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New Cars Don't All Come With Dipsticks Anymore, Here's Why

I'm with you on this one. Even so, it's kind of rare for me to be checking the fluids. Maybe before a big trip just to be sure. It's really rare for me to check the tranny fluid level. I can't remember the last time I have needed to.

Bill
 
Dipstick aren't reliable. Mine reads all over the place. It reads empty even after I added several quarts.
 
LOL. Just another testament to how old we are getting! I bought a new BMW X3 recently and I’m still trying to figure out how everything works. I hit a button somehow the other day and the damn thing tried to take over the steering wheel while I was trying to park! Not sure all these new safety features are safe when put in the hands of an old geezer. More like baffling features instead of safety to me.
 
I bought a new pickup a couple months ago and am not even sure how to open the hood. I know I can't pour gas out of a can into it without spilling it down the side- heck, you can't even take the gas cap off. I had to open a YouTube tutorial while I went through it's menus. Then I still forget where to find various functions. Maybe I should conduct a dipstick search. Oddities. Like where to jumpstart it? There are two batteries (It's a hybrid) under the back seat. I think one of those has to be jumped, but can just imagine me out on a cold, dark winter night trying to read an owner's manual the size of a Manhattan phone book for answers.
 
Some of the comments are great around the electronic door locks. The amount of times that people get stuck trying to get in my cars because the driver door unlocks doesn't mean any other ones have unlocked... With the Subarus if people pulled the outside handle just as the locks were trying to unlock it would jam and I'd have to relock and unlock again. Now I had this issue with my family for I think 14 years and somehow they never learned. My Honda Pilot it just doesn't unlock or lock the doors they way anyone would expect or can explain. I have to get the fob 98% of the time and press the unlock button 2x. And if you don't open the door fast enough it relocks. My family still can't figure out that they can't be like "unlock your car" and wait 10 -15 minutes to try and open the doors. I think they re-lock after 2 minutes or so.

I don't know why it's not more programmable but we keep having to change how we do things with cars.

Dipstick wise, I never really got great readings anyways and it came up way more for me than you'd think it should because various Subarus would use oil and the computer would freak out at being .5qt low on a 7qt engine. I had to carry oil around with me. That said, I don't trust the sensors 100% - I like the extra options but I've had my Honda stop moving in a parking lot because some dogwood fuzz stuck to the bumper one time and because a leaf stuck to the huge Honda logo another. It'll freak out about being too close to something in front of me when I'm in REVERSE and backing out of a parking spot. I don't think they're all programmed smartly yet is what I'm saying. I still get annoyed by not having a temp gauge - what if I want to know if the heater is warmed up yet, or watch for it suddenly going up before it's in the red? Same with a dip stick, I might (as other commentators said) want to know if there's sufficient oil in a car that's been parked for a bit before running the engine for 5 minutes so the computer can give a reading. I might also want to check the oil or trans fluid consistency. I still remember my last Outback - the manual said to check the trans fluid at 30k miles, but no dipstick. I asked the dealer to check it and they wouldn't cause I wasn't having issues. New trans (on Subaru's dime) at 55k miles. Now IDK if the fluid was bad or not, or if checking at 30k would have found anything, or if changing it if it did find anything would have prevented the issue - but I do know there was some reason that was printed in the manual. Although TBH I'm still not sure if the dealer just wiffed on that diagnosis, cause the "slipping" got much worse after the replacement and further diag showed 3 coils? injectors? on the engine were bad.

What's my point in the rambling? IDK, I think making it hard for people who want to learn or care to understand fluid checks is a bad thing, and is convincing people to trade a few hundred every 15k-30k miles in fluid checks/changes for a destroyed car at 50k to 100k miles with "lifetime fluids". As they seal these things up more it's just planned obsolescence in fluid lifetimes rather than actually wearing out cars - you know, the 300k lifetime after successfully fighting rusting and older less well designed tech wearing out is too long, so have to just crap out the fluids so more new cars can be sold. Otherwise I don't see the legit reason for 12k-20k mile oil change increments or "lifetime" trans fluid.
 
Passepartout said:
I bought a new pickup a couple months ago and am not even sure how to open the hood. I know I can't pour gas out of a can into it without spilling it down the side- heck, you can't even take the gas cap off. I had to open a YouTube tutorial while I went through it's menus. Then I still forget where to find various functions. Maybe I should conduct a dipstick search. Oddities. Like where to jumpstart it? There are two batteries (It's a hybrid) under the back seat. I think one of those has to be jumped, but can just imagine me out on a cold, dark winter night trying to read an owner's manual the size of a Manhattan phone book for answers.
Click to expand...
Normally, they put the terminal to jump start the car under the hood even if the battery is somewhere else.
1748005775131.png
 
Mere owners don't need to check fluid levels.
 
jp10558 said:
What's my point in the rambling? IDK, I think making it hard for people who want to learn or care to understand fluid checks is a bad thing, and is convincing people to trade a few hundred every 15k-30k miles in fluid checks/changes for a destroyed car at 50k to 100k miles with "lifetime fluids".
Click to expand...

Some of our circle of friends and family trade their vehicles in before the warranty and free oil changes expire. One thing I'm always looking at is the 12v battery placement. Some vehicles are a real bummer job to replace the 12v battery.

Bill
 
easyrider said:
... One thing I'm always looking at is the 12v battery placement. Some vehicles are a real bummer job to replace the 12v battery.
Click to expand...
I found that out with a 90's era Pontiac Grand Prix. To replace the battery, you had to:
  1. Remove a support brace in the front corner of the engine compartment
  2. Remove the windshield washer reservoir
  3. Remove the battery tie down clamp (normal)
I bought the car used and the previous owner had stripped the side terminal positive cable connector which was made of lead. I didn't want to cut off the connector so I spent a couple of hours getting that stripped terminal off the cable end. It was a major PIA and I was cussing the design engineers and the previous owner all the time.

My Genesis has the battery in the trunk. It has jump start terminals in the engine compartment. RTFM
 
DrQ said:
I found that out with a 90's era Pontiac Grand Prix. To replace the battery, you had to:
  1. Remove a support brace in the front corner of the engine compartment
  2. Remove the windshield washer reservoir
  3. Remove the battery tie down clamp (normal)
I bought the car used and the previous owner had stripped the side terminal positive cable connector which was made of lead. I didn't want to cut off the connector so I spent a couple of hours getting that stripped terminal off the cable end. It was a major PIA and I was cussing the design engineers and the previous owner all the time.

My Genesis has the battery in the trunk. It has jump start terminals in the engine compartment. RTFM
Click to expand...

My son bought a Ford Edge Hybrid at an auction. It went for very little as it wouldn't start. It was a State vehicle with a service record and low miles. Anyways, it took him half a day to replace the 12v battery because it's somewhere under the car and has to come out through the bottom. I'm not buying any vehicle where I can't see the battery, lol.

Bill
 
I've had a few newer GM cars. Yes, there is an oil dipstick but for the transmission, there isn't. When it is serviced, the technician has to remove a plug under the car at the transmission and add fluid until it runs out of the orifice where the plug was. But you can't do it "cold". The car has to be up to operating temp to get the correct level. Kind of a PITA.
 
easyrider said:
Some of our circle of friends and family trade their vehicles in before the warranty and free oil changes expire. One thing I'm always looking at is the 12v battery placement. Some vehicles are a real bummer job to replace the 12v battery.

Bill
Click to expand...
Isn't that outrageously expensive? Are these people spending money like drunken sailors?
 
Fun reading these comments. One of many reasons I bought an EV. Volkswagen ID.4. Just passed 14K in 13 months. Cost of oil changes $0.
Cost of gas $0. Cost of charging-got 3 years of free charging, 30 minutes/session. Have to pay if it exceeds 30 minutes so I have probably spent $20. Just had it in for software update plus a couple of relatively minor service, cost $150. Savings in cost of gas vs electricity, estimate that previous car got 23-25mpg, so with gas over the past year $3.25-3.75, I figure I have saved $2100. I know that there are costs coming in tires, and other normal service for any car. We will have 220 outlet put in garage so we can charge at home, and of course that will cost but still less than the cost of gas. I know that EV's aren't for everyone, but as more myths are cleared up sales will continue to rise.
 
Rjbeach2003 said:
Fun reading these comments. One of many reasons I bought an EV. Volkswagen ID.4. Just passed 14K in 13 months. Cost of oil changes $0.
Cost of gas $0. Cost of charging-got 3 years of free charging, 30 minutes/session. Have to pay if it exceeds 30 minutes so I have probably spent $20. Just had it in for software update plus a couple of relatively minor service, cost $150. Savings in cost of gas vs electricity, estimate that previous car got 23-25mpg, so with gas over the past year $3.25-3.75, I figure I have saved $2100. I know that there are costs coming in tires, and other normal service for any car. We will have 220 outlet put in garage so we can charge at home, and of course that will cost but still less than the cost of gas. I know that EV's aren't for everyone, but as more myths are cleared up sales will continue to rise.
Click to expand...

Sounds good for a commuter car. How far can you go at highway speeds before re-charging? How long to re-charge?

Could you install a solar panel at home and cut electricity costs?
 
I am trying to keep this brief I feel like buying something from the 90s.
I rented a car for two weeks last Thanksgiving. Car one, an SUV. Took an hour to read the manual to figure out how the primary buttons worked. The day before the holiday the car makes bad vibrations and a warning light come on. I am told to return it to the airport. I tell them no one goes near an airport the day before Thanksgiving. I get a new car the Monday after Thanksgiving. Another hour reading the manual to operate the car. The next day a tire is low. Return that car. Finally get a Chevy nova or something like this that has no electronics.

So I decide in March to bring my own complicated new car up north to avoid the problems. One morning at 5 am I use the remote start, which I have never used in this car. The horn starts are wakes the senior community. My son the mechanic can’t make it work either.

I take it to the dealer as it’s under warranty. Get a loaner as part of the plan. They keep my car 2 1/2 weeks trying to fix it. I send them the tech instructions for fixing the problem which I found on line. They finally give up and put in all new components.

Give me back an old car.
 
Oh and speaking of oil change intervals. Like 12k or 18k ... Rubbish. As a DIY guy that does oil changes and gets my oil a la Costco (Kirkland) synthetic I am old school at 3K miles max. Yes that may be overkill and would say it's ok to go 5K. However I have a stockpile of 20 quarts in my garage. I get the oil when Costco has their special 2 pack of 5 gallons at about $30. Get the filters from the dealer.

Oil changes on Subaru's are so easy. No need to jack up the car, filter is easy to access from topside of the engine.
 
“Isn't that outrageously expensive? Are these people spending money like drunken sailors?‘

What difference does it make? What my friends do with his/hers hard earned money has absolutely nothing to do with me! Personally I want one of the vanity tags that says I’m spending my child’s inheritance. Contrary to some beliefs, one cannot take it with them when they bite the dust. Why not enjoy every penny of it while still here?
 
easyrider said:
Some of our circle of friends and family trade their vehicles in before the warranty and free oil changes expire.
Click to expand...

TolmiePeak said:
Isn't that outrageously expensive? Are these people spending money like drunken sailors?
Click to expand...
I think that may be leasing. If I wanted to drive a car like a Mercedes or BMW, I would only lease it while it was under warranty.
 
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