4 ms·

isn't this just an absurdly complex re-imagining of the on/off switch? I've spoken to numerous people who either had their vehicle stolen or it was broken into.

isn't this just an absurdly complex re-imagining of the on/off switch? I've spoken to numerous people who either had their vehicle stolen or it was broken into. The ignition cylinder was damaged in the process. Rather than spend money replacing it they just wired in an on/off switch in a random place on the dash. The car got broken into again but was never stolen.

constantly 3y ago
Valets HATE this one weird trick
- ghaff 3y ago
  I used to have a car that had a kill switch requiring the turn signal to be turned on or some such thing. It was periodically a pain with valets or parking garages where your car might need to be moved. I'd leave a big note but it was ignored about half the time.
  - zerd 3y ago
    A friend had a car that required that you hold a magnet at a very specific spot in the back of the arm rest to be able to start ignition. Don't think he ever tried to valet that.
  - progman32 3y ago
    Had a valet ignore a huge, printed instruction taped over my steering wheel on how not to food my car (leave it running for at least 60 seconds). Sure enough, they flooded it really bad trying to start it over and over. Killed the battery. Never used a valet after that.
- matsemann 3y ago
  Huh, never considered valet parking to actually be a real thing. Isn't it annoying having to wait for someone to drive your car? I'd almost pay more not to have to do it.
  - drw3 3y ago
    It’s fairly common in the US at hotels and some parking garages, especially in bigger cities. It can be nice if you’re in a hurry or worried about walking alone in a parking garage at night. But yes, it can be annoying, especially because you’re expected to tip them in the US too.
  - elzbardico 3y ago
    Pal, I've seen wallet parking across several countries in the world. Latin American, Western, and Eastern Europe, I just got curious about where you live to never have seen it. And to answer your question: No, valet parking is usually useful because the parking place is far from where you're going (usually a hotel or restaurant). Having the valet saves you the walk from the lot to the place where you're going. It is even more useful when it's raining and you're having a formal dinner. The wait for getting the car back is also pretty short because someone radios a driver already in the parking lot to bring your car in most circumstances.
    - thomastjeffery 3y ago
      I suspect you are parking your wallet in the most tourist-equipped areas of each country you listed. I would bet that within a 5 mile radius of each, you could find 1,000 people who have never used valet parking in their lives.
    - Toutouxc 3y ago
      Not who you’re replying to, but I’m from the Czech Republic, have been driving for 10+ years, live in Prague (the capital), I have never even seen valet parking anywhere. Even the local Hilton hotel doesn’t have it.
    - matsemann 3y ago
      Norway. I guess the less denser cities I've lived (that were somewhat car dependent) it was never an issue just parking right outside. And in the city I now live (Oslo) I would never use a car to get to dinner anyways.
  - retzkek 3y ago
nso 3y ago
I have an old beater. It cost me 2300 USD when I bought it. Last year the ignition cylinder broke. My friend is a mechanic and he told me he could replace the cylinder for 90 USD, or buy him a beer to just install a button. I now jokingly call my car a Tesla since it starts with a button (it also requires the key)
- mavhc 3y ago
  Tesla cars don't need a button to start
  - _flux 3y ago
    The brake pedal is _almost_ like a button.
- incahoots 3y ago
  The button was my go-to when I got a new car, I would defeat the lock cylinder without damaging the steering column, and place a button in a obscure spot to start my cars.
- thatcat 3y ago
  Lol. I soldered in an alligator clip jumper wire for my friend to temporarily bypass the failing ignition switch and he left it like that, says he likes the sparking.
- bookofjoe 3y ago
  Off topic: My first car was a 1966 white Buick Skylark convertible that I bought for $500 cash in the summer of 1976 in Los Angeles when I was 28 years old. Prior to that I had lived in LA from 1966 on and got around on foot and on my bicycle and city buses. I drove that giant Buick — I mean it was HUGE, both in terms of length and width as well as weight — for about five years, the final 2-3 of which featured a caved-in non-functional driver's side door resulting from having been T-boned by a little old lady who ran a stop sign. No worries: I'd just hop over the side or use the passenger side door. After the crash I never worried about theft. Also, amusingly, when I was on freeways, cars in adjacent lanes would quickly move away.

constantly 3y ago

Valets HATE this one weird trick

ghaff 3y ago
I used to have a car that had a kill switch requiring the turn signal to be turned on or some such thing. It was periodically a pain with valets or parking garages where your car might need to be moved. I'd leave a big note but it was ignored about half the time.
- zerd 3y ago
  A friend had a car that required that you hold a magnet at a very specific spot in the back of the arm rest to be able to start ignition. Don't think he ever tried to valet that.
- progman32 3y ago
  Had a valet ignore a huge, printed instruction taped over my steering wheel on how not to food my car (leave it running for at least 60 seconds). Sure enough, they flooded it really bad trying to start it over and over. Killed the battery. Never used a valet after that.
matsemann 3y ago
Huh, never considered valet parking to actually be a real thing. Isn't it annoying having to wait for someone to drive your car? I'd almost pay more not to have to do it.
- drw3 3y ago
  It’s fairly common in the US at hotels and some parking garages, especially in bigger cities. It can be nice if you’re in a hurry or worried about walking alone in a parking garage at night. But yes, it can be annoying, especially because you’re expected to tip them in the US too.
- elzbardico 3y ago
  Pal, I've seen wallet parking across several countries in the world. Latin American, Western, and Eastern Europe, I just got curious about where you live to never have seen it. And to answer your question: No, valet parking is usually useful because the parking place is far from where you're going (usually a hotel or restaurant). Having the valet saves you the walk from the lot to the place where you're going. It is even more useful when it's raining and you're having a formal dinner. The wait for getting the car back is also pretty short because someone radios a driver already in the parking lot to bring your car in most circumstances.
  - thomastjeffery 3y ago
    I suspect you are parking your wallet in the most tourist-equipped areas of each country you listed. I would bet that within a 5 mile radius of each, you could find 1,000 people who have never used valet parking in their lives.
  - Toutouxc 3y ago
    Not who you’re replying to, but I’m from the Czech Republic, have been driving for 10+ years, live in Prague (the capital), I have never even seen valet parking anywhere. Even the local Hilton hotel doesn’t have it.
  - matsemann 3y ago
    Norway. I guess the less denser cities I've lived (that were somewhat car dependent) it was never an issue just parking right outside. And in the city I now live (Oslo) I would never use a car to get to dinner anyways.
- retzkek 3y ago

nso 3y ago

I have an old beater. It cost me 2300 USD when I bought it. Last year the ignition cylinder broke. My friend is a mechanic and he told me he could replace the cylinder for 90 USD, or buy him a beer to just install a button. I now jokingly call my car a Tesla since it starts with a button (it also requires the key)

mavhc 3y ago
Tesla cars don't need a button to start
- _flux 3y ago
  The brake pedal is _almost_ like a button.
incahoots 3y ago
The button was my go-to when I got a new car, I would defeat the lock cylinder without damaging the steering column, and place a button in a obscure spot to start my cars.
thatcat 3y ago
Lol. I soldered in an alligator clip jumper wire for my friend to temporarily bypass the failing ignition switch and he left it like that, says he likes the sparking.
bookofjoe 3y ago
Off topic: My first car was a 1966 white Buick Skylark convertible that I bought for $500 cash in the summer of 1976 in Los Angeles when I was 28 years old. Prior to that I had lived in LA from 1966 on and got around on foot and on my bicycle and city buses. I drove that giant Buick — I mean it was HUGE, both in terms of length and width as well as weight — for about five years, the final 2-3 of which featured a caved-in non-functional driver's side door resulting from having been T-boned by a little old lady who ran a stop sign. No worries: I'd just hop over the side or use the passenger side door. After the crash I never worried about theft. Also, amusingly, when I was on freeways, cars in adjacent lanes would quickly move away.