We need to take Climate Change seriously

[Dibya]

Share Your ideas how we can deal with climate , specially how can we deal with e waste .

[Tripredacus]

The jury is out on whether we can even do anything to stop or change the path of the climate, however it is more important that we can agree that pollution of any sort is bad and we can always do more to cut down on that and make our environment better for each other.

E-waste is primarily caused by many things, of which I can think, but these may be limited to the US.

- manufacturers creating products with planned obsolescene and/or not following standards, resulting in short lifespans.
- manufacturers using designs that are not publicly documented, or keep documentation behind paywalls or subscription plans.
- manufacturers that replace whole parts (such as boards) instead of fixing or replacing individual components.
- manufacturers that sue repair shops
- trades (in general) not seen as important and not taught in schools, especially electronics

Going back to the 1990s, there were repair shops all over the place. You could take you electronic gadget to get fixed and it was an actual fix and not just a PCB replacement. Or you could get the service manual and do the work yourself. Even to this day, if you buy some older electronic device, you can find the service manual online and be able to do a repair yourself. With new products, that isn't an option.

As things changed, the removal of electronic repair shops, the disappearing of stores to buy components (although most can be found online), the ceasing of schools teaching trades like electronics/repair and likely the fact that costs have come way down on products has made it so people do not have the same attachment to something they once had. It is cheaper to just "buy a new one" instead of trying to find someone to repair it. Companies do replace products if they are under warranty, but they are doing wholesale changes and does not solve the e-waste issue. It is cheaper for a company to just replace a PCB and sell the "bad" one to a recycler than to spend time to diagnose and repair a problem.

So in the current day, there is too few options for what to do with broken or unwanted electronics. Pay a recycler to take the thing? Put it out into the garbage? Throw it into the woods or the ocean? We had a ton of electronics years ago and didn't have this waste problem because the products lasted longer and they could be fixed. And fixing something was cheaper than buying a replacement, or cheap enough to make waiting for a repair a better option than buying a new one.

[i430VX]

I can't speak with regard to most other countries, but I've heard that (relatively) unregulated recycling markets (like in United States) leads to trouble. I guess that would explain why my school had a fake recycling program for several years, all of it just going into the trash, but getting a tax credit anyway. Similarly, the curbside recycling program here recently got gutted, only accepting paper, cardboard, clear glass, tin/alum cans, and #1/#2 plastic. I guess the rest isn't as profitable, so they don't bother, because nobody is making them bother. However, our state seems to have an awesome e-waste program. Most towns seem to have municipal drop-off points, and a nearby e-waste company is able to recycle an absolutely ridiculous amount of things. I know someone who worked closely with that e-waste company, it's all really recycled, too!
 

Edited July 17, 2020 by i430VX
make location more correct

[UCyborg]

 

[Dixel]

This will all end as usual , yet another tax or forced regulation on the shoulders of the Western European and/or Canadian , US , Australian and New Zealand customers/population. And we will pay for the whole planet , while the rest will pollute as usual , if not more . Why there's no discussion on what's going on with the waste in Asian countries or Russia, for example . Anyone ? ... silence ...

Oh , excusez-moi , I forgot for a moment , nowadays it's just so "trendy" to bash the US and/or the West.

 

[InterLinked]

On 7/13/2020 at 8:37 AM, Tripredacus said:

The jury is out on whether we can even do anything to stop or change the path of the climate, however it is more important that we can agree that pollution of any sort is bad and we can always do more to cut down on that and make our environment better for each other.

E-waste is primarily caused by many things, of which I can think, but these may be limited to the US.

- manufacturers creating products with planned obsolescene and/or not following standards, resulting in short lifespans.
- manufacturers using designs that are not publicly documented, or keep documentation behind paywalls or subscription plans.
- manufacturers that replace whole parts (such as boards) instead of fixing or replacing individual components.
- manufacturers that sue repair shops
- trades (in general) not seen as important and not taught in schools, especially electronics

Going back to the 1990s, there were repair shops all over the place. You could take you electronic gadget to get fixed and it was an actual fix and not just a PCB replacement. Or you could get the service manual and do the work yourself. Even to this day, if you buy some older electronic device, you can find the service manual online and be able to do a repair yourself. With new products, that isn't an option.

As things changed, the removal of electronic repair shops, the disappearing of stores to buy components (although most can be found online), the ceasing of schools teaching trades like electronics/repair and likely the fact that costs have come way down on products has made it so people do not have the same attachment to something they once had. It is cheaper to just "buy a new one" instead of trying to find someone to repair it. Companies do replace products if they are under warranty, but they are doing wholesale changes and does not solve the e-waste issue. It is cheaper for a company to just replace a PCB and sell the "bad" one to a recycler than to spend time to diagnose and repair a problem.

So in the current day, there is too few options for what to do with broken or unwanted electronics. Pay a recycler to take the thing? Put it out into the garbage? Throw it into the woods or the ocean? We had a ton of electronics years ago and didn't have this waste problem because the products lasted longer and they could be fixed. And fixing something was cheaper than buying a replacement, or cheap enough to make waiting for a repair a better option than buying a new one.

Exactly, I'd say these are all excellent points.

I know retrocomputers comprise a good portion of this forum, and as such they/we are all doing our part insofar as electronics go.

Today, nothing is built to last, all kinds of rare earth minerals are endlessly purged and wasted - look at sour companies like Apple. They are the epitome of planned obsolescence. Proprietary hardware, exclusive software, planned obsolescence, hardware and software incompatibility, and mobile first. As an environmentalist, it disgusts me. As a technology enthusiast, it disgusts me even more.

I'm also a bit of a telephone collector, sort of. My main phones are all vintage Bell System / Western Electric 500 rotary or 2500 TouchTone sets. Those things were built to last. I've plugged in 80 year old phones and those just work! Personally, I don't use anything older than the 500, which started in 1949. The F-style handsets before '49 are too uncomfortable. The G-style handsets on modern rotary and on 2500-type and Princess phones are the best. They're still widely used today - on pretty much all payphones and 2554 courtesy phones you often see in hotels, hospitals, convention centers, etc.

I don't have a mobile (cell "phone") of any kind. Absolutely no interest in dropped calls, crappy call quality, brain cancer, wasting energy, or having a useless "computer" the size of a fingernail. Or something that needs to be charged over and over. It's so nice not having to charge ANYTHING on a regular basis. And MUCH better for the environment. Also, did I mention cell phone audio quality sucks? It really does.

This kind of lifestyle is a complete rejection of e-waste, fads, frivolity, etc. I believe in things that work well that work well for a long time that are quality, durable, environmentally friendly, and top notch.

So, environmentalist technologist types, here we are:

- Using older operating systems and reusing or refurbishing older hardware

- Using timeless telephones built to last. No cheap/expendable electronics here. Probably I'll die before any of my phones do. Half of them are already older than my parents. If anything ever breaks (doubt it), easy, just open up the phone and fix it. They were made for that. (SIDE NOTE: remember when you could actually go to a REAL phone story and buy a phone? Now, the only phone store is eBay, maybe flea markets. You try finding one these days, all you find is junk, maybe a couple real modern electronic phones in Office Depot if you're lucky...)

- Using wired technologies. Ethernet cables are a superior species to radio waves. Seriously, who wants a high-latency low-quality connection? Ditch the Wi-Fi and cordless phones, and even more, ditch the 3G/4G/5G/etc.

- Not subscribing to the whole continuous never-ending "upgrade" culture. As Windows 7 -> Windows 10 has shown (or pick your favorite good OS -> bad OS transition), the wow doesn't always start now, sometimes it already started and it's OK to hop off the train for a while, maybe forever.

P.S. Vista is a good OS, I mean that in a different way.

Technology today is responsible for about as much CO2 as the entire airline industry today - about 2%. So, technologists have a responsibility to the environment. Anyways, I'll be here, all Ethernet wired up, using Windows 7, Office 2010, Adobe Reader 11, and my classic top-notch telephones, no wireless or cordless products in sight!

It's more than most people in developed Western countries are doing, at least 95% or maybe 99% of folks, so a good start I'd say!

Edited December 27, 2020 by InterLinked

[NojusK]

7 hours ago, InterLinked said:

Exactly, I'd say these are all excellent points.

I know retrocomputers comprise a good portion of this forum, and as such they/we are all doing our part insofar as electronics go.

Today, nothing is built to last, all kinds of rare earth minerals are endlessly purged and wasted - look at sour companies like Apple. They are the epitome of planned obsolescence. Proprietary hardware, exclusive software, planned obsolescence, hardware and software incompatibility, and mobile first. As an environmentalist, it disgusts me. As a technology enthusiast, it disgusts me even more.

I'm also a bit of a telephone collector, sort of. My main phones are all vintage Bell System / Western Electric 500 rotary or 2500 TouchTone sets. Those things were built to last. I've plugged in 80 year old phones and those just work! Personally, I don't use anything older than the 500, which started in 1949. The F-style handsets before '49 are too uncomfortable. The G-style handsets on modern rotary and on 2500-type and Princess phones are the best. They're still widely used today - on pretty much all payphones and 2554 courtesy phones you often see in hotels, hospitals, convention centers, etc.

I don't have a mobile (cell "phone") of any kind. Absolutely no interest in dropped calls, crappy call quality, brain cancer, wasting energy, or having a useless "computer" the size of a fingernail. Or something that needs to be charged over and over. It's so nice not having to charge ANYTHING on a regular basis. And MUCH better for the environment. Also, did I mention cell phone audio quality sucks? It really does.

This kind of lifestyle is a complete rejection of e-waste, fads, frivolity, etc. I believe in things that work well that work well for a long time that are quality, durable, environmentally friendly, and top notch.

So, environmentalist technologist types, here we are:

- Using older operating systems and reusing or refurbishing older hardware

- Using timeless telephones built to last. No cheap/expendable electronics here. Probably I'll die before any of my phones do. Half of them are already older than my parents. If anything ever breaks (doubt it), easy, just open up the phone and fix it. They were made for that. (SIDE NOTE: remember when you could actually go to a REAL phone story and buy a phone? Now, the only phone store is eBay, maybe flea markets. You try finding one these days, all you find is junk, maybe a couple real modern electronic phones in Office Depot if you're lucky...)

- Using wired technologies. Ethernet cables are a superior species to radio waves. Seriously, who wants a high-latency low-quality connection? Ditch the Wi-Fi and cordless phones, and even more, ditch the 3G/4G/5G/etc.

- Not subscribing to the whole continuous never-ending "upgrade" culture. As Windows 7 -> Windows 10 has shown (or pick your favorite good OS -> bad OS transition), the wow doesn't always start now, sometimes it already started and it's OK to hop off the train for a while, maybe forever.

P.S. Vista is a good OS, I mean that in a different way.

Technology today is responsible for about as much CO2 as the entire airline industry today - about 2%. So, technologists have a responsibility to the environment. Anyways, I'll be here, all Ethernet wired up, using Windows 7, Office 2010, Adobe Reader 11, and my classic top-notch telephones, no wireless or cordless products in sight!

It's more than most people in developed Western countries are doing, at least 95% or maybe 99% of folks, so a good start I'd say!

I definitely agree with you, older electronics were built to last, that's why I love using them over new ones for sure! Even Soviet electronics, that were told to be avoided, still last for me to this day without any major repairs.

[Mr.Scienceman2000]

On 12/27/2020 at 3:05 PM, InterLinked said:

I don't have a mobile (cell "phone") of any kind.

here they stopped use of landlines by increasing price of contract to ridiciliously high compared gsm prices then stopped selling landlines with excuse nobody wants use. Sure nobody does when it was ridiously high priced to push cell phones. So there is no option. I here. I chose less evil option. Older early 2000 GSM mobile phones (got few nokia, siemens and samsung ones). In finland we got good GSM coverage, last time had call dropping 12 years ago.  I miss landline as option.

On 12/27/2020 at 3:05 PM, InterLinked said:

- Using timeless telephones built to last. No cheap/expendable electronics here. Probably I'll die before any of my phones do. Half of them are already older than my parents. If anything ever breaks (doubt it), easy, just open up the phone and fix it. They were made for that. (SIDE NOTE: remember when you could actually go to a REAL phone story and buy a phone? Now, the only phone store is eBay, maybe flea markets. You try finding one these days, all you find is junk, maybe a couple real modern electronic phones in Office Depot if you're lucky...)

all my cellphones from late1990/early 2000 have survived and still operated. Few of them needed fresh battery after been sitting forever in closet. Back in day cell phones were built to last too but one point they started reduce body/build quality and blocking repairs. All I need to take apart my 6600 is needle. Not all cell phones are total garbage and breaking. Most just think cell phone as iPhone or other non locked down device not oldschool one. If they ever drop GSM I stop using phones. Not going to modern smartphone in any case.

[Mr.Scienceman2000]

What is strange many think new products are better for climate and safer than keeping using old one. Nothing is user servicable today.

Issue is beyond electrical devices. It even affects todays car industry. Many modern car for example you cannot even change battery. Car refuses start engine if old battery been drained to empty and/or removed to good charged one and need take it service to make it work again. Also modern car sensors causes lot of issues. I know few cases where brake by wire caused car car accident since brakes did not work. And peoples say buying new car is good for climate and safer than old ones...

 

Back in day many peoples drove cars until it broke then fixed and kept driving. There was lot car mechanics to do stuff like replace drivetrain, change headgasket etc. Many properly cars made it until 400 000-500 000km before needed any big maintenance. Nowadays cars are designed last way less since "who drives car over 10 000km nowadays". Today car companies wants you buy new car instead or repairing old one. I dare to say 40 year old saab 900 turbo with 2.0l engine that been properly maintained is way better to climate than any modern car that is meant last few years at best since repairbility. If companies would make simple user repairable cars with manual transmission, no drive assistants, fusebox accessible under hood, normal gauge cluster without fancy displays, no computers and reliable but simple engine I would buy it but it seems nobody does.

[InterLinked]

5 hours ago, Mr.Scienceman2000 said:

What is strange many think new products are better for climate and safer than keeping using old one. Nothing is user servicable today.

Yup!

5 hours ago, Mr.Scienceman2000 said:

Issue is beyond electrical devices. It even affects todays car industry. Many modern car for example you cannot even change battery. Car refuses start engine if old battery been drained to empty and/or removed to good charged one and need take it service to make it work again. Also modern car sensors causes lot of issues. I know few cases where brake by wire caused car car accident since brakes did not work. And peoples say buying new car is good for climate and safer than old ones...

Back in day many peoples drove cars until it broke then fixed and kept driving. There was lot car mechanics to do stuff like replace drivetrain, change headgasket etc. Many properly cars made it until 400 000-500 000km before needed any big maintenance. Nowadays cars are designed last way less since "who drives car over 10 000km nowadays". Today car companies wants you buy new car instead or repairing old one. I dare to say 40 year old saab 900 turbo with 2.0l engine that been properly maintained is way better to climate than any modern car that is meant last few years at best since repairbility. If companies would make simple user repairable cars with manual transmission, no drive assistants, fusebox accessible under hood, normal gauge cluster without fancy displays, no computers and reliable but simple engine I would buy it but it seems nobody does.

I have no plans to ever buy a new car. I probably won't even consider buying anything that's not at least 40 or 45 years old when I get one.

6 hours ago, Mr.Scienceman2000 said:

here they stopped use of landlines by increasing price of contract to ridiciliously high compared gsm prices then stopped selling landlines with excuse nobody wants use. Sure nobody does when it was ridiously high priced to push cell phones. So there is no option. I here. I chose less evil option. Older early 2000 GSM mobile phones (got few nokia, siemens and samsung ones). In finland we got good GSM coverage, last time had call dropping 12 years ago.  I miss landline as option.

all my cellphones from late1990/early 2000 have survived and still operated. Few of them needed fresh battery after been sitting forever in closet. Back in day cell phones were built to last too but one point they started reduce body/build quality and blocking repairs. All I need to take apart my 6600 is needle. Not all cell phones are total garbage and breaking. Most just think cell phone as iPhone or other non locked down device not oldschool one. If they ever drop GSM I stop using phones. Not going to modern smartphone in any case.

If there really aren't, maybe you can look into VoIP as an option? At least you can use good quality landline phones instead of POS mobiles that sound and feel like crap.

[UCyborg]

On 4/21/2021 at 8:55 AM, Mr.Scienceman2000 said:

And peoples say buying new car is good for climate and safer than old ones...

There are hints that the time may come when old cars just won't be acceptable anymore due to emissions. Regarding safety, do they mean crash resistance? Renault 5 does fall apart rather easily.  What about the bulkiness of many modern cars? Is it all about safety standards, something about being easier on the unlucky pedestrians if they're hit or are there other reasons?

Does anyone have an experience with CHECK light? Mine's been on for years, it was said there's nothing to worry about. It stays off for a day or two after yearly mechanic visit and on a very rare ocassion, when it may decide to stay off for few days. It seems not a single year passes when the mechaninc doesn't find anything to fix. I didn't get around asking him what he thinks about that light though.

So the manual says it's about emission control system and the description that something's wrong with the system for driving the engine and that the car should be taken to official manufacturer's workshop. Then I read on some site that the most radical and expensive solution might be replacing catalytic converter and one of the easier solutions that could work was to pour in a can of Cataclean fuel additive and eventually reset the warning light, which you can supposedly do by unplugging the battery for several minutes. Now I wonder if that Cataclean is actually good for something. Also, the gas stations here all have the text on the pump that says their fuel cleans the engine. 

Edited May 21, 2021 by UCyborg

[NotHereToPlayGames]

I've worked third-tier auto industry for close to 27 years, domestic and import hybrids, currently transitioning to electric over hybrid.

It's a lengthy debate and people always have "their side" and can't be talked out no matter what "science" or "math" has to say.

The rule of thumb given to me by Engineers much higher and smarter than I has always been a 25/35 Rule of Thumb.

The way they describe it is that if you have a vehicle getting 25 mpg and you are car-shopping for something that gets 35 mpg, YOU ARE BETTER OFF WITH THE 25 MPG!

Twenty Five is better than thirty five!

It's more convoluted than simply looking at depreciation value, resale value, upkeep costs, et cetera.

Look at it this way, you "impact" the environment to MANUFACTURE a new car.

And you "impact" the environment to take a twenty year old car getting 25 to 30 miles to the gallon and sending it to the junk yard.

Think "fleet fuel efficiency" - you just discarded a car getting 25 to 30 when "fleet average" is only 24.9 (2019 EPA data, a mere 5.6mpg increase over 15 years of data).

So you put something in the trash only for it to be "replaced", on average (Engineers use the term "aggregate"), with something with a LOWER fuel efficiency.

This is old but it's also the research our Engineers still reference - in 2004, Toyota reported that 28% of an automobiles entire life cycle emissions are all generated by the manufacture and transport to the dealership.

Let me put that this way, I have a neighbor that has owned three Toyota Prius's in the last 11 years.

With 28% of an entire life cycle of emissions being generated BEFORE he even visited the dealership for his trade-in, he has impacted the environment much more adversely than I have!

And I drive a Jeep that only gets 18 city and 24 highway.

But I also live 0.7 miles from the office, work from home on most days, and get SIX WEEKS plus on ONE TANK of gas.

Edited May 21, 2021 by ArcticFoxie

[Mr.Scienceman2000]

2 hours ago, UCyborg said:

Regarding safety, do they mean crash resistance? Renault 5 does fall apart rather easily.

 

you have likely never driven Saab 900 turbo or old Volvo. French cars fell apart even as brand new. Saab and Volvo tested cars to safety since 1980 and seen saab getting hit hard to side without driver injuries and doing barrel roll and on both driver survived no injuries and car body held expect bumper and few other parts which absorded energy. They were overkill on safety back in day and still are. But yeah would avoid most of old cars for that reason.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9fw9nou_G8

here video from what topgear where they more extreme with 1980 saab 900 turbo

2 hours ago, UCyborg said:

There are hints that the time may come when old cars just won't be acceptable anymore due to emissions.

yeah not like Volkswagen or other faked their modern car emission tests ever. VW jetta diesel versions had sensor detecting emission test and reduced engine power to pass and be was not only company which did/is doing so. So I really would not trust company wording about them. And good luck trying reach those emission or consumptions in real life.

2 hours ago, UCyborg said:

Does anyone have an experience with CHECK light? Mine's been on for years, it was said there's nothing to worry about. It stays off for a day or two after yearly mechanic visit and on a very rare ocassion, when it may decide to stay off for few days. It seems not a single year passes when the mechaninc doesn't find anything to fix. I didn't get around asking him what he thinks about that light though.

Only time had was because had water on fuel tank on one Opel (since near empty tank for too long and cold and warm). What year car you got? For most cars cheap eml327 dongle will do the trick. It will simply pop in. You can find one off ebay. Then you need diag software that can work with your car. For GM it is hardest find one since GM does something to make code access hard using third party utils (also affect Opels which were owned by GM). Newest car I know EML dongle to work is my friend 2009 Honda Civic SI. Also if your car is old enough/manufacture is kind enough to allow it there may be secret button combination to show error code on radio display or at digital mileage/metric meter on dashboard. You can find if there is any to your car using forums and others.

2 hours ago, UCyborg said:

So the manual says it's about emission control system and the description that something's wrong with the system for driving the engine and that the car should be taken to official manufacturer's workshop.

It can be O2 sensor too that monitor exhaust emission to adjust engine. Do you have excess fuel use or lack of horsepower? For example car is not stable on idle or to accerelate. Not neccessarily catalysator fault

2 hours ago, UCyborg said:

Cataclean fuel additive and eventually reset the warning light, which you can supposedly do by unplugging the battery for several minutes. Now I wonder if that Cataclean is actually good for something. Also, the gas stations here all have the text on the pump that says their fuel cleans the engine. 

One other thing that may trigger error light is dirty injection system. Not always catalysator unless you got exact ecu error code. If code wont point to catalysator I would recommend unplugging that battery for while, get fuel injector cleaner and add it to petrol. Then drive car fuel tank near empty and refill it to max and see if stays away. HOWEVER. If you plan pull battery make sure car manuals says you can (due some new ones got that thing on ecu causing engine not to work) and that you know possible radio unlock code. Some cars need code to unlock radio after unplugging. If car need code it is usually back of owner manual otherwise no worries.

 

And for final do not get me wrong. I am not modern stuff hater that "modern technology is bad and cannot see good sides". I am not hating modern or old techology, I hate abusive technology. Nowadays planned obsolence, user tracking every single way, limit what user can do with equipment they paid,advertising and other so I do not want use some products for that reason. I do have lot of modern technlogy at home and can say that some things like hard drives, fan bearings/bearings overall for example have improved a lot in recent years. Had not have bad sectors on hdd and bad sectors are not ok anymore, they are defect, SSD brings speed while no need worry head crash if drop laptop or move it too quickly.

I try select products that easily fixable, reliable, not too locked down or contain too abusive features. Examples of what I find as abusive features are advertisement in OS by default (Windows 95 IE4 desktop update, Windows 98FE, Android (non degoogled), IOS. MacOS, Windows 8, Windows 10, Tiger Telematics  Gizmondo smart adds version (luckily Never had or saw one), modern car navigators (Android auto))

Old and modern technology can and will live in harmony just fine atleast on me. And I do not say I am right, these are just my opinions and I respect other opinions as long other respect mines and wont push their opinions down anyones throat. Like my signature has "if it works for the user"

 

Edited May 21, 2021 by Mr.Scienceman2000

[InterLinked]

2 hours ago, UCyborg said:

There are hints that the time may come when old cars just won't be acceptable anymore due to emissions.

So far, everything has been grandfathered in, and hopefully that would continue to be the case. What are they going to do, pull you over and ask for you MPG?

All the electric cars do anyways is relocate the emissions from the tailpipe to the smokestack. The environmental "benefits" are a complete joke. Lithium batteries are extremely toxic, and store energy non-densely.

2 hours ago, UCyborg said:

Regarding safety, do they mean crash resistance? Renault 5 does fall apart rather easily.  What about the bulkiness of many modern cars? Is it all about safety standards, something about being easier on the unlucky pedestrians if they're hit or are there other reasons?

Does anyone have an experience with CHECK light? Mine's been on for years, it was said there's nothing to worry about. It stays off for a day or two after yearly mechanic visit and on a very rare ocassion, when it may decide to stay off for few days. It seems not a single year passes when the mechaninc doesn't find anything to fix. I didn't get around asking him what he thinks about that light though.

So the manual says it's about emission control system and the description that something's wrong with the system for driving the engine and that the car should be taken to official manufacturer's workshop. Then I read on some site that the most radical and expensive solution might be replacing catalytic converter and one of the easier solutions that could work was to pour in a can of Cataclean fuel additive and eventually reset the warning light, which you can supposedly do by unplugging the battery for several minutes. Now I wonder if that Cataclean is actually good for something. Also, the gas stations here all have the text on the pump that says their fuel cleans the engine. 

 

[UCyborg]

13 hours ago, Mr.Scienceman2000 said:

you have likely never driven Saab 900 turbo or old Volvo.

True, but I was involved in an accident many years ago as a child. My mum drove then shiny new Volvo S40, a model made in 1999, we were going out from the home neighborhood and she got out on the intersection to the main road too early as the speeding Renault 5 was driving down the main road, the speed limit on that road is 70 km/h. The driver couldn't stop it in time and we were hit from behind. Not much was felt, there was just a loud bang. Renault was totally kaput on the front side, the driver was OK I think, Volvo only took slight damage.

13 hours ago, Mr.Scienceman2000 said:

What year car you got?

2001 Volkswagen Polo with 1.0 petrol engine.

13 hours ago, Mr.Scienceman2000 said:

Do you have excess fuel use or lack of horsepower? For example car is not stable on idle or to accerelate.

I'm not sure about fuel consumption because I don't have information about its consumption history before I got it in 2017. Some guys from some not really car specific magazine gathered information about fuel consumption from approval tests of 25 most common cars around these parts in 2016, the consumption of the petrol cars ranged from 5.97 to 8.01 liters per 100 km. Mine is about 6.3 liters (only if we can assume petrol stations' pump gauges are trustworthy). My everyday routes are quite ideal though, mostly highway, so the engine can run at constant speed most of the time.

The only oddity I noticed this spring, it happens occassionally that the engine loses its breath for a second or two, when the RPM goes down a bit. One time it happened, CHECK light also blinked. This car required replacement of ignition cables couple of times in the past, the current are about 3 years old, maybe it's happening again?

13 hours ago, Mr.Scienceman2000 said:

One other thing that may trigger error light is dirty injection system. Not always catalysator unless you got exact ecu error code. If code wont point to catalysator I would recommend unplugging that battery for while, get fuel injector cleaner and add it to petrol.

Alright, I also read that light could mean many things, so I guess I'd need to buy one of those diagnostic tools and figure out where the heck to plug it in to get the exact code. Quick searching suggests it's somewhere under steering wheel.

Edited May 22, 2021 by UCyborg