Quote:
Originally Posted by Finnster
I saw some of that call during lunch today. I liked the part where the guy called in saying his car wouldn't stop, and the dispatcher responded by asking what Toyota he drove. HA!!!!1
IDK about the rest. Could be the guy was freaking out and not thinking, or he may be the next balloon boy. Time will tell. What I don't like about all the drive by wire stuff is that you are not in control of the car anymore. You push the brake and hope that the computer decides to listen to you.
I also heard some advice from Toyota that to turn off the car (if its speeding out of control) is to hold down the "start button" for 3s, then the car will stop. Sounded like they are changing some of the programming, such as a brake signal will override a accel signal (brilliant!). What BS.
Thought I also heard that the car will lock out shifting to Neutral if you are driving, as Toyota assumes to are too fraking stupid to know how to drive, and you didn't really mean to do what you said and should be ignored. I thought this was the case in that runaway Lexus case. The driver (a cop even) had a rental Lexus, it took off on him, he calls 911 as he's going 100mph and already burned out his brakes from standing on them. If it won't shift to N, brakes don't work, and there is no key to turn off, WTF do you do? You are strapped to a 350hp 4000lb rocket and are just hoping for the best.
Personally, I like my manual and having control over my car. If I want to take it out of gear, I press in the clutch.
I did read also that alot of these car companies don't design their own parts anymore, and more function as integrators of 3rd party sourced parts. These parts may also be shared across many car co's if they use the same source company. GM may be using some of these pedals.
Edit: thought I did hear Mark Zandi quote $14T as the debt the other day. Ah, whats a few trillion between friends?
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Here's a good one. You don't hear this happening else where. That one lady host in CNBC went to Brasil and spoke with a couple of the auto industry's CEOs there and they were not going through the same thing US was going through. It seems like technology is getting to a point where the Wall-E movie will come true one day. People are putting their faith more and more on technology. Is Facebook worth $11 billion dollars? That tell it all
. Why all of a sudden people need to be on Facebook, Twitter and others alike. They even look at someone the wrong way if you're not in those places (Me
). Here's what I hear: You're not on Facebook or Twitter, what's wrong with you? I tell them I'm not stupid and it's much better to talk to your school friend face to face. Do you know someone that doesn't have a cell phone? I do, me
. I tell everyone that I don't buy a new car and I don't. I always put my car in neutral when I see a red light and not only that, my right hand is always on the gear shifter (Don't get any ideas Harold and James). I do miss my manual cars. I can't wait to start making my own car and hear all the crap like: No place to hook my Ipod, no mirror behind the visor and no TV. I will include a radio with a navigation system which might be useful.
Wow, that's a lot of typing
. Good thing I don't sell to the auto companies here in the US, they would probably find a way to set me up some how
.
I sure hope $14 or $15T+ is the only number showing
, but I hear that number is only getting bigger, much bigger.