r/funny • u/PhoenixPhenomenonX • 14h ago

Where’s the PRNDL

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credits : cherubg1rl

29.1k Upvotes

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120

u/exophrine 14h ago

They did it to be proprietary and to force you to depend on them for making it work....oh, and doing that will cost you

47

u/MechanicalCheese 14h ago

So while this is definitely a focus of modern auto manufacturers, I think the primary driver in everything she referenced is cost.

A touchscreen interface with minimal manual controls is just cheaper. You needed the screen regardless, and not only do the manual controls cost money as parts, they also cost a lot to wire and install.

While cheaper to manufacturer, it's unfortunately more expensive to service.

50

u/quadbi 13h ago

It's also a terrible choice for controls in a vehicle. Anything that requires your focused sight away from the road shouldn't even be an option for the driver. All it takes is a bump, a missed screen tap, looking to see what they did on accident, and some things that shouldn't sound crunchy, sound crunchy.

But it's something that will have to change legally. You've got a point with the costs. I'll just keep holding out hope for right to repair, modularity in design (especially for accessories, think like USB-C standards), recyclability/reusability, and, I can't believe I have to actually say this, safety-first design practices. Not just the required ones either.

9

u/Iargueuntilyouquit 13h ago

No but...if they make cars less safe this way, then you'll wreck more often, and therefore will need a new car sooner.

1

u/quadbi 13h ago

I'll hop on the cynic train with you all day. I just keep trying to get off of it for a little while at a time to see if anybody else is dumb enough to try it with me. Otherwise, we toast

1

u/Iargueuntilyouquit 13h ago

It's bad man...I bought a 2015 Honda CRV and there is no volume knob...they brought it back in more recent years, but it's BY FAR the worst thing about this car. Even worse than the shitty AC compressor that failed and caused me to spend $3k to replace the whole system. I'd pay more than that to have a volume knob again.

1

u/nhilante 9h ago

Ah, but if you kill your customer...

3

u/guttanzer 12h ago

This.

I hear the style is supposed to mimic an aircraft cockpit, but neither the FAA nor the JAA would sign off on such an obscured and difficult to use design.

1

u/MechanicalCheese 13h ago

I completely agree with you.

0

u/Unfair_Potential_295 8h ago

You can use voice chat , don’t yall have smart homes ? I feel like I’m spamming because my wife drives a mini, you can adjust fans, temp, radio, google map, everything etc with your voice . You can also set different profiles to your phone so when I drive the car it knows it’s me and adjusts my seat , initial temp and fan settings etc. I don’t think she even uses the screen

3

u/I_W_M_Y 13h ago

You needed the screen regardless,

No you don't

7

u/MechanicalCheese 13h ago

Well, you need a color backup screen at a minimum in the US. And a clock is pretty standard. As is some variety of radio screen. So that's already 3 parts replaced by one.

Climate controls are a couple more. Then consider all the indicators on the dash that aren't required to be dedicated lights. Those can be replaced by on-screen indicators.

If it ended there, it would be nice. But then come all the physical controls.

1

u/Tumleren 11h ago

Do you need it? No. Do most customers expect some sort of screen? Yes