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wack61

wack61

I've got an itchy hatch
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A couple of weeks ago some numpty rammed me in the rear damaging my car.

They took it away to be fixed today so we had a complimentary hire car, I took my wife down to pick it up, 15 mins of paperwork before we saw the car, then we go outside and he leads us to a 59 plate Renault Scenic.

She turns her nose up straight away because it's huge, 2x the size of the focus

then she gets in so he can explain the controls

this is the key, he hands her a piece of plastic, she looks at him like he's an idiot

how is that the key

you put it near the car and press this button to start it

she looks confused, how do you stop it

you press the button

this is the handbrake

what's the handbrake, that button

yes that button

oh and don't leave the key in or it'll lock you out

RIGHT that's it find me something British :D

what:thinking:

Something British, you know with a key and a handbrake and won't lock me out, none of this French crap what the bloody hell is wrong with a key and a handbrake.

The 12 year old who was serving us just looked at her like she was mad as cheese

Now we've got a Vauxhall Astra:lol:
 
:lol:

:clap: :clap: :clap:


Only today, while giving a brief on ND and NDG to some friends, I went on to explain why I've moved from Cokin to HiTech!

Ironically, only after being in UK this last episode did I realise that Cokin was French with colour cast, HiTech and Lee :thumbs: ... what do you think I was recommending ;)
 
:lol: Class Darren. Some of the new cars have strange things on them that I can't get my head around. Probably a sign of age on my part.

Chris :)
 
I'm curious as to how leaving your key in will result in locking you out? As someone who had a scenic for the last 3 years, not heard of that one. :thinking:

Ironically I've just changed it for a focus, which has a "key" which has to be near and you press a button to start/stop the engine. :D

With you on the scenic handbrake though. :gag:
 
fabs said:
I'm curious as to how leaving your key in will result in locking you out? As someone who had a scenic for the last 3 years, not heard of that one. :thinking:

Ironically I've just changed it for a focus, which has a "key" which has to be near and you press a button to start the engine. :D

With you on the scenic handbrake though. :gag:
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Have had this on my Civic for 2 1/2 years now, I love it :thumbs:
 
fabs said:
I'm curious as to how leaving your key in will result in locking you out?
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Think its to stop you forgetting your key in the car and someone driving off with it.

Still I fail to see what was wrong with the plain old key design:lol:
 
fabs said:
I'm curious as to how leaving your key in will result in locking you out? As someone who had a scenic for the last 3 years, not heard of that one. :thinking:
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That's what he said, it locks itself if you leave it unattended so don't leave the key in it or you'll get locked out:shrug:

I didn't get to try it out because I got dragged back in the showroom by a premenstrual woman who was about to turn into an axe murderer if she didn't get a proper car
 
We hired an Espace with that daft handbrake, which disengages the throttle too, utter madness some of todays cars.

Matt
 
Just the French ones as far as I can see, it's like they have to design something new and fit it whether it's better or not.

the Handbrake works, a lever connected to the brakes, all that can go wrong is the cable snaps, I can see an electrically operated handbrake being a world of fun when the car is 8 years old and joe bloggs has it up on bricks servicing it
 
the worst thing about the card the renaults have is they break v easily and 180 to replace!
 
I had a scenic with a keycard and auto handbrake. It is great. You walk up to the car and it opens as you pull on the door handle, so you don't take the key out of you pocket/bag. Jump in, foot on brake, press start button. Put in first and drive off. Handbrake releases automatically. WHen parked, press stop button, handbrake engages automatically, out of car, walk away and it beeps to let me know it is locked. As far as I know, they do not lock themselves. I left my car in a public car park with the keys inside for 6 hours and it was still open when I came back.

Sounds like the guy at (enterprise?) hire car co didn;t have a clue.

The whole renault cardkey/auot handbrake is great when your used to it.
 
I love my front heated windscreen. No more credit card to scrape the ice off :clap: I still haven't worked out the trip computer and just ignore that (no i'm not reading the instructions) and the travel news jumping in every half hour is annoying too (no i'm not reading the instructions) Just have to live with it :shrug:
 
we have a Volkswagon passat with a handbrake button and a plastic key fob thing...it winds the electric windows down at will and locks the doors for no good reason, the boot pops open on its own and the dealer keeps resetting the software with a suit of software called vagcom and it works for a week then starts playing up again.......give me back my old vauxhall astra SRI.....british and fully functional.

I have now bought vag com myself and can reset the faults instead of taking it back to the dealer.
 
whats all this then? I normally need to wedge a screwdiver across to the starter terminals to start the car, and kick the house brick out from under the tyre to set off :thinking:
 
My boss has a Renault Megane with the key card. The car was parked on his driveway, locked. He went to the car and opened the door - the card was in his wifes handbag - inside the house. That put me off key cards. I ordered my new car with an old fashioned key.
 
It has nothing to do with it being a French car. They are all features of modern motor cars. Whereas the Astra is still stuck with the technology of the last millennium.

But I can offer you many other reasons not to use a French car. :D
 
Did anyone see the Top Gear episode where Jeremy C got in Hammonds car and drove it into the middle of the main road as his car thought that Hamster was in the car, it only works fairly close to the card holder but it's crazy this can happen!
 
2blue4u said:
But I can offer you many other reasons not to use a French car. :D
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Say anything you like about French cars, but leave the 205gti out of it. The permanent grin outwieghs any imperfections.

CGeezer said:
Did anyone see the Top Gear episode where Jeremy C got in Hammonds car and drove it into the middle of the main road as his car thought that Hamster was in the car, it only works fairly close to the card holder but it's crazy this can happen!
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doeszn't it work through mobile phones too?
 
I remember hireing a megan/scenic cannot remember which bit it was about 4 years ago and we parked it at the hotel and got out. I pressed the button to lock the doors and then walked around to check all doors as you do to find the drivers soor unlocked.
after faffing around for 5 mins trying to lock ALL the doors i got the manual out.

12 yes thats right 12 pages on how to lock the doors. all manner of combinations but still could not figure it out so went to bed with all the doors locked except the bot/tailgait locked.

Bloody cars

Rant over

spike
 
The renaults won't lock if the key is iside the car, and likewise you cant start the car if the key is outside the car.

Multiple sensors I think work out where the key is in comparison to the car.
 
wack61 said:
what the bloody hell is wrong with a key and a handbrake.

Now we've got a Vauxhall Astra:lol:
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and a casette player with no power steering and no abs brakes. Sounds like you needed a lada. Come on you gotta move with the times
 
CGeezer said:
Did anyone see the Top Gear episode where Jeremy C got in Hammonds car and drove it into the middle of the main road as his car thought that Hamster was in the car, it only works fairly close to the card holder but it's crazy this can happen!
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I've sat in a New Mondeo with the start button, the salesman had the key pad about 6ft away outside the car and the car refused to start, just gave the message "Key not present.":thumbs:
 
I quite like the way it works in my old BMW, you put the key in the door lock and turn it to lock or unlock it, and you put the same key in the ignition lock and turn it to start or stop the engine. It works very well !
 
wack61 said:
Just the French ones as far as I can see, it's like they have to design something new and fit it whether it's better or not.

the Handbrake works, a lever connected to the brakes, all that can go wrong is the cable snaps, I can see an electrically operated handbrake being a world of fun when the car is 8 years old and joe bloggs has it up on bricks servicing it
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You took the words right out of my mouth with that one. That's just it, manufacturers just love to cram as much fancy electronics and features into today's cars that it's going to cost us dear when all that technological goodness start to break down in, say, 10 year's time - if sooner.
Like for instance, the electric windows and air con on my Seat Ibiza now doesn't work and I've been told it will cost me £400 all together to correct it. Speaking as a farmer on low wages I've decided not to bother with that and just manually open the rear windows if I want cool air to get into the car. I'm dreading the summer, though - especially since I work in a tomato greenhouse!
The only fancy electronics I quite enjoy in today's car is the power steering (I had a Ford Serria with manual steering and I needed the strength of The Hulk when it came to parking the thing in a tight space) and a rev counter so that I could tell if the engine is still ticking over when I'm stationary (I have a severe hearing loss, you see).

Besides, the Toyota debacle now speaks for itself.
 
spcomp said:
Last time I had to have a hire car they tried to give me a Daewoo Matiz. I asked if I could have 2 one for each foot. Sure enough once they met me they changed it to an Astra :lol::lol::lol:
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I'd have paid money to see you in a Daewoo Matiz :D

archamedes said:
and a casette player with no power steering and no abs brakes. Sounds like you needed a lada. Come on you gotta move with the times
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It's a 09 plate Astra , they have moved with the times they just haven't fitted unnecessary additions to cause problems and stress middle aged women out.
 
I really miss my scenic, had one as a company car, did 130000 miles in it in 3.5 years, only had one issue with it which Renault sorted, the dash stopped working. The card key was great, although I only had the standard one which I had to pit in the slot on the dash. As for the handbrake I think all cars should have it, so simple to use.

I now have a Honda civic which in comparison to the scenic is a pile of poop. I have had far more issues with the civic in the 12 months I have had it, in the 33000 miles I have done I am one my second full set of brake discs, 3rd or 4th set of pads 3rd set of front tyres, alarm had a mind of it's own, key fob will not always unlock the doors and the worst thing of all is I get back ache everytime I drive it .
 
What happens if you burst a brake hose with an electric handbrake??? How are you supposed to do a controlled stop using a button?
 
For what it's worth, I can remember when Renault were the first manufactuer to mount stereo remote controls on the steering column, 25 years ago.

I don't hear anyone moaning about that these days!
 
Yves Geza said:
For what it's worth, I can remember when Renault were the first manufactuer to mount stereo remote controls on the steering column, 25 years ago.

I don't hear anyone moaning about that these days!
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Just you try stopping the car using the volume control button then :p
 
MatBin said:
We hired an Espace with that daft handbrake, which disengages the throttle too, utter madness some of todays cars.

Matt
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My boss got one where if you didn't engage the clutch at a stand, it would turn off. My mum has been driving smart cars now for almost a decade, and they have this stupid hybrid gear system where you just push the stick one way or another to change ( a bit like rally cars but three million times slower). I can't be doing with any of it, when I get a car I want one with a proper handbrake, a real gearstick and none of this fancy technological guff.
 
:lol: gotta love the myth merchants and hire company numpties that just don't have a clue. ;)

FWIW, it will NOT lock you out of the car... I could explain several reasons why this is the case, both with normal key card and the hands-free version, but really CBA, spend enough time explaining it to customers. :bonk:

I DO hate the handbrake too though!
 
I like some remote stuff, but tbh new cars are just starting to take it a bit far for my liking. Remote locking good, extra clever stuff on the keyfob for winding windows up, good.

Remote start, good if you can start the car without unlocking it. Otherwise bad and pointless. Button start also has cool factor.

Button handbrakes. Horrific invention
The work pool car tunrns the engine off when you take it out of gear. Great idea, only within 5000 miles the system went wrong and it will no longer start the engine when you press the clutch in.

The problem is all these extra gizmos are being fitted but lets face it they are always done on the cheap - so they simply will not last. I currently drive a 9 year old car - and I expect I will drive it for a number of years because it is well built. I really can't see new cars lasting so well.

seventythree said:
Say anything you like about French cars, but leave the 205gti out of it. The permanent grin outwieghs any imperfections.
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Speaking the truth. Nothing like a 1.9 go-kart.
That said the 205 was actually a very good car. They are still used a lot in the french countryside - and they still just keep going.
 
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seventythree said:
Say anything you like about French cars, but leave the 205gti out of it. The permanent grin outwieghs any imperfections.
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I have to agree there, I had a new 1.6 Gti in 1987 and loved every minute of it, made me drive like an absolute loon though:D
 
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