Ultra-Safe New Cars Are Being Hilariously Outwitted By The Humble Car Wash
Car makers have invested billions in autonomous driver assist technologies, but that doesn’t mean they’re immune to failure. Turns out the latest generation of so-called safety aids is being outwitted by the humble automated car wash.
Not that we’re advocating use of your local grit-ridden, paint-destroying machine car wash, but you have to hand it to the bristly little buggers. When certain new car models head into the car wash under their own steam, the forward-looking sensors can’t tell the difference between the brushes and, say, the side of a house. And so, they hit the brakes – hard.
Some 33 cars including the Volvo XC90, BMW 7-series and Chevy Spark are all guilty for one reason or another.
Best Ride is even reporting cases where cars have crashed into others ahead of them because the latter keeps slamming its brakes on.
In other examples, washing stations where the driver has to leave the car in neutral, get out and wait while their car is pulled along are falling foul of automatic handbrakes. Every time the car stops as part of the process the handbrake activates and the house of cards comes crashing down. Hilarious.
With no standard operating system and no common way to turn these systems off, needless to say the International Car Wash Association (no, really) isn’t happy.
Of course, most of the manufacturers have known about this risk all along. Some cars even have a warning buried in small print on page 4789 of the user manual, stating the terms and special measures that you’ve got to take before you run it through a car wash.
Let us be the first to say to you, car owners of the world: maybe you should just wash your car yourself.
Comments
At least they dont set on fire right?
lesson learned, don’t put a home made convertible people carrier on an automated car wash
COUGH COUGH
What if the cars are actually trying to avoid the paint-destroying machines and cry inside all along bagging for the owner to stop? :’(
Oh my God, why didn’t we think of that?
Imagine them crying inside, seeing the car wash as torture. But seriously now, this is comment of the week material
Mind blown
O.O #illuminaticonfirmed
Are they really that bad?
I’ve always really hated the Tesla Model X (cough Pontiac Aztec cough) I thought that tesla was taking advantage of people, this gives me another reason to hate it.
Elon Musk is so proud of himself, thinking he is some kind of holy saviour sent from above, but really, when hydrogen cars come along, they will be both cheaper and more efficient. As of the range, let’s not even go there…
Your strongly encouraged to not take a Mode X into a Touch car wash because of soft Tesla’s paint.
I don’t really get how
Tesla’s design is actually quite generic.
I’m kind of disappointed that there wasn’t a video of a car freaking out in a car wash
I was expecting a video too, they had 33 cars!
Guess its gonna be an unlimited car wash for the ultra safe new cars XD
It’s like robot wars
I hate modern age with its modern ass cars
Mazda MX-5 NA is more practical than modern cars. This proves it!
Maybe you should just drive your car yourself, instead of having a dangerous malfunctioning piece of error-ridden software that can’t be turned off (said the IT engineer).
A few months ago I read about a Range Rover where the motorised tailgate opened itself in the middle of the car wash. Luckily it didn’t get too much water in so the damage was limited to around £1200. I think these automatic door opening systems are cool, but when stuff like this happens, not so cool.