...of dynamos that generated less power than a solar panel, of ignition systems that produced less of a spark than a flint, of carbs that made the vaguest of guesses at the correct mixture, of juggling with a manual choke on a freezing morning whilst trying to peer through a screen that wouldn't clear, in a car that did 80mph max, and needed servicing every 3,000 miles. No thanks!
Chris
You should read the procedures for some of these cars with automatic clutches, they make raising the dead look easy.
On an ancient Nissan? Dreadful design. Even my Porsche doesn't get worried by the battery being disconnected.
Any maker who doesn't have it revert to a base mode deserves failing. And that base mode would allow normal driving.
Or more like a good reason to stay well away from Ford.
When they were new I changed the battery on an XR2i, it lost its idle and I had to find out and carry out the relearn procedure to make it idle again, what a bloody pain, since then I always try to keep any car on life support when the battery has to be disconnected.
It does revert to 'base mode'. Part of that will leave the idle higher than it might normally be as a safer default than having no idle. Most drivers would cope or not even notice; my point was that it might catch out an elderly driver.
Chris
Almost all cars with an ECU have settings which are a safe default, but require learned calibration for optimum performance. I only quoted the Ford technique because I am so familiar with it.
(I said 'almost', because some early attempts at closed loop control had no means of storing base settings. Their memory was completely volatile. Disconnecting the battery, or allowing it to become fully discharged, meant a tow to the dealers for a data upload before it would even start. And no, the ones I had in mind were not Fords...)
Chris
Sounds like my MM Van but that was the last vehicle I've owned it does sound like. ;-)
The thing is ... you (the driver / owner) were probably more part of the whole experience, versus the remote 'appliance' most cars are to most people these days.
I was talking to an AA guy the other day and he rarely had to attend to people driving say kitcars or cars they maintained themselves because *they* generally knew how to look after them and certainly wouldn't call the AA out just to change the spare wheel!
Stepdaughter is currently evaluating that Seat Ibiza and I asked her today if she's washed and hoovered it yet. She said no and that she was thinking of taking it down the hand carwash. I suggested she did it herself as that is just one small way we get to know our vehicles, how the seats move and where all the loose change goes. ;-)
Check the fluids, clean the windows inside and out, remove any unwanted stickers (or the remains of stickers) and generally make it as tidy as you can. Then, I think you are more likely to look after it and possibly even drive it better?
To be fair she has had a look in the Owners Handbook for the error light and to find out if there was a reason the radio seemed to come back on even after we turned it off?
Cheers, T i m
MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.