ProMods Roadhouse (free topic)

[pauliaxz]

To explain what i mean here in Greece some people are choosing to start with 5th Gear!

Not that bad as driving while hand-brake is pulled...

[AndreasGRS3]

I 've got an other one even worse downhill with reverse the gas pedal flat out, while the car is moving forward Crazy things here i wonder if these people have a driving license or not! But we all know the answer!

[ScuL]

I drive a Renault and there are very few cars I've driven that come close to the comfort of it (and I've driven at least 30 different brands)

[La_FuAzz]

We've had a 2014 Renault Mégane RS Estate for a week and a 2011 Renault Laguna Estate for a day but I don't find them as comfortable as our 2006 Opel Vectra Station (note I was only a passenger, I don't know how they drive).. We've also driven a 2002 Peugeot 306 Estate which was dead around 2005.. Though I really like the design of some Renaults, no more French cars for me please. I prefer German or Korean (a 1997 Mitsubishi Carisma was in the family for years. My whole family had driven more than 300.000 kilometers with it but we sold it for €250 euros in 2013, there was still nothing wrong with it!). So many stories with that car..

[tkk7406]

We currently have a 2011 BMW X1 and so far there are no problems to report. Also, we have a 2003 Lada Niva which is at our holiday house (you do need such a car of some of our islands) and we've had minor issues, mostly to do with battery replacement (because for most of the year we don't really run it). In Australia we have a 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee which, as far as I know, is still working. And finally, we used to have a Toyota Land Cruiser from the 80s (can't remember exactly which year). That one was still working, even when we sold it (still can't really explain why we sold it though).

Toyotas back in the 80s and 90s were building cars that were extremely reliable. Sadly, I don't think I can say the same today. Where a car is built doesn't play a huge role in my opinion, because the manufacture is always looking over their shoulders to make sure the cars are built properly. But back then, cars were very simple to build. These days, almost every single panel and object in the car are electrically controlled, and the electrics in a car are one of the most common faults with cars.

That's why I don't really like some of the optional extras you can get these days:

- The electric boot release for example: What's the matter with pressing and lifting the back of the car instead of pressing a button or waving your foot at the bottom of the car? And if you're hands are full, why not leave what you're carrying down or temporarily in the car?
- Automatic wipers/lights: Again, not hard to flick a switch or turn a knob.
- Satellite navigation: This option, although it doesn't effect the average driving experience too much, it's ridiculous to have as an optional extra. A off-the-shelf one would be cheaper and indipendant from the car's electrics (although that might not be too useful).

But there is also the driver which is a critical factor that determines the condition and the {life} of the car! That's my opinion!

Certainly, if the driver couldn't care less about his/her car, then one day the car will do the same. That's one of the reasons why I like those Top Gear Cheap Car Challenges.

[plykkegaard]

The new Skoda Octavia is quite nice for a middle range car but of course nothing really can an Audi

[LA-MJ]

In general I prefer German/Japanese cars while French cars seem to be designed backwards.

Still here in Lithuania we have a saying that you can hear how Opels rust at night

[KubaJAM]

The new Skoda Octavia is quite nice for a middle range car but of course nothing really can an Audi

Really? I'd actually rather have a Skoda Octavia vRS than an Audi A4, I find them so boring.

- Automatic wipers/lights: Again, not hard to flick a switch or turn a knob..

I agree with this. But mostly because of the fact they could come on at a time you really think they shouldn't be on.

Also why do Daytime Running Lights (DRLs) always dim or go off completely when you use the indicator? If you pay that much money for a car you would expect a full set of lights.

[ZelvaCZ]

The new Škoda Octavia RS looks pretty cool, though I can't really say how it drives. But from the outside, it looks nice

[mbman212]

Well, they might have indicator and DRL built to same LED module.

Also, now days cars have LED headlights too, such as Mercedes Multibeam Lights. Why the heck make LED light (if one of lights/modules burns out), you may have to buy a new headlight which costs ridiculous amount of money? Not blaming M-B alone, BMW has made its own, so is Audi with its Matrix LED headlights.

You could get almost the same lighting effect with high quality Xenon HID (High Intensity Discharge) headlights. Not to mention good old H4 or H7+H1 bulb lights which cars still has if you want.

And, more and more electrical components are installed to cars. Back in 50's if you asked if someone wants rain sensor or ESP on its car, the only and proper answer would be "What the hell are those things?".

I've watched a episode of "Super Factories" where they built a Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG in the largest Mercedes factory in the world located in Sindelfingen, Germany. There the narrator told that more than a mile (1 609m) of wire is installed to control radio with a 1000 watt amplifier, speakers, electrically controlled gearbox located in same module as differential etc...

If anyone wants to know more, contact me