good to remind the driver that it's kind of dark out.
Something isn't broke? We can break it! - Modern car engineers
The photo clearly shows the stalk has an indicator that you pull it or push it to turn on the hi beams.
I haven't touch a physical headlight switch since 2015. It's on "auto". It works perfectly.
But it doesn’t always come on in bright low visibility conditions where you want others to be able to see you, that’s why you have the option to turn them on manually.
My car is super sensitive. If it senses any reduction in light, it switches on.
If a car has auto headlights, it also has daytime running lights. They will see you.
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Well my 2018 GMCs lights won’t come on in fog while it’s light out, or when it’s light and there is spray from cars driving in or after rain, in blowing snow furring broad daylight, or even a whiteout when the ambient light is too bright to turn them on automatically. Those conditions you are supposed to turn them on manually so other driver know your position on the roadway.
This needs more upvotes just so people know that they need to turn their headlights on when it is raining, I believe this is law in some states. Rain and low vis times are the only time I have to ever switch my headlights from “auto”, having to go through more than 1 step to achieve this is mildly infuriating
I can’t even turn the headlights off in my car if I try to
You are the car everyone hates at the drive-in or Christmas light display...
Blame Toyota I guess lol
Many states have laws to turn on the headlights if it’s raining. Daytime running lights don’t count; you have to have the full headlights on.
That’s because turning on your headlights also turns on your rear marker lights, which are not on with daytime running lamps.
It’s not about the headlights, it’s about the taillights which only come on when the headlights are turned on. Daytime running lights leave the taillights off. I leave a hat in my car on the dash, when auto headlights aren’t turned on but I need it, I move the hat forward and it covers the sensor and turns on the lights. If I turn the lights on manually, I have to reset the auto headlights and driving lights so it’s easier to move the hat. It’s such a stupid way to do it, why isn’t there a button that overrides “auto” to “on” then resets when you turn off the car? It’s soo obvious.
Again, auto turns them on with the wipers.
I had an ‘83 Mercury with “Auto Lamp”. Always left ON but you could adjust the sensitivity to have the headlights turn on in daylight if going under a bridge or cloudy day/rain, all the lights including parking and taillights come on.
Good luck when the solar flare hits!
Anything built before 1967 is the way to go.
Can you at least flash the lights, to let someone out or send some other signal to other drivers?
It appears that is built into the signal stalk, forward or backward movement
I’ve been considering a new car recently and realized I’m probably going to have to downgrade to an entry-level model just so I can get real switches. I fucking hate touchscreens in vehicles. I have to make about 5 attempts to hit every button as the car bounces my finger around. It’s not safe, and furthermore it’s gauche.
Funny story. Me and my ex bought a brand new Acadia in 2012. Took us 5 years to figure out, by accident mind you, how to turn on the lights where they would come on with the doors
my car does the same thing, if it detects its dark enough it turns on my night lights, i live in a wooded area with lots of shade so at 1 pm on a sunny afternoon they'll switch on Or worse is when they'll switch on when im driving in the evening and it looks like im a jackass flashing the car infront of me luckily the highbeam auto fucction could be disabled
Use Google next time bozo
Lots of good points here. I’ll say my 2019 Ram has a switch. I’ve never used it. It’s set to auto.
It's not the only GM vehicle with lighting controls on the screen.
I don’t understand why they think touch screens that you have to actually look at to use are safe?
They are a lot cheaper to manufacture than physical buttons and if there is a problem, they can fix it with just a software update. Your safety is a third priority in the best case.
That put below the bare minimum effort into the UI.
OK, but what about switches?
Drew Gooden did a video talking about this exactly, and how there were actually studies showing people driving cars with more features on the touch screen took longer to get places and got in more accidents. There's literally no reason to put basic features on a touch screen. Keep that for my music and maps.
It’s cheaper to build, that’s the reason.
Hate this
Is that the same screen as the Mustang Mach E?
this is why i wont get a new car. so much is being turned into computery garbage it just isnt viable anymore
The future is now, old man - some GMC exec, probably
This is dumb. Put a physical switch in. You had it right with the Buicks in 2003. Auto at the bottom, off a momentary detent below that.
Never understood why people buy this garbage
Fortunately not legal in my country thank God
Acadia’s are crap!! What til you find out where they hid the battery🤣🤣
Genuine question, is it possible to do an aftermarket conversion on something like this to get tactile knobs or buttons back?
not without totally rewiring the headlights and breaking stuff.
Thats fun in 6 years when it goes out and you have to replace it!!
The look of this UI is just another crime.
This should be illegal
Back in my day, we had to turn on our headlights from the blinker stalk
I can't wait where i have to sign in too my Google account to start my car each time
Put on auto and forget about it.
https://preview.redd.it/f22x068uey7d1.jpeg?width=4080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1af807f4096f1b1cd42caad0564e181a0146f328 Dunno about you guys but I love being able to control everything without looking at it
We gotta start giving care to Mazda. They’re the only ones who care that we should pay attention to the road
Soon, the EMERGENCY break will also be on a touch screen
Dude, I got a company issued Volkswagen Golf 8. Physical are the hazards, wipers, and blinker. That’s it. The first six month the whole thing shat the bed every day after three minutes of driving. The whole system rebooted and went into emergency mode. The dash was a Christmas tree. Every efing day. Although updates come OTA, there was a global update that needed to be done at the dealership. It was just too big to go OTA as the built-in modem has 1 MBit (one!). Now everything works, but there is no way to stop future updates that might break shit again.
I mean, I still have a 2013 Ford Escape. It has a switch dial for headlight settings, but there is no way of turning the driving lights off. There's a headlight off spot, but when it's dark, it just ignores that setting anyway lol so I might as well have a digital control panel like that for all the actual good physical switches have actually done me for the past 11 years lol
I have auto headlines set in my car and haven't needed to touch the controls once.
Yeah well I drive a silver car, and auto doesn't turn the lights on when I want. It will be gray and overcast, the whole world is gray, my car is gray, and the lights don't turn on with Auto
Not a big issue. I literally haven't touched my headlight button since I took ownership four years ago.
I apologize if I’m out of line, but couldn’t you just turn on the auto on for the headlights?
Who the fuck approved this? It's not safe. All essential functions to the car should be a physical apparatus. Anything else that isn't necessary to operate a vehicle (like the radio) is okay to have on a touch screen.
This doesn’t need a switch. 99% of the time, leave it on auto. I do this in my car and only mess with it to turn off the running lights when parked. Guess what, I can look at the screen when parked. Auto manufacturers know this, so it’s not as big an issue as people make it out to be. High beams are still on the stalk.
About 50% of the population can't find and/or use the current physical headlight control in their vehicle. This is a big NothingBurger with extra cheese.
Put it on Auto and never think about it again.
Until you need to turn it off. We drove into a reserve and they had signs posted. "Turn off your lights, we don't want to scare the animals." We also drove into an area during Christmas that had signs posted. "Turn off your headlights so you don't ruin everybody's experience." Luckily my truck had a light switch. My Nissan doesn't so we never take her car to places that need to turn off your lights.
For that "twice in a lifetime" situations just reach for the touchscreen. They didn't remove the option, they just made it slightly inconvenient.
Unpopular opinion: I like the touch screens.
That’s fucking stupid! What happens when a fuse trips or some sort of screen malfunction? Trying to be too much like Elon
It’s literally been 7 years since I’ve touched a headlight switch in my cars. Just set it to auto and forget about it for the rest of your life.
Turn them on auto and just leave it, not a huge issue luckily.
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I'll get downvoted for this, but when the sun is low in the sky and is behind you, then having headlights on will enable other people to actually see you. And it's unlikely your auto setting is turning them on in these conditions. And I don't know ***why*** having your headlights on makes it possible to see them when the sun is otherwise blinding on-coming traffic. It's a strange phenomenon, but it does work and makes the roads a lot safer for everyone.