Shite design decisions

[Guest Hooli]

Right then you lot of shitesters, lets have a list of the stupidest things car makers have deliberately done on cars.

 

I'll start with Laguna 2s, as soon as the fuel light comes on the dash stops displaying the miles till empty. There's a brilliant plan, the only time you need to know how many miles left & it refuses to tell you.

 

 

Next...

[Norbert]

Rev counters that are scaled in 'rpm x 100' rather than 'rpm x 1000' so the driver is presented with 2 dials both marked '0,10,20,30.....'. Bonus points for doing this in an instrument panel that is yards away from the driver (Fiat Idea, I'm looking at you).

[Alexg]

[Guest Hooli]

 

FFS!

 

That could be my car & it's never occurred to me. Too engineery brain to see it, I just figured the slot was to lock the keycard in when it's running.

[SiC]

Right then you lot of shitesters, lets have a list of the stupidest things car makers have deliberately done on cars.

 

I'll start with Laguna 2s, as soon as the fuel light comes on the dash stops displaying the miles till empty. There's a brilliant plan, the only time you need to know how many miles left & it refuses to tell you.

 

 

Next...

My Saab used to do that. When it got below a certain level it used to proclaim "Refill Fuel Now!" or something similar.

 

I believe the reason they do this, is because the range indicator isn't that accurate, especially when its getting low as people start babying it thus making the range increase. This then led to many people running out of fuel when there was a couple of miles left on the indicator. What some do now though is when the range gets to a certain level, it then changes to 0 miles remaining.

[SiC]

FFS!

 

That could be my car & it's never occurred to me. Too engineery brain to see it, I just figured the slot was to lock the keycard in when it's running.

It is! On newer keycard Renaults, they ditched the locking mechanism and put a key hole elsewhere on the card.

[Bren]

Ford zodiac.

 

Spare wheel in front of engine = impact absorbing.

 

Car handles like a TV stand and is nose heavier than Barry Manilow.

[Guest Hooli]

It is! On newer keycard Renaults, they ditched the locking mechanism and put a key hole elsewhere on the card.

 

 

I meant it's even the same colour trim as mine! Bit cleaner though...

[Asimo]

Ford Mondeo Diesel

Cannot be bump started, engine management won't allow a start that doesn't involve the starter motor.

[SiC]

Ford Mondeo Diesel

Cannot be bump started, engine management won't allow a start that doesn't involve the starter motor.

Would it bump start if you held the key in start position, while bump starting? Obviously that's providing the starter motor doesn't engage.

[fatharris]

Anything with an electronic parking brake ever.

Volvo S60 - Requires the sodding airbox and pipes to come off before you can change a headlight bulb.

 

BMW E92 - Similar construction - absolute cock-ache to get access to headlight bulbs.

 

Classic Mini - Everything and anything, namely the radiator bottom hose access or lack thereof.

 

Rover 400/Honda Civic - These have an annoying trait. If you flash your high beams to let someone through on a junction and pull too far on the stalk, you can actuallly turn on high beams on the sly, meaning when you turn on your headlights, you immediately blind every oncoming car.

How this got beyond the design process is beyond me.

[oldcars]

My Reliant has a fan switch with two clicks but the fan only has one speed. 

[saucedoctor]

 

Rover 400/Honda Civic - These have an annoying trait. If you flash your high beams to let someone through on a junction and pull too far on the stalk, you can actuallly turn on high beams on the sly, meaning when you turn on your headlights, you immediately blind every oncoming car.

 

How this got beyond the design process is beyond me.

 

200 & 25 also. Mega fucking annoying. Why not have it pull for flash and push for engage high beam, like older AR stuff?

[SiC]

Automatic headlights on Renaults! Not because they don't work - they do, but when they switch on Automatically, the pull-to-flash stalk becomes electronic. So a fast double-flash is impossible.

 

A Renault stalk doesn't have a pull-to-flash and push-away for main beam. With lights on, it becomes a clicky switch. But lights off, that is disabled and becomes a momentary switch. If that makes any sense?

[Urko]

Old 2 series Volvos had a similar flash/dip lash up

[Urko]

Dick head design for me was in a modern Aldi A4 with stop start. When you get in, put the keyfob in a slot and depress to start. Fine. If you stall the car in the middle of an awkward junction, this doesn't restart it you have to wait for it to restart itself, entirely counter-intuitively to me at least.

[dollywobbler]

Don't we have discussion roughly every two months?

[Guest Hooli]

200 & 25 also. Mega fucking annoying. Why not have it pull for flash and push for engage high beam, like older AR stuff?

Same as my laguna & a polo I had years ago, bloody daft.

 

But then any car that doesn't have the indicator stalk correctly placed on the RH side is daft anyway.

[Urko]

Minor really, but the radio volume and cruise switches are the exact same size and shape on diametrically opposed location on the steering wheel on my disco

[Urko]

Don't we have discussion roughly every two months?

I hope so

[Magnificent Rustbucket]

Aston Martin Lagonda: the electric bonnet release button is next to the button for the heated rear window.

[Magnificent Rustbucket]

Anything with an electronic parking brake ever.

 

Volvo S60 - Requires the sodding airbox and pipes to come off before you can change a headlight bulb.

 

BMW E92 - Similar construction - absolute cock-ache to get access to headlight bulbs.

 

Classic Mini - Everything and anything, namely the radiator bottom hose access or lack thereof.

 

Rover 400/Honda Civic - These have an annoying trait. If you flash your high beams to let someone through on a junction and pull too far on the stalk, you can actuallly turn on high beams on the sly, meaning when you turn on your headlights, you immediately blind every oncoming car.

 

How this got beyond the design process is beyond me.

 

 

I reckon I could remove the front bumper, both headlights and both front wings on my XJ40 in about the same amount of time it takes to replace one headlight bulb on a BMW E91 (3 Series Touring)

[flat4alfa]

Alfasud wiper stalk operates the heater fan.

 

Think I've said that before in another thread with simlarity

[captain_70s]

I've mentioned it many times before but: Dolomite 1300, can't get a regular sized ratchet/socket at plug No.1 without moving the alternator...

[SiC]

This...

 

Spark plug tool won't go vertical and remove the plugs - unless you remove the top plastic cover, then the wiper arms and then a big metal mounting plate for the above.

Can't remember, but you may have to remove the wiper motor too??

[ChinaTom]

Merc cruise control stalk where the indicator stalk may be if you're not fully concentrating.

[Captain Slow]

I've mentioned it many times before but: Dolomite 1300, can't get a regular sized ratchet/socket at plug No.1 without moving the alternator...

There's no engine in that bay so there's no excuse.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My list:

Rover 75 V6 rear plugs. Just why?

Volvo V70 T5 turbo. Why do you have to pull the driveshaft to get it out?

Volvo V70 steering lock.

Volvo V70 grab handle. I REFUSE to acknowledge its function as a handbrake.

Rover 75 headlamp bulbs

The wiring loom on my cobbled together Perkins prototype Monty diesel auto lashup is probably too specialist to count.

[doobietoo]

Any car which drips water into the car if you have the window even slightly open and also has all the door and window controls in the door right under where the water drips....

[Landy Mann]

I raise you, the Renault modus.

 

 

 

This...

IMG_20160107_154129.jpg

 

Spark plug tool won't go vertical and remove the plugs - unless you remove the top plastic cover, then the wiper arms and then a big metal mounting plate for the above.

Can't remember, but you may have to remove the wiper motor too??

Sent from my XT1068 using Tapatalk

[xtriple]

Petrol flap release button next to the button that checks the oil level in the centre console I have spent many happy moments wondering why the flap won't open at the petrol station. In fact, all the buttons in the centre console look exactly the same and the symbols are similar just to confuse idiots....

 

The Mazda locks its doors as soon as the engine starts and will not allow them to be opened until you turn the engine off again.... this may be aftermarket along with the alarm remote locking or a Japanese only thing as neither of my other two did this.