Topic: 10 dumbest options for your car?

[RunsinLight]

Saw this article by Kenzie. I found myself agreeing with almost everyone.

http://www.wheels.ca/reviews/article/782517

[quadzilla]

Here is the list.....

1. Remote car starters
2. Fog lights
3. Sunroofs
4. Leather upholstery
5. Rear view mirror fashions
6. Transponder ignitions
7. Paint protection
8. Undercoating
9. Rear deck spoilers
10. Steering wheel covers

What manufacturer has "Rear view mirror fashion" and "Steering wheel covers" options you could get on a car? I agree with 7, 8 though.

Still I found the list to be more of options that he doesn't like and most of his reasons are strange.

Don't get leather because they are hot/cold and you slide around all the time. I don't have those problems.

I'd never buy a car without a sunroof. I guess he thinks you should always drive with the a/c on and never have 'fresh' air by opening a window/roof.

I've had good fog lights on my Mazda6 and they have helped me many times. Isn't his beef more to do with poorly made fogs and people that drive with them on all the time.

And somebody should tell Porsche that spoilers are stupid. I'm sure the would love to know that.

[Shnak]

I wholeheartedly disagree about fog lights, sunroof, paint protection (no matter how good the paint is, you'll get plenty of chips, especially on the hood). I always like to add a hood deflector; doesn't cost a lost, does a great job at deflecting pebbles, and looks great I think!

On the other hand, I completely agree with seperate starter button, leather (except when ventillated or has a mix of leather and cloth), undercoating and spoilers of any kind.

Also, I'm not quite sure how #5 (rear view mirror decorations) and #10 (steering wheel covers) make this list... those aren't things you buy with your car, they're things you buy at CT!

All in all, Kenzie just sounds like an old cranky guy, like he always does...

[Shnak]

This guy in the comments gets it...

In summary, what the article says: it's a dumb option because ... mmm ... I don't like it ... or .. people use it wrong (spoilers). There isn't a single good argument in the article ... well, there is an attempt at an argument on 1 ... but what does a remote starter have anything to do with idling for too long ? Those are separate issues.

[wing]

6?  No key is the best thing since sliced bread !

[RunsinLight]

Fog lights aren't the problem its the idiots that use them every day

[dash]

Kenzie, Is failing to acknowledge what was a luxury item many decades ago is now considered a standard item, and some those,  like safety feature ABS, TCS, and Air bags are worthy features to have.  I do agree that option packages are marketing tool to up-sell options that many us would not really want to pay for or really need.
I’m guilty of having many of those features listed, I can rationalize the need for most, but all in all, I don’t need them to get from point A to B. Most of us feel that a car is not an appliance, is an extension of part of who we are. 

Yeah, there is blatant overuse of fogs. I use mine on fogy days only and if I’m behind a string of cars, I turn them off,  I use them only when I’m basically solo on the road.

[johngenx]

Yes, the 911 body had a serious improvement in high speed stability from the addition of the "whale tail."  However, my Corolla does not need a large-ish trunk mounted spoiler.

On the majority of cars, the fog lights are cosmetic.  We had a very foggy morning the other day, so I used the ones on the Scoob, and I couldn't really tell any difference.

Most paint protection and undercoatings sold at dealers are worthless, and the same is true for fabric protection.  Well, some of it works, but the cost is very high.  They push it on you because they make a huge margin, not because it's any good for your car.

The factory remote starters have short range, no features, and are stupidly expensive.  The aftermarket units encourage unnecessary idling.  The only reason I had one in the past was for the cold temp starting feature that started the car periodically if the temperature dropped below a pre-set threshold.  This meant I could leave my car at trailheads in the winter and at -30C, it would start even not being plugged in for days.

I have enjoyed sunroofs in many of my cars, and seemed to be lucky never experiencing some of the problems that others did.  Nicest in spring and fall.

[tenpenny]

I don't find many cars with fog lights - even my Outback doesn't have fog lights.  It has what I would call 'ditch lights', which are white and point down and to the sides, but they aren't yellow, so they're not fog lights.

Real yellow fog lights do help in the fog.  But they aren't very common.

As for remote starters, his comments about not idling a car to warm it up has some validity, but I can tell you that my Subaru's transmission does not like to shift when it's cold, so I would rather warm it up so it behaves better.

The stupidest option in my mind is the patch of shag rug that Nissan offers on the dash of the, Cube I think.

[The Mighty Duck]

The stupidest option in my mind is the patch of shag rug that Nissan offers on the dash of the, Cube I think.

Yeah... I was expecting a list of some eccentric, silly options like Nissan's shag rug. Instead it's just some guy whining about stuff he doesn't like.

Keyless go? Leather seats? Fog lights? Sunroofs? These are all personal preference... hence why they're "options" on lots of cars.

Article fail.

[quadzilla]

I don't find many cars with fog lights - even my Outback doesn't have fog lights.  It has what I would call 'ditch lights', which are white and point down and to the sides, but they aren't yellow, so they're not fog lights.

Real yellow fog lights do help in the fog.  But they aren't very common.

A fog light is the beam pattern of short/wide where a driving light is long/narrow. The colour has nothing to do with it.

[random006]

I can only agree on a few items on the list:  "fashion accents", rear deck spoilers on "A-to-B" cars, remote starters top the choices here.

However, I find sunroofs to be quite useful as well as pleasant.

The fog light item is well taken, however I agree that it is more to do with the implementation and subsequent use rather than the idea of them.  Fog lights should be in the longer wavelength part of the spectrum, with yellow-white probably being the best compromise between brightness and penetration.  The pure white ones will simply illuminate the fog.

Here a couple of links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fog_lights#Colour_of_light_emitted
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selective_yellow

People do use them inappropriately.  The one exception with which I would agree is to help out some poorly adjusted headlights or when one of them goes out and you must drive at night before you get a chance to get to a garage or parts store.

[ktm525]

I think he is partially off base.

Fog lights: Calgary doesn't experience many foggy days but yesterday it was thick thick thick. So thick that the fog lights did help in illuminating the line defining the shoulder on the rural road I was travelling down. In this instance they were worth every penny.

Leather: With little monsters in the rear seat I really appreciate the wipeability of leather. Ever get mud/chocolate milk/vomit off of a light cloth fabric?

The rest I can agree with.

[vdk]

I think he is partially off base.

Fog lights: Calgary doesn't experience many foggy days but yesterday it was thick thick thick. So thick that the fog lights did help in illuminating the line defining the shoulder on the rural road I was travelling down. In this instance they were worth every penny.

Leather: With little monsters in the rear seat I really appreciate the wipeability of leather. Ever get mud/chocolate milk/vomit off of a light cloth fabric?

The rest I can agree with.

 


Why do so many of you hate fog lights so much? Do they blind you or something, I really don't get it.

[tpl]

I like leather... but not black leather...thats too hot in summer.

Fog lights  I agree although Audi used them as DRLs which at least meant that they didn't use the headlights.

remote starters no way.I don't understand why anyone would buy one south of 60.

Paint protection...a clear bra certainly does keep the stone chips off the front end.

Rear deck spoilers.  Well I guess some people on some cars with some spoilers ( Wing on his S2000) can make use of some downforce.

[mmret]

Is this guy old and giving us the "back in my day" article?

[airbalancer]

They do have a wing on a Prius.
They must have for some reason

[ovr50]

There is nothing wrong with #2, 3, and 4. Kenzie is just being Kenzie, 

[Honda Owner]

From a service standpoint, the dumbest one is heated seats. I know people love them but nothing (with the possible exception of sunroofs) will cause more headaches than seat heaters. It's kind of a problem having heating elements in something that moves all the time. Seat heaters are insanely hard and expensive to fix.

I have also never understood the allure of leather, I find it uncomfortable all the time, hot in summer and cold in winter. As for keyless starting, give it five years and see the nightmares it causes!

[DockMan]

Leather: With little monsters in the rear seat I really appreciate the wipeability of leather. Ever get mud/chocolate milk/vomit off of a light cloth fabric?

Amen brother! Fabric and rug rats do not go well together!