4 ms·

Why is a failure of the cluster readout display, during driving, a big deal? If it fails, it would be fixed soon. The driver still has the window. I'm struggli

Why is a failure of the cluster readout display, during driving, a big deal? If it fails, it would be fixed soon. The driver still has the window. I'm struggling to see how an immediate failure of speed readout etc would immediately endanger the car? Assuming it performs no control function.

throwawayjava 9y ago
> Why is a failure of the cluster readout display, during driving, a big deal? It's true that you probably won't die immediately. But for most people, driving a long distance without a cluster display would be extremely dangerous. Especially at night on an empty road. For me, I start relying on the readouts for speed and rpm around the four hour mark. Tired brains don't work well. Which means you probably have to get it fixed ASAP. If that happened more than a couple of times with a car, I'd sell the car / not buy it in the fist place.
- lsc 9y ago
  You aren't wrong, but if you really are concerned about those sorts of things, you should probably drive a late-model Toyota, not a Delorian. They stopped making this car in 1983; it is far beyond it's design lifetime already, and was never a particularly reliable car to begin with, from my understanding. Like most classic cars, you probably shouldn't drive it unless you enjoy maintaining it, and are okay with (and carry substantial liability insurance for) a car that is dramatically less reliable and less safe than a modern car. Like most classic cars, you probably shouldn't drive it places where you are likely to die or otherwise suffer dramatically bad consequences if it breaks down. This isn't a criticism of the Delorian specifically as much as it is a truth about early '80s automotive engineering and running vehicles beyond their service life. Of course, as a society, we've decided that this (tradeof off cool car vs danger) is a reasonable choice to make; we don't force people to buy newer cars because they are safer. Within this context, the addition of a special instrument panel seems to me like it's not adding substantial additional danger to the system.
  - nrdvana 9y ago
    The DeLorean is actually more reliable now than it was back then because we have 37 years of test data available on what goes bad and how to prevent it. There's also a number of improved components available made from newer materials. Also it did really well in the crash tests of the 80's and current owners baby them, so the insurance is pretty cheap.
- laythea 9y ago
  "For me, I start relying on the readouts for speed and rpm around the four hour mark. Tired brains don't work well." Wow. I never rely on readouts. Always use the window :)
sedachv 9y ago
If you lose the odometer and the gasoline tank level meter you no longer have a way to plan refueling on longer trips. Run out of gas in a bad place and you can end up freezing to death (happens every year to people during blizzards) or dying from heat stroke (happens every year to people around Death Valley/Mojave, usually from getting their vehicle stuck). "Door is open" warning indicator is also part of the dash. Driving with a door that flies open unexpectedly could easily lead to a crash. Seatbelt warning lights not operating is a safety issue. Losing the battery warning indicator can leave you stranded, losing the ABS warning indicator can lead to a crash, losing the engine warning indicator can lead to very expensive repairs.
- netsharc 9y ago
  In response to your first sentence, if it were me, surely I would not plan a big trip if I just lost my instrument console. If it were my car and I was in the middle of the big trip, I would hopefully have packed my laptop so I can try to fix the problem. Door ajar? Seatbelt loose? Now we're just getting into paranoia scenarios. What if a nuclear bomb landed and there won't be enough gas to drive me away from the blast zone!
  - sedachv 9y ago
    Do you do a lot of road trips? The only scenario from the above list I have not personally been involved in, as a driver or passenger, is ABS problems leading to an unexpected change in handling, mostly because I have older vehicles. Yes, I have been in a car where a door opened while underway. The one vehicle I have right now with ABS has intermittent ABS issues but a soft failure mode. Newer cars rely a lot more on ABS (especially in off-road modes), same goes double for motorcycles. Losing ABS/TC on a motorcycle drastically changes the envelope of safe brake application. If your muscle memory for safe brake application is (mis)trained to rely on ABS/TC at the limits of available traction, losing ABS/TC will very easily lead to a front wheel lockup or unexpectedly losing the front/rear in a lean.
nrdvana 9y ago
For the DeLorean, there's pretty much just 4 that matter: oil pressure, voltage, temperature, and brake fluid light. I wouldn't drive any long distance without being able to see these.

throwawayjava 9y ago

> Why is a failure of the cluster readout display, during driving, a big deal? It's true that you probably won't die immediately. But for most people, driving a long distance without a cluster display would be extremely dangerous. Especially at night on an empty road. For me, I start relying on the readouts for speed and rpm around the four hour mark. Tired brains don't work well. Which means you probably have to get it fixed ASAP. If that happened more than a couple of times with a car, I'd sell the car / not buy it in the fist place.

lsc 9y ago
You aren't wrong, but if you really are concerned about those sorts of things, you should probably drive a late-model Toyota, not a Delorian. They stopped making this car in 1983; it is far beyond it's design lifetime already, and was never a particularly reliable car to begin with, from my understanding. Like most classic cars, you probably shouldn't drive it unless you enjoy maintaining it, and are okay with (and carry substantial liability insurance for) a car that is dramatically less reliable and less safe than a modern car. Like most classic cars, you probably shouldn't drive it places where you are likely to die or otherwise suffer dramatically bad consequences if it breaks down. This isn't a criticism of the Delorian specifically as much as it is a truth about early '80s automotive engineering and running vehicles beyond their service life. Of course, as a society, we've decided that this (tradeof off cool car vs danger) is a reasonable choice to make; we don't force people to buy newer cars because they are safer. Within this context, the addition of a special instrument panel seems to me like it's not adding substantial additional danger to the system.
- nrdvana 9y ago
  The DeLorean is actually more reliable now than it was back then because we have 37 years of test data available on what goes bad and how to prevent it. There's also a number of improved components available made from newer materials. Also it did really well in the crash tests of the 80's and current owners baby them, so the insurance is pretty cheap.
laythea 9y ago
"For me, I start relying on the readouts for speed and rpm around the four hour mark. Tired brains don't work well." Wow. I never rely on readouts. Always use the window :)

sedachv 9y ago

If you lose the odometer and the gasoline tank level meter you no longer have a way to plan refueling on longer trips. Run out of gas in a bad place and you can end up freezing to death (happens every year to people during blizzards) or dying from heat stroke (happens every year to people around Death Valley/Mojave, usually from getting their vehicle stuck). "Door is open" warning indicator is also part of the dash. Driving with a door that flies open unexpectedly could easily lead to a crash. Seatbelt warning lights not operating is a safety issue. Losing the battery warning indicator can leave you stranded, losing the ABS warning indicator can lead to a crash, losing the engine warning indicator can lead to very expensive repairs.

netsharc 9y ago
In response to your first sentence, if it were me, surely I would not plan a big trip if I just lost my instrument console. If it were my car and I was in the middle of the big trip, I would hopefully have packed my laptop so I can try to fix the problem. Door ajar? Seatbelt loose? Now we're just getting into paranoia scenarios. What if a nuclear bomb landed and there won't be enough gas to drive me away from the blast zone!
- sedachv 9y ago
  Do you do a lot of road trips? The only scenario from the above list I have not personally been involved in, as a driver or passenger, is ABS problems leading to an unexpected change in handling, mostly because I have older vehicles. Yes, I have been in a car where a door opened while underway. The one vehicle I have right now with ABS has intermittent ABS issues but a soft failure mode. Newer cars rely a lot more on ABS (especially in off-road modes), same goes double for motorcycles. Losing ABS/TC on a motorcycle drastically changes the envelope of safe brake application. If your muscle memory for safe brake application is (mis)trained to rely on ABS/TC at the limits of available traction, losing ABS/TC will very easily lead to a front wheel lockup or unexpectedly losing the front/rear in a lean.

nrdvana 9y ago

For the DeLorean, there's pretty much just 4 that matter: oil pressure, voltage, temperature, and brake fluid light. I wouldn't drive any long distance without being able to see these.