Dear DodgeCares: Ongoing Radio issue that makes car unsafe and unusable.

[Jimmy N.]

No need to be critical? With all those gremlins going on, I would also be worried that the car would leave me sit or act up while driving it.

If going by those uber safe standards, I shouldn't even be driving mine. At least not the way I drive, and where.

Usually I don't bring a spare (or a jack and such), so even a flat tire could leave me stranded for many hours, and that's without cell service for the most part.
If I ended up driving off the road it could be weeks before someone spotted the wreckage, hundreds of feet down some slope.

But I'm not worried about that. If anything, I'm worried about the other people on the road, few as they may be.
Oh, and (depending on season) deer, elk, and cows. But except for the deer, they are usually more logical than people when it gets close.

 

[Stormtrooper1320]

That's about the only legit excuse you have, Mr. 1320, because I know your not completely inept.

Although, I must admit that there was one time I wished I had one. Was trying to back the first trailer up to a con gear at about 4 AM.
Yes, I was quite tired by then, and yes it was dark, so I couldn't see it in the mirrors. Couldn't be even an inch off side to side at the back of the trailer, so it was a fair amount of running back and forth to check.

Backing a small vehicle up, with backup lights and without a trailer, with several inches of leeway, is something you should be able to do in your sleep.

Oh wait, you old guys don't sleep much, do you?

No...we don't sleep much...
I never have....that's why I have to ambien myself to sleep at least 2 nights per week just to try and catch up.

Any hoo......I'm not saying that doing those things is impossible....but I am saying that technology has given me something to make my life easier....and I like it.

Now....if I were still backing semi trailers into a dock....I wouldn't care if I bump guessed at when I got to the right point. But my personal vehicles.....I care about quite a bit more......and I just like that back up camera. I can live without it, and I did for a long time. Given the option, I prefer having it. I wouldn't consider the vehicle unsafe without it, it would just be an annoyance to me. I'd just have to go back to the old school way.

Now my pickup....I can't see anything out the back of that. The guy that had it before me tinted the cap windows with the darkest tint they make. I'm guessing he did that to keep people from seeing what he had back there. I can't even see headlights behind me at night through the back glass. The camera really comes in handy on the truck.

Now...as the old guys love to say.....get off my lawn

 

[Jimmy N.]

I think I may have thought of a reasonable facsimile.
I'll tape a photo of the innards of my garage to the dash, then look at it instead of in the mirrors.

 

[Stormtrooper1320]

I think I may have thought of a reasonable facsimile.
I'll tape a photo of the innards of my garage to the dash, then look at it instead of in the mirrors.

Just remember....at some point.....the objects will really BE closer than they appear. Just make sure to stop before it sounds too expensive

 

[Slowpoke387]

No need to be critical? With all those gremlins going on, I would also be worried that the car would leave me sit or act up while driving it.

That is certainly not being critical. It’s stating the obvious. No
blind spot indicators, backup cam or line lock will not render the vehicle useless or make it unsafe to drive. Dead battery is certainly an issue but the rest are technological extras that are not exactly crucial for safe driving and should not be depended upon for your overall safety. At some point drivers need to take responsibility for their own safety. The dead battery would upset me more than the extra features that are not needed anyway. I do understand your frustration, you paid for certain options and I agree they should work. But turning that into “I dont feel safe driving without those” just seems a little excessive imo. Just my opinion and only worth anything to me lol. Didnt mean to sound critical.

 

[Jimmy N.]

Dead battery is certainly an issue but the rest are technological extras that are not exactly crucial for safe driving and should not be depended upon for your overall safety. At some point drivers need to take responsibility for their own safety. The dead battery would upset me more than the extra features that are not needed anyway.

Thank you.

 

[Jimmy N.]

Hey, @Stormtrooper1320, I just had an idea.

I"ll add one more item to your curb feeler Christmas gift package; a backup alarm.
Yeah, the kind that they have on dump trucks and other machinery.

By having one of those beeping at 110 dB as soon as you put your car in Reverse, you'll be much safer.
Now it's not up to you to look at what the backup camera sees, taking attention away from everything else around you, but it allows others to get the hell out of the way.

Okay, so it won't really help when it comes to stationary things like dumpsters, light posts, or whatever else you normally back into, but at least you'll have the only Challenger on your block so equipped.

 

[Magnified]

curb feelers .... LOL reminds me of the low riders when I was growing up

 

[Stormtrooper1320]

Hey, @Stormtrooper1320, I just had an idea.

I"ll add one more item to your curb feeler Christmas gift package; a backup alarm.
Yeah, the kind that they have on dump trucks and other machinery.

By having one of those beeping at 110 dB as soon as you put your car in Reverse, you'll be much safer.
Now it's not up to you to look at what the backup camera sees, taking attention away from everything else around you, but it allows others to get the hell out of the way.

Okay, so it won't really help when it comes to stationary things like dumpsters, light posts, or whatever else you normally back into, but at least you'll have the only Challenger on your block so equipped.

......others to get the hell out of the way.......I'm not worried about hitting some walking meat bag......I treat that like the kids game.....I'm gonna walk this way kicking my feet, and if you get hit, it's not my fault......



Now......on the other hand.....hitting one of those nice steel poles in front of the local convenience store.....yeah....I don't want to back into one of those......that gets expensive real fast.

 

[Jack_Toepfer]

You guys pull the fuse for your radio and see how far you get.
Everything is controlled by that damned thing. Seat coolers? Tunes? Most of your features are tied to the radio in some way shape or form. Give it a try; you’ll be miserable. The dead battery is icing on the cake - this situation blows.

 

[Hickster]

Kinda skiped thru this thread since never had a problem till today. Got the car back from the dealer yesterday. And lower and be holder the radio, all speakers, turned into a very loud buzz noise. So loud you could not hear the radio. I hit every button, popped hood and figged with the trunk woofer speakers. Turned the car on and off,, still noise. Waited 2 hours later and went away. Drove it for 2 hours and never came back. Have to take the car to the dealership on Monday for a bad tire, 10,000 miles, just weird this happened after the dealership visit.

 

[Jimmy N.]

You guys pull the fuse for your radio and see how far you get.
Everything is controlled by that damned thing. Seat coolers? Tunes? Most of your features are tied to the radio in some way shape or form. Give it a try; you’ll be miserable. The dead battery is icing on the cake - this situation blows.

Yeah, the discharge situation sucks. But as mentioned, if I could just have an oil temp gauge, the rest of the touch screen could go in the dumpster.

Funny that you mention the seat coolers, though. I got stopped by road work two years ago, so there I sat, able to play with the touch screen for a change. Turned on the seat coolers just for kicks, and they worked.
Haven't been stopped long enough to try any other functions since.

To me, the car is so enjoyable to drive that I don't need or want any of all that other stuff. Even if I somehow could operate it safely at the speeds I drive.

 

[Plasticman]

......others to get the hell out of the way.......I'm not worried about hitting some walking meat bag......I treat that like the kids game.....I'm gonna walk this way kicking my feet, and if you get hit, it's not my fault......

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Now......on the other hand.....hitting one of those nice steel poles in front of the local convenience store.....yeah....I don't want to back into one of those......that gets expensive real fast.

I backed into one of those poles once with my Suburban. It shook the hell out of the truck during the abrupt stop. Only put a very, very small dent in my rear bumper. Holy cow that thing was a tank.

Rob

 

[Stormtrooper1320]

I backed into one of those poles once with my Suburban. It shook the hell out of the truck during the abrupt stop. Only put a very, very small dent in my rear bumper. Holy cow that thing was a tank.

Rob

Oh sure.....and years ago we all leaned against the qtr panels and sat on the fenders of our cars. I doubt any of us would attempt that now, hell it would probably cause $3k worth of damage. I can't imagine what it would do the qtr panel or the rear light panel if we backed into one of those now. I'd have no problem believing that one of the rear light assemblies would cost $1k or more, let alone the paint and body repair.