Shadow Shack

Ah, good ol' Mr. Sikes in San Diego. Sikes, James Sikes: licensed for ignorance or to be ignorant.

1> Jimmy-boy takes 10 minutes out of his busy schedule to chat with a 9-1-1 operator and ignores all the advice given to stop the car (I've been on southern California freeways, exactly how can you maintain "top speed" or 94mph for that long without encountering a few traffic jams?).

2> Doesn't actually try to stop the car until cops (and media) are on the scene.

3> filed bankruptcy in 2008 and currently owes $700,000 in debts.

4> investigation shows nothing wrong with the accelerator pedal. Jimbo's Prius' engine management system shows no diagnostic trouble codes and that the accelerator pedal itself appears to be functioning normally, downloaded data indicate "numerous, rapidly repeated on-and-off applications of both the accelerator and the brake pedals."

Sikes claimed to be "standing" on the brake pedal in an attempt to slow the car, but Toyota said Monday the Prius' brakes were applied 250 times during the approximately 23-minute event, for an average of less than every six seconds.
http://www.autoobserver.com/2010/03/...buying-it.html



Fact one was enough for me when I heard it on the day it happened. Let's all give a round of applause to Balloon Boy 2

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JunkyardDog

I am using a 6 year old computer right now, and have no plans to buy a new one. My daughter is using a 12 year old 700 mhz computer with Windows 98 on it, when she is at my house. It does everything she uses it for just fine. So does mine. I have Windows XP Pro. We both have constant software issues, but the hardware seems to be holding up fairly well. I did have to replace the hard drive in hers several years ago, but that's about it. I have probably 100 GB of important data stored on CDRs, there is no way I could store that much on paper. It's safer than storing it on a hard drive or flash memory.


I used to work on A/C units on the side, I am certified to buy and use several different types of refrigerants, including R-12 and R-22. I love those old mercury tstats. But, everybody got scared to death of mercury (I used to play with it when I was a kid, and still have a large blob of it I removed from those tstats. The new digital ones are junk, just like digital anything else.


The old A/C units used to have large separate relays and contactors in them, that were more than big enough to do the job for a long time. The coil on the contactors would eventually get weak and not hold, causing the contactor to chatter and burn up. But it was simple and easy and cheap to replace, as were all the relays. And when you did replace one, it lasted for a long time. Todays new residential units are usually run off a single circuit board, which controls everything. The relays for the indoor and outdoor fans, as well as the defrost timer, are on these boards. The relays are seriously undersized, the boards are made in third world countries, and they fail on a regular basis. Average cost for one is between $100-$200, and they probably cost less than $10 to make. I have a 23 year old unit, and plan to keep it going forever. I will replace fan motors, the compressor, both coils and the expansion valve if necessary. Whatever it takes to keep it going. It works great, though it is an energy hog. But it is just as cheap to use, if not cheaper, than having to constantly repair a newer unit. Jerry.

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JunkyardDog

I agree this was almost certainly a hoax, because he did not turn off the ignition or put the car in neutral. Anyone qualified to drive a car would certainly have known how to do that.

I didn't know about the $700,000 in debts (geez, that's close to a million dollars), but I still can't figure out what he intended to gain from the hoax. I heard that he and his wife are receiving death threats.

But just because I believe this to be a hoax, doesn't mean the electronics on the car were reliable or safe. There have been to many other incidents. That, and the fact that they cannot absolutely prove it was a hoax. If it had been all mechanical parts, that should have been easy. There would have been something to actually see. Instead, it's all buried up in a mess of electronic goo that even Toyota admits they don't understand. And, I don't see how all these electronic parts make it work any better than purely mechanical parts. Jerry.

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flitecontrol

In a court of law, you don't have to absolutely prove anything, just prove it beyond a reasonable doubt. Looks like the jury of pulic opinion is in on this Bozo. Probably soon to be followed by the real thing!

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JunkyardDog

First of all, I am not supporting this guy, I said in my very first post on it that his story founded fishy.


The fact that you don't have to absolutely prove anything in a court of law has always bothered me, and because of that, many innocent people have been convicted, and I'm sure a few were executed. It's definitely not a good thing, what if it were you or me?


Public opinion is definitely against this guy, including myself at this point, unless more evidence shows up in his favor. There were simply too many coincidences and unlikely events here. I am not a believer in coincidences, they do happen, but not that often, and several in one event is pushing it.


But, that is just opinion. So far, nobody has even been able to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that this was a hoax. Toyota is relying on the same electronics to back up their story that supposedly caused this mess to begin with, so that doesn't prove anything.

I personally know that automotive electronics are not very reliable from years spent working on and replacing them. I'm sure they could be better, but as Henry said, that would cost more money, so they aren't. But up until very recently, they have not been used extensively in safety related applications. All anti lock brakes use computers, and surprisingly enough, we have not had anywhere near the failure rate with those as we have with engine electronics. My guess is that the anti lock brake computers are of far better quality than the engine electronics, which is why optional anti lock brakes on motorcycles are usually a $1000+ option. Also, in the case of anti lock brakes, on cars anyway, the brakes will still function in the event of a computer failure, and there is no way a defective computer can prevent that from happening.

That is on a regular gas powered car. Apparently the Prius has two separate braking systems, and switches between them on commands from a computer. I am not familiar with the Prius or it's control systems, but Toyota has admitted it is possible for it's brakes to fail for several seconds.



But again, the main point of my post, and the reason for my feelings on the matter, is that electronics are not as reliable, and cost a lot more to troubleshoot and repair, than purely mechanical parts, which have been proven reliable over decades of use. So how do electronics improve the function of vehicles, when used in place of mechanical parts?

Well, lets start with fuel injection. Most people who do not work on it like it, because it allows then to start up a car and drive away in it, even in sub freezing temperatures. As far as I know, that is it's only functional advantage. And people who know something about cars know that is not a good idea, but most just plain don't care. Airplanes still use carburetors. Nascar still uses carburetors. NHRA still uses either carburetors or mechanical fuel injection. The reason. Carburetors provide better performance, and are less failure prone than EFI. And these people all warm up their engines.


Anti lock brakes. The concept is a good one, as was the use of dual master cylinders and disc brakes. Those worked. The complexity of anti lock brakes is their undoing. They work fine, when they work. But they are controlled by a computer. Many peoples only experience with computers are Windows based PCs. We all know how unreliable those are, both the hardware and the software. And both have gotten worse over the years. In the beginning, both the hardware and the software were fairly simple, and well made. As time went by, they both became far more complicated, and at the same time, quality took a nose dive. Put the two together, and you have a recipe for problems. I also see anti lock brakes like electronic pocket calculators. They can come in handy, but because of them, many people, including my own kids, do not know how to do math anymore. If brakes work by themselves, people will lose, or never learn, proper braking skills, and when the anti lock brakes fail, they will crash.


There are numerous other things on a new car that are controlled by a computer, from the A/C system to the windshield wipers to the transmission. The computer also controls the lights and door locks and seat belts, and on and on. And I am against all of it. But, admittedly, these things do not kill people, they just cost them lots of money when they fail.



One of the things that attracts me to motorcycles, especially in todays virtual world, is their simplicity. They are very basic, elemental machines, in a mostly fake electronic world. Riding them is exciting and thrilling, and yes, dangerous. But even that is part of their appeal. They put you out in the real world, and they offer you a challenge. They demand that you develop your riding skills if you are going to survive. Cars used to be that way, and mine still are. Unfortunately, electronics are now starting to take over the motorcycle world as well. I was surprised to read about a Harley rider praising his new "fly by wire" fuel injected bike. Harleys, more than any other bike, have always been about simplicity and rough edges, what I call "real". Obviously, todays Harley riders are a different breed from yesterday's.


There is an old proverb about how we used to have wooden ships and iron men, now we have iron ships and wooden men. Unfortunately, with modern electronics, we have gone way beyond that. Electronics are slowly taking over control of humans, and we are letting it happen, mistakingly thinking it is good for us. Nobody seems to have the foresight to see where this is going. We are becoming slaves to technology, instead of the other way around. Here are a couple of lines, from a Star Trek original series episode entitled "The Ultimate Computer''.


SPOCK "computers make excellent and efficient servants, but I have no wish to serve under one"

KIRK "there are certain things men must do to remain men"

Science fiction is becoming science fact. And the reality is just as ugly, if not moreso, than it was in the tv show. Sad. Very sad. Jerry.

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