# Physical buttons/knobs vs touch screens **URL:** \ **Category:** General Discussion\ **Created:** [May 9, 2025, 7:03pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/physical-buttons-knobs-vs-touch-screens/200197 "2025-05-09T19:03:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![VDCdriver](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/vdcdriver/32/48514_2.png) [@VDCdriver](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VDCdriver)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2025, 2:11pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/physical-buttons-knobs-vs-touch-screens/200197/41 "2025-05-11T14:11:46Z")
> [@Purebred](#): > > Worst idea of the time was putting the push buttons in the steering wheel on some 58 Edsel models. +1 The placement of those push buttons was very convenient, but they required electrical relays to transmit to the transmission, and Ford failed to properly shield those relays underneath the car. The result was a LOT of needed repairs. Ironically, this was only true with larger Edsel models which used the Mercury chassis, namely the Citation and the Corsair. The smaller models (Pacer and Ranger) used the same shift lever as the Ford sedans to which they were mechanically identical. The perception that the more expensive Edsel models needed “luxury” features, such as those push buttons, led to the problem. ---
**Author:** ![weekend-warrior](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/weekend-warrior/32/26122_2.png) [@weekend-warrior](https://community.cartalk.com/u/weekend-warrior)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2025, 6:38pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/physical-buttons-knobs-vs-touch-screens/200197/42 "2025-05-11T18:38:16Z")
On my car I have 4 ways to control the radio. I have the touch screen but also have knobs for the volume and tuning. I have switches behind the steering wheel to control the radio and also could use voice command. (which I have not tried yet) ---
**Author:** ![Clueless33](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dbc845/32.png) [@Clueless33](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Clueless33)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2025, 9:53pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/physical-buttons-knobs-vs-touch-screens/200197/43 "2025-05-11T21:53:55Z")
> [@VDCdriver](#): > > Are you _sure_ that your Lexus IS doesn’t respond to voice commands? > > All I have to do is to with my NX is to say “Hey Lexus… set temperature to 70 degrees”, or “Hey Lexus… increase/decrease fan speed”. In response, the synthesized voice responds by saying “setting temperature to 70 degrees”, or “setting fan speed to 4”. > > This is really convenient, and is far safer than taking one’s hand off of the wheel in order to manually adjust things via a physical button or a touch screen. I never knew my Lexus could do that. Or if it can. While I’m profoundly deaf, I can speak vocally, and very clear. I’ll look into this but if the system responds back to me with a voice command, I won’t be able to cooperate. ---
**Author:** ![VDCdriver](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/vdcdriver/32/48514_2.png) [@VDCdriver](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VDCdriver)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2025, 10:47pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/physical-buttons-knobs-vs-touch-screens/200197/44 "2025-05-11T22:47:23Z")
No, it doesn’t respond with commands. It essentially repeats what you want it to do, and then it carries out your request. ---
**Author:** ![Jerome-Silverman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/71e660/32.png) [@Jerome-Silverman](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Jerome-Silverman)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2025, 6:44pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/physical-buttons-knobs-vs-touch-screens/200197/45 "2025-05-15T18:44:31Z")
Knobs are good if you are familiar with the vehicle. If not, you still have to look for it. Maybe knobs for the frequent common things and a touch screen for the rest. ---
**Author:** ![Mustangman](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/mustangman/32/44130_2.png) [@Mustangman](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Mustangman)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2025, 7:49pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/physical-buttons-knobs-vs-touch-screens/200197/46 "2025-05-15T19:49:17Z")
> [@Jerome-Silverman](#): > > Knobs are good if you are familiar with the vehicle. If not, you still have to look for it. We are commenting about OUR cars, not rentals or borrowed cars unfamiliar to us. ---
**Author:** ![davesmopar](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/davesmopar/32/41750_2.png) [@davesmopar](https://community.cartalk.com/u/davesmopar)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2025, 9:43pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/physical-buttons-knobs-vs-touch-screens/200197/47 "2025-05-15T21:43:13Z")
> [@Jerome-Silverman](#): > > Knobs are good if you are familiar with the vehicle. If not, you still have to look for it. Even if I am in an unfamiliar vehicle, and I have been in thousands over the years, I can find the knob required to adjust the radio, or to adjust the temp/blower motor/mode door way easier than looking for a button or scrolling through a screen to find what I am looking for… > [@Jerome-Silverman](#): > > Maybe knobs for the frequent common things and a touch screen for the rest. Now that I 100% agree with… That is basically how my truck is set up… I understand the button layout on my 23 trucks steering wheel better than the 04 Infinity, I never did get used to it.. lol ---
**Author:** ![Old-Days-Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7feea3/32.png) [@Old-Days-Rick](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Old-Days-Rick)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2025, 1:21am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/physical-buttons-knobs-vs-touch-screens/200197/48 "2025-05-16T01:21:03Z")
> [@Jerome-Silverman](#): > > Knobs are good if you are familiar with the vehicle. If not, you still have to look for it. Maybe knobs for the frequent common things and a touch screen for the rest. If it was a Gm vehicle in the 70s and 80s they had the superior slide lever system that you could easily operate along all the lines of GM vehicles. ---
**Author:** ![db4690](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/db4690/32/2583_2.png) [@db4690](https://community.cartalk.com/u/db4690)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2025, 1:34am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/physical-buttons-knobs-vs-touch-screens/200197/49 "2025-05-16T01:34:45Z")
Sounds like you want a return to cables and vacuum, @Old-Days-Rick No thank you The good old days weren’t so good ---
**Author:** ![Old-Days-Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7feea3/32.png) [@Old-Days-Rick](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Old-Days-Rick)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2025, 3:27am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/physical-buttons-knobs-vs-touch-screens/200197/50 "2025-05-16T03:27:27Z")
> [@db4690](#): > > Sounds like you want a return to cables and vacuum, @Old-Days-Rick > > No thank you > > The good old days weren’t so good I like the old vacuum systems. They work perfectly and have amazing feel ---
**Author:** ![db4690](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/db4690/32/2583_2.png) [@db4690](https://community.cartalk.com/u/db4690)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2025, 4:12am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/physical-buttons-knobs-vs-touch-screens/200197/51 "2025-05-16T04:12:42Z")
Have you torn dashes apart in order to restore functionality? You constantly rail against anything even remotely modern ---
**Author:** ![TwinTurbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8baadc/32.png) [@TwinTurbo](https://community.cartalk.com/u/TwinTurbo)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2025, 11:04am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/physical-buttons-knobs-vs-touch-screens/200197/52 "2025-05-16T11:04:19Z")
It’s taken some getting used to…along with prodding from my tech saavy kid…but I have found voice command and response to be superior to physical controls in most cases. The system also speaks back to you if it needs clarification. For example- Call {wife}…cell phone or home phone?..cell phone…ring-a-ling-a-ling… ---
**Author:** ![davesmopar](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/davesmopar/32/41750_2.png) [@davesmopar](https://community.cartalk.com/u/davesmopar)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2025, 11:28am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/physical-buttons-knobs-vs-touch-screens/200197/53 "2025-05-16T11:28:20Z")
> [@Old-Days-Rick](#): > > I like the old vacuum systems. They work perfectly and have amazing feel The Hell they do!!!.!!!.!!!.!!! You obviously have not taken dashes apart looking for the stupid dry rotted and broken vacuum line, or have them break while doing some other work and now you have to find a problem that wasn’t there before you started working around the POS vacuum system… Good friend fighting one on his S10 right now… 🤦‍♂️ ---
**Author:** ![VDCdriver](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/vdcdriver/32/48514_2.png) [@VDCdriver](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VDCdriver)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2025, 11:59am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/physical-buttons-knobs-vs-touch-screens/200197/54 "2025-05-16T11:59:04Z")
> [@db4690](#): > > You constantly rail against anything even remotely modern But, his whale oil lamps throw enough light while he accesses the internet with his Smith-Corona manual typewriter. Why change? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![VOLVO-V70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/8e8cbc/32.png) [@VOLVO-V70](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VOLVO-V70)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2025, 12:29pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/physical-buttons-knobs-vs-touch-screens/200197/55 "2025-05-16T12:29:13Z")
> [@Old-Days-Rick](#): > > I like the old vacuum systems. They work perfectly and have amazing feel And you are wrong again. ---
**Author:** ![VDCdriver](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/vdcdriver/32/48514_2.png) [@VDCdriver](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VDCdriver)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2025, 12:30pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/physical-buttons-knobs-vs-touch-screens/200197/56 "2025-05-16T12:30:01Z")
> [@Old-Days-Rick](#): > > They work perfectly and have amazing feel … until they don’t… ---
**Author:** ![db4690](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/db4690/32/2583_2.png) [@db4690](https://community.cartalk.com/u/db4690)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2025, 12:32pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/physical-buttons-knobs-vs-touch-screens/200197/57 "2025-05-16T12:32:25Z")
I think one of the worst I’ve encountered so far are some of the Econoline vans . . . on those the vacuum reservoir is REALLY buried, meaning you have to remove part of the plenum in the engine bay, but also a bunch of stuff on the inside, just to get to it And the vacuum hose going to it WILL break after some years, and it’s going to break right at the reservoir, not somewhere easily accessible. And then you’ll be hating those hvac systems that use vacuum, @Old-Days-Rick ---
**Author:** ![Mustangman](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/mustangman/32/44130_2.png) [@Mustangman](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Mustangman)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2025, 3:32pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/physical-buttons-knobs-vs-touch-screens/200197/58 "2025-05-16T15:32:32Z")
While I won’t applaud the vacuum control junk, I will say if you drove a GM vehicle and rented a GM vehicle on a trip, the basic controls were pretty standard. When I worked for GM, I hopped into a lot of GM rentals in the dark. Key in the column, twist to start, left hand to the headlight knob, right hand to shift into drive and go. Competitive vehicle evaluations presented similar controls from Ford or Chrysler products. A little more differences in the imports but still pretty familiar. I let friend drive my Honda S2000 when I got it. It took her a while to find the left mounted Start button! ---
**Author:** ![VDCdriver](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/vdcdriver/32/48514_2.png) [@VDCdriver](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VDCdriver)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2025, 3:40pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/physical-buttons-knobs-vs-touch-screens/200197/59 "2025-05-16T15:40:16Z")
> [@Mustangman](#): > > It took her a while to find the left mounted Start button! If she had ever gotten used to driving a Ford/Mercury/Edsel/Lincoln manufactured during the period from the early '50s to the mid-'60s, she would have instinctively looked for an ignition switch on the left side of the steering wheel. ---
**Author:** ![Mustangman](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/mustangman/32/44130_2.png) [@Mustangman](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Mustangman)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2025, 4:08pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/physical-buttons-knobs-vs-touch-screens/200197/60 "2025-05-16T16:08:52Z")
The Honda had the ignition switch on the column in the normal spot, but the start button was on the left. She’s old enough to have driven an older car with the ignition on the left. My first car, a 1964 Pontiac, had a left hand dash mounted ignition switch. Back to controls… the high beams on my 1972 Datsun 510 was stalk mounted. I had a hard time finding that with no owners manual! Many cars still had the floor mounted high beam switch back then. [Previous page](https://community.cartalk.com/t/physical-buttons-knobs-vs-touch-screens/200197.md?page=2) [Next page](https://community.cartalk.com/t/physical-buttons-knobs-vs-touch-screens/200197.md?page=4)