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Radio automatic turnoff: nothing can go wrong go wrong go wrong



 
 
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  #1  
Old February 13th 08, 01:26 AM posted to rec.autos.tech, alt.autos.gm
Ad absurdum per aspera
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Posts: 410
Default Radio automatic turnoff: nothing can go wrong go wrong go wrong

I think I found a bug^undocumented feature of wildcard utility...

Current-ish model 4-door Impala (2007, I think, though conceivably an
'08) in our motor pool. When you turn the ignition switch off and
close the door, the radio goes off. So far so good.

Then you realize you need to log the mileage. You go back into the
car through the *passenger* side (since it's easier to get at in this
parking space), turn the key to activate the electronic odometer, turn
off the switch, withdraw the key, lock the locks, leave.

Some minutes later you go back to the car and discover that the radio
is still on! Yep, the computer is only smart enough to offer a
radio auto-offer via the dome light switch in the driver's side
door. Go in through the passenger side and you could end up
serenading the spiders under the trunk lid all night, or until the
battery went dead, whichever came first...

This is repeatable. Shifter's in Park, key is off and out, radio's
playing. (Also determined that any transition of the driver's-side
door when the key is out will shut down the radio.)

Not sure whether this is a design oversight or just part of the
groundwork for the upcoming robot insurrection,
--Joe
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  #2  
Old February 13th 08, 01:50 AM posted to rec.autos.tech,alt.autos.gm
Nate Nagel[_2_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 4,686
Default Radio automatic turnoff: nothing can go wrong go wrong go wrong

Ad absurdum per aspera wrote:
> I think I found a bug^undocumented feature of wildcard utility...
>
> Current-ish model 4-door Impala (2007, I think, though conceivably an
> '08) in our motor pool. When you turn the ignition switch off and
> close the door, the radio goes off. So far so good.
>
> Then you realize you need to log the mileage. You go back into the
> car through the *passenger* side (since it's easier to get at in this
> parking space), turn the key to activate the electronic odometer, turn
> off the switch, withdraw the key, lock the locks, leave.
>
> Some minutes later you go back to the car and discover that the radio
> is still on! Yep, the computer is only smart enough to offer a
> radio auto-offer via the dome light switch in the driver's side
> door. Go in through the passenger side and you could end up
> serenading the spiders under the trunk lid all night, or until the
> battery went dead, whichever came first...
>
> This is repeatable. Shifter's in Park, key is off and out, radio's
> playing. (Also determined that any transition of the driver's-side
> door when the key is out will shut down the radio.)
>
> Not sure whether this is a design oversight or just part of the
> groundwork for the upcoming robot insurrection,
> --Joe


GM just doesn't sweat the details. There's lots of niggling little
things to hate about the Impala, not the least of which are the doors
that you can't push fully open from a seated position but love to swing
shut on you while you're halfway out of the car, and the parking brake
that goes out of adjustment between oil changes.

NB: my experiences are with an '05, maybe the reskin changed some of
these issues. But I'm still hoping for a different car next time around
(only 8500 more miles! I can't wait!)

nate

--
replace "roosters" with "cox" to reply.
http://members.cox.net/njnagel
  #3  
Old February 13th 08, 03:12 AM posted to rec.autos.tech,alt.autos.gm
ROY BRAGG
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 113
Default Radio automatic turnoff: nothing can go wrong go wrong go wrong

I don't know about the 2007, but my 2000 Impala will turn off the radio
regardless which door is opened after turning off the ignition. Also, I can
press the odometer/trip button to display mileage with the key off--a trick
a learned from my service rep at the dealership. The '05 is basically the
same car as mine, and I've had no problem whatever with the parking brake
going out of adjustment.
Roy
"Nate Nagel" > wrote in message
...
> Ad absurdum per aspera wrote:
>> I think I found a bug^undocumented feature of wildcard utility...
>>
>> Current-ish model 4-door Impala (2007, I think, though conceivably an
>> '08) in our motor pool. When you turn the ignition switch off and
>> close the door, the radio goes off. So far so good.
>>
>> Then you realize you need to log the mileage. You go back into the
>> car through the *passenger* side (since it's easier to get at in this
>> parking space), turn the key to activate the electronic odometer, turn
>> off the switch, withdraw the key, lock the locks, leave.
>>
>> Some minutes later you go back to the car and discover that the radio
>> is still on! Yep, the computer is only smart enough to offer a
>> radio auto-offer via the dome light switch in the driver's side
>> door. Go in through the passenger side and you could end up
>> serenading the spiders under the trunk lid all night, or until the
>> battery went dead, whichever came first...
>>
>> This is repeatable. Shifter's in Park, key is off and out, radio's
>> playing. (Also determined that any transition of the driver's-side
>> door when the key is out will shut down the radio.)
>>
>> Not sure whether this is a design oversight or just part of the
>> groundwork for the upcoming robot insurrection,
>> --Joe

>
> GM just doesn't sweat the details. There's lots of niggling little things
> to hate about the Impala, not the least of which are the doors that you
> can't push fully open from a seated position but love to swing shut on you
> while you're halfway out of the car, and the parking brake that goes out
> of adjustment between oil changes.
>
> NB: my experiences are with an '05, maybe the reskin changed some of these
> issues. But I'm still hoping for a different car next time around (only
> 8500 more miles! I can't wait!)
>
> nate
>
> --
> replace "roosters" with "cox" to reply.
> http://members.cox.net/njnagel



  #4  
Old February 13th 08, 04:06 AM posted to rec.autos.tech
[email protected] cuhulin@webtv.net is offline
Banned
 
First recorded activity by AutoBanter: Aug 2006
Posts: 3,416
Default Radio automatic turnoff: nothing can go wrong go wrong go wrong

A neighbor across the street from me owns an Impala, I think he said it
is a 2001 model.A few weeks ago, he paid over $500.00 to get a security
alarm thingy repaired.
cuhulin

  #5  
Old February 13th 08, 04:44 AM posted to rec.autos.tech,alt.autos.gm
Bob M.
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 78
Default Radio automatic turnoff: nothing can go wrong go wrong go wrong

"Ad absurdum per aspera" > wrote in message
...
>I think I found a bug^undocumented feature of wildcard utility...
>
> Current-ish model 4-door Impala (2007, I think, though conceivably an
> '08) in our motor pool. When you turn the ignition switch off and
> close the door, the radio goes off. So far so good.
>
> Then you realize you need to log the mileage. You go back into the
> car through the *passenger* side (since it's easier to get at in this
> parking space), turn the key to activate the electronic odometer, turn
> off the switch, withdraw the key, lock the locks, leave.


If all you want is the basic mileage, (not the trip odometer reading),
there's no need to use keys. Just push the button next to the odo & it will
show the miles for about 10 seconds.

  #6  
Old February 13th 08, 05:05 AM posted to rec.autos.tech
[email protected] cuhulin@webtv.net is offline
Banned
 
First recorded activity by AutoBanter: Aug 2006
Posts: 3,416
Default Radio automatic turnoff: nothing can go wrong go wrong go wrong

The mechanical speedometer in my 1978 Dodge van also has a (trip
odometer?) beneath the odometer.The more fancy those new cars get, the
complex and complicated they are.The only things I could work on, on
cars like that is change a flat and change the spark plugs and oil and
oil filter and air filter.I am staying with my old, old, old
vehicles.Much better for me.
cuhulin

  #7  
Old February 13th 08, 01:05 PM posted to rec.autos.tech,alt.autos.gm
HLS
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 1,418
Default Radio automatic turnoff: nothing can go wrong go wrong go wrong


"Nate Nagel" > wrote in message
> GM just doesn't sweat the details.


Irritating, to say the least.
  #8  
Old February 13th 08, 03:18 PM posted to rec.autos.tech,alt.autos.gm
C. E. White[_2_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 617
Default Radio automatic turnoff: nothing can go wrong go wrong go wrong


"Nate Nagel" > wrote in message
...
Ad absurdum per aspera wrote:
> I think I found a bug^undocumented feature of wildcard utility...
>
> Current-ish model 4-door Impala (2007, I think, though conceivably an
> '08) in our motor pool. When you turn the ignition switch off and
> close the door, the radio goes off. So far so good.
>
> Then you realize you need to log the mileage. You go back into the
> car through the *passenger* side (since it's easier to get at in this
> parking space), turn the key to activate the electronic odometer, turn
> off the switch, withdraw the key, lock the locks, leave.
>
> Some minutes later you go back to the car and discover that the radio
> is still on! Yep, the computer is only smart enough to offer a
> radio auto-offer via the dome light switch in the driver's side
> door. Go in through the passenger side and you could end up
> serenading the spiders under the trunk lid all night, or until the
> battery went dead, whichever came first...
>
> This is repeatable. Shifter's in Park, key is off and out, radio's
> playing. (Also determined that any transition of the driver's-side
> door when the key is out will shut down the radio.)
>
> Not sure whether this is a design oversight or just part of the
> groundwork for the upcoming robot insurrection,
> --Joe


There is a time limit on the retained accessory power, no matter whether you
open the driver's door or not. If you would sit there and wait, you will
find that the radio eventually cuts off no matter how tricky you get exiting
the passenger door.

Ed


  #9  
Old February 13th 08, 11:19 PM posted to rec.autos.tech, alt.autos.gm
N8N
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 3,477
Default Radio automatic turnoff: nothing can go wrong go wrong go wrong

All I can say is my experiences are what they are... having grown up
in PA (and even now my driveway has a steep slope) I set the parking
brake every time I leave the car, and it's been adjusted at least
twice already and it's not working again - feels like there is a
spring or something in the linkage somewhere, doesn't feel directly
connected to the cable. I can push the pedal all the way to the floor
and it doesn't keep the car from rolling back onto the park pawl.
I'll ask the garage to tighten it up whenever I think of it and it'll
work for a while and then within a month it'll stop working again.

Still not as annoying as the driver's door that actively tries to kill
me every time I get out of the car. there's a nice boot print on the
map pocket where I kick it every time I open the door to keep it from
swinging shut on me before I can get out of the car. (learned that
trick right quick after spilling about half a cup of coffee into my
hard hat and all over a roll of drawings.) Problem is that it tends
to shut itself even on level ground, and the first "catch" in the
hinges isn't strong enough to hold the door open, but a normal
person's arms aren't long enough to fully open the door until you are
already out of the seat.

I forgot to mention the keyless entry that requires about 5 button
presses to unlock the door... can't count the number of times I've
nearly peeled off one of my fingernails on those #$%^ door pulls
thinking the door was unlocked when it wasn't... speaking of which,
why did it take GM so long to move away from those horrible flapper
style door handles to a proper loop style like everyone else? (I
believe those are actually required in ECE countries) the old chrome
loop-and-button things were perfectly fine too, why mess with a
perfectly functional design?

What's the deal with providing a rear window defogger but no heated
outside mirrors? It's way easier to scrape ice off the rear window
than it is those little mirrors...

I swear, my 50 year old Studebaker doesn't have nearly as many
ergonomic utter and complete failures as Vlad the Impala and is more
fun to drive to boot. (of course, it would be nice to *have* outside
mirrors, rear window defogger, windhshield washers, air conditioning,
etc...)

I suspect that more uplevel versions of my car might have some of the
things I'm missing, although I think GM might have shot themselves in
the foot by selling such El Strippo vehicles as fleet vehicles...
people who drive fleet cars do occasionally buy personal use vehicles
as well, you know, and my impression of GM based on this car isn't
particularly good. And, of course, higher trim levels can't fix
fundamental problems like the design of the doors and handles,
although I did see that they provided proper door handles for the '06
facelift.\

I'm just bumming that the supposed Zeta-platform RWD Impala keeps
getting pushed back/maybe cancelled... I can't imagine how that
couldn't be a VAST improvement over the current platform.

nate

On Feb 12, 9:12*pm, "ROY BRAGG" > wrote:
> I don't know about the 2007, but my 2000 Impala will turn off the radio
> regardless which door is opened after turning off the ignition. *Also, I can
> press the odometer/trip button to display mileage with the key off--a trick
> a learned from my service rep at the dealership. *The '05 is basically the
> same car as mine, and I've had no problem whatever with the parking brake
> going out of adjustment.
> Roy"Nate Nagel" > wrote in message
>
> ...
>
>
>
> > Ad absurdum per aspera wrote:
> >> I think I found a bug^undocumented feature of wildcard utility...

>
> >> Current-ish model 4-door Impala (2007, I think, though conceivably an
> >> '08) in our motor pool. *When you turn the ignition switch off and
> >> close the door, the radio goes off. *So far so good.

>
> >> Then you realize you need to log the mileage. *You go back into the
> >> car through the *passenger* side (since it's easier to get at in this
> >> parking space), turn the key to activate the electronic odometer, turn
> >> off the switch, withdraw the key, lock the locks, leave.

>
> >> Some minutes later you go back to the car and discover that the radio
> >> is still on! * *Yep, the computer is only smart enough to offer a
> >> radio auto-offer via the dome light switch in the driver's side
> >> door. * Go in through the passenger side and you could end up
> >> serenading the spiders under the trunk lid all night, or until the
> >> battery went dead, whichever came first...

>
> >> This is repeatable. *Shifter's in Park, key is off and out, radio's
> >> playing. *(Also determined that any transition of the driver's-side
> >> door when the key is out will shut down the radio.)

>
> >> Not sure whether this is a design oversight or just part of the
> >> groundwork for the upcoming robot insurrection,
> >> --Joe

>
> > GM just doesn't sweat the details. *There's lots of niggling little things
> > to hate about the Impala, not the least of which are the doors that you
> > can't push fully open from a seated position but love to swing shut on you
> > while you're halfway out of the car, and the parking brake that goes out
> > of adjustment between oil changes.

>
> > NB: my experiences are with an '05, maybe the reskin changed some of these
> > issues. *But I'm still hoping for a different car next time around (only
> > 8500 more miles! *I can't wait!)

>
> > nate

>
> > --
> > replace "roosters" with "cox" to reply.
> >http://members.cox.net/njnagel- Hide quoted text -

>
> - Show quoted text -


  #10  
Old February 14th 08, 09:20 PM posted to rec.autos.tech,alt.autos.gm
Ad absurdum per aspera
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 410
Default Radio automatic turnoff: nothing can go wrong go wrong go wrong


> If all you want is the basic mileage, (not the trip odometer reading),
> there's no need to use keys. Just push the button next to the odo & it will
> show the miles for about 10 seconds.


Indeed, it does. One of the buttons in the column to the right of
the instrument cluster does this -- the one with the icon that one is
reluctant to push because it seems equally likely to mean either
"dome light" or "shower." Ah, well; buttons labeled only with
graphical metaphors that reach Rorshachian levels of cryptical
evocativeness are hardly unique to either GM or cars; they pervade the
me-Tarzan world of post-linguistic user interfaces, and are fun to try
and figure out when stuck in traffic.


: There is a time limit on the retained accessory power, no matter
whether you
: open the driver's door or not. If you would sit there and wait, you
will
: find that the radio eventually cuts off

That's reassuring. Five minutes or so was a large enough value of
"eventually" to cut off my confidence.

(Could be worse. My former car-in-law, an early 90s Mitsubishi, had
three computers, one of which was called ETACS or AWACS or NIKE AJAX
or some such thing and had no jobs apparent to me besides doing a half-
minute fade-to-black on the interior lights and giving marching orders
to the motorized mouse who ran up and down the door frame with the
shoulder harness in his teeth. None of these controllers among 'em
was smart enough to realize that since you'd removed the key and
closed the door, maybe you didn't want to leave the parking lights on
forever. Complicated technology isn't necessarily a bad thing.
Complicated technology with either bugs or gaping oversights within
its bailiwick drives me nuts. Give me either complexity that is
properly sorted out in some way that makes my life better, or give me
simplicity.)


| GM just doesn't sweat the details. {...} NB: my experiences are
with an '05;
| maybe the reskin changed some of these issues.

In a lot of ways I really like that Impala and could imagine being
pretty happy with one of my own. Sure, I'm spotting it a couple of
quibbles given its basicness, like whether a handling package would
make the steering feel a bit less numb and isolated, but even in motor-
pool trim it seems quiet and comfortable and gives a subjective
impression of great solidity. The present V6 in particular is a real
honey. The car is roomy and I find it attractive. All in all it
seems like a fine evolutionary fit for the traditional ecological
niche of the Impala.

Then I drive one of its stablemates assigned to another department in
the next building, and the driver's-side window makes a fingernails-on-
a-blackboard sound all the way up and all the way down, at an age of
less than a year. Details...

--Joe



 




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