Lets talk the cost cutting measures in vehicles started years ago.

[dishdude]

Both my partners Nissan Kicks and my Chevy Bolt have manual rear view mirrors. While many of my older vehicles had auto-dimming. It’s a bummer as that’s a great feature.

Check eBay for the accessory kit
Or just any Gentex auto dimmer with a pigtail and the correct mount
It's a 2-4 wire install, every vehicle of mine now has one (even the '83)
I loathe the inferior image a manual dimming mirror gives

Neither of you young whippersnappers know what a manual mirror is. Back in my day a manual mirror was a tab connected by cables that you moved around to get the glass to move on the left and right mirrors. This was how life was in the late 1900's.

 

[michaelluscher]

cables that you moved around to get the glass to move on the left and right mirrors. This was how life was in the late 1900's.

Look at Mr.Rockefeller over here with a mirror on the right door (didn't used to be standard)
Next you'll be telling me you sprung for the optional cartridge oil filter
Nevermind interior remote control of said optional mirror (also optional at one point)

My dad told me he paid extra on his Grand Prix for the dash mounted joystick/cable remote control
...it sucks
It barely works, and it was just as useless from day one
I'm most grateful for the heated remote power mirror

I'll get off your lawn now

 

[dishdude]

Look at Mr.Rockefeller over here with a mirror on the right door (didn't used to be standard)

Crazy the stuff you remember from when you were a kid, my old man had an '86 Reliant without a passenger side mirror. He splurged on the '88 and I thought I was hot stuff having a mirror on my side not realizing it was for the driver.

 

[michaelluscher]

Crazy the stuff you remember from when you were a kid, my old man had an '86 Reliant without a passenger side mirror. He splurged on the '88 and I thought I was hot stuff having a mirror on my side not realizing it was for the driver.

It just looks so asymmetrical and stupid and cheap
Not like a Nissan Cube, that's asymmetrical for aesthetics sake
I know blind spots weren't so bad in the day, but I don't know how I could cope in city traffic without that right side view

Apparently the drivers side O/S mirror wasn't Federal law until 1975
Some state laws muddle things even further
I know NY has mandated a rear defrost since '74 ('86 for hatchbacks)
Maybe cars destined for us got more mirrors standard
Like the reversing light, and the rear shoulder belt, I can't think of driving without them as superior, no matter what the old guard thinks
NYS DMV Motor Vehicle Inspection Regulations (CR-78) CR-79.21.g
Inspect mirrors for proper location and mounting. Reject if:
1. (a) 1967 and older model not equipped with at least one mirror, either an interior or left outside mirror. (b) 1968 and newer model not equipped with a left outside mirror. (c) 1970 and newer model not equipped with an adjustable interior mirror in addition to the left outside mirror, unless the vehicle is equipped with dual outside mirrors.

 

[Aichiguy]

My 2017 Camry had headrests molded into the rear seats vs the traditional approach.

 

[dishdude]

It just looks so asymmetrical and stupid and cheap
Not like a Nissan Cube, that's asymmetrical for aesthetics sake
I know blind spots weren't so bad in the day, but I don't know how I could cope in city traffic without that right side view
View attachment 200519

My old man also had an '83 coupe that looked a lot like that. You could really option out American cars back then and it's crazy to think it was a base model but had a 1/4 landau top, FM, tilt, cruise but no rear defrost or right side mirror. I was really young but I remember it having the softest seat fabric and my dad commenting it looked like a lined sheet of paper because the design were lines going across the entire seat top to bottom.

 

[clinebarger]

Loss of fluid dipsticks on the engines and transmissions.

I can understand the delete of transmission dipsticks & fill tubes....99% of the time units are under or overfilled per service information.

 

[PontiacHO]

timing belts instead of chains

Yes but when timing chains were in use they were using nylon teeth on the cam sprocket. That rarely lasted 100k miles. Steel gears were noisy.

 

[Vitamin Yoda]

.99% of the time units are under or overfilled per service information

How is that?

I believe cost cutting was always part of car manufacturing, just like any other industry. Inefficient manufacturing is a money loser, so is bad manufacturing. Recalls and poor reliability will erode a car manufacturer's reputation.

 

[alarmguy]

Not too much bothers me as far as cost cutting on the new vehicles, as they look to reduce weight but one thing that I absolutely hate is the cheap thin layer of water color paint.

They know the majority doesnt keep cars nice for a long period of time, to me, the paint is to get it out of the showroom. Then from the first year on it starts to deteriorate. I hate that.

Some exceptions I know for fact are BMW. I guess other luxury brands like it are similar but I dont know. Im just one who loves an awesome durable finish on a vehicle and it's something I miss dearly. I dont own BMWs but my son has two, one is his and the other is his BMW employee car, he gets roughly two new of those a year to drive and their paint even to this day is just freaking awesome.

 

[CKN]

I can understand the delete of transmission dipsticks & fill tubes....99% of the time units are under or overfilled per service information.

These are sealed systems-unless they are leaking you shouldn't need to check them.

 

[silvius]

These are sealed systems-unless they are leaking you shouldn't need to check them.

And transmissions do finally seem to have a longer fluid life now.

 

[Vitamin Yoda]

These are sealed systems-unless they are leaking you shouldn't need to check them.

And transmissions do finally seem to have a longer fluid life now.

It depends on the transmission, transmission fluid used, use case, etc. The correct answer to the question: "Should I change my transmission fluid now, or run it longer?" is "It depends." However, there is no such thing as a "forever transmission fluid fill", as "Lifetime Fluid Fill" is already an ambiguous term loosely defined and used by car manufacturers.

 

[Randy_R]

GM sharing engines in the 70’s

 

[silvius]

View attachment 200564

It depends on the transmission, transmission fluid used, use case, etc. The correct answer to the question: "Should I change my transmission fluid now, or run it longer?" is "It depends." However, there is no such thing as a "forever transmission fluid fill", as "Lifetime Fluid Fill" is already an ambiguous term loosely defined and used by car manufacturers.

Of course. Lots of factors involved; that's a given. The point is that transmission fluid is much more robust than it used to be as far as longevity.

I did like that you posted a gif of you having some issues. Love the suit!

 

[Vitamin Yoda]

The point is that transmission fluid is much more robust than it used to be as far as longevity.

Not all of them. OEMs will not go out of their way to fill the transmission with the best fluid they can procure. There are outliners, like those using ZF transmissions. But even Lifeguard 8 pales in comparison to something like Valvoline Maxlife ATF. Just read some of @MolaKule's posts. Once you start towing or pushing a transmission, the boys are separated from the men pretty quickly. Meaning that it depends how well and long it will run on the fluid that you have in there.

 

[silvius]

Not all of them. OEMs will not go out of their way to fill the transmission with the best fluid they can procure. There are outliners, like those using ZF transmissions. But even Lifeguard 8 pales in comparison to something like Valvoline Maxlife ATF. Just read some of @MolaKule's posts. Once you start towing or pushing a transmission, the boys are separated from the men pretty quickly. Meaning that it depends how well and long it will run on the fluid that you have in there.

Yeah, I can imagine it varies. I'm talking about in general, of course.

 

[Vitamin Yoda]

Yeah, I can imagine it varies. I'm talking about in general, of course.

KIA/Hyundai/Chrysler (they buy some transmissions from Hyundai) SP4 & SP4M fluids don't do well with heavy use. In a transmission behind a V6 or Turbo Charged engine, these fluids oxidize pretty badly. But they do just fine if not too much is demanded of the transmission. That's why Hyundai came up with SP4-RR, for their Genesis brand. Oh, Hyundai transmissions are "sealed". Unless you have to change some solenoids that where never good to begin with, lol.

 

[silvius]

KIA/Hyundai/Chrysler (they buy some transmissions from Hyundai) SP4 & SP4M fluids don't do well with heavy use. In a transmission behind a V6 or Turbo Charged engine, these fluids oxidize pretty badly. But they do just fine if not too much is demanded of the transmission. That's why Hyundai came up with SP4-RR, for their Genesis brand. Oh, Hyundai transmissions are "sealed". Unless you have to change some solenoids that where never good to begin with, lol.

So the worst brands reliability wise tend to have lower quality fluids. Makes sense

 

[alcyon]

Bring back the temp gage please...