Author Topic: You have to wonder sometimes.... (Read 1659 times)

sailor723 · « **on:** September 29, 2011, 06:20:07 am »

As many of you know, we have bought two new cars in the past four months (one planned, one not so much

) While I'm very happy with both vehicles there are some things that leave me scratching my head and wondering..."What were they thinking?"

1. Went to tow my small skiff with the ML yesterday. The plug for the trailer's wiring is so far under the bumper you practicaly have to stand on your head to see it. To add insult to injury it is angled downwards with a springloaded cover that is hinged on the top. This means that when you hold the cover open it completely blocks your view of the plug even if you are bent over looking under the bumper. The only way to easily connect the trailer's wiring is to lay on your back with your head under the truck.

...nice design MB

2. I don't drink coffee very often while driving (usually only on long roadtrips) but the cupholders in the BMW have to be the biggest joke I've ever seen. They pop out of the dash on the passenger side on either side of the glove box (one by the passenger door and one just on the passengers side of the centre console.) Both are flimsy,small and shallow (about 2" deep....water bottles are out of the question) and perfectly placed for spilling hot coffee either on the passenger's knee or on the carpet of the footwell on the passenger's side. The one that is intended for the driver requires you to lean forward and reach across the car. I can only assume that the German engineers,when pressured by Marketing to add cupholders for North American bound cars decided to get their own back...... "Zey must haf cupholders? Vell, let's zee how zey like these!!

So,what really stupid design blunders have you noticed in otherwise decently thought out cars?

overtakeyouintheleftlane · « **Reply #1 on:** September 29, 2011, 06:41:43 am »

In my car, the rear centre seat is rock hard and I don't know why every Grand AM is like that since 1999. No locking fuel filler door is obvious cost cutting. Not that a locking one would do any good either if someone wants to break into it.

I have 4 cupholders (1 in the centre console accesible from the rear seats and 3 up front) and two of them up front are in the front of the gear selector and if you put a drink there it blocks the 3 HVAC controls.

sailor723 · « **Reply #2 on:** September 29, 2011, 06:56:14 am »

Almost forgot...I'm not sure if this qualifies as a design blunder but it sure annoys me. The memory seats for the ML requires you to push and hold! the button until the seat,mirrors,wheel etc have finished moving.If you take your finger off the button the adjustments all stop. Every other car I've had with this feature you just pushed the button and climbed in while the adjustments were happening. It's not a huge deal as my wife rarely drives the ML but it would be a major PITA if it was regularly a two driver vehicle.

Railton · « **Reply #3 on:** September 29, 2011, 07:00:52 am »

The only minor gripe I have with the G I've had for a year and half now is that that I have to stretch to reach to the navigation touch screen. I have fairly long arms as well - I wear a 34"-35" sleeve on my shirts. As a result, I tend to use the wheel mounted nav controls or voice commands as much as possible.
Then again, maybe I just drive with the seat too far back?
Railton

CanuckG35 · « **Reply #4 on:** September 29, 2011, 08:14:39 am »

Quote from: Railton on September 29, 2011, 07:00:52 am

The only minor gripe I have with the G I've had for a year and half now is that that I have to stretch to reach to the navigation touch screen. I have fairly long arms as well - I wear a 34"-35" sleeve on my shirts. As a result, I tend to use the wheel mounted nav controls or voice commands as much as possible.
Then again, maybe I just drive with the seat too far back?
Railton

Weird, I don't have that issue with the G at all.

My biggest complaint about the G, and always has been, is the placement of the CD Changer. Where they placed it in the trunk completely cuts down on the size of the opening. The trunk itself is a decent size, but the shallow opening really limits what you can put in it. Large suitcase, forget about it.

TopGun · « **Reply #5 on:** September 29, 2011, 08:20:03 am »

Protege5 back seat folds 60/49...but the back seat bottoms fold all or nothing.

tpl · « **Reply #6 on:** September 29, 2011, 08:51:14 am »

On the 2008 GTI.
If you pull the wiper lever to wash the front screen it turns off the rear wiper.
The fuel and temp gauges are effectively invisible on a sunny day...in deep shadow. Fixed in Mk VI
The radio display is invisible at night... not very bright and no contrast. Fixed in Mk VI

Uses the HIDs for DRLs even though there are two conventional halogen headlamps right there which are not used for anything at all. That one is really weird.
If the HIDs are in use as DRLs; i.e. the headlamp switch is off, they turn off when one applies the handbrake. This does not happen when the headlamp switch is on. Even weirder.

5 Wheel Drive · « **Reply #7 on:** September 29, 2011, 09:08:40 am »

I really ony have 2 small gripes about the inside of the Forester.

1. The location of the controls for the butt warmers. They're in the center, but all the way back behind the parking brake. If you have the armrest lid of the center console slid forward, you have to slide it back again to look down and see them.

2. No auto up drivers side window. It has an auto down, but no auto up. Just a pain when I arrive at work as I have to show a badge to get in. So I'm rolling up the window, shifting, and putting the badge back down all at the same time.

tortoise · « **Reply #8 on:** September 29, 2011, 09:21:10 am »

Quote from: TopGun on September 29, 2011, 08:20:03 am

Protege5 back seat folds 60/49...but the back seat bottoms fold all or nothing.

Huh? Mine don't do this.

Quote

If the HIDs are in use as DRLs; i.e. the headlamp switch is off, they turn off when one applies the handbrake. This does not happen when the headlamp switch is on.

My P5 does that too. I wonder if it's required in the regulations somewhere.

When I used the armrest it causes it to rattle. That one always gets me. "What did you think I was going to do with it?"

Mike · « **Reply #9 on:** September 29, 2011, 09:30:23 am »

The WRX has no rear cup-holders. Just water bottle holders in the door. Not a big deal since I rarely have backseat passengers but still....

Also, the Sedan has a fold-down center armrest for rear passengers, but the hatchback does not

Sir Osis of Liver · « **Reply #10 on:** September 29, 2011, 09:39:23 am »

The Bluetooth implementation on the OB is a cheezy add on and doesn't work very well. It's actually two options on the order sheet, one to connect to your phone, and a second option for streaming music. And it requires you to connect to the phone twice. Compared to how slick Ford and others do it, it's really behind the times.

Fortunately it also has USB and TRS jacks in the armrest.

Mike · « **Reply #11 on:** September 29, 2011, 09:51:01 am »

Quote from: Sir Osis of Liver on September 29, 2011, 09:39:23 am

The Bluetooth implementation on the OB is a cheezy add on and doesn't work very well. It's actually two options on the order sheet, one to connect to your phone, and a second option for streaming music. And it requires you to connect to the phone twice. Compared to how slick Ford and others do it, it's really behind the times.

Fortunately it also has USB and TRS jacks in the armrest.

That is the same in the 2011 Forester that I rented recently. I laughed at how the sound comes out of those two cheesy little speakers and not the actual car speakers.

aquadorhj · « **Reply #12 on:** September 29, 2011, 10:39:52 am »

my rental chrysler charger turns off the DRL when i put on turn signal.

i've seen many a recent chryslers do this, and it looks so weird.

i've just seen an audi a3 does the same thing. why?

Jaeger · « **Reply #13 on:** September 29, 2011, 10:41:27 am »

I don't have any real design / ergonomic complaints, but on an otherwise very well-equipped car I find the absence of power controls for the passenger seat and the absence of one-touch up/down for the passenger window a bit annoying.

Jaeger

johngenx · « **Reply #14 on:** September 29, 2011, 10:41:42 am »

Americans cried that DRL's were blinding them, and made it impossible to see the turn signals. Yes, the intense light of the DRLs...

1TSX · « **Reply #15 on:** September 29, 2011, 10:47:35 am »

For the TSX, to open the sunroof, you need to push AND hold the button to open it fully

. Really annoying...who wants to open a sunroof half way anyways?

For the Odyssey, theres no coin compartment.

For the 330i, as mentioned before, the shitty cupholders.

johngenx · « **Reply #16 on:** September 29, 2011, 10:56:01 am »

Very few sedans do this: Have it so you can open the trunk without the keyfob when the car is unlocked. Yes, most have a remote release, but it's awesome to be able to push an exterior button and pop the trunk too.

Why do most cars put the ignition key on the steering column? This is a stupid tradition. We can lock columns without putting the cylinder on the column. I grew to love the key located on the dash with our various German cars, Mercedes did it particularly well. (Porsche, not so much...)

I cringe when I read about more and more cars coming with no spare, only a fill-kit. Perhaps people no longer venture outside of urban centers? Maybe people don't mind the inconvenience of having to find a repair shop quickly? I have always swapped the mini-spares for a full-sized (except Mercedes, which used to give you five REAL wheels, yes, the spare was an alloy...) but now I see more cars without a space for a spare. Not good. I know flats are less common now, but they still happen.

I'm hoping the "electronic disptick only" trend that has been happening at certain German makes does not take hold with others. I like to check the oil, and I also want to see it.

On our Corolla, the washer fluid reservoir is buried deep inside the engine bay somewhere, and there is a filler tube. The opening of that tube is about 3cm in diameter, meaning you either have to have a funnel (which no one does) or be the world's best aim to refill the washer fluid without spilling a bunch of it.

CanuckG35 · « **Reply #17 on:** September 29, 2011, 10:57:36 am »

Quote from: 2hondas1BMW on September 29, 2011, 10:47:35 am

For the TSX, to open the sunroof, you need to push AND hold the button to open it fully . Really annoying...who wants to open a sunroof half way anyways?

Same thing with my Edge, very annoying indeed!

Weexy · « **Reply #18 on:** September 29, 2011, 11:03:50 am »

Ha, all you poor buggers. I own automotive perfection, there's nothing I can think of for mine.

OK, well, it lacks a dedicated spot to store your sunglasses. My 2-cars-ago TSX had a beautiful flip down cubby above the drivers rear-view mirror. Loved it. TL didn't have that, nor does the S60. All cars should have a storage spot for sunglasses.

Oh ya, one other thing - the button for the homelink garage door opener is on the sun visor, so if you have the visor down - which I do everyday driving home after work this time of year, you have to flip it back up to hit the button.

So, ya I guess I own automotive almost perfection then...

ktm525 · « **Reply #19 on:** September 29, 2011, 11:06:50 am »

The spare for the Ridgeline is a mini and comes on a sliding tray. A mini for a truck type thing just doesn't cut it. Fortunately the sliding tray can be removed making way for a real full size spare. Honda also added a second spare location in the bed if you need to carry two.