OT: What else does my car know about me?

Along with anyone else...

"IoT -- the S stands for Security"

Thomas Prufer

Well, according to

It doesn't sound to me like some of these cars "will /slowly/ reduce power" (my emphasis).

And note

Sadly (?) they tend to drive past. There is one stop that may be within range.

However on the route there are a fe places where the bus pauses to either change drivers or stay within the timetable. You could get up to 10 minutes there depending on the time of day.

I rented a Ford that had that, and it was picking up the "5 mph" signs inside roadworks. Fortunately it could be disconnected from the limiter. (It also read other road signs, and would beep to say it had done so.)

Finally !!!!!

No one has ever been able to adequately explain to me the "logic" behind the system not leaving the speed limiter in the same state it was when the car was stopped.

I repeat the challenge. Remember you have to find a situation where you are driving at (for example) 30mph. You set the speed limiter and park up (say at your house).

Under what circumstances when you return to the car would the speed limit have changed such that having your car limited to 30 would be a problem ?

(You lose marks if you invent a scenario where your car is removed on a low loader to a 40mph limit where you start off and encounter problems because the limiter is still engaged).

That said, it was also a blessing when most manufacturers made the fog lights go off with the ignition and need to be re-engaged when you start the car

It's probably just poor programming. My 9-year old Jazz detects the speed signs well, and if I set the limiter keeps to those speeds. If, however, I stop the engine and restart it the limiter is always reset to off. And where are you most likely to need it operating and remembering its last setting? Well, in 30 mph limits of course where there are usually no speed limit signs! I am grateful to those who stick 30mph signs on the sides of their wheely bins as the detector picks those up.

Even more stupid is why the detector/limiter should be turned off and reset when the indicator stalk is used when turning left or right.

There is a road near here where there are 20mph stickers on the bins. The speed limit is 30mph. John

Well, you wouldn't want a 'blue screen of death' while belting along a motorway :-(

but, 20mph might be a more sensible speeed

The speed limiter in new cars is not some form of automated cruise control that you manually set. It is a reactive system that intervenes when it thinks you are speeding. Either because you are, or because it has for whatever reason got the speed limit wrong.

When the zombie apocalyps has resulted in the hoard chasing you, and you need to get up enough speed to escape one batch, and then successfully mow down the next!

My road has loads of bins with 30mpg stickers on them, and the road has one 30mph sign as well...

Needless to say these are wishful thinking signs rather than factual ones.

The speed limit on the road is the NSL. The road sign is one someone nailed (literally) to a telegraph pole (it is also the wrong size for a speed limit change). There is also only the one, showing in one direction, and there are no matching signs on the back of it to return to NSL. Which from an automated recognition point of view creates a section of road where you can do 30 in one direction but 60 in the other. It also means if you are driving a car with telematics (say linked to your insurer) you can get a penalty against your policy for doing 40 in a 60 zone because their system may now think the limit is 30.

There is no such thing as a sensible speed. It used to be that you were taught to drive to the conditions, not to some stupid totally arbitrary lowest common denominator speed limit. Today's drivers cannot drive without being told what to do every inch of the way

Can we assume that these are NOT 'green' bins then ? :-)

EuroNCAP says that for a full star rating safety measures must come on automatically when the car is started. In other words, you can disable them but you have to do it every time you start the car. Manufacturers don't want to lose stars so they go along with it. (The sign of a good manufacturer is they allow disabling easily, not behind 17 levels of touchscreen menu)

It may not remember the last speed limit it saw - it's possible the system is activated but that means it's watching the road and doesn't apply a limit until it sees the next sign.

One reason is roadworks - you live on a 60mph road and when you come home they're doing work on it so there's one way traffic and temporary 30 signs. When you leave the next morning the work has packed up and it's back to 60 again. You go to turn out of your drive to join the 60mph traffic and suddenly the car decides you can't go more than 30 - that could be dangerous.

Theo

I thought that was only a Windows problem

On that basis put a few 5mph stickers on the bins…

I have had Android Auto *and* Google maps go titsup on a journey. If you are on a motorway you can only hope you know the junction you needed to get off at.

(There's also a pure mechanical failure when the sucker thingy decides it's had enough and drops the phone onto your plums. But I can't blame Google for that).

All this smart bollocks is just about passable when it decides to work. But I really wouldn't *rely* on it.

I am specifically talking about the current non-smart flavours. Of which I have had 3 and they all work the same and are disengaged when the ignition is turned off.

TomTom Go has never failed except when the phone ran out of storage

I carry maps as well. and the app didnt stop working altogether. It just couldn't get GPS