After reading the Edmunds experience repairing the aluminum F150, but having to also replace a very expensive safety nanny, I'm interested to read a feature article about the pros and cons of some of these newer safety features (lane departure warning, adaptive cruise, blind-spot monitoring, etc)
Questions such as:
1. Do they work well in Canadian winters? Many of these things seem to rely on sensors/cameras, but will they work if the vehicle is covered in snow or ice?
2. For LDW, how obvious do the lane stripes have to be before this will work (or is it based on something else other than lane stripes, like straight-line trajectory?) Just thinking during my drive yesterday - most of the lane stripes right now are either covered in snow/sand/slush, or the paint has totally faded anyway. Would LDW work?
3. What is the cost of replacing these systems? Are they stand-alone components, or would the entire housing have to be replaced? (headlight, bumper, side panels, etc.)
4. Is there any significant difference between MNFRs in terms of the effectiveness of these systems? Is there one car brand that does them really well, or really poorly?
I still don't want any of these things on next vehicle - KISS - but it's definitely the direction the industry is going, so it wouldn't hurt to know more about them.