In what is a sign of what is important in modern cars, several Car Makers have been forced to pause production because of the shortage of Computer Chips.

https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/industr...r-shortage FL2 XS SD4 Auto 2010 2012-2017 (21k - 91k miles) (MY2011)
FL2 Metropolis SD4 Auto 2014 2017- (16k - 76k+ miles) (MY2015)

Slight moment of panic there - thought you were talking about the potato variety!  Steve

2008 TD4 HSE Auto, Zermatt Silver

Did someone post

With a decline in new car sales of circa 30% the industry will use any problem to cut back on production after all we all are paying the furlough wage bill. MY 09 GS manual in Lago Grey, Wood Co arm rest and side bumper strips - now sold.

MY 15 SD4 SE Auto Orkney Grey with colour coded Bumper Door Mouldings

I don't see it as part of a conspiracy to hide lack of demand for cars, but just an example of how we have increasingly become reliant on computers to do things for us.

I remember when all engines/vehicles had 'characteristics' such as hesitation at certain speeds or throttle positions, or needed individually learnt methods of starting according to the prevailing weather/temperature.

We now accept that the engine starts first time, every time, with no problem, and are alarmed if the engine shows a slight hesitation when pulling at low revs.

I now live in a world where even my washing machine is more clever, than me.

Even as I write this, I am constantly corrected by my laptop, which says it can spell better than me.

PS - It can! FL2 XS SD4 Auto 2010 2012-2017 (21k - 91k miles) (MY2011)
FL2 Metropolis SD4 Auto 2014 2017- (16k - 76k+ miles) (MY2015)

Sign of "the Times" - Chip Shortage





You were spot-on there Ian. Lower front page of today's 'Pink Pages'

IanMetro wrote:

I remember when all engines/vehicles had 'characteristics' such as hesitation at certain speeds or throttle positions, or needed individually learnt methods of starting according to the prevailing weather/temperature.

lifted from another internet site.

"Stick in a carburetor in the engine, winders for the windows, rack and pinion steering and no need for any microchips aha its been done before but oh oh emission rules says: no carbs without chips !!"

SteveC wrote:

Slight moment of panic there - thought you were talking about the potato variety!

Don’t panic, your wish is our command......plenty around.....

Click image to enlarge

 Regards

David

Lovely i6 has now gone, but not me......

Please let me know if anything in my post offends you, as I may wish to offend you again......

I Like Chips wrote:

IanMetro wrote:

I remember when all engines/vehicles had 'characteristics' such as hesitation at certain speeds or throttle positions, or needed individually learnt methods of starting according to the prevailing weather/temperature.

How true like the Viva HB I had five lifetimes ago. I started it with a stubby screwdriver.

I had a HA Viva, similar to the one pictured below, for about 4 years (1964-6 and 60k miles.
It was, on the whole, quite reliable considering the abuse I subjected it to.

In my keenness, I carried out several modifications, as I used it for Motor Club activities, including one attempt at a National Level Rally, overnight, in Norfolk. That wasn't very successful as following a several hour wait (because of my lowly starting position) I retired a couple of hours later, in a forest, with absolutely no brakes or exhaust.

Other mods that I would not recommend included;
Wider rims & (radial) tyres from the HA van version, complete with spacers. - ruined 2 sets of wheel bearings before I got the message.
Larger carburettor and multi branch exhaust manifold (straight thro exhaust) - allowed me to rev and overwork the engine for a while until it shed bits of a plug into the bore and caused a piston ring to stick. - the expense of replacement led me on the path towards the financial advantages of mechanical sympathy.

Overall the my Viva served me very well including a year driving in Germany, also a very interesting trip across East Germany to Berlin, during the Cold War. I returned, back to West Germany, over the border, just in time in August 1968, the day before the Czechoslovakia Uprising. I had my family with me at the time, as I said, my Viva did not let me down.

Click image to enlarge

PS 'I like Chips' - I didn't mean to alarm you by my title! FL2 XS SD4 Auto 2010 2012-2017 (21k - 91k miles) (MY2011)
FL2 Metropolis SD4 Auto 2014 2017- (16k - 76k+ miles) (MY2015)

My first car back in the 60's was a HA Viva - lost money when the Savundra insurance scam went pop. Who remembers the David Frost interview of Savundra, cutting edge at the time.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emil_Savundra MY 09 GS manual in Lago Grey, Wood Co arm rest and side bumper strips - now sold.

MY 15 SD4 SE Auto Orkney Grey with colour coded Bumper Door Mouldings

I remember the older blokes in work during the tea breaks talking about being done over by Savundra and that was years afterwards. In the space of a day they all found themselves without car insurance.