Nobody wants touch-screen glove box latches • Hacker News Board

Re: Nobody wants touch-screen glove box latches

#291

Post by neltnerb » Sun, Oct 30, 2022, 2:33 PM UTC

alias_neo wrote: post #220

spyke112 wrote: post #195

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Maybe they disable if an airbag is triggered? Could also be the child lock requires constant current, so that it’s off by default?

In my car they're mechanical, as I assume they still are in most modern, non-hyper-modern cars (like Teslas) so my curiosity was more of a "is there an exit strategy if the child locks are on and it's not possible to exit through the front doors"? There's no mechanical override inside the boot (trunk) that I'm aware of and the mechanical child locks also have no internal override (that I'm aware of). I guess in case…

My impression is that all cars are intended to have a safety unlock in the trunk. I assumed it was mostly in case someone gets stuck inside, but maybe it's to escape through back seats in an accident.

That sounds super hard to pull off though, especially if injured and with an adrenaline rush that might help you problem solve but if this stuff is never habitually used it seems like a challenge even with no stress or urgency.

It's an escape room unless you've read the manual closely and practiced...

Re: Nobody wants touch-screen glove box latches

#292

Post by jaclaz » Sun, Oct 30, 2022, 2:34 PM UTC

veidr wrote: post #272

rideontime wrote: post #262

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes.

I'm American, so — you know. It does make logical sense to do so, but I've never known anybody who keeps a safety vest in their vehicle. Is this something like the metric system?

It is required by Law, like the warning triangle, requirements are different in different countries, some mandate also a first-aid kit and/or a fire extinguisher:

https://trip.studentnews.eu/s/4086/77076-Safety-equipment-fo...

Lots of people keep the hi-vis vest together with the triangle/spare wheel, etc. in the trunk, but in theory these high-vis vest should be put on as soon as you get off the vehicle, so a better place is the glove box or (even better if available) the pockets on the rear of fronts seats.

Re: Nobody wants touch-screen glove box latches

#293

Post by williamcotton » Sun, Oct 30, 2022, 2:38 PM UTC

jimmyswimmy wrote: post #288

williamcotton wrote: post #278

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How is a manual glovebox latch more expensive than an electronic latch? I think there must be consumer demand for this feature. Oh how luxurious it must feel to never have to use a manual latch unlike the unwashed…

It's not. But at the margin it is. If you already have a touch screen display then adding a button costs next to nothing on a per car basis. And there are a ton of solenoids in cars so they can probably reuse one and save the cost of the manual latch. Not to mention the Apple-esque design ideals that eradicated headphone jacks. You now have a cleaner looking passenger side of the dashboard. None for me, thanks.

Auto-manufacturers are still buying manual latch mechanisms in bulk as well for their non-luxury cars.

A demand for Apple-esque design seems more plausible!

Re: Nobody wants touch-screen glove box latches

#294

Post by Bradlinc » Sun, Oct 30, 2022, 2:38 PM UTC

rco8786 wrote: post #212

I continue to be genuinely shocked that we don't treat touch screens in cars the same way we do as phones in cars (that is to say, it is literally illegal to use them while the vehicle is moving in most places because the distraction is such a danger). Moving away from tactile in-car controls has to be among the more boneheaded things we've allowed that industry to do.

I agree. Not only that, but I find the interface on my phone much better so sometimes I find myself holding my phone instead of using CarPlay...which I admit is even worse.

Re: Nobody wants touch-screen glove box latches

#295

Post by jrootabega » Sun, Oct 30, 2022, 2:40 PM UTC

gorgoiler wrote: post #127

Well how are you going to make Passenger Storage+ a $2.99 monthly subscription if the latch isn’t software controlled? Is a robolatch cheaper, compared to a manual latch? Is there a cost saving for the manufacturer?

Cheaper than a locking latch is the real comparison

Re: Nobody wants touch-screen glove box latches

#296

Post by jaclaz » Sun, Oct 30, 2022, 2:41 PM UTC

nikau wrote: post #215

But how am I going to keep my glovebox items safe while my car is earning passive income as a robotaxi?

That's an easy one, you add fingerprint recognition, of course.

Re: Nobody wants touch-screen glove box latches

#297

Post by dazc » Sun, Oct 30, 2022, 2:42 PM UTC

BizarreByte wrote: post #8

I don't want touch screens in cars period and I can't stand this trend of using them. I'm finally starting to understand the feelings my grandfather had for anything thing he considered superfluous or inconvenient in a car.

> 'I'm finally starting to understand the feelings my grandfather had for anything thing he considered superfluous or inconvenient in a car.'

I drive a 12 year old Focus that has just about the right amount of modern functions - such as aircon, bluetooth connection and rear parking sensors.

I guess the problem with cars nowadays is that there isn't much to differentiate between them so all these added features have become a bit of an arms race?

The irony, of course, is seeing all of these fancy Range Rovers and Mercs broken down at the side of the motorway waiting to be towed away because they have become so sophisticated to the point of not being able to fulfil their primary function of getting from point A to point B?

Re: Nobody wants touch-screen glove box latches

#298

Post by b112 » Sun, Oct 30, 2022, 2:43 PM UTC

defrost wrote: post #165

b112 wrote: post #132

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I gave my mom, something close to this: https://www.amazon.ca/Luxtude-Pack-Car-Safety-Hammer/dp/B087... There is no way a 90lb, octataraien, is going to rip a seatbelt loose if stuck, or smash her car window by hand, if the power is out, or if underwater. Yes she can reach the glovebox and get this tool, but not if the thing won't open!

Nice little tool. I'm in an Australian rural farming district and a neighbour of mine used something similar when his 4x4 landcruiser was T-boned into a dam back when he was 90 or so (he's pushing 97 ATM). If you or your mum haven't done this already .. get her a few old seat belts and passenger windows from a wreckers to practice on. The theory is good but nothing beats a bit of muscle memory practice.

Muscle memory is good, you made me think ; maybe this should be taught as part of driver's training courses?

Re: Nobody wants touch-screen glove box latches

#299

Post by [deleted] » Sun, Oct 30, 2022, 2:44 PM UTC

SQueeeeeL wrote: post #270

rco8786 wrote: post #212

I continue to be genuinely shocked that we don't treat touch screens in cars the same way we do as phones in cars (that is to say, it is literally illegal to use them while the vehicle is moving in most places because the distraction is such a danger). Moving away from tactile in-car controls has to be among the more boneheaded things we've allowed that industry to do.

It's a cost cutting move. One touch screen is cheaper than 30 individual buttons, and ultimately many people have died because of it. But I'm sure GM would never do anything sketchy or illegal to lower cost or increase revenue

[deleted]

Re: Nobody wants touch-screen glove box latches

#300

Post by dbttdft » Sun, Oct 30, 2022, 2:47 PM UTC

qull wrote: post #267

UweSchmidt wrote: post #223

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Worth noting that that round knob, where it exists, has lost a lot of functionality: 1. Setting volume to 0 will pause the recording, even though I sometimes want to silently forward through some unwanted parts (intros or ads in podcasts). 2. These knobs are also infinity knobs, I liked to have fixed start and end position with an indicator how loud it's going to be when I switch on. That last part has been taken ove…

Analog potentiometers is what we all want. The worst are the rotary encoders (infinity knobs) that glitch when you turn them fast, like trying to turn down the radio your kid left on full blast, only to have it do nothing or actually turn it up instead.

Yep. Everything turned to garbage when "it all went digital", in the early 2000s. Now every single electronic product from appliances to vehicles are completely broken. Even the average thermostat spazzes out. There's no standard for anything.