Car's in the shop, so I'm driving a fancy loaner. It's one of those no key just a fobber jobbers, and I spent a stupid and pitiless few minutes trying simply to make it GO, thinking that maybe it drove like the push button rental Prius that stumped me in Virginia a little while back. (Which, btw, I loved -- even with no key.)
At least the loaner provides a slot for the fob, which you depress to fire up the engine. A friend of mine drives a car that requires only that the fob be with you, and gives you no ignition slot to receive it. What are you supposed to do: put it in your pocket?
Apparently: yes.
The fob solution strips out one of the more satisfying tactile haptics about driving a car: the feeling of sliding it in, hearing it click, and turning it to go. Sure yeah it's suggestive of something carnal and crude and entirely piston-driven. THAT'S OKAY WITH ME.
Not to mention that this design trend away from the key in favor of the fob deprives us of one of our more satisfying metaphors: because, honestly, why would I *want* to give anyone the fob to my heart?
Right. No. I wouldn't.
6 comments:
Possible urban legend: Guy's dog swallows his immobilizer fob (which needs to be near the car in order for it to start.) So for three days, he has to take the dog everywhere with him. Why three days? I'm sure you can figure it out.
I'm guessing a Nissan? I had a Nissan as a rental recently and I left the car running three times because you don't have to disengage a key. I'd just get out of the car and leave it running. Nice.
What's next? Telepathy? Just THINK your car into gear. zoiks.
If key matters, drive a saab; if not, you are doing it wrong :)
> What's next? Telepathy?
You say that like its a bad thing.
p.s. Captcha just called me a wankatz and made me type it. How humiliating.
I suppose there are arguments against standardization, but I really, really wish that either all automatic toilets, faucets, and soap dispensers worked precisely the same way, OR that there were clear, visible instructions. I hate standing in bathrooms waving my arms around like an idiot. I imagine if I lived a life full of rental cars that all started differently, I'd feel the same about standardization of ignitions systems.
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