SUV Tailgate Quandary

[redi]

Originally Posted by Lkristians

I wonder what he'd do with a rotary phone!
!

Try asking a < 25yo to address an envelope for the (non e-)mail and see what happens.

[Lkristians]

I tell my kids that I used to have to get up to change the tv channels.

[KenL]

My beloved 2004 Pilot did not have a button to close the back hatch. None of them did back then.

My 2018 Pilot does, but I forget about it about half the time.

My 2019 Ridgeline has the top trim level, with a whole bunch of crap I don't care about. I would rather it be the same as my Pilot. But I bought it with 8k miles on it and got a great deal, so I live with it. If I got the manual out I could probably turn most of those features off.

[dnf777]

Originally Posted by CodyToonz

We recently bought a 2016 Honda Odyssey with the plan to remove the seats for camping. It has automatic everything including the automatic rear gate. My gripe is that it issues a warning "beep" when opening or closing automatically. Not ideal in a campground. Thankfully it can also be operated manually. I thought about finding and snipping the wire to the beeper but my mechanic warned that it might interfere with all the computerized warning systems. Blah...

Im scared to do ANYTHING that alters circuitry in today’s cars! Good advice

[Chipotle]

Originally Posted by redi

Try asking a < 25yo to address an envelope for the (non e-)mail and see what happens.

Heck, I'm in my 50s and it took me a second to remember what corner of the envelope to put the stamp on last time I had to actually mail something, it had been so long.

[Neil K Walk]

Originally Posted by Chipotle

Heck, I'm in my 50s and it took me a second to remember what corner of the envelope to put the stamp on last time I had to actually mail something, it had been so long.

Yes, but now envelopes come with a removable strip over the glue strip so you don't even have to lick it anymore. Progress!

Speaking of rotary phones, I recall when my mother was forced to abandon hers. It was a life changing event. She's going through another one now; her 10 year old flip phone no longer works because all the carriers have shut down the 3G network. Now she's having trouble adjusting to her new flip phone and I'm tech support.

[rllink]

By golly, I remember when we had to rub two sticks together to make a fire. Just kidding. The kid just hadn't run across a tailgate that didn't go down at the push of a button. He's not stupid, he didn't want to break something. We are all products of our environment. It doesn't make one smart just because they can drive a stick shift. That's another one I hear geezers talking up.

[Horsehockey]

I drive a 2006 Saab 9–5. My wife drives a 2007 Subaru outback. We don’t ever expect to catch up before we drop dead. And we’re still pretty amazed by the remote control on our TV set. Oh… Pardon me… Our “home theater.”

[Mr. Jelly]

I'll add it took me several weeks setting up my new vehicle before I could become familiar with it. It was like setting up a new phone or computer. I remember the first time I drove it to work because I had trouble turning it off. Seriously. If you don't hit the button just right, it leaves things on. But you have to wait a minute or two to turn the vehicle back on to turn it off correctly and fully. And it flashes and a big brake sign pops up on right hand curves sometimes when a car in the other lane goes by. Don't get me started about self-driving cars.

[Jeff Scott]

Originally Posted by Mr. Jelly

I'll add it took me several weeks setting up my new vehicle before I could become familiar with it. It was like setting up a new phone or computer. I remember the first time I drove it to work because I had trouble turning it off. Seriously. If you don't hit the button just right, it leaves things on. But you have to wait a minute or two to turn the vehicle back on to turn it off correctly and fully. And it flashes and a big brake sign pops up on right hand curves sometimes when a car in the other lane goes by. Don't get me started about self-driving cars.

Our next "car".

[6stringpickin]

Originally Posted by Jeff Scott

Our next "car".

Not sure hay is much cheaper than gas

[RedJoker]

Originally Posted by 6stringpickin

Not sure hay is much cheaper than gas

No kidding! We've been sweeping up our lawn clippings to supplement our hay. We don't apply any chemicals and it's the exact same plant mixture as in the pasture, so why not?

[imwjl]

Our first world problem with tailgates is a strong preference for a traditional wagon or van over the very popular CarUV types that dominate.

The how to use them is kind of funny. With kids, college, jobs there can be 4 vehicles here now. I'm not fussy about what I drive. I get the main controls right each time but if I spend more time in one I get a muscle memory hiccup moving to another aiming for a button or lever in a different spot.

[tinnitus]

Originally Posted by CodyToonz

We recently bought a 2016 Honda Odyssey with the plan to remove the seats for camping. It has automatic everything including the automatic rear gate. My gripe is that it issues a warning "beep" when opening or closing automatically. Not ideal in a campground. Thankfully it can also be operated manually. I thought about finding and snipping the wire to the beeper but my mechanic warned that it might interfere with all the computerized warning systems. Blah...

How loud is the beep? I have an Outback that does that when I raise/lower the auto-tailgate. It's mildly annoying within about 10-15 feet (and, honestly, if someone's tent is that close, I'm in the wrong campground).

On a far more pronounced level, the first thing I did when I bought it brand new was to have a tech re-program the remote so I can lock doors without honking the horn. Now THAT'S obnoxious and I snarl at the buffoons who seem to do it right when people walk past the grille.

[Neil K Walk]

Originally Posted by rllink

By golly, I remember when we had to rub two sticks together to make a fire. Just kidding. The kid just hadn't run across a tailgate that didn't go down at the push of a button. He's not stupid, he didn't want to break something. We are all products of our environment. It doesn't make one smart just because they can drive a stick shift. That's another one I hear geezers talking up.

That's my point. These tailgates are motorized and offer resistance when closing them manually. It's a bit more involved changing a seized motor than a self contained hydraulic piston. The kid didn't want to lose his $7.25 an hour job because he'd broken a customer's vehicle.

BTW, I sort of speak from experience here. Cars are structurally designed to crumble - and it can be a detriment when you spend $40K+. Our 2010 Honda Odyssey was a bare bones workhorse that served us for over a decade and took a lot of punishment. The passenger side cargo door (not powered) once jumped the track and actually fell off the vehicle. It was never the same after that and I took to calling it our Honda "Oddity" - but that was also because of the odd smell which was a combination of spilled condiments, dirty diapers and an improperly handled vanilla milkshake.