I would just like to mention that the owner’s manual for my new Prius is 820 pages long. But don’t worry – there’s a Quick Reference Guide. It’s only 53 pages long. And when you’re done with them, there’s also the 294 page Navigation System Owner’s Manual, the 57 page Entune System Quick Reference Guide, the 64 page Warranty and Maintenance Guide, and the 89 page Owner’s Warranty Rights Notification booklet. “All I wanted was a car, not a public library.”
IKR? Those books are not really well written or user friendly. I go in tomorrow for my tutorial and on to the DMV for the permanent tags and to pay sales tax. It should be a fun day, especially since it’s the end of the month. Oh joy.
Renewals are of course done on the web. There was no waiting line when I licensed the truck I bought.
Threads like this make me glad that I’ve kept my '97 Jeep…the technology is minimal, the rear windows are large enough that you can see out of them when backing, and I don’t have to worry about any left-behind media turning into Queen’s Greatest Hits because no one realizes there’s a functional CD player hidden behind the aftermarket stereo. Plus, the anti-lock brakes still work quite well.
I do end up in enough rental vehicles to stay on top of modern technology. My favorite is the option to automatically unlock the driver’s side door when you approach (though I definitely wouldn’t have this enabled in the area where I work). My biggest pet peeve about modern automotive technology is related to BlueTooth…it works flawlessly in some vehicles, but in others you have to make sure all other devices are deleted, and even then you’ll find yourself reconnecting if more than 48 hours have elapsed.
For the OP…have you gone through all of the vehicle’s settings? Many manufacturers split the major vehicle settings between a small scrollable menu on the instrument cluster and a menu accessible through the big screen on the dash (what do we call this now – radio? backup camera screen? climate control screen?).
Chrysler?
WHY didn’t he ask you what kind of car you’d want? And communicate about budget, and whether you could afford it? And why couldn’t you say "Thanks, that’s sweet, but I’d rather have a Subaru Outback, in something besides “god-awful burnt orange”.
You really need to stand up for yourself. And speaking as a male, for whom empathy is a learned skill, he really needs training. You are NOT helping him by not calling him on this. He needs to learn to communicate for the sake of how he works with others in his life, as well as you.
What if someone bought you a hideous purple fur coat? That you’d never wear? Would you just meekly say “Thank you…” or take it back? Or let them take it back?
Man, if I did this, I’d be driving that Escape while my wife drew up divorce papers…
What makes this one item so different? Because it’s a car? Does hubby think girls don’t know enough about cars to have their opinion count?
Wait, why didn’t your opinion count? Geez, don’t answer this… I don’t want to throw a wrench into your marriage.
(Would he let you buy a wrench all by yourself? Hee hee…)
He’s weird that way. I had an Escape twice before. I like the size and reliability of the Escape. He knows I don’t like going to big giant places to look at things to buy. I let him buy furniture and appliances too. I’m weird that way. Slight agoraphobia. It works for us.
C’mon now. If he bought you a BMW, you’d adapt. Let’s not get crazy.
Hey I’m adaptable, adorable, adoptable, acceptable, accountable.
( I just went through the word choices)
And agoraphobic. I’m working on it everyday as my world shrinks. It’s my cross to bear.
Mr.Wrekker deals with my idiosyncrasies as I do his. It’s marriage folks.
I keep saying that, next time I bring my car to a garage, I have to also bring a length of ribbon. According to the manual there is a lever under the dashboard, in roughly the same spot where the Yaris have it, to open the hood. Finding it in a Yaris is supereasy, you don’t even need to look. The C1? HAH! It takes the mechanics over half an hour to find the flipping lever, I’ll never find it unless I remember to bring that ribbon and tie it to the blasted lever.
Now, I’m worried. I get the feeling that if I dig through the center console of my car, I’m going to find six copies of Queen’s Greatest Hits.
And I was so enjoying Supertramp’s Even in the Quietest Moments. Guess I’ll have to give a little bit, and once again listen to Queen’s Greatest Hits.
When I set Tidal to “Queen-based list”, does that count as “my Rosendo-based list just became Queen’s Greatest Hits”?
- feels a sudden urge to listen to a Mondragón-based list* goes off in search of an office where she can put her headset on
That seems like the logical thing to do.
And in re to the original topic, I too have an Escape with a wonky fob. I carry the keys in my pocket, and half the time when I bend down to tie my shoes, I hear a chirp from the garage as the car locks itself. I don’t know if my car is trying to keep from being driven because it’s seen the way people drive in my neighborhood or if the car is laughing at my pathetic attempts to bend over and tie my shoes.
I feel like I live in the same future world that Mickey Mouse did in the cartoon about what the future will bring. Fully automated house with robot butlers and self cleaning floors. And food replicators. It all goes horribly wrong for Mickey. And hilarity ensues. Except in real life it’s not so much fun. I would like an automatic hair washer though. Now that would be helpful.
Let us know how your appt with the dealer turned out.
I thought that too. I had my window broken a couple of times so I left the car unlocked and they tried to steal the car. they tore up the ignition and I had to have the car towed to a mechanic and pay to replace the ignition. Cost me way more than a window cost.
Back from Ford dealership. Hah! The guy they had to help me learn this fob thing was about 12yo. His job title was ‘Bay Washer’. Eddy was completely dumbfounded. He couldn’t make it work either. I didn’t like his grubby little hands on my key fob. (I told you I’m bad)anyway. He went and got someone from the front, who was clean. A salesman I think. All confidence and Old Spice. Nope.
Couldn’t make it work properly. He handed me the fob and said come inside. I pushed the door lock and the Alarm started. I just kept walking in. The salesman, now a bit sweaty, asked a reception girl to find the Ford helpline number. He was telling me all about how helpful the helpline is in helping people who need help. Just so helpful. My alarm is blasting the whole time. He grabbed, no snatched my fob from my hand and runs out there to turn it off. I can’t hear him over the racket and inside. I hope no deaf people were around to read his lips, I guarantee you he was cursing. It finally quits, accidentally, I believe. He comes in, red in the face, alittle flustered. Ever seen a flustered car salesman? It ain’t pretty, folks.
We go in his partition area and he calls the helpline.
The consensus is: I have unprogrammed it by pushing all the buttons in too many varied ways, too many times. And why didn’t I read the 600pg owners manual, yet? I told you I would get blamed. I knew it the whole time. The fix was the service manager coming and resetting the thing by opening it up (kids, don’t do this at home, it must be a licenced Ford service person or you lose your warranty), removing the battery, counting to 10, then replacing the battery. Works perfectly now.
For my amusement I got to freak out a car salesman. And…wait for it…I got a $50 Wal-Mart gift card. Everyone who bought a car in January gets one, they had forgotten mine when I picked the car up.
I went to Wal-Mart and bought a ‘little Pine tree’ air freshener, for my new, locked and secured 2018 Ford Escape, in god-awful Orange. See you on the road. 
Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! That was brilliant!
I only wish you’d gotten video of Frantic Sales Dude…
(tents fingers) Excellent! (/tents fingers)