{"id":84767,"date":"2021-05-26T11:58:33","date_gmt":"2021-05-26T15:58:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/?p=84767"},"modified":"2021-05-26T11:58:33","modified_gmt":"2021-05-26T15:58:33","slug":"his-car-hates-the-old-coot","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2021\/05\/26\/his-car-hates-the-old-coot\/","title":{"rendered":"His car hates the Old Coot"},"content":{"rendered":"

I rant about today\u2019s cars as often as I do about the weather zealots on TV. This is my eighth car rant in the last five years. Meteorologists make us afraid of the weather; automakers make us afraid of our cars. They give us stuff we didn\u2019t ask for and don\u2019t want – like keys that cost hundreds of dollars to replace – annoying tire pressure alarms – unnecessary \u201ccheck engine\u201d alerts.  <\/span><\/p>\n

I ignore those annoying icons by covering them with black electrical tape. I\u2019m also irked because they took away things I loved – chrome plated steel bumpers, hood ornaments that looked cool and made it easier to keep a car in the lane, and tailgate windows that opened. You could slide a kayak or pile of 2 X 4\u2019s in the car and let them stick out the back window. Today\u2019s tailgate windows don\u2019t let you do that; you have to leave the hatch open, flapping in the breeze.   <\/p>\n

I\u2019m through complaining about those issues; my complaint today is about the smart screen that\u2019s replaced the knobs and levers you could operate without taking your eyes off the road. If I want to change the station on the radio, I can\u2019t reach over and feel for a knob to do it; I have to look at a smart screen, find the up or down arrow, and tap. The same thing is true with the heater controls. <\/p>\n

The operation of smart screens is complicated. You can\u2019t jump into a strange car and drive away. You need a prep course. I\u2019ve leafed through my manual so often it\u2019s falling apart. And, I\u2019m more of a distracted driver than I ever was. Even the headlight switch, which I could operate blindfolded, now forces me to look at it since it has three or four options, indicated by icons I don\u2019t quite understand. <\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019m icon challenged. Back in the days of automobile sanity, I reached to my left, pulled the knob halfway out for parking lights and all the way out for headlights. I also could dim the lights by stepping on a button with my left foot. Nice and simple! <\/p>\n

The smart screen has taken over. The days when you could control things without taking your eyes off the road are gone. Operating a cell phone while driving is illegal, yet the car\u2019s smart screen, which is more distracting, isn\u2019t. <\/span><\/p>\n

It really gets me when I\u2019m driving along, munching on a Big Mac, holding a milkshake between my knees, working on a crossword puzzle and need to adjust the heater. I have to focus my attention on the smart screen and usually tip over my milk shake. If I get into an accident and get ticketed for distracted driving, I\u2019ll plead, \u201cNot guilty; the car made me do it!\u201d<\/p>\n

Comments? \u2013 Complaints? Send to mlessler7@gmail.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I rant about today\u2019s cars as often as I do about the weather zealots on TV. 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