This post is prompted by the one started by Jcloughie about selling his Volvo which then went on about Blind Spot Indicator systems.
More on more we see supposedly Driver Assistance Aids being added to cars and I can't help wondering if there is a positive benefit to some of these or is it a marketing gimic but more worryingly does it take away skills of the driver. Suddenly these aids stop working and people who have relied on them may make mistakes.
Not only that, these Aids are now being included in MOT checks, possibly because people are relying on them. I always thought that the MOT was a roadworthiness test - wheels wouldn't fall off; brakes stopped you; bits of the car didn't fall apart sort of thing. Now though if some of these driving aids don't work they can be a cause of MOT failure.
Last year my old car had an airbag warning light come on. Despite cars not having Airbags for many years this would have been an MOT failure.
Last week a friend bought a Volvo 60XC. Went to get it MOT'd but it failed because the wing mirror signal repeater lamp didn't work.
Just a couple of days ago I had a stone go through the tread of my tyre. Not only caused an air leak but some of it broke off inside and damaged the TPMS sensor. Being in desperate need to get it fixed I could only get a budget tyre and a normal valve fitted. So running with one TPMS sensor dead would be an MOT failure.
None of the above stopped the cars from being road worthy.
When I changed my car last year I tried as best I could to get one with a minimum number of 'must have features' that can go wrong and cost a fortune to get fixed. I want to be in control.
Don't get me started on cars with Autopilots and Autonomous Driver features.
More on more we see supposedly Driver Assistance Aids being added to cars and I can't help wondering if there is a positive benefit to some of these or is it a marketing gimic but more worryingly does it take away skills of the driver. Suddenly these aids stop working and people who have relied on them may make mistakes.
Not only that, these Aids are now being included in MOT checks, possibly because people are relying on them. I always thought that the MOT was a roadworthiness test - wheels wouldn't fall off; brakes stopped you; bits of the car didn't fall apart sort of thing. Now though if some of these driving aids don't work they can be a cause of MOT failure.
Last year my old car had an airbag warning light come on. Despite cars not having Airbags for many years this would have been an MOT failure.
Last week a friend bought a Volvo 60XC. Went to get it MOT'd but it failed because the wing mirror signal repeater lamp didn't work.
Just a couple of days ago I had a stone go through the tread of my tyre. Not only caused an air leak but some of it broke off inside and damaged the TPMS sensor. Being in desperate need to get it fixed I could only get a budget tyre and a normal valve fitted. So running with one TPMS sensor dead would be an MOT failure.
None of the above stopped the cars from being road worthy.
When I changed my car last year I tried as best I could to get one with a minimum number of 'must have features' that can go wrong and cost a fortune to get fixed. I want to be in control.
Don't get me started on cars with Autopilots and Autonomous Driver features.