List of RHD compromises

[catsinthewelder]

The indicator thing does my nut,not just the amount of times that I've indicated with the wipers. If you're trying to overtake on a country road then you need to change gear and indicate at the same time. If the stalk is on the correct side it's easy, if it's not then you have to either drive behind the tractor in 2nd waiting for a gap or bring out your inner BMW driver and forget to indicate.

 

My current regular drives with the stalk in the correct place are an 02 plate HiJet pickup, 72 Austin and LHD 74 VW. The BX and the LDV Convoys are wrong, but on the plus side it's not like I'm oftain able to overtake anything in any of them

[peter9000uk]

Son's BA (1995) Mazda 323f has indicator on right.

 

My Laguna has the brake bits on the LH side as I found out when trying to locate brake light switch (pass footwell)

 

I also seem to recall that there were some big turbo BMWs we didn't get because of the RHD problem.

[e287yba]

Probably the worst fail of all - Peugeots and Citroens on which the brakes could be activated by the passenger stomping in the footwell.

 

Motor engineer expert Mark Brown, examining a Citroen car, said: "These models which are built in France were designed as left-hand drives - so the master brake cylinder is on the left.

 

"To adapt them for the UK market Citroen added a cross bar between this cylinder and the driver's brake pedal on the right but in doing so, they failed to adequately protect the passenger-side lever."

 

VOSA had a nice description for the problem:

Vehicle Details

Reference : R/2011/061

Manufacturer Ref : MLT

Make: CITROEN

Model : C3 Picasso

Launch Date : 17/06/2011

Numbers Involved : 24213

Build Start Date : 29/07/2008

Build End Date : 31/05/2011

Recall Details

Concern : PASSENGER MAY INFLUENCE BRAKE OPERATION

Description : The brakes could be inadvertently applied by the passenger.

Remedial Action : Recall the vehicles that are likely to be affected to fit a cover over the cross shaft lobe on the passenger side.

Vehicle Id : VF7******8T500211 to VF7******BT534931

 

Yugo had that issue with their 45 model for a while in the '80s, with a recall that made the national press .

 

 

Got to laugh at comments about 'foreign' cars having hidden bits like automatic gear control illuminated displays that can't be seen, as well as things like bonnet release pulls on the left hand side of the car and so on... For half of the world's countries they are on the 'correct' side of the car , and possibly more than 50% of possible drivers . It's a shame that manufacturers choose to scrimp and keep the LHD parts because it's cheaper to do so [end of...] .

 

The bonnet release on a Maestro, incidentally, is on the right side of the car whether it is LHD or RHD, so 'we' are as bad .

 

 

With regards to indicator stalks in cars of European origin sold in the UK being on the left, this was down to a particular ISO (International Standards Organisation) diktat in the late '70s. This stated that cars sold in Europe would have their indicator stalks on the left and wiper stalks on the right of the steering column. As above, this is fine for LHD vehicles (gearchanging, for example, as others have said, as well as for mass production costs) ... Before this, UK cars often had their indicator stalks on the right of the column etc. Many Japanese cars kept the indicator stalk on the right etc, but the wife's Jizz has the indicator on the left/wipers on the right setup .

 

 

The Marina's LHD wiper pattern on RHD cars and vice versa? That was the least unsafe option on terms of being able to see what's happening at the driver's side front corner of the vehicle when moving forward in adverse conditions, I suspect .

[e287yba]

I also seem to recall that there were some big turbo BMWs we didn't get because of the RHD problem.

 

Same can be said for the 309 GTI 16 valve model - there was no room for the RHD brake servo and master cylinder, apparently, so it was LHD only .

[John F]

I can't say I've ever been bothered by the indicators thing, but the bonnet release in the front passenger footwell in some cars is a real pain.

 

On the plus side for RHD, it's more secure to park a motorbike on its side stand in RHD countries as the bike doesn't end up leaning against the camber of the road

[catsinthewelder]

We haven't had Pete M's curry hook yet have we?

[ashmicro]

The curry hook on my Brava was in the correct place, in the passenger footwell. A nice car let down by a crummy steering wheel that cost 12 pence.

[Vin]

You can add Pandas with brake servos to the list of cars with operating bars across the footwell.

 

My 4x4 has the servo in the LHD location with a bar operated by the pedal.

 

I don't know what exactly, but there was an engineering problem that prevented the UK getting a RHD 1.3 diesel version of the current Panda 4x4, only a 1.2 pez.

[Lacquer Peel]

You can get an RHD diesel version of the rather uggers Panda Cross 4x4.

[Vin]

Ah, I didn't realise that LP - I just remeber them saying when they first launched them there'd be no RHD diesel due to engineering problems, they've obviously sorted it. I agree, that the cross is rather ungainly isn't it - it's a beauty, eye and beholder thing I suppose...

[gallondrunk]

This was a surprise to me, but E39 5 series BMW's have LHD wipers. Quite an oversight considering how expensive the bastards were.

[dollywobbler]

This was a surprise to me, but E39 5 series BMW's have LHD wipers. Quite an oversight considering how expensive the bastards were.

 

That was about the time that many Euro manufacturers were experimenting with 'jumpy' wipers that in theory clean the corners of the windscreen (like a W124 Merc's single wiper). Peugeot 207 and Renault Clio also did it. I was never keen. Interesting that clap-hands have become the norm again now - they do at least clear both corners.

 

Which reminds me of another RHD compromise. Remember when the Galaxy/Sharan/Alhambra came out? The driver's wiper on RHD came nowhere near the windscreen pillar - exaggerated by the curved wiper blade. Was fine for LHD. It even featured on Watchdog and there was a recall to sort it. They did a much better job with the facelift wipers.

[M'coli]

The bonnet release on the passenger side thing really pisses me off in the Imp, because that's how it was designed, and the passenger door doesn't unlock from the outside! So, after filling up the rear hatch bit with grocery shopping you have to unlock the driver's door, reach across and pull the bonnet release just to be able to put the rest of the shopping in the boot.

[Lankytim]

The new MINI clubman has an extra door on the O/S, presumably in LHD markets the extra door is there to allow rear passengers to step out onto the pavement.

 

My dads ond Citroen VISA van's brakes could be influenced by the passenger, I think the clutch could be messed with too. Very strange, especially as I couldnearly get my foot behind the brake rod, meaning the brakes wouldn't work (or my toes would get crushed)

[Father Ted]

C8

Bonnet release on floor by side of passenger seat

 

Handbrake between door and rather wide drivers seat making anyone with hands bigger than a girl struggle getting it on / off.

 

Wipers set up that the driver (RHD) one finishes just in front of the middle of my face, whereas the passenger one goes to the edge of the screen.

[Volksy]

The VW Type 3 Fastback, had the rear boot release next to the passenger door striker plate in the door jamb, so on RHD to open the boot you got out, walked round the car, opened the passenger door, then opened the boot. Great.

[Pete-M]

Peugeot 604. Curry hook in drivers footwell.

[Volksy]

Peugeot 604. Curry hook in drivers footwell.

 

Good for snacking on Bahji's whilst on long journeys though!

[fotorabia]

Any RHD car that has the bonnet release on the passenger side is on my shitlist. Not a fault as such, it just gets on my nerves.

 

agreed..when we 're fettling Merci..im always..hey mate..can u pull that for me please!

[jonny69]

I hear from the Euro owners of LHD Anglias that Ford sort of forgot that on a LHD car the steering box would have to go where the exhaust downpipe is. As a result, the pipe is so close to the steering box that it cooks it, no doubt doing wonders for the fact that the steering only remains play-free for about 10 miles under normal operating conditions.

[Conrad D. Conelrad]

Dutch assembled LHD Morris Minors. The driver's door could only be locked/unlocked from the inside, because only the passenger door had a keyhole.

[tonedepear]

My stupid modern SAAB only has a keyhole in the passenger door.

[Ross_K]

You can add the MkIII Renault Espace to that list of passenger side keyholes

[Spiny Norman]

You can add the MkIII Renault Espace to that list of passenger side keyholes

 

W210 Merc as well.

Top tip: Every once in a while stick the key in and use it to open the door. Otherwise one day in the pissing rain, miles from anywhere, the battery in your remote plipper will go phut and you'll find it's seized solid. I did mine a few days after I bought the car as part of the usual 'fiddling with stuff' routine I always do whenever I get a new car just to make sure it worked, and it took me a good 10 minutes of jiggling and a liberal dose of 3-in-1 oil to get it to open.

Boot lock's completely borked though, and only opens with the plipper.

[Ross_K]

No fear of that on the Espace. My central locking used to go on the blink on a regular basis - the passenger side lock got plenty of use. :D

[eddyramrod]

The VW Type 3 Fastback, had the rear boot release next to the passenger door striker plate in the door jamb, so on RHD to open the boot you got out, walked round the car, opened the passenger door, then opened the boot. Great.

 

X1/9 does the same. It has both a boot and bonnet behind the cab, opened by pull-handles in the LH B post. The front bonnet (boot) lid is opened by a pull-handle in, guess? LH footwell. At least the passenger's door can be opened by key, as long as the lock hasn't seized.

Suzuki SJ bonnet release is.... in the glovebox! Who the hell thought of that?

[Jozza]

You can add the MkIII Renault Espace to that list of passenger side keyholes

 

Which reminds me, in the same vein. Early Renault Clio had keyholes on both doors but the on the RHD ones the passenger's door was opened by the ignition key (as was the boot) whilst the driver's door had a seperate key. A fine principle in LHDland though.

 

On the flipside I've always wondered what it's like to drive a Series Landy in LHD when all the transmission levers are on the other side of the trans. tunnel from the driver. But I suppose they win out in the handling stakes by being more balanced (RHD Landys are a bit right-side heavy what with the driver, transfer box, propshafts and diffs all on that side).

[e287yba]

... I've always wondered what it's like to drive a Series Landy in LHD when all the transmission levers are on the other side of the trans. tunnel from the driver.

 

You'll be too busy thumping/punching the door .

 

Joking apart, it soon becomes intuitive - and you'll only climb in the 'wrong' door once (make out you're checking the glovebox ).

 

But I suppose they win out in the handling stakes by being more balanced (RHD Landys are a bit right-side heavy what with the driver, transfer box, propshafts and diffs all on that side).

 

Interesting point about the weight distribution . Having been in a fully-passengered Defender at 40degrees of lean to the left on Gaydon's Demo track, you may sense a difference in a LHD but it almost certainly won't fall over on the road unless you do a Buzz Lightyear ...