Classic Alfa Forums

I can’t confirm the new(ish)Dacia Dusters have E-handbrakes but if they do it looks like The engineers have some “work to do” !!! Personally I hate E-Handbrakes. What was so hard about pulling a lever

I've never had E brakes.
But trying to do a 3 point turn in my mates car, which also had stop/start tech was a bit of a hassle!

But my wife would like E brakes. She couldn't release the handbrake, even with her sisters help, when I had applied it firmly on a steep hill.

Yes, basically a Renault and they do have the same level of stupidity in the electronic handbrake.
As has been said, what's been so taxing about pulling a lever up!

They are in a long list of stupid and "let's make the job worse/harder" jobs now.
So you have to plug a scanner in now to tell the car you want to change the pads, or it won't let you wind the caliper back...
Don't mention having a key that has nowhere to go, like having it inserted in the steering column which then releases the steering, that's always been a pain hasn't it. I know, let's make it so you don't have to do that.... So what do you do with the key I know, put it in the cup holder.... But what about when the car needs fixing and the steering needs turning.... Just turn the ignition on....

List of stuff cars don't need, or if you feel you can't drive a car without them then you shouldn't have a drivers licence..

Electric handbrake.
Keyless ignition.
Auto lights.
Auto Wipers.
To weigh 2 ton.
Have stupid sized huge tyres.
Have a computer glued to the dashboard.
Have less room than a car 20 years older, but occupy more road space.
Carry no spare wheel.


I could go on.
OK some things are car stupid rather than driver stupid, but it's the stupid people who buy them and say "ooh, that's a good idea" that mean car builders keep coming up with stupid ideas...

Like BMW designing an engine with an electric oil pump!
Yes, electrically powered oil pump.
Can you predict what might go wrong?
Talking to the local engine builder whose friend builder got caught by one...
Apparently they are ecu controlled so they can limit the pressure when it's not needed so much... Coasting etc.... Anyone raise their hand yet at what might go wrong?
As Paul the engine builder said, a steel ball on a spring has been pretty damn reliable for years, why introduce electric control which is just bound to be a disaster...

Top Rant Kev !!! I wholeheartedly agree and approve your message . Hadn’t heard about electric oil pumps !! I’m developing quite a list of “things to ask the dealer” when we go to buy a newer car if they answer “oh Yes” to anything we’ll walk out.

You left dipsticks and plastic sumps off that list Kev.

Sud 145 wrote: ↑Wed May 18, 2022 12:29 pm You left dipsticks and plastic sumps off that list Kev.

Yep, but other than that I fully agree with the list

Funny you should mention electronic dipsticks...
Had a customer come in with a Honda just at closing time, he wanted to buy some oil but wasn't sure if he needed any or not..
Said to him no problem, we'll check the level and top up accordingly for him.
He then went on to explain his dilemma.
The car had no dipstick, only a digital gauge accessed by the electronic menu on the dash.
Now the problem became clear.
His car never used any oil before, wasn't leaking any and was not smoking or running badly. Yet the dash electronic level check insisted it was low on oil...
On asking him when he last had an oil change it was the back end of last year. He checks it each month on the dash display, good lad. It had always told him all was well until now.
So the assumption being of a faulty level check...

He did the right thing and had already called the Honda dealer who rather unhelpfully had told him to just add some oil, half a litre was mentioned, and see if it changed the readout any. If not they could see him in a couple of weeks....

So what does he do?
To be honest I couldn't advise him of a good course of action. If the car is at the maximum level already then adding more, even just a litre more can do more harm than you might imagine as the crank thrashing round in the oil causes cavitation (bubbles) in the oil and if too high it can be drawn up into the breather system, none of those options are to be advised.

Yet if it is low then again driving it below minimum has its own disastrous outcomes..

The only thing we could offer was to drain the oil out completely and measure it back in, as once you commit to doing either of the above you land yourself liable for any outcome. Imagine if we put an extra litre in then he rings up saying the engine sucked up the excess oil and ran away with itself and blew itself to bits!

All this because a little steel rod (or plastic, as Peugeot in particular are keen on) could not be just left in place as a backup manual check.

Bloody modern cars. I hate them, say it every day.

I've said it before Kev, you are in the wrong job. But who am I to talk? Modern satellites, they are getting far too complicated and don't last half as long as their predecessors...

As we progress things just get worse, that's a fact.