V 8.0 Autopilot

[Old Wyseguy]

I've recently gotten the Ver. 8.0 update and fully expected the autopilot feature to be more responsive than it is. In straight line driving in traffic I found it (for the most part) reduces speed earlier and smoother when approaching stopped traffic and that was impressive. However, tonight on a slightly twisty 2 lane, newer pavement with very fresh and clearly defined lanes the auto steering was awful. I mean to the point of going 2 or 3 feet across the double yellow and actually driving onto the shoulder of the road a foot or more past the white line to the right. I am fully confident any car following me was calling me in as a drunk driver. ( I did NOT take over steering in either case simply to see just how far off course it would go.)
It continued to search left to right (within the marked lane) to the point my wife said, "Turn it off, I'm going to be sick!".
I fail to see why the algorithms in the controller cannot more accurately calculate the radius of the curves and input the proper amount of signal into the steering actuator to stay precisely between a clearly marked lane.
Any feedback on this would be appreciated. Any one else experiencing the same/similar phenomenon?

For the record I've indicated my car in my signature.

 

[TrafficEng]

I had a similar experience yesterday on v8. Awful auto steer. However, I noticed some very faint streaking (only visible when the sun shone at a particular angle) on the windscreen from the wipers.

I cleaned the area over the camera with some wipes, and on the rest of the trip the auto steer was MUCH better. Back to 7.1 behavior. Try giving the camera area a really good clean, and see if it helps?

 

[Old Wyseguy]

I had a similar experience yesterday on v8. Awful auto steer. However, I noticed some very faint streaking (only visible when the sun shone at a particular angle) on the windscreen from the wipers.

I cleaned the area over the camera with some wipes, and on the rest of the trip the auto steer was MUCH better. Back to 7.1 behavior. Try giving the camera area a really good clean, and see if it helps?

I don't feel that was the case here. Just the day before I spent 7 hours detailing it for a car show. I did look closely at the camera opening and it appears there might be some clear (adhesive?) on the inside of the camera perhaps refracting sunlight. However I did not have this problem prior to v8. I mean really, the car wandered down the road like a lost puppy.

 

[TrafficEng]

Hmmm interesting. I have been watching AP very closely today for a repeat of the behavior, and so far I can't repeat the 'drunk puppy' behavior since I cleaned the windscreen. What I can confirm is that I'm sure that I had a 'streaked' windscreen on 7.1, and indeed the car did not wander on 7.1. So my impression is that the reading of the lines, and auto steer, has indeed been changed in v8 (confirming your observation) and is much more 'brittle' and prone to wandering. It's just that I cannot repeat the problem now that I have cleaned the windscreen.

I will look at 'streaking' the windshield with the wipers before my next drive (indeed it was the wipers sweeping off the morning dew that streaked the windshield on my weekend trip) and see if I can reproduce the wandering behavior/streaked windshield correlation. Stand by...

 

[jaimedp1]

Yes, I have had the same problem with auto steer since I downloaded 8.0. I will check the camera on in the windshield but I, too, did not have this problem with version 7.

 

[Old Wyseguy]

Last nights oddities: For about the first 5 to 7 minutes the system failed to "see" the speed limit signs and the headlights would not auto dim. When I engaged autopilot it held the set speed (48MPH), then slowed as speed restricted popped up, then sped back up, then slowed and sped up and slowed . . . I turned it off.
Speaking of turning it off, I noticed last night that when the cruise of AP is engaged or dis-engaged the radio volume drops momentarily. Perhaps this has been ongoing and I just became aware of it.

 

[jspayneii]

I noticed that the proximity sensors seem to be more sensitive than 7.1. It seems that I will be pushed out of the center of the lane when the proximity trips. It is even pushing me away from some of the higher curbs.

 

[Old Wyseguy]

I noticed that the proximity sensors seem to be more sensitive than 7.1. It seems that I will be pushed out of the center of the lane when the proximity trips. It is even pushing me away from some of the higher curbs.

I have not noticed that yet. Doesn't mean it's not doing it. Unless of course it seems extreme

 

[bananaheim]

I am also having the same "drink puppy" behavior ever since the update. I notice the car wandering out of lanes, even in cases where the dash display indicates that it sees the lane lines. The problem is most pronounced when there is no traffic in the surrounding lines. To me, it seems the problem may be a result of the car relying too much on the radar sensors and not enough on the camera data.

 

[Old Wyseguy]

I am also having the same "drink puppy" behavior ever since the update. I notice the car wandering out of lanes, even in cases where the dash display indicates that it sees the lane lines. The problem is most pronounced when there is no traffic in the surrounding lines. To me, it seems the problem may be a result of the car relying too much on the radar sensors and not enough on the camera data.

Yes, mine also had the lane lines showing on the display. And there was very little traffic or I would NEVER have allowed it to steer that far across the center line. And like I stated earlier, even the lines were very newly painted so easy for the system to read.

 

[Boatguy]

My experience with 8.0 is that the TACC is much smoother which I enjoy, but the auto-steer is either the same or worse. I suspect other posters are correct that the switch from camera primary to radar primary has improved some areas, like TACC, but made things like line recognition much worse. The lack of other vehicles around means the radar is not very useful and with the camera relegated to confirming or supporting the radar, there is less data to work with when no other cars are around.

I previously used the TACC more than the auto-steer and that usage pattern is biased even more towards TACC in 8.0. I now use auto-steer in only very selective situations.

As in other areas, 8.0 was for the most part a step backwards, not forwards.

 

[hybridbear]

My experience with 8.0 is that the TACC is much smoother which I enjoy, but the auto-steer is either the same or worse. I suspect other posters are correct that the switch from camera primary to radar primary has improved some areas, like TACC, but made things like line recognition much worse. The lack of other vehicles around means the radar is not very useful and with the camera relegated to confirming or supporting the radar, there is less data to work with when no other cars are around.

I previously used the TACC more than the auto-steer and that usage pattern is biased even more towards TACC in 8.0. I now use auto-steer in only very selective situations.

As in other areas, 8.0 was for the most part a step backwards, not forwards.

I don't find TACC to be as smooth as I am so I mostly just use Autopilot for Autosteer. Autosteer is way worse in 8.0. My big issue is that I didn't install 8.0 because of these problems. I requested that the Service Center not install it when my car went in for service. And then, some employee at the Service Center did install it.

 

[Boatguy]

I don't find TACC to be as smooth as I am

Agreed, neither v7 or v8 are as smooth as a human driver. I just found v8 to be smoother than v7.

 

[Gig103]

I didn't have V7, but I have found that AP is only reliable on the freeway. Around town it brakes late and I don't feel comfortable with its ability to keep in lanes, even though Phoenix roads are very well marked and mostly straight.

 

[hybridbear]

I didn't have V7, but I have found that AP is only reliable on the freeway. Around town it brakes late and I don't feel comfortable with its ability to keep in lanes, even though Phoenix roads are very well marked and mostly straight.

Autosteer is only designed for the freeway. TACC can be used in the city, with the same amount of caution that you'd exercise with any cruise control system in city driving.