Betsy vs IS - thoughts after just over one week.

[e-yes]

15 minutes ago, Mincey said:

And another thing, I'm wondering whether she has cornering lights. They're described in the manual and I'm convinced that when I made a left turn in the dark yesterday on the way to Leicester, more of the road was illuminated. I may be wrong - it happens quite a lot.

Yes, cornering lights as well.

[peniole]

3 hours ago, Mincey said:

There's a small channel with rubber seal on the leading edge (I think that's what it is...)

double glazing is what that is 🙂

[Vlady]

Rain Free side windows? How is that!? I will google it! 🙂

@Mincey very interesting review! Well done and thanks, I think whoever (I am) is interested in ES will find it very useful! 

[Mincey]

Bear with me on this one - I may be losing my mind. Or not.

Last night, I was tasked with visiting the local Next to collect a delivery for the current Mrs Mincey. I got into Betsy, who was as usual, parked on the driveway. After completing the start up sequence (seat belt on, wait to be gently ushered towards the Start button, foot on brake, push the Start button, wait for Ready light), I put Betsy in gear and pressed the accelerator. Nothing happened.

"Come on old girl, what's the matter?" I enquired. Betsy was keeping schtum. She often does this.

I pressed the accelerator more firmly. Still no movement was forthcoming.

"Hmm," I thought to myself. Was the parking brake on? I checked the dashboard and no lights were giving any indication of this. I prodded the handbrake button just in case. There was still no movement in a rearwards direction.

Had Betsy suffered a terrible malfunction? Was I going to have to call the AA? This was not a good moment. I was concerned. 

It was then that I looked down at the gear lever. It was in D, and not R. Bearing in mind that I've been driving automatics backwards off this driveway since 2007, this was an odd thing to have done.

So this got me thinking. I'd parked Betsy close enough to the garage door for her to emit some warning bleeps the last time I drove her. Was she aware that if I was to drive off in D, I'd have gone straight through the garage door? Was this some devilishly clever self-preservation feature which I was not aware of? It is of course something which I would not put to the test, but I can promise you, she was not going to go anywhere until I realised my mistake and put her in R.

 

[peniole]

Yes it's a feature that just saved you an expensive front end repair and a garage door replacement. Won't go in reverse too if there was something in the way, including a small child (although that last one I think is a Takumi spec thing iirc, not sure but not testing it).

[paulrnx]

I think you should probably be a bit more careful about what gear you select when moving off!! 🤣 I wouldn’t rely on the car bailing you out every time 😀

[beyond the blue]

Love reading your posts Mincey.

[Mincey]

2 hours ago, peniole said:

Yes it's a feature that just saved you an expensive front end repair and a garage door replacement. Won't go in reverse too if there was something in the way, including a small child (although that last one I think is a Takumi spec thing iirc, not sure but not testing it).

Very clever, these Japanese! 😃

[Mincey]

2 hours ago, paulrnx said:

I think you should probably be a bit more careful about what gear you select when moving off!! 🤣 I wouldn’t rely on the car bailing you out every time 😀

Absolutely - I have no idea why I did it. I must be getting old...

[LenT]

1 hour ago, Mincey said:

I must be getting old...

Not you too James!

What is the World coming to?

[e-yes]

@Mincey

Just curious, were the parking sensors beeping or was it just a silent denial to make any forward motion at all ?

Thanks,

--E

[Mincey]

5 minutes ago, e-yes said:

@Mincey

Just curious, were the parking sensors beeping or was it just a silent denial to make any forward motion at all ?

Thanks,

--E

Total silent denial! Had the front parking sensors been bleeping, I might have realised earlier what was going on.

[e-yes]

12 minutes ago, Mincey said:

Total silent denial! Had the front parking sensors been bleeping, I might have realised earlier what was going on.

That is so odd !

My guess is you have uncovered an untested edge case (pun intended).

I have had my car apply brakes while reversing due to RCTA once and it is not a very pleasant experience. There is a visual warning in the dash which says BREAK! highlighted in red and it is quite an abrupt jolt tbh. I don't remember now clearly but it was beep accompanied as well.

And of course, I am also not encouraging you to repeat your test please 🙂 

Maybe speak to the dealer and they may be able to escalate this upwards ?

Let me see if I can find something in the manual.

-E

[e-yes]

Hmm... this is what is in the manual.

[Mincey]

7 minutes ago, e-yes said:

That is so odd !

My guess is you have uncovered an untested edge case (pun intended).

I have had my car apply brakes while reversing due to RCTA once and it is not a very pleasant experience. There is a visual warning in the dash which says BREAK! highlighted in red and it is quite an abrupt jolt tbh. I don't remember now clearly but it was beep accompanied as well.

And of course, I am also not encouraging you to repeat your test please 🙂 

Maybe speak to the dealer and they may be able to escalate this upwards ?

Let me see if I can find something in the manual.

-E

I had the BRAKE! warning kick in on my IS300h when I was going though some roadworks. One lane was traffic light controlled and I smoothed out the exit back onto the correct side of the road instead of jinking back again. The system clearly thought I was about to have a head-on with a waiting car, but no, I was in control. There wasn't any automated braking but there were beeps a-plenty. With Betsy's incident this week, there was nothing. I would have expected the parking sensors to go off as soon as I put her in Drive, as they had been sounding when I parked. She certainly wasn't going to go forwards as I was pressing the accelerator harder than usual before I realised that I was indeed a muppet of the highest calibre.

[Mincey]

Just now, e-yes said:

Hmm... this is what is in the manual.

I don't recall the "Object Detected Acceleration Reduced" message appearing. However, I shall take one for my Club Chums here. I'll try it again, but make sure that I'm covering the brake pedal just in case....

[Mincey]

I have just replicated the test. Tonight, Betsy alerted me to the close proximity of the garage door immediately with a series of beeps and warning messages. She also let me edge as close to the door as I dare without intervening. I think Betsy may be a little contrary. She is a female after all, so it wouldn't come as any surprise. Perhaps it's a little game she likes to play. Who knows - perhaps it's just me!

[e-yes]

13 minutes ago, Mincey said:

I have just replicated the test. Tonight, Betsy alerted me to the close proximity of the garage door immediately with a series of beeps and warning messages. She also let me edge as close to the door as I dare without intervening. I think Betsy may be a little contrary. She is a female after all, so it wouldn't come as any surprise. Perhaps it's a little game she likes to play. Who knows - perhaps it's just me!

But... I think the test would be to turn it off completely, go indoors, have a cup of tea, come back out, get in the car again and try to drive in to the closed garage door ? That would/should replicate what was experienced earlier ie Silent denial.

But, really... leave it be 🙂

--E

[paulrnx]

Reminds me again of an accident somewhere in Chelsea outside a school. A 4x4 was neatly parked on top of the bonnet of a low slung coupe. The driver of the 4x4 was heard to say “that’s not supposed to happen, I have rear parking sensors”. I wonder if this holds any sway on an insurance claim form when asked “in your opinion whose fault was the accident?”

Mincey will be able to state on his claim form that he was testing out a hitherto unknown feature that didn’t work as expected. That will be enough for a no-fault claim I’m sure!! 🤣

[Mincey]

12 hours ago, e-yes said:

But... I think the test would be to turn it off completely, go indoors, have a cup of tea, come back out, get in the car again and try to drive in to the closed garage door ? That would/should replicate what was experienced earlier ie Silent denial.

But, really... leave it be 🙂

--E

I'm not giving up on this one! 

[Mincey]

Just done the first fill up - an Excel calculated 41.56mpg compared with 36ish from the IS for similar journeys. Betsy, you're a good girl. This is on that watered down petrol too. 

[peniole]

What did the car read out? Pump calculation for me is off by 1 MPG compared to car.

[Mincey]

23 minutes ago, peniole said:

What did the car read out? Pump calculation for me is off by 1 MPG compared to car.

42.9 on the car vs 41.6 calculated (3.23% out) so more or less the same as you. My IS was between 2 and 5.5% out. 

[Mincey]

Ahem - I've found something which isn't as well designed on Betsy as it is on the IS.

Whilst loading the old girl with some stuff this afternoon, I noticed that the struts (hinges? The bits which the boot lid is fastened to) do not slide into a specially designed recess/hole like they do on the IS. This means that if you are not careful, you can smush - to use the technical term - your stuff when the boot lid is closed. I'm probably not making much sense here. Hopefully you will know what I mean. If not, I'll take some photos tomorrow when it is light.

[peniole]

Just now, Mincey said:

Ahem - I've found something which isn't as well designed on Betsy as it is on the IS.

Whilst loading the old girl with some stuff this afternoon, I noticed that the struts (hinges? The bits which the boot lid is fastened to) do not slide into a specially designed recess/hole like they do on the IS. This means that if you are not careful, you can smush - to use the technical term - your stuff when the boot lid is closed. I'm probably not making much sense here. Hopefully you will know what I mean. If not, I'll take some photos tomorrow when it is light.

You are correct! Just came back from Germany with our last carfull, it is somewhat of an issue if you're not careful.