4 ms·

> lights are smart, and include things like motors to level the headlights (so when the car is loaded with heavy luggage, the lights are turned to compensate),

> lights are smart, and include things like motors to level the headlights (so when the car is loaded with heavy luggage, the lights are turned to compensate), steering headlights to illuminate the corners, to automatically detect if the lights have failed, to turn on pumps to spray water on the lights, and so on. There is no way all that crap can be worth the reliability cost or even the weight...

b112 2y ago
It's not worth it. It's also why cars are absurdly expensive these days, not due to part cost, but due to testing and reliability costs. And of course, everything is a new hack entry.
dazc 2y ago
Anecdotally, a manufacturer of car headlights told an an acquaintance, a few years ago, that some cars would be written off solely if headlights were damaged due to increasing cost. I wouldn't be surprised if this was becoming true, today?
- Scoundreller 2y ago
  Another ass move is manufacturers forming their company logo into more plastic, so you can’t just replace with an aftermarket part for a repair in many insurance-repair situations. https://www.eastgatefordpartscanada.ca/oem-parts/ford-signal-lamp-fl3z13b374cc https://www.eastgatefordpartscanada.ca/oem-parts/ford-signal...
snozolli 2y ago
Headlight-leveling mechanisms have been around forever, and anyone who has been blinded by an oncoming, loaded pickup truck knows why. Headlights that either mechanically or electronically (as found in some motorcycles) point into a turn are a potentially massive safety increase. A headlight-leveling servo can last the lifetime of the vehicle. Not everything is a Chrysler.
- SoftTalker 2y ago
  I am routinely blinded by the LED headlights on modern cars. They are too white, too bright, and too small (forming a pinpoint bright light which creates terrible glare). They also don't seem to be aimed at the road but straight ahead. You can tell at a glance which cars are older and still have halogen bulb headlights because they are a bit yellow in color and don't create nearly as much glare. I don't know how these newer headlight systems were permitted. They are probably great for the driver but not for any oncoming traffic.
  - mdaniel 2y ago
    John Oliver claimed that they ran out of time one season but were going to do an episode on those headlights. I'm still sad they didn't get to it, or at least just dump their source material because I also think it's become terrible
  - snozolli 2y ago
    They also don't seem to be aimed at the road but straight ahead. In my opinion, DOT standards allow too much light above the cutoff. It's great for illuminating overhead signs, but with modern HID and LED systems it's just too much. There is still the problem of vehicles approaching each other while cresting a small hill. You'll always be under each other's beam cutoff. Your best hope is adaptive headlights that simply don't illuminate areas where oncoming road users are. Jump up 1:14 in this video: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=CBUYm5AghVI https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=CBUYm5AghVI
- Hizonner 2y ago
  > A headlight-leveling servo can last the lifetime of the vehicle. Not everything is a Chrysler. Everything can last the life of the vehicle. If you have 10,000 parts, each of which can last the life of the vehicle, there is epsilon chance that all of them will last the life of the vehicle.
  - kazinator 2y ago
    If at any point in time t all the parts of the car have lasted so far, that point t is not yet the end of the life of the vehicle. The end of life occurs when a certain subset of the parts have failed, such that it's not economic to replace or repair those parts (except for a retro fanatic who does that because they love that car, which may even be valuable as a collector's item). It's worth mentioning that a gasoline car made with perpetual, indestructible parts will be end-of-lifed when the infrastructure disappears: it cannot be gassed up anywhere. We can regard gasoline as a part that's always requiring periodic replacement. If that's not available, the car is toast.
fy20 2y ago
This isn't new technology. My 15 year old mid-range car has all that, and the headlights are original.

b112 2y ago

It's not worth it. It's also why cars are absurdly expensive these days, not due to part cost, but due to testing and reliability costs. And of course, everything is a new hack entry.

dazc 2y ago

Anecdotally, a manufacturer of car headlights told an an acquaintance, a few years ago, that some cars would be written off solely if headlights were damaged due to increasing cost. I wouldn't be surprised if this was becoming true, today?

Scoundreller 2y ago
Another ass move is manufacturers forming their company logo into more plastic, so you can’t just replace with an aftermarket part for a repair in many insurance-repair situations. https://www.eastgatefordpartscanada.ca/oem-parts/ford-signal-lamp-fl3z13b374cc https://www.eastgatefordpartscanada.ca/oem-parts/ford-signal...

snozolli 2y ago

Headlight-leveling mechanisms have been around forever, and anyone who has been blinded by an oncoming, loaded pickup truck knows why. Headlights that either mechanically or electronically (as found in some motorcycles) point into a turn are a potentially massive safety increase. A headlight-leveling servo can last the lifetime of the vehicle. Not everything is a Chrysler.

SoftTalker 2y ago
I am routinely blinded by the LED headlights on modern cars. They are too white, too bright, and too small (forming a pinpoint bright light which creates terrible glare). They also don't seem to be aimed at the road but straight ahead. You can tell at a glance which cars are older and still have halogen bulb headlights because they are a bit yellow in color and don't create nearly as much glare. I don't know how these newer headlight systems were permitted. They are probably great for the driver but not for any oncoming traffic.
- mdaniel 2y ago
  John Oliver claimed that they ran out of time one season but were going to do an episode on those headlights. I'm still sad they didn't get to it, or at least just dump their source material because I also think it's become terrible
- snozolli 2y ago
  They also don't seem to be aimed at the road but straight ahead. In my opinion, DOT standards allow too much light above the cutoff. It's great for illuminating overhead signs, but with modern HID and LED systems it's just too much. There is still the problem of vehicles approaching each other while cresting a small hill. You'll always be under each other's beam cutoff. Your best hope is adaptive headlights that simply don't illuminate areas where oncoming road users are. Jump up 1:14 in this video: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=CBUYm5AghVI https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=CBUYm5AghVI
Hizonner 2y ago
> A headlight-leveling servo can last the lifetime of the vehicle. Not everything is a Chrysler. Everything can last the life of the vehicle. If you have 10,000 parts, each of which can last the life of the vehicle, there is epsilon chance that all of them will last the life of the vehicle.
- kazinator 2y ago
  If at any point in time t all the parts of the car have lasted so far, that point t is not yet the end of the life of the vehicle. The end of life occurs when a certain subset of the parts have failed, such that it's not economic to replace or repair those parts (except for a retro fanatic who does that because they love that car, which may even be valuable as a collector's item). It's worth mentioning that a gasoline car made with perpetual, indestructible parts will be end-of-lifed when the infrastructure disappears: it cannot be gassed up anywhere. We can regard gasoline as a part that's always requiring periodic replacement. If that's not available, the car is toast.

fy20 2y ago

This isn't new technology. My 15 year old mid-range car has all that, and the headlights are original.