I would like to see a more complete standard for the OBD and ECM systems. DOT could define the physical connectors and signals for these thus creating a commodity market for engine control computers. Like PCs, this would mean interchangeability instead of proprietary computers. Competition would drive the cost of replacement parts down.
Standardizing some other things could even lead to a build-your-own industry where you could select a standard chassis, choose a body style you like, bolt in a motor and transmission of your choice, and plug in the electronics package you prefer.
OK, Iām dreaming, but they really could standardize the ECMs pretty easily at this point.
I do like the idea of a maintenance manual being standard with each car. Put it on a DVD and it could have a complete listing of every part with maintenance procedures completely described with pictures and probably engineering diagrams so you could fabricate your own parts in extreme situations. You know this stuff is already on DVDs, and cranking out copies of DVDs once theyāve been mastered is cheap (like less than $1 per copy) so this is something the car makers could easily do today.
Yes, the blue lights bug the heck out of me, as do overly high lights on SUVs and trucks. What Iād really love is an amendment to the FMVSS to allow European-regulation headlamps, and mandate Euro-code for the blue lights, as in the UK the blue lights didnāt bother me at all. The current standard for headlamps allows far too much glare, and doesnāt illuminate the road as well as the Euro-code.
Iām assuming this is something that is currently optional, rather than āfantasy technologyā. With that assumption, the two things Iād like to see become standard on all vehicles are daytime running lights (Iāve accepted the expense of just running my low-beams all the time) because they really, really do improve visibility for other drivers, and ABS (with all-round disc brakes), because it massively improves safety.
Moving into the realms of āIf I ruled the worldā, I would love to mandate glass headlamp optics so the things didnāt turn yellow in a handful of years, change the headlamp height regulations so my carās cabin didnāt get lit up by SUVs following me, mandate amber turn signals all round, enforce open standards for electronics to remove each manufacturerās monopoly on their electronics, and strongly encourage a slower product churn so customers could buy a new car with confidence that it would still be getting manufacturer support ten years down the line. Iād also like to mandate a minimum design lifespan for vehicles of ten years or moreā¦
Large FWD GM cars (Pontiac Bonneville and Buick LeSabre/Park Avenue) have the removable panel in the trunk. Many Japanese cars, especially Toyota and Mazda, have a removable panel underneath the back seat bottom to remove the sending unit. These cars usually take about 20 minutes to a half hour to change out the sending unit. Iāve done a LeSabre sending unit in 15 minutes before.
Iād like to see the lighting circuits connected directly to the ignition switch such that whenever the engine is in the āonā position all of the lights, headlights and parking lights, are on.
Iāve seen countless cars on the road at night with only the DRLs on, probably made unaware by the DRLs that the rest of their lights were not lit.
Yes having headlights activated with the wipers is an excellent idea. It has been the law in Pa since early 2008. Unfortunately Penndot did a lousy job (as usual)notifying the drivers. Only half the drivers will turn the headlights on.
If you do away with the air bags and replace them with a racing harness, you will need to add a helmet. The biggest benefit of air bags is they prevent head injuries.
My GM Car Is Smarter Than That. It Knows When To Run DRL Or Headlights, Without Fail. Itās Awesome. I Never Touch The Lights. You Can Tell Which Mode Youāre In By The Dash Lights.
CSA
Very good point! My dad bought the first new car he had owned after WW IIāa 1960 Rambler. He insisted that the dealer install seat belts as a condition of the sale. Three years later, when my mother and brother were coming to visit me in grad school, the car was rear ended by a semi. The car was buckled and the engine jammed into the radiator. They are probably alive today due to my dadās insistance on the seat belts. Iām not certain when seat belts became standard, but the Studebaker Lark my dad purchased in 1963 to replace the Rambler came equipped with seat belts in the front seat as standard equipment. My dad had the dealer install seat belts for the back seat in this car.
My car isnāt smart enough to know when to turn the lights on, but the driver is. I turn them on rain or shine, day or night. Iāll never know the accidents this practice may have prevented.