cars are too complicated

I recently noticed that most cars are just way too complex to upkeep. In Europe diesel cars where hugely popular and some of the 2000-2008 or so are quite easy to upkeep.(pre DPF era) Of course they still have turbo’s and injectors and sensors, but still they are possible to keep without breaking the bank. Most realible cars are gasoline 4 cylinder cars from 2000 up, there was an era, where cars had twin cam, naturally aspirated engine(no turbo), multiport injection(no choke and no carb related issues). Still basic ABS and airbag so quite safe. Good( brands like toyota avensis/corolla, nissan primera and such are still usable, Friend of mine, drove 16years with avensis, up to 240tkm and no issues. Just basic maintenance. With modern cars this is impossible.

Modern gasoline cars have always turbocharger, most have even two. GDI, gasoline direct injection makes problems with intake valves carboning up. Modern diesel cars are even worst, as they have DPF, diesel particle filter, (most cars from 2008 have DPF). Complex turbo charging systems and Piezo electric injectors and huge amount of electronics to control it all.
Common issues:
EGR: (exhaust gas recirculation) issues, carboning(sooth) of intake track
swirl flaps: intake tracks are moderated with flapper valves that are many times plastic or controlled by plastic parts that brake, EGR sooth blocks these
Turbo: turbo failures or failures to control turbo, Variable vain turbo chargers get stuck because of sooth. Or control modules, servos or vacuuam actuators fail.
Injectors:
Extreamly high injection pressures and up to five injections each piston stroke need piezo injectors that are prone to failure.
DPF:
DPF collects diesel sooth during normal driving and needs to cleaned with regeneration that happens automatically between 200-500km. During this 10-20 minute period car smells like burning rubber. Car needs to preferrably be driven at highway speed during this and not to shut down. How ever there is no notification that this is taking place. So short driving can get the DPF totally blocked. DPF regeneration is started with excess diesel fuel injection that goes to exhaust and burns and raises the DPF temperature to 650 celcius. This fuel can go past the piston rings and oil dilution and raising oil levels are very common in these cars.

To sum it up, modern diesel car is too complex, it can work in long distange driving, but upkeeping it by individual the cost is too high and it has too complex technology.

Gasoline cars where simpler for a long time, but newer ones with GDI and turbos are almost as complex as diesel cars. The era of simple cars is pretty much over.

Another issues is accessory computers, Modern electronic transmission, they all add to the complexity. Many cars have computer in every door. I think the ideal point was one computer ECU, which controlled the EFI. beyond this more computers don’t add much. Just complexity.

If we think about hybrid cars, they are even worst, they have the complexity of normal car and then add the electric engine and batteries that degrade. Long term ownership is impossible, they can be leased for a while, but owning these long term is just not financially feasible.

Fully electric car is simpler in some sense, but there is a problem with battery, normal people cannot take financial risk that would bankcrupt them. With electric cars the battery failure could cost more than new car, at least 10t to 30t euros. It is a risk that no sensible person would take. Only possibility is full battery coverage. The risk would be similar financial risk as to drive 30ke car without any insurance. You could loose it all.

I would buy well known brand, that is recogniced making quality. Buy a model that is been at the market for some time so technology has matured and problems have been found. Never buy CVT transmission, Prefer Gasoline cars. No GDI gasoline. Prefer cam chains no cam belts. Two wheel drive car is much simpler that than 4WD car, and the extra maintenance and difficulty of 4WD transfer box being at the way of other work, like clutch change or exhaust work.

I drive W212 merceds with Diesel V6 2009, and yes it has issues. My luck is that it’s not 4WD as they have problems with front differentials. My car is a sedan which doesn’t have air suspension rear strut issues that Station wagon models have. This car is pre addblue, so no issues with addblue frozin, leaking, cracking reservoirs. This car how ever needs long driving to burn to DPF, it has computer for engine, entertainment, rear computer, i think each door has own computer. Without full diagnostic computer it’s a total nightmare to work with.

Happy motoring.

MacGyver analysis

Many companies search for MacGyver style persons. It has become epitome for intelligence and quick thinking and unorthodox problem solving. However we would analyze what kind of person MacGyver really is what would we find out?
MacGyver is not a planner. He doesn’t prepare forehand, he faces problems unprepared with only minimal equipment. Every solution he makes is really a hack, quick and dirty, it is never meant to work for a long time. Usually it’s made to get him or some other person out of trouble. He doesn’t fine tune, or search for perfection, if something works, he doesn’t mess with it.
If we look at MacGyver’s life, he is not aiming for perfection. His car is not his pride and joy or the focus of his technological improvements, it’s just a beaten up, un-washed old jeep that has no extras, it has nothing. Only hobby seems to be playing hockey.
MacGyver is usually working alone. He has good communication skills, but he works alone, lives alone. Sometimes even plays hockey alone. He probably cannot tolerate normal job, as he does projects, and between those projects, he just spends his time living laid back life and helping people.
MacGyver is environmentalist, a vegetarion and he doesn’t use guns. This environment mentality most likely is one of the reason he is not working for major companies, but for Phoenix foundation which seems to be more like charity organisation dealing with environment protection and other issues.
MacGyver has no career ambitions, he has been ‘found’ by Pete Thorton, but he is in no need to start a business or take part in one. He never talks about money and probably uses very little as he never updates his car or even housing.
MacGyver has no ego. He doesn’t show off with watches, cars, motorcycles or housing. He doesn’t even want to appear enthusiastic. Even against top leaders he appears casual and walks his laid back low paced walk.
However he always thinks there is a way out. No matter whats the situation, he faces usually life and death situations with calmness, like someone who has faced it so many times, that it is normal for him.  However dealing with other people, and working in security makes him very anxious, almost manic. He obviously cannot handle this kind of stress well.
There is nothing tactical about Macgyver, he doesn’t prepare for the worlds end, he doesn’t wear any tactical gear even he probably has military training. Only tool he usually uses is his swiss pocket knife, and even that one is one of the cheapest models available.
MacGyver has quite low interest of latest technology, He uses computer if he needs information, but nothing more. He drives old cars, fixes old stuff. He has old Harley, never tunes it or even drives it. He is probably not motivated by money and mostly likes laid back tasks, which usually just seem to turn against him. At this point he finds a hack to get him out of the problems.
So you want to hire this man? Just be sure that you know what you are getting.

JP

How to destroy work

Previously when someone wanted to start a business, it was most often to develop a new product and produce it. This kind of entrepreneurship created work. Now many companies are actually in business to destroy work. To make some business obsolete or automate the work so there is less need for people in this work.

Automation is the way to go and I know there is no stopping it. But the believe that new jobs will be created forever to replace the lost jobs is a pipe dream. Agriculture was the first area to be automated. Jobs in agriculture have been decimated. Still it produces more food than ever before. This was one of the first areas of basic human needs to be automated. In many countries only 3% of workforce work in agriculture anymore. Human work is leveraged with big machines and diesel oil. How ever machines that are able to leverage manual labor have no intelligence.

Today when machines have simple decision making skills, they have started to replace workforce in areas that need little intelligence. Machines can make small daily decisions that are always the same from day to day. And they do this without ever getting tired and they don’t need rest, holidays or pensions.

What is going to happen is that machines slowly develop to handle even higher IQ jobs. Human IQ stays the same. At this point machine IQ is probably 70, Machines are still idiots, but they are hard working and predictable idiots that can be programmed. At this point they can replace most works that would have needed IQ of 70, like packaging stuff of working in assembly like doing one part assembly.

When machines now develop slowly  up to IQ of 80-90, they can do most of the work man can do. Most jobs don’t demand creativity of high self awareness. Even if they are now done by people with IQ’s of 100, they don’t need it all. Hard working, programmable, predictable outcome is more important and it’s hard to beat a machine in these areas.

Creative and special jobs will last probably almost forever, because human can always invent something new. So IQ 110 Jobs and higher will last for a long time.

The whole working life is going to change. At some point there is going to be so many people unemployed or at pension that their number is enough to change the political system in democratic countries. They are going to vote to power parties that promise citizen pay. Minimum pay that is payed to every citizen, even if they don’t work. This will provide basic housing and food. And many people will live at this level. People that wan’t more and have the IQ to do it, can certainly do work and invent new ideas or work at high IQ jobs or even at some unpleasant jobs that machines cannot handle. And so they can reach higher level of living by selling their time.

People that have no jobs will have to find new meaning that is not from goals set by their employer. People need to develop ways to spend their time to pursuit their own goals. Self development.

Star trek

The outcome is pure math. Machines are developing faster than people. Human IQ cannot raise much at 50 years, but automation is going to do most work in 50 years.

JP

 

How to Remember the Ohms law forever!

I have went through electrical engineer schooling, and one of thing any person needs to remember is the Ohms law. So how current, voltage, resistance and power work and effect each other. This is how I remember it.

PUIMURI   =   this means harvester in Finish, IT’s the only thing you have to remember. Now when you need to use it, draw it like this. If you want to use V and Not U. It’s PVI M VRI. But that is much harder to remember at least to Finns.

P=UI     U=RI

oms_law_puimuri

Draw it at the top of your exam. Notice that the M forms these triangles. From this you can easily read fast, that I = P/U, U=P/I,   P = I x U .    I = U/R, R = U/I, U = R x I .

So it someone askes, how much currect will be drawn if Appliance has 2200Watts. You know the Power=P, You know the mains voltage, 220Volts= U.   Now just remember the PUIMURI, and This triangle and you know that the I = P/U. 2200W/220V = 10 Amps.

And ones you use this triangle for some time,  at least I can remember it and draw it inside my head and solve any outcome out of it. And calculate these quite fast in mind.

It’s also possible to combine these two, so if you don’t know the voltage. You can solve the other side first that U must be I x R. Then Add this to the U at PUI triangle. So you get P = I x I x R = ->   P = I^2 x R

 

JP

 

 

 

Thunderace flipped clip ones

image

Trying to improve comfort I first tried higher clip-on bars, but the lighter weight caused numb fingers as Thunderace has vibrations through the bars. So I wanted the stock heavy clip ones, but little higher. So I flipped the handlebars and also moved left to right and right to left. This gives higher driving position with stock handlebars.

JP