A car expert is going viral on TikTok after sharing three common features of modern cars that he said will lead to issues down the line.
User @therichflow, who posts daily car-related content to his page, started his video by questioning why auto manufacturers made these tweaks. “I honestly wish [they] never started doing these in the first place,” @therichflow said. “I’m not even sure what made them popular.” As of Friday, his video calling out the so-called problematic features had amassed 82,700 views.
3 problems with modern cars
The first feature that @therichflow said he took issue with is the automatic start button that turns cars on and off. He said the issue with this function is that it “increases the strain” on your car’s battery and engine. In addition, @therichflow said he’s heard horror stories about the auto start function simply not working. He added, too, that he doesn’t have this feature on his car because “I don’t want to deal with it.”
Next, @therichflow criticized manufacturers’ use of small turbo-charge engines. He said one benefit of these engines is that they have better gas mileage, but noted that they had plenty of downsides, too. He said, for instance, that there’s a lot of maintenance needed for these engines, as most can only last for 100,000 to 150,000 miles.
“Your engine is working harder everyday,” @therichflow said. “If your engine’s revving higher, that means it’s working harder, which means it’s not going to last as long as… an engine that might be slightly bigger.”
The last thing @therichflow said he despised in newer cars is their reliance on the CVT engine. He called out Nissan, in particular, which is facing dwindling sales, but said that other car manufacturers are guilty for using CVTs as well.
“I notice more and more brands are starting to bring CVT transmissions into their cars. And CVT transmissions are known to be somewhat problematic.” Plus, he said, they don’t last that long.
In another story covered by the Daily Dot, a second mechanic said to avoid cars with CVTs because “they are literally junk… [and] fall apart.”
Why some car manufacturers implement these changes
According to the r/AskMechanics subreddit, new cars from manufacturers including Honda, Nissan, and Toyota have become more reliant on CVTs. Other redditors criticized this type of engine, too, noting that it doesn’t “last as long and [is] nearly impossible to work on.”
CVTs are cheaper to manufacture and supposedly have better mileage, which means fewer emissions per mile driven.
Even though a slate of redditors said that they, too, despised CVTs, others said that there are some upsides to these engines.
“The CVT is a very dependable transmission if you maintain it properly,” one Redditor said. “I have 296,000 [miles] on my original CVT.”
“They are variable up to an extent (better gas mileage), and mostly smooth when well built,” another wrote.
As far as the push to start function goes, there are pros and cons to this system, too. According to Car Parts, Mercedes Benz popularized the use of keyless systems in 1988. The pros to this system, they noted, are that it prevents car theft, can reduce the risk of locking your key inside your vehicle, and enables remote locking and unlocking.
But they also have their limitations. For instance, Car Parts noted that some of the disadvantages of push-start cars are that replacement fobs are more expensive to replace. TAS Electronics, however, dispelled the rumor that remote starters cause engine damage, as @therichflow claimed.
“Many auto experts agree that the negligible wear caused by periodic remote starts does not substantially shorten engine life,” it wrote. “Potential benefits of preheating the engine outweigh any slight reduction in longevity.”
Viewers torn
In the comments of @therichflow’s video, several drivers defended some of the modern features that the expert said he hated.
“Small turbo cars are nice,” one user said. “Ppl just run em like race cars.”
“Small turbos for fuel efficiency have been around for awhile and haven’t caused anything crazy,” another pointed out. “The motors they’re attached to are built for more boost than the turbo allows from factory.”
“I agree with you on the auto start stop feature and the little tiny engines,” a third person said. “As far as CVT Toyota hybrids are extremely reliable.”
Others, however, agreed with @therichflow’s thinking and shared horror stories of how these relatively-new car functions have impacted them personally.
@therichflow Would You Agree?#greenscreen #cars #carfeatures #m340 #bmw #honda #hondaaccord #civic #turbo #turboproblems #nissan #nissaltima #cvt #transmission ♬ original sound – The Rich Flow
“The start/stop killed my battery and burnt out multiple fuses,” one man shared.
“Auto start stop is TERRIBLE FOR TURBOCHARGED CARS !!” another said.
“Auto stop start caused me to have a car wreck at a green light bc i couldn’t just get up and go, it delayed me turning,” another viewer added.
The Daily Dot has reached out to @therichflow via TikTok comment.
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